A Great Gift
Do you remember a time of giving someone a really great gift? Maybe it was when you were younger and giving a gift to your mom or dad. Maybe it was a special birthday present for a friend or loved one.
For me, the thought goes back to May Day flowers for my mom. I would have been about 6 or 7 years old and we made flowers in school for our moms. They were simple pieces of paper, cut and curled and colored in a simple construction paper cone with a construction paper handle stapled on the top.
I remember the care in making them and getting them home in my backpack. I remember that year the 1st of May was on a Saturday, so I kept them hid and stayed quiet about them. I remember the anticipation and giggling as I sneaked out the back door and around to the front of the house, carefully hanging the “bouquet of flowers” from the doorknob. The moment I rang the bell and then raced back around the house, flying back in, closing the door and diving on to the couch, to nonchalantly yell out, “Mom, there is a delivery at the door.” I remember the way my mom went to the door and the joy I felt when her faced lit up at the gift. The way she displayed them throughout the day.
I also remember years later seeing them in a storage box, where she had held on to the memory of that day.
I did not have the money or means to get a fancy gift. I could only craft something out of materials that were given to me. But the joy we both shared in the giving was the the true gift.
This is, to me, the meaning behind the robes and crowns of the elders. They are/were human beings who lived a life of faith to God. They had no ability to earn a white robe or a crown. These were materials given to them. But throughout their life they crafted them into something of joy. The joy is not in the pride. The joy is not in the possession. The joy is in the giving of the gift itself.
We have nothing God lacks. We have nothing God needs. But God has given us materials: bodies, time, talents, materials, a voice, a mind, a heart and soul, relationships, eyes to see, His holy word, a Spirit alive within us. Like a great parent, He loves the moment of seeing our gift of what we craft out of those materials and sharing in that joy with us, not once, but over and over and over again throughout eternity.
My Answers:
3.
God, the appearance of jasper and ruby, a rainbow shone like an emerald encircled the throne, from the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder, sitting behind a sea of glass, clear as crystal. Demonstrates God’s majesty
4.
a.
24 elders, the saints who had died for faith in God
b.
A crown that will last forever, a crown of righteousness awarded by the Lord the righteous judge, a crown of glory that will never fade away from the Chief Shepherd, the crown of life that the Lord has promised to the blessed one who perseveres under trial and stands the test
The Notes are Good 