THE DIVINE WOOING
Revelation 22:12-17
Second in Series: “Are You Filled?”
One of my favorite stories from childhood is Gertrude Chandler Warner’s original book, The Boxcar Children. I never read any of the rest of the series that apparently sprung up years later, but the original story captivated my attention as a kid and I’ve never forgotten it—while I’ve read lots of books in my adult years that I’ve long ago forgotten!
The story begins with four children standing in front of a small bakery one evening. No one knew them. No one knew where they had come from. Henry, Jessie, Violet and Benny were brothers and sisters—and both parents had died. Finding themselves orphaned, the older two had stepped up to the plate and assumed responsibility for the younger ones. And as might have been the case in the early 1940’s when the book was written, they were on their own.
Early in the story, you learn that they had a grandfather in a neighboring town, but they had never met him (for reasons I can’t recall!) and somehow were convinced that he did not like them. They were convinced that the only way they could stay together was if they made it on their own. So, out of fear of being separated and fear of this unknown grandfather, they set out on the adventure of taking care of themselves. They discovered an old, red, deserted railroad boxcar out in the woods outside of town, and set out to make it their home—and did an incredible job of making it homey! Thus they became The Boxcar Children.
Henry—the oldest—got hired doing odd jobs for an older gentleman after school and managed to keep his secret about his siblings and where they were living. All seemed to be going so well and they lived one adventure to another. But eventually one of them became frighteningly sick, and Henry determined that he had to divulge their secret and get the help of the older gentleman for whom he worked. He had come to trust the man—and the man was so kind to Henry. The man took them all into his home to see them through the crisis—and, as you may have already guessed, he turned out to be the grandfather they were running from! He moved their boxcar to his spacious property and welcomed all four children into the safety of his home and the security of his love.
I think lots of people’s stories of coming into a meaningful relationship with the Lord is a similar story, for sometimes we fear the very One who is best positioned to help us. And our passage of scripture this morning is all about the Holy Spirit calling out to us, welcoming us into His Presence and into the safety and security found only in Him. And when we fully embrace that, we wonder why in the world we tried so hard and for so long to avoid Him!
Last week I began a series of sermons I’ve called “Are You Filled?” which explores the Holy Spirit’s role in our lives. In the Christian calendar, we’re living in the days of Easter—fully aware of Christ’s Resurrection and anticipating the gift of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus had promised to send to His followers. We’ll celebrate the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon the Early Church on Pentecost Sunday—May 23rd this year. Last Sunday we considered a wonderful passage from Ezekiel 36—where we read the prophet’s God-given anticipation and hope of when the Lord would trade their cold, stony hearts for hearts that are tender and malleable and that welcome the guidance and direction of the Lord. God’s Word through Ezekiel proclaimed that God’s Holy Spirit would come to live in them—and the experience of Christians throughout the ages is that the Presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives makes a powerful difference.
This week we go to the very end of the New Testament—the last chapter of the last book of the Bible, in fact! Revelation 22. John is the author and he describes for us a series of visions God gave him that relate to the future. John sees plenty. There is war, famine, and disease—which wipe out a fourth of humanity. Christians are martyred for their faith. And there are natural disasters too—like devastating earthquakes (which is interesting with all the earthquakes taking place around the globe in recent months). But John sees some delightful things too. Gathered in heaven are the martyred people of God—and there are too many of them to count and they’ve come from every nation (Rev 7:9). Satan and his followers are pitched into a lake of fire. And God’s home becomes the eternal home of everyone who has loved Him. This is a place of indescribable blessing—where there’ll be no “death or sorrow or crying or pain” (Rev 21:4).
Written in a form that’s famous for lots of symbolism and code words, Revelation mystifies most Bible experts. In fact, I’m pretty suspect of anyone who thinks they’ve got the corner in understanding Revelation—because I believe that by design the Lord hasn’t made a lot of things crystal clear to us even though He’s left us a broad image—a broad brush stroke—of what’s ahead. But the big idea is certainly clear: God and goodness win, and Satan and evil lose. God defeats Satan and all the forces of evil. Those who love God and whose lives have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb which Revelation speaks of—which is clearly Jesus Christ—will live with God forever.
