Christ is risen! He’s risen indeed, Alleluia!
The season of Easter is the ongoing celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. His victory over death and the grave is the reason we worship, the place of our comfort, and the source of our hope! His victory is our victory, by the grace we have been given. His resurrection is our resurrection through the waters of baptism – in which we are buried with Him and raised again to new life! To Him be the glory, forever, amen!
During this ongoing celebration, our message series will look at texts from Revelation. John, in a vision while on the Island of Patmos, sees the living Christ. His encounters paint a picture that words can hardly describe. The host of heaven, the streets of gold, the sound of rushing waters, the new Jerusalem, the Lamb who was slain… These images and more help us understand the reality of what is yet to come. As we dig into sections of the Apocalypse of John, we’ll see beyond our present reality to what is beyond. We’ll get a glimpse into the heavenly realm and into the future. We’ll hear the promises of the One who is, who was, and who is to come.
In Revelation 1:17-20, John falls down before Jesus as though dead. Though as a disciple he had seen Jesus and even the transfigured Jesus as one of the inner circle, when he saw this vision of the Living Christ in all of His glory, he could not stand before Him. Our encounters with Jesus through this series are meant to expand our understanding of His identity and His glory so that we worship Him as the risen and reigning Christ. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Living One.
Although the vision of Jesus levels John, Jesus doesn’t leave him there. He touches him with grace, comforts him, and invites him to stop fearing. That same grace flows from the living Christ to us as well. He comes to us with a word of comfort and forgiveness. He meets us through Word and Sacrament. He covers our sin with His shed blood. That is the heart of the message of Jesus.
You’re encouraged to be in worship each week as we encounter Jesus, the living Christ. And through our encounters see His glory, hear His word of comfort, worship at His feet, and grow in faith and into service of our Lord. You’re also encouraged to be part of the Bible class that begins on Sunday, April 28. I’ll be leading that class as we follow Jesus and the Apostles through the Gospels and into Acts and see how ministry is done in the Way of Jesus. More information about the class can be found here.
Happy Easter!
Pastor John