Listen

After this I looked, and there was a great crowd that no one could number. They were from every nation, tribe, people, and language. They were standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They wore white robes and held palm branches in their hands. They cried out with a loud voice:

“Victory belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

All the angels stood in a circle around the throne, and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell facedown before the throne and worshipped God, saying,

“Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and always. Amen.”

Revelation 7:9-12

Think

This week’s theme is “Following The Shepherd.” But here in John’s Revelation, Jesus is called the Lamb. You see, there’s that pivotal moment in the Gospels where Jesus moves from being the gentle Shepherd, to becoming the Lamb of God. Not only did God become one of us in the form of Jesus, but also Jesus chose to die, and in his death we find life. Jesus conquered death and invites us into God’s family, as daughters and sons.

This was God’s plan all along. In the beginning of John’s Gospel, when John the Baptist sees Jesus coming, he already knows where the story is heading. He says, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

So it is appropriate that we worship God. We worship the one who made us, who loves us, and who calls us. We worship the one who made a way for us to live as fearless children of the light. And we come from every race, every nation, speaking every language, united without walls and divisions to worship God!

David Burroughs

Pray

God, I am in awe of you. You love me with a powerful love. You empower me with grace to share your love with others as I move through my days. You call me to love every person I encounter, regardless of race or nationality, politics or ideology, status or station. Help me to see others as you see them and to love them with my best effort at your powerful love. Amen.

Go

As you leave this quiet space, moving on to what this day will bring, take the faith that God is with you, the trust that God is leading you, and the peace that comes from Holy contentment.