3rd Sunday after Easter (Easter 4)
Jubilate Sunday
The Theme is “The New Creation”
“If any one is in Christ , he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold , the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17
Psalm for the week: Psalm 66
Sunday Lectionary Lessons:
Old Testament Lesson: Isaiah 40:26-31
Epistle Lesson: 1 Peter 2:11-20
Gospel Lesson: John 16:16-21
Texts for reflection during the week
M. Ephesians 4:17-24 Job 38:1-11
T. Ephesians 4:25-32 Job 42:1-10
W. 1 John 4:7-14 Isaiah 65:17-19, 23 - 25
T. Acts 17:22-33 Colossians 1:15-18
F. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 Romans 8:18-23
S. Romans 1:18-25 Revelation 21:1-5
Prayer of the week
“O Lord God Almighty, who dost every year renew the face of the earth and whose will it is to renew the world fallen into sin and death; grant unto us, we beseech thee, thats we may discern in the Son the dawning of the true life and in him share in this new creation, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen”
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