Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Then I saw between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders a Lamb standing as if it had been slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, August 12, 2025
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
John was expecting something different. A “lion of Judah.” But instead, here is a lamb who shows signs of having been slaughtered. “He looks to see power and force, by which the enemies of his faith would be destroyed, and he sees sacrificial love and gentleness as the way to win the victory.” (Metzger, p. 52) We are so much like John sometimes. We want a champion to rise up and smite our enemies. We want fast, decisive answers to the conundrums that cause so much grief and pain in the world, someone to fight for us. But, in fact, “sacrificial love and gentleness” are the way to win the victory. This is true of Jesus, and it’s true of us now, even in the midst of the hatefulness spewing out of the U.S. Capitol. Yes, we need strength and decisiveness, but it can’t be about punishing our “enemies.” It has to be about caring for those most in need. It has to be about our collective willingness to sacrifice the harmful practices in our day to day life in order to ensure the flourishing of all creation.
I’d still like a lion to appear and strike fear (and love) into the hearts of the vindictive toddlers currently running things. But at the same time, I know that’s not the way to make lasting change.
How can sacrificial love and gentleness help bring about change?
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Metzger, Bruce M. Breaking the Code: Understanding the Book of Revelation. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1993.
