BACKGROUND
We all take on the hue of our surroundings. To varying degrees, we reflect the world in which we live and move and have our being, where we work and marry, play and build friendships, pray and curse the traffic and heat. The history, ambitions, and attitudes of our allotted dwelling place make their way into us and out from us, including the “us” called “church.” While we’d like to assume that we are the exception to the rule, in the most ordinary cases, we are not. The church often is a reflection of the city or community of which it is made up. If there was ever a faith family that epitomized this tendency, it was the Jesus followers of Sardis. A family of faith so amalgamated with its surroundings that they were hardly distinguishable. And that was the problem. Rather than following the pattern of Jesus—death, resurrection, and new life—the church of Sardis was repeating the pattern of their city, which was nothing new.
Sardis is a plural name. The singular “Sard” was a city that was part military fortress and part agricultural trade center. Much of the city was built atop a rockface jutting above the surrounding plains. This mountain top citadel boasted nearly 1,000-foot tall cliffs on three sides and a walkable entry only along a steep incline. The rest of the city was spread along the valley basin, rich in natural resources and at the crossroads of multiple trade routes. Because of its strategic location, Sardis was prosperous, and for a time, a capital city hungry for more. The city was strong and prosperous—but limited as its strength and wealth came from the irreproducible geographic conditions. However, that did not stop the city’s leadership from trying to expand its empire.
When Sardis’ king (Croesus) unsuccessfully tried to overtake the Persian king Cyrus in the late 500’s b.c., he retreated to his impregnable fortress, assuming Cyrus could not overtake him. Failing to mobilize his forces, Croesus was content to wait Cyrus out. But, just a few days into the siege, a Persian soldier witnessed a Sardis guard drop his helmet over the towering walls and down the cliff. The guard, unaware he was being watched, scaled-down and back up the cliffs to receive his lost headpiece. In doing so, he unwittingly showed the Persians that the fortress was actually vulnerable. The Sardis forces in the citadel did not watch the cliff walls at night. Why would they? They had never been breached, and everyone knew it, and so they rested on their reputation. Yet, while the city and its guardians slept, the Persian army ascended the cliff face and stole the city like a thief in the night.
The sad thing is, the story was repeated a few hundred years later when “Antiochus the Great of Syria sent his armies against Sardis (214 b.c.). His soldiers scaled the unguarded walls of the city and captured it in much the same way as the Persian warriors did.”[1] The repeated offense of inattentiveness, stemming from an inflated sense of security in reputation, left Sardis trying to live up to a past identity while struggling to live into their place in the present.
This lost discernment of identity came to light most fully closer to the time of Jesus’ letter. In AD 17, Sardis was nearly destroyed by a massive earthquake and rebuilt by the tremendous aid from emperor Tiberius. After its rebuild, Sardis applied to build their redeemer a temple of honor. It would have been the first of its kind in the Roman world. A righteous response to their resurrector, who obviously thought they were worthy and of significant value to the empire as he invested so much in their rebirth. But Sardis lost the privilege to Pergamum. Apparently, they were not who they thought they were.
No longer a capital, Sardis had lost that title to Ephesus. No longer the most geographically and visually stunning for Smyrna had claimed that stake. No longer a seat of spiritual or judicial power for that belonged to Pergamum. And, not even the most prosperous in in-land trade for Thyatira held that distinction. Sardis feined life but was actually in decline. The epitome of their decay laid in the never-finished temple of Artemis. Built to rival the (7-wonders of the ancient world) temple in Ephesus, to (re)gain a sense of their former identity, yet its work was never completed. Its remnants remain today under the shadow of a city-less hill in the farmlands of Turkey.
To a people living in a prosperous city with history, history but no future, no growth, no new identity, Jesus describes himself as the one who has life—the breath, the Spirit—itself and holds their lives in his hands. He is the giver and the standard for new life now and forever.
Sardis was a microcosm of its environment. Everything Jesus says to the church of Sardis is connected to their city’s history and identity, aspirations and attitudes. Unlike the four previous letters, there is no named opposition in Sardis. There are no Nicolaitans or false apostles. There is no synagogue of Satan or any tension from the extensive Jewish community in the city. There were no teachers within the family in the likes of Balaam or Jezebel, just the men and women of Sardis and their “incomplete works” (love, faith, service, and patient endurance). There were no kingdom rivals in Sardis, perhaps because the family of faith echoed the repetitive pattern of their cultural moment, rather than following Jesus into life forever growing.
