Saturday of Jubilate Sunday (3rd Sunday after Easter - Easter 4) Week Reflections

Texts: Romans 1:18-25 and Revelation 21:1-5

In Romans 1:18 ff Paul sets forth God’s Wrath on Unrighteousness. Suppression of the truth is the root of unrighteousness.

Creation itself is and has been enough to reveal the truth about God: his plan, his eternal power and his divine nature.

Hiuman beings truly know God but they did not and do not honor him.

“They exchanged the Truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator;”

That is the description of the Fallenness of People. None is righteous no not one.

But the Fallenness of human beings does not change the Glory of God, His Nature and Paul will go on to point that fact again and again as he writes to the Churches.

The Law of God came to make all realize their Sin and Unrighteousness so that they can then hear the Gospel of God which is the revelation of the truth of His Divine Nature and His Plan, Indeed, His Future accomplished Action to Rescue and Redeem those whom He loves which occurs ONLY through the Death and Resurrection of Jesus.

And so as we arrive at the Saturday of Jubilate Week with the focus upon the NEW CREATION we read from Chapter 21 of the Book of Revelation.

This is a text that is used in our Funeral Services (Celebrations of the Resurrection that is ours because of Jesus).

John the Revelator records the Vision of “a new heaven and a new earth for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and the sea was no more”

He sees “the new Jerusalem coming out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

The Loud voice from the throne makes proclamation

• the dwelling place of God is with man

• God will dwell with them

• The will be his people

• God himself will be with them as their God

• Every tear from their eyes will be wiped away by God

• and “Death shall be no more”

• There shall be no more mourning nor crying nor pain

• The former things (the Unrighteousness of People) have passed away

And then the conclusion for our text, the wonderful words: “And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things New.” I prefer the wording from the King James Version “Behold I make all things New’”

That proclamation is followed by

“Write this down, for ‘these words are trustworthy and true”

The first Heave and Earth will pass away together with all human unrighteousness but Jesus brings to us the New Creation and makes us part of that New Creation through. This happens “For You” only through Jesus: his death and Resurrection.

So we make a Joyful Noise unto the Lord: Jubilate And now as the new week begins we “Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things” Psalm 98:1

Friday of Jubilate Sunday (3rd Sunday after Easter - Easter 4) Week Reflections

Texts: 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 and Romans 8:18-25

Today we have two texts written by the Apostle Paul to two of the little congregations Corinth and Rome. Yesterday we had a text about Paul speaking in Athens, Greece and some of his words to the Congregation of Colossians.

Pauls words were regarded as conveying the essentials of Christian Faith and Doctrine by all in the Early Christian Church. They are thus listed among what is known as the Homologomena Books of the New Testament.

Because of Jesus “we regard no one according to the flesh” Paul writes the Believers in Corinth. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.” There is the theme for Jubilate Sunday week. Make a Joyful noise unto the Lord for you are already a New Creation as you are In Christ.

When do you or did you become “In Christ”? Answer: When you were Baptized into his death and therefore into His Resurrection (Romans 6).

Back to the message to the Corinthians - You are a New Creation, already. “The Old has passed away; behold, the New has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself”

So whenever one is in the midst of life’s challenges - even dying and death we are to remember that “We have been Baptized into Christ” and that therefore the New Creation is ours because of Christ. This is the trustworthy and true assurance that has been given to us.

and so Paul says “Therefore , we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us.”

That of course is what we read of Paul doing in the Acts text for Thursday. As an Ambassador for Christ Paul went to the Pagan Center of Worship in Athens, The Areopagus, and made his appeal as an Ambassador for Christ.

On the One hand we are given the assurance of being included in the New Creation and then in Jubilation (Jubilate) we then become Ambassadors for Christ with God making his appeal through us.

In Romans 8:18 ff Paul doesn’t say life will be a bed of Roses here on this side of the Kingdom for those who are in Christ. Being an Ambassador for Christ will entail suffering and challenges since we are still on this side of The Kingdom.. But he gives the encouragement with the word of Future Glory for all who are “In Christ”.