In the last chapter, we hear the words of Jesus and we hear a word of invitation that applies to all people. Let’s begin reading at verse 12—
[Read Revelation 22:12-17, TNIV]
So why would I include this passage in a series of sermons on the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives? Because the Spirit of God calls out to us, urging us to Himself. It’s a significant aspect of the role of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Spirit of the Lord says, “Come.” It’s what has sometimes been called the divine wooing.
I asked one of my younger staff members if he thought the word “woo” was a good word to use in the title of my sermon. Language seems to change so much and so quickly! I don’t know that it’s a word I’ve used much across the years, but it seems to describe well this holy pursuit from God—the divine wooing. If you check out synonyms for the word “woo,” you find words like persuade, encourage, pursue, and entice. But my favorite is perhaps the word “court.” I’m not speaking here of a court of law; I’m talking about God courting us as a man might “court” a woman. Oh, I know that happens in different ways now, too—but however it happens, there’s still this matter of a pursuit taking place!
It’s been nearly 33 years since I began to court my wife Cindy. It was a whirlwind romance that began soon after I graduated from college and moved to Kansas City for graduate school—where Cindy had been living and working for a couple of years then. A mutual friend had told me when I arrived in Kansas City, “I’ve got the perfect girl picked out for you!” For me it was practically love at first sight! We met on June 19th when both of us were with a group of single adults who went out to eat after church that night. We had our first date a week later, and within a week after that first date I told my parents that there was something different about this relationship—that I was already wondering if this might be “the one” for whom I had waited. I was so taken by Cindy! Looking back, the “courting” and the “wooing” must have gone into high speed—for we were engaged about 10 weeks after we began dating and were married the following April 15th—32 years ago this week!
In a far more significant way, Almighty God—our Redeemer, our Loving Heavenly Father—pursues each of us to draw us into a meaningful relationships with Himself. He woos us—because He loves us and wants the very best for us and knows that we can experience that only in fellowship with Him. And it’s by His Spirit that this is carried out in our lives, thus the Spirit says, “Come…Let those who are thirsty come; and let all who wish take the free gift of the water of life.”
And so we hear the divine wooing in these final words of Scripture. The call is clearly evangelistic—in the sense that it is an invitation to all people. There are those who read the first part of verse 17 as the cry for Jesus to return, but that would seem to necessitate a sudden change, for the last part of the verse is clearly directed at unbelievers. So while there would certainly be those who might want to debate the issue, I’ve accepted the whole of verse 17 as the invitation that is extended to all people—the invitation which comes from the Holy Spirit and from the Church of Jesus Christ, referred to here as “the bride.” Here again in scripture is the divine wooing!
And in the divine wooing is the promise that people’s needs will be satisfied. The third part of verse 17 is an invitation to all who are thirsty to come to Christ—and to drink from “the water of life.” It’s not speaking here of simply a drink of water, but the greater substance of life that only Jesus can give to us—like the living water that Jesus spoke of that so satisfies that we’ll never thirst again. It’s the deep longing of the soul—the longing for God our Father, our Creator, and for what He alone can provide for us.
I’m continually amazed at the deep needs in people’s lives. I’m astounded when I learn of people older than me still struggling with issues from their childhood—and the struggles are real! Just recently, I talked with three senior adults in the course of one day that all talked about how dynamics in their childhood was still impacting their lives today—I was amazed! But then I guess I should get used to it—human needs are so great! And beyond all the hurts and wounds and questions and uncertainties of life, we long to know that our life has meaning and purpose—that our lives somehow make a difference in this world! And if we embrace the reality of the Presence of the Creator God, we somehow long for His approval, His acceptance rather than His condemnation, and ultimately for His companionship in life. We long to feel secure and to know that we are loved. Such longings are the thirst of humanity—and we long for such thirst to be satisfied.
And the divine wooing of the Holy Spirit speaks to us all, saying, “Come!…Is anyone thirsty? Come! All who will, come and drink—Drink freely of the Water of Life” (The Message). The Holy Spirit is joined by the Church—the Bride of Jesus Christ—in calling out the words of generous encouragement to all who are thirsty. It’s the divine wooing!
