Are You In? ~ Revelation 21:10, 22-22:5 ~ Sixth Sunday of Easter

Being a lover of all things chocolate, one of my favorite childhood was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

It’s about a poor, little boy from a working-class family named Charlie.  He and three other (more privileged) children win the prize of a lifetime: they unwrap their chocolate bars to find golden tickets to tour the magical yet mysterious Willy Wonka Chocolate factory.

The reclusive but charismatic and whimsical creator of all things sweet and wonderful, Mr. Wonka himself, takes the four children and their families on a tour through his factory—and the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes are more spectacular than they ever imagined. 

But there are a few sights that Mr. Wonka forbids them to see.  He explains that those secrets just aren’t for them to know.

Well, I can’t help but feel like Charlie when I read Revelation—because it makes our imaginations run wild with its spectacular visions of the world as it will be when God makes all things new.  Now it can also be a very frightening and disturbing book—but at its heart, it is a book of beautiful promises. 

Yet there remains one elusive secret: this mysterious Book of Life that Revelation mentions of six times.  It is very clear that citizenship in the city of God is exclusively for those whose names “are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”  Nothing unclean will enter there, nor anyone who practices abomination or falsehood.

Inquiring minds want to know: whose names are written in that book?  Is my name in there?  Is yours?  Are our loved ones’ names there?  And—are the names of terrorists and mass-murderers excluded? 

I know that if I saw this Book of Life sitting on a table in front of me, I’d want to open it up.  I’d want to know!  Wouldn’t you?

This Book of Life can be a very uncomfortable thing—because it makes us feel as though our ultimate destiny is a done deal—and we’ll just have to wait to learn whether or not we’ve made the cut. 

So: how do we really know that we’re saved?  How do we live with this question?

Does this question strike fear into our hearts, because we know we’ve sinned?  So do we do good works out of fear, so that (hopefully) our good deeds will outweigh our bad deeds?  OR, do we assume that our names are included because we’re baptized; because we believe; because we’re good people, and only bad people will be excluded.  We’re not like those people that don’t go to church or believe in God or who just do whatever they feel like.  Not a chance…  We have our golden ticket! 

If we take to heart either of these two beliefs, we need to really pay more attention to what Revelation teaches—and not just Revelation, but the rest of the Bible.  The divine economy doesn’t work this way.

Salvation belongs to our God and to Christ the Lamb.  It is Jesus who saves us, apart from our merits or deserving.  Forgiveness is freely given to all—even the most despicable, wretched sinners.  And even though it’s not for us to know whose names are written in the Lamb’s book, God is not going to pull the rug out from under you in the moment when it really counts.  The assurance of your salvation is found on the cross—and in your baptism, where you were marked with God’s seal of ownership.  You are a child of God—period.  Therefore, there is no question.  Are you in the Book of Life?  Go to the cross.  Go to the font.  You’ll see.

But God’s gift of salvation to you is not to be treated as a golden ticket you can tuck away, then go and do whatever you want in life, and then present it when you need it.  How sad it is that we do that so easily.  We live on our terms.  We disregard God’s commands and do what feels good.  We indulge in materialism and the love of money.  We pray to God to take care of our neighbors but do nothing to help them ourselves.  We acknowledge Christ as Lord and Savior with our lips but pay to homage to him with our lives.  We all do this—which makes it all the more ridiculous that we’d question if we’re in the book of life.  Why do we even ask?  We’re basically erasing our own names from the book because we’re not living as God’s beloved children!

Christ’s cross and Christ’s baptismal waters PROMISE that our names are written in the Book of Life.  Salvation is not a golden ticket—it is a total life commitment.  It’s every moment of every day and every decision lived on this question: what would Jesus have me do?  I know what I want to do—but what does Jesus want me to do?  Do I have FAITH that what he wants me to do is more important than what I want to do?

SINCE our names are written in the Book of Life (as God’s gift to you), we are obligated to live as citizens of the City of God.  We pray to him and give him thanks in all circumstances.  We listen to his Word so that his promises can reclaim us from our stress and our pain and everything else that we’re tempted to put first in our lives.  We worship him so he can bring us as close to heaven as we’re going to be until we finally get there…  We live every day in passionate devotion to our Savior. 

And we witness.  We know all too well how much this world is hurting; how much PEOPLE are hurting.  But we can’t forget Christ’s victory that’s already going on.  Yes, it seems like chaos and evil are having their way with the world.  But the TRUTH is that Jesus is reclaiming this world.  In the darkest places of the world, light is dawning—and that is what we are called to do: to shine the light of Christ by living as people of compassion, mercy, and forgiveness.  Jesus sends us to the dark and hurting places to bear witness to the hope of all creation: that this world belongs to Jesus—and he’s not going to lose it.  Will you be the one to reveal the truth to someone who does not believe—that their names are written in the Lamb’s book of life—because Jesus gave his life for them, just as he gave his life for you?