PREPARATION
IMPORTANT: Try to make sure you have at least 25 minutes of uninterrupted time for this practice. Be realistic and honest about how much space and stamina you have for the quiet components. Some of us will welcome stillness and silence, but most of us will likely struggle to get through even 3-5 minutes of silence—and that is okay! Arrange whatever time you think reasonable (suggested times are provided), and set a timer; it helps. Get into a comfortable position but not too comfortable, so you don’t fall asleep.
PRACTICE
READ Revelation 3:1-6 slowly. If possible, read it aloud.
Now that you are familiar with the context and words, close your eyes and take three deep breaths. As you breathe in, pray “Holy Spirit… and as you breathe out, pray, “…Give me ears to hear.” Ask God to give you an openness to hear whatever the Spirit wishes to bring to you today. If (when!) your thoughts wander in the stillness, breathe the centering prayer to quiet your mind. Focus on your breaths as you envision breathing in God’s presence.
Now, reread the passage slowly, envisioning Jesus sending the Holy Spirit in his fullness (“seven spirits” is an OT description on the Holy Spirit) to his church. Jesus breathing the Spirit of life, wisdom, might, knowledge, and fear of the Lord (see Is. 11:2) onto his apprentices. Picture Jesus holding these families of faith in his right hand as guardian, judge, and standard of their lives now and forever. Imagine this Jesus speaking to his friends, followers, and flock—in the case of Sardis—stagnant in their growth, now longer maturing in lives of love, faith, service, and patient endurance. As you read and imagine[2]
Listen for a word or phrase, encouragement, admonishment, promise, etc., that stands out. Don’t choose this yourself; let the Spirit bring it to your mind. Even if you don’t like it, try to welcome it with humility (it’s key!) and see what happens.
Consider how you relate to the people and place of Sardis. How are their issues, your issue, or our faith family’s issue? How is their life of faith similar to yours and ours? How is it different?
Give yourself 3-5 minutes to ponder the questions and listen quietly.
REFLECT Reread the letter to Sardis slowly.
As you reflect the words of Jesus to this faith family, consider the following:
The word or phrase or detail that stood out to you. Why do you think these words resonated with you?
The promises in verse 5. In what ways might the promises of honor (“white robes”), secure relationship (“book of life” was a register of linage or citizenship), and advocacy (Jesus confessing their names) have motivated the Sardis faith family to walk “worthy” with Jesus? How might the promises encourage you or us to do the same?
The imperatives in verse 3. How can remembering and keeping to the Spirit-life received & words of Jesus heard help the Sardis family stay awake and finish “their works”? How might they do the same for us?
Give yourself 2-3 minutes to ponder all this. Then, ask God, “How do you want me to ‘keep what is written?”
RESPOND Read Revelation 3:1-6 one last time.
Prepare yourself for what you want to say to God about what you think the Spirit might have spoken to you or what came to you as you found yourself in the letter from Jesus to the faith family of Smyrna.
Pray whatever you need to pray. You might thank God for something or confess to God something or ask God for something.
Give yourself 2-3 minutes to respond.
REST Do as you are led for the last 5 minutes.
You may wish to wait quietly on God—to simply be with Jesus, who speaks directly and pastorally to his sheep. You may want to pay attention to Jesus, pondering: what Jesus does in this particular prophetic utterance or what he describes his people doing, or what about Jesus makes you marvel, or least want to be with him? Sit in the companionship of God—who is both the giver and standard of life anew, now and forever.
CONCLUSION
Having fed on the word through this practice, give it time to digest. In a day or two, come back to your thoughts and observations about yourself, the church, and our church; praying these back to God and asking for clarity, encouragement, and courage to respond to Him. Consider sharing these with your Gospel Community, DNA, or another “sibling and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance which are in Jesus” (Rev. 1:9). Maybe even repeat the practice once more!
[1] S. J. Kistemaker & W. Hendriksen, Exposition of the Book of Revelation, 146–149.
[2] Revelation requires us to exercise our imagination. If the use of imagination in faith and life with Jesus is new to you, take a minute to read pages 18-19 of this resource.