For those of you who are familiar with much of the Bible, it likely reminds you of Isaiah 55—
“Come, all you who are thirsty,
come to the waters;
and you who have no money,
come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
without money and without cost…
Seek the LORD while he may be found;
call on him while he is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way
and the evil man his thoughts.
Let him turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on him,
and to our God, for he will freely pardon.” (Isaiah 55:1, 6-7)
And I think of the words of Jesus from John’s Gospel—
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” (John 6:35)
And perhaps even more, I’m reminded of the words of Jesus from Matthew 11:28—
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
Again, it’s the wooing of the Spirit—God calling out to each of us, yearning for us and longing for us to recognize that He alone can provide all that we need! Throughout scripture, the call is universal, salvation is free, and the results are deeply satisfying. The Spirit’s words to us are words of grace to us and to the world! It’s the great heart of God reaching out to the needs of humanity—and God pleads with each of us to come to Him!
Like the Boxcar Children desperately trying to avoid the grandfather they feared, sometimes we run and hide from God—even though He’s the one most positioned to help us. Our minds race to all kinds of things that keep us trying to avoid His grip on our lives. Maybe the loss of control is what we fear the most—failing to see that we’re not in control of our lives at all without God! And what we need to hear today is the Great Invitation from God—and what we need to do is embrace the truth that in Christ alone the longing of the human soul is satisfied.
Years ago I found myself gravitated to the writings of a man named Bob Benson. I’d heard Bob speak several times when I was a student at Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tennessee, and loved his wit and his sense of being able to cut to truth so nonchalantly! He was such an incredible story teller! One of his stories that I’ve related to so many times is the one he calls “Parental Math.” Any of you who have had the experience of taking your kids to college and leaving them on a college campus miles and miles away from home will quickly relate—but beyond the basic story there’s a greater truth, and it lies in the mystery of the Divine Wooing. Here are his words—for he tells it best!
Nearly a week ago Peg and I had a very hard week.
Wednesday night—
Mike slept downstairs in his room where children belong and we slept upstairs in ours where moms and dads belong.
Thursday night—
We were 350 miles away and he was in Ramada 325 and we were in 323 in connecting rooms and we left the door open and talked and laughed together.
Friday night—
700 miles from home and he was in 247 and we were in 239 but it was just down the balcony and somehow we seemed together.
Saturday night—
He was in the freshman dorm and we were still in 239.
Sunday night—
We were home and he was 700 miles away in Chapman 309.
Now we have been through this before. Robert had gone away to college and we had gathered ourselves together until we had gotten over it—mainly because he is married now and he only lives ten miles away and comes to visit often. So we thought we knew how to handle separation pretty well. But we came away so lonely and blue.
Oh, our hearts are filled with pride at a fine young man and our minds are filled with memories from tricycles to commencements but deep down inside somewhere we just ached with loneliness and pain.
Somebody said you still have three at home. Three fine kids and there is still plenty of noise—plenty of ballgames to go to—plenty of laughter—plenty of everything except Mike. And in parental math five minus one just doesn’t equal plenty.
And I was thinking about God. He sure had plenty of children—plenty of artists—plenty of singers—and carpenters—and candlestick makers—and preachers—plenty of everybody except you. And all of them together can never take your place. And there will always be an empty spot in his heart—and a vacant chair at his table when you’re not home.
And if once in awhile it seems as if he’s crowding you a bit—try to forgive him. It may be one of those nights when he misses you so much he can hardly stand it.
It’s the divine wooing—and God is calling out to each of us, saying, “Come to me, you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest…Come, all who are thirsty, and drink from the living water—and you’ll never thirst again…” And the divine wooing is reaching out to each of us today, calling us to come to Him—perhaps for the first time, perhaps as prodigal sons or daughters who have drifted away, perhaps simply asking that we trust Him more and deeper and stronger—that we trade in the cares of life for trust in our Heavenly Father. It’s the Divine Wooing…and He’s speaking to you. Would you come?
