Rise up and sing

Your journey’s done

Arise with joy, your journey’s just begun

Rise up and sing^*

Take a moment this week and remember someone you love. Say the names of loved ones whom Jesus has saved from death and are with Him in glory.  Today I say, “Rowena”. I composed the ^*lyric above when my grandmother Rowena died and we kids were asked to sing and play trumpet at her funeral.  Because Jesus said to His disciples,

¹“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. ²In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? ³And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” John 14:1–3 (ESV)

I pictured Jesus reaching out and lifting my grandma to her feet, and her face was full of joy as they walked off together upward into bright light. How do you picture the moment shared between your loved one and Jesus, the moment He arrived to bring your loved one to glory? 

We have this description of our loved ones who are in heaven living eternally in the kingdom of God,

^15b“he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence.  ¹⁶They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat.  ¹⁷For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:15b–17 (ESV)

Jesus is that “Lamb in the midst of the throne” who is the “shepherd.”  Because He gave His life for us on the cross and rose in victory over sin and death, He is the meeting place for us who are on earth and for those who are in glory. In Holy Communion are all brought together in Him.

I am looking forward to seeing Jesus, and heaven, and my grandmas and grandpas and the many, many others I have met and loved who found their salvation in Jesus.  I’m thankful that they taught my mom to know and trust Christ and that she has done the same for me and so many others.  There are and will be many, many people rejoicing in heaven because their sins are forgiven by grace of God, through faith in Christ (Rev. 7, Eph 2).  Since the book of Revelation tells us some of the words sung there by saints and angels, we have chosen to include those same words in our Sunday communion liturgies: ¹²“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” Revelation 5:12 (ESV)

Gather together this month in affirmation of your faith, in joy as redeemed saints by the grace of Christ, and in remembrance and thanksgiving for those who have gone before us in faith. Serve Christ for the salvation of a new generation of God’s beloved. May Christ knit us together in Holy Communion with Him and all who are in Him here and everywhere, including heavenly glory.

In Christ’s peace,

Pastor Stephen

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. )”

1 John 4:7-8

In addition to the means of grace: the Gospel message, Baptism, Absolution, and the Lord’s Supper… In addition to Salvation…  Jesus chose to give us.. EACH OTHER!  “Make disciples of all nations… baptizing them… (Mat 28)”  “You are the body of Christ and individually members of it (1 Cor 12)”  Yes, we are individually united to Christ AND we are together united to each other in Him.

Jesus has given many Gospel gifts and the gift to us of each other is an often-neglected joy when we list priorities or list blessings.  Not just our close circle of family and friends, but all God’s children are on our gratitude-radar.  You are the church, the beloved of God, brothers and sisters getting to know each other and discovering what it means to be wrapped up in God’s grace.  Did you know that God brought 235 people together at Zion during worship services to see each other, meet each other, and receive His grace together this year?  Last month, when we gathered for our picnic, what a joy it was to play games, share food, and begin conversations!  Last Sunday when our eldest member Marge’s heart stopped and she was attended to by prayer and CPR, what a unique time it was together of concern, action, and then rejoicing as she was revived.  Last month when you put on work clothes to begin preparations of classrooms for our expansion of Children’s and Youth Bible Classes, what a exhausting labor of love it was, filled with hope of little disciples growing in knowledge and faith in Jesus!  We experienced public and private sorrows, struggles, and joys that we lifted to Jesus in prayer during small group Bible studies and in the Divine Service.

God wants us always to remember that we are part of His plan to show Jesus as Savior of real people.  Lots and lots of beloved people.  October offers us many opportunities to know His love and love one another more and more by opening up scriptures to each other and serving side-by-side in times of fun, times of renewal, and times of struggle.  Let’s come together for Jesus. Know that the people surrounding you are very much part of His gift in life to us all. 

In Christ’s peace,

Pastor Stephen