There’s a moment in Revelation 5 that has always stopped me in my tracks. John is weeping uncontrollably because he sees no one worthy to open the scroll. It’s a stark contrast to the glorious scene of Revelation 4. He’s weeping because it doesn’t look like anyone is going to be able to make sense of history. No one can tie up the threads of the pain, the wars, the injustice, the grief. John isn’t just sad, he’s in anguish. He’s grieving a story that seems to have no resolution, a symphony that will forever be unfinished.
And then, one of the elders speaks. Revelation 5:5 reads,
“Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.’”
Let me once again point out, one of the elders speaks. Not Jesus. Not an angel. Not a disembodied voice from heaven. One of the elders, one of the redeemed. A fellow worshipper. A servant. A preacher. Right there in heaven.
I love that detail. Because it reminds me that heaven isn’t silent, it’s not all just floating and singing. There’s communication, there’s ministry, there’s encouragement. There’s someone coming alongside a grieving brother or sister to say, “Don’t weep… He’s here. He has triumphed.” That’s what disciples do, we point others to Jesus… even in heaven.
Part of what we do when gathered as a church, sometimes without even realizing it, is say to one another: “Weep no more… He has triumphed.” We say it through songs sung loud enough to carry someone else’s burden. Through Scripture read with reverence. Through prayers whispered for the hurting. Through the laying on of hands or the offering of an encouraging word.
Worship isn’t just about how we feel toward God; it’s also about what we speak over one another. In a world full of unresolved grief and unfinished stories, we become a community that says: the story has a victorious ending. The scroll will be opened. The Lamb has overcome. You never know who walked in weeping. But when we gather, we can take up the ministry of the elder by offering presence, offering hope, offering Christ.
So let’s not just attend worship, let’s participate in heaven’s work. Let’s serve. Let’s speak. Let’s remind each other: He’s here. He’s triumphed. And you’re part of His story.
Pastor Ryan Paulson