Welcome

You’re the Lion of Judah, the Lamb that was slain,
You ascended to heaven and ever more will reign;
At the end of the age when the earth You reclaim,
You will gather the nations before You.
And the eyes of all men will be fixed on the Lamb
Who was crucified,
For with wisdom and mercy and justice You’ll reign
At Your Father’s side.

And the angels will cry: ‘Hail the Lamb
Who was slain for the world, Rule in power.’
And the earth will reply: ‘You shall reign
As the King of all kings
And the Lord of all lords.’

There’s a shield in our hand and a sword at our side,
There’s a fire in our spirits that cannot be denied;
As the Father has told us for these You have died,
For the nations that gather before You.
And the ears of all men need to hear of the Lamb
Who was crucified,
Who descended to hell yet was raised up to reign
At the Father’s side.

Lyrics: Robin Mark

“Then I saw in the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne a scroll written on the front and back and sealed with seven seals^] 2 And I saw a powerful angel proclaiming in a loud voice: “Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?” ³ But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or look into it. ⁴ So I began weeping bitterly because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. ⁵ Then one of the elders said to me, “Stop weeping! Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David, has conquered; thus he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” ⁶ Then I saw standing in the middle of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the middle of the elders, a Lamb that appeared to have been killed. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. ⁷ Then he came and took the scroll from the right hand of the one who was seated on the throne, ⁸ and when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders threw themselves to the ground before the Lamb.” Revelation 5:1-7 NIV

God who is on the throne,

How often we hear You and Jesus being called the Lion of Judah. I do not understand all the symbolism and theology of Revelation but I do find it extraordinary reading. The end is definitely good! For one it reminds me that You have ordained the future and it is Yours. And like the garden You first created it is good in every sense.

The Lion of the tribe of Judah has conquered. And in the next sentence a lamb appears to have been killed. We can all relate to Jesus being the victorious one defeating death and the enemy. And yet we all need to know Him as the willing sacrifice who allowed Himself to be bound, whipped, mocked and crucified. Vivid pictