Does God Speak Welsh? Reflections from Penarth Seafront

This week's "Word for the Week" finds Simon on Penarth seafront, lifeboat station in view, watching the steady stream of holidaymakers from Wales and abroad passing through.

It's the kind of place where you might ask a visitor, "So, what do you think of Wales?"

But there's a bigger question worth asking: what does God think of Wales?

The answer comes from an unexpected place, the book of Revelation, written around 2,000 years ago. It describes a scene in heaven where angels and elders sing before God's throne about people "ransomed... from every tribe and language and people and nation" (Revelation 5:9).

Every language. That includes Welsh, one of the oldest languages in Europe, still spoken and still sung in Heaven today.

Every people, too, including the hill communities and valley families who've long made their way down to places like Penarth for a day out, each carrying their own stories, sorrows, and particular way of being human.

The point here in Revelation 5:9 isn't subtle: God doesn't airbrush nations into a uniform beige in His vision of the future.

He gathers people from each nation as themselves, within the particularity of who they are.

So God has something to say to Wales, and about Wales.

He wants Welsh people in His story, and He calls His people to welcome others the way He welcomes His followers, into a multi-racial Kingdom living under His kingly rule and protection.

That Kingdom is made possible by the Lamb, Jesus, who died to bring it about.

This free Gospel of Mark is a good place to start finding out who He is: https://live.bible.is/bible/ENGNLH/MRK/1

Quick Quiz

1. From which Welsh seaside town is this episode filmed?
   A) Tenby B) Penarth C) Barry Island D) Llandudno
   Answer: B
2. Revelation 5:9 says people are gathered from every tribe, language, people, and what else?
   A) Tribe B) Nation C) Family D) Generation
   Answer: B
3. What does the episode say God does NOT do to the nations?
   A) Judge them B) Bless them C) Airbrush them into uniform beige D) Send messengers to them
   Answer: C
4. What term does the episode use for the kind of Kingdom Jesus offers?
   A) Non-racial B) Multi-racial C) International D) Borderless
   Answer: B
5. Who is described as having died to make this Kingdom possible?
   A) An angel B) An elder C) The Lamb (Jesus) D) A king
   Answer: C