honor
Celebrating Our Risen Lord
By Linda Rex
May 4, 2025, 3rd Sunday in Easter—This past Sunday, at our Grace Communion congregation here in Big Sandy, TX, we gathered together to joyfully celebrate our resurrected Lord, and to take communion together. It was fitting that we also celebrated a confirmation and several baptisms on Resurrection Sunday. What a profound statement about how Jesus has brought us new life!
As I was reading the New Testament passage for the third Sunday in Easter, Revelation 5:11–14, I noticed the apostle John used a lot of dramatic language to describe the joyful celebration which goes on in the presence of our heavenly Father. The vast multitudes offered praise to him and to his Son, who as a willing sacrifice offered himself as a Lamb for our sakes. The magnitude of heavenly celebration was beyond John’s ability to easily convey. He pulled in words like “myriads” in the Greek because he didn’t have anything larger than that to show what in our language, we would call millions and billions. Overwhelmed with the number of angels giving praise, he then saw our entire universe respond with even more praise to the Father and the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.
But how did Jesus, the Lamb of God, come to be worthy of such praise? Within the passage, we see that Jesus is worthy of all praise and honor and glory because, as the Son of God, he came and laid down his life for us. This speaks to our need to follow the Savior’s lead when it comes to the sevenfold collection of praiseworthy items mentioned by John: power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing. He uses the number seven to remind us it is complete and ultimate. And he shows that Jesus is worthy of all of these things. What makes this divine human so worthy?
Too often our focus in this life is on acquiring and having these very things. In and of themselves, these are not necessarily bad things. We like to have the power to make decisions and have them honored. We like to have wealth, because we believe it opens up opportunities for us. Wisdom is a good thing to have—it helps us make good decisions and have better lives. It feels good to be justly honored for the things we have done. And performers, when they take the stage, would love to have the glory that comes with the approval and admiration of their fans. And most people I know would love to receive some sort of blessing from those around them.
But the path to having these things in their ultimate completeness is the path the Son of God took: human life, death by crucifixion, followed by resurrection and ascension. Jesus was willing to go to the bottom of all our human experience, even into death itself, in order to bring humanity with him home to his Father in the Spirit. And Jesus said, if we are to be his disciples, we are to deny ourselves, pick up our own cross (whatever that may be), and to follow him, wherever he goes (Matt. 16:24; 10:38; Mark 8:34). And in the case of the first disciples of Christ, that was to the cross—not that they hung on the cross themselves, but that they participated with Jesus in his sacrificial offering on behalf of all humanity. And one day, for most of these disciples, that participation actually included their own sacrificial self-offering. It is said that Peter, at death, refused to die crucified like Christ—he asked his captors to crucify him upside down instead.
Speaking of Peter, we are drawn to the Gospel passage for this Sunday, John 21:1–19, where Peter takes six other disciples out to fish following the resurrection of Jesus Christ (notice John’s use of seven again). Did they feel at loose ends, not knowing what was going to happen next? I’m pretty sure that Peter’s last encounters with the Lord, including his rejection of Jesus, were playing through his mind as he cast one more net into the sea. I love Jesus’ sense of humor, for he once again asks them to cast their net on the other side of the boat when he hears they haven’t caught anything. And they actually did it! It is no wonder, that when their nets began to fill up to overflowing, that John says to Peter, “It is the Lord!” How could anyone forget their initial encounter with Jesus when he did this very thing for them!
Notice the quiet humility and grace with which the risen Lord meets with his disciples and reconciles with Peter. This Lord is worthy of all power, honor, glory, and blessing, and here he is, baking bread, frying fish, and feeding his disciples. Even in the supreme glory of his risen majesty, Jesus comes to humanity as a servant, a loving mentor, and a friend. In the heavenly glories, Jesus is celebrated as the slain Lamb of God, while we, here on earth, know him as the indwelling Christ by the Spirit—the One who is ever present and available, caring and concerned. May we freely participate in the praise and worship of Jesus, God in humanity, who is Lord of all, both now and on into eternity. And by the Spirit, may we faithfully participate fully in his humble service and grace toward others, and in his freely offered sacrifice on behalf of all, in his name. Amen and amen.
We celebrate you, Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit! How awesome and wonderful you are! You are worthy of all power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing. Heavenly Spirit, may we humbly and faithful truly reflect your triune glory and majesty, in your name, Jesus, now and forever. Amen.
“Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. And they sang in a mighty chorus: ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered—to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.” And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: ‘Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.’ And the four living beings said, ‘Amen!’ And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped the Lamb.” Revelation 5:11–14 NASB
See also John 21:1–19 NASB.
ON A PERSONAL NOTE:
Dear friends and spiritual family,
I have come to the place that I must step away from actively writing, recording, and posting a sermon blog, questions, and video each week, so that I can fully participate in our local Grace Communion Big Sandy ministry as Hope Avenue champion, and care for my family, my community, and my health. I also have writing, copyediting, and seminary responsibilities to fulfill. I simply cannot do all that is being asked of me.
Over the years, I have created an archive on the Our Life in the Trinity Studies page (https://ourlifeinthetrinitystudies.wordpress.com) where you can find questions, blogs, and video sermons for each week according to the Revised Common Lectionary three-year cycle. Weekly video sermons with playlists according to the lectionary year and season are on the YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/@ourlifeinthetrinity). I encourage you to check these out and make use of them in your studies and preaching.
Thank you for your support and encouragement and prayers over the years. I am very grateful for each and every one of you who has joined with me along the way. I wish you all God’s best. I am still available via the contact information on the site and on Facebook, should you need to reach out.
Blessings, Linda
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