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”

We hope (have faith) in the new Creation won for us Only in Jesus. “We eagerly wait for adoption as sons , the redemption of our bodies.”

Resurrection is real and it is a Resurrection of the Body and if you are In Christ the old has passed away and the New (Creation) has come. Jubilate! Jubilate! Jubilate!

Thursday of Jubilate Sunday (3rd Sunday after Easter - Easter 4) Week Reflections

Texts: Acts 17:22-23 and Colossians 1:15-18

The Acts text has Paul speaking in the Athen’s Areopagus. He declares that he is there to Proclaim to them the God they Worship as “unkown”.

His message is that the Creation is by only the one they call the “unknown God” and by the end of his address to them he emphasizes the New Creation through the Resurrection The New Creation is assured by the raising of Jesus from the Dead (see vs 21).

Now they don’t respond with a joyful Noise unless you wish to describe the Mockery of some. Some were more reserved and wanted to hear more but some joined him and believed. (Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris).

Proclamation does not always result in or even usually result in large numbers of people coming to believe in the New Creation and to utter Jubilate. But it does result through the working of the Holy Spirit of God in some wanting to hear more and some ( 2 in particular and a few others) being enabled to believe God’s Word.

Over the years I have read that Paul’s address in the Areopagus had no results. There are no Epistles to the Church in Athens that have come down to us. But the record declares that there were at least 2 and others who believed the Proclamation of God as Creator and as the one who has accomplished the future through the Resurrection.

Jesus tells us, we remember, that “Wherever two or three are gathered in my Name, there am I in the midst of them.” So a community of the New Creation is established in Athens. The Preaching in the Areopagus was a success in God’s measurement. From a human standpoint it probably needed a so called “critical mass” in order to be deemed a successful result. But the Lord of Creation, after all uses the “Mustard Seed” form of measurement. Jubilate!

Paul in his letter to the Colossians sets forth the basic focus upon the Preeminence of Christ.

The Nicene Creed Wording draws heavily from this little text.

Only Jesus and his preeminence has made the eternal difference. Only the Action of Jesus Creates, Rescues and gives assurance of Peace. Only in Jesus are all things reconciled by his Blood on the Cross.

Jesus alone is the image of the invisible God - only in him do all things hold together.

This pure Gospel causes a response of Jubilate and therefore daily thankfulness. Thankful people struggle to live according to God’s Word because they are jubilant and thankful.

So if the Holy Spirit has enabled one to believe in Jesus Alone (Solus Christus) there then follows a struggle to live as Jubilate people. As Luther often said, “Believe it and you have it”.

Believe that the Preeminence of Jesus is “For You” and you have It, namely

Wednesday of Jubilate Sunday (3rd Sunday after Easter - Easter 4) Week Reflections

Texts: 1 John 4:7-14 and Isaiah 65:17-19, 23-25

John writes us that we aught “ to Love one another, for love is from God”

That of course is a response of Thankfulness for God including us in the New Creation that is accomplished solely because of Jesus. Yesterday we read that we have been “Sealed for the day of redemption” and thankful response follows in the efforts and daily struggles of believers. “Loving one another is one of those thankful responses of “New Creation People”.

“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him……not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

God first loves us and His Son is the propitiation of our sins. Believers in this then are thankful and struggle in “Joyful Noise Response” to also love others.

“If God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.”

“The Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world” That is precisely what a believer’s life efforts testify.

Isaiah 65:17-19, 23-25 is the proclamation of the New Heavens and a New Earth. It is the same proclamation that one reads in the 21st Chapter of the Book of Revelation.

It is a future already accomplished proclamation : “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth and the former things shall not be remembered nor come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for behold I create Jerusalem to be a joy and her people to be a gladness.”

The New Creation and the Rejoicing (Joyful Noise) is the future accomplished.

In its fullness the Law of the Jungle shall be no more.

This is all pointing to the future accomplished only by Jesus coming to be the propitiation (the one who takes our place) of our sins. And in Jesus we have been sealed for the day of Redemption thus in thankfulness and joy we struggle to live each day by loving one another. LIve in Jubilate! This is the Word of the Week!

Tuesday of Jubilate Sunday (3rd Sunday after Easter - Easter 4) Week Reflections

Texts: Ephesians 4:25-32 and Job 42:1-10

In The Ephesians text the believer is instructed to “put away falsehood and speak truth with his neighbor” and to live a life that is based in God’s Word.

This is the thankful response to the Gospel that Jesus has purchased us and so we are to strive to “be ye kind one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.”

A key passage in this text is about how the New Creation comes to us! We are not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God by living Contrary to God’s Word and in that context Paul emphasizes that it is by the Holy Spirit of God “by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption”

That Sealing - is what happens to those who are enabled to believe and who have been Baptized into the Death and Resurrection of Jesus.

“….as God in Christ has forgiven you.”

The Verb indicates that this has been accomplished.

“Sealed for the day of redemption” is about your future already accomplished, namely the day of redemption.

And so thankful people struggle to live as instructed.

In the last Chapter of Job

Job confesses to the Lord that it is the Lord alone who can do all things and that he Job is aware that he has uttered that which he die not understand, things too wonderful which he did not know.

And therefore that Job repents in dust and ashes.

God then rebukes the friends of Job and instructs them to offer a sacrifice to the Lord before Job and that Job will pray for them. They do as they are instructed and Job prays to the Lord for them. (Intercessory prayer).

The Lord accepted the prayer of Job on the behalf of his friends.

And then comes the New Creation for Job “And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.”

Put our trust - Put your trust in the Lord. He will not abandon you for the future is Sure and Certain and already accomplished by Jesus Alone. We have been sealed for the day of Resurrection In, With, and Through Jesus.

Monday of Jubilate Sunday (3rd Sunday after Easter - Easter 4) Week Reflections

Texts: Ephesians 4:17-24 and Job 38:1-11

Theme: “The New Creation”

We are to make a Joyful Noise unto the Lord - For not only has he caused us to have the assurance of “New Life”, or “Being Born anew”

but he, The Lord of Creation has given us an assurance of the “New Creation”!

And so in Ephesians we are admonished not to walk in the futility of our minds. Things of the mind are of course infected with Sin just as much as all other parts of the Flesh. And so Paul rightly points out that the mind darkens understanding and alienates from the life of God.

The reformers of the 16th century rightly emphasized the Scripture that we are to put our trust only in God and only in HIs Word. That of course means that we are to trust only in Jesus.

That is easy to say but always then there enters in what is known as “Rationalism.” We are not to be “anti Intellectual” but our reflection is to be begun In Jesus and continued in Jesus.

Through Jesus we are to be and become part of the New Creation - “putting off the old self….which is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.”

But like the friends of Job and the temptation of Job himself we human beings (on this side of the kingdom) are continually lured into thinking (rationalizing) that we know (through our minds) more than our Creator.

Chapter 38 of Job is classic - “The Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said…….

Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?……….

Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?….

Who determined its measurements …..

Or who stretched the line upon it?……” etc.

“Tell me if you have understanding” is the demand of God. But even our brightest Scientists have more questions on the Universe and Creation than they have answers even in this day and age when we are supposedly so much more advanced than the generations that have preceded us.

In the Job text declares that when the foundation of the earth was created and put in place by God “the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy!”

So also the New Creation which has encompassed those who have been baptized and enabled to believe in Only Jesus is the occasion for Shouting for Joy (making a joyful noise unto the Lord.)

How is a “New Creation” possible? How is it possible for you and me to be included in the “New Creation”? It is truly “Mind Boggling” to try to use ones mind to figure it out but Faith and Belief in Only Jesus accomplishing this for you and me is God Working on us as the Holy Spirit. And so as we are enabled to believe in Only Jesus we are in fact “renewed in the spirit of our minds” by the Work of the Holy Spirit of God. And that is precisely the occasion for Jubilate, Making a Joyful Noise unto the Lord.