Tears In Heaven?

Of late I have been preaching through the N.T. book of Revelation on Sunday mornings during our contemporary service. Yesterday the text was chapters 4-5, where the scene of John's second vision includes the heavenly realm just before the opening of the seven-sealed scroll and the unleashing of havoc that occurs on the earthly empire that was Rome. 

(stay with me now, I'm heading somewhere)

Anyway, there is a moment in this vision (chapter five) when the question resounds, 

"Who is worthy to take the book and open the seals?"  

The text answers:

But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll and read it. Then I wept because no one could be found who was worthy to open the scroll and read it.  

I was struck by the revelation that there were tears in heaven, and I began to think about this heavenly moment as a metaphor for our own present experience which also includes such a time of weeping. In fact, our times seems to call for continuous weeping...


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We live in the time for tears; we live in the time of fractured relationships (as I was writing this line I was interrupted by a young man I know who is estranged from his family and sleeping in his car), abused little children, abject poverty, exploited women, and spiritual angst.

But there is coming a day -- and this we must hold tightly -- when the tears of the human condition will be give way. This is the blessed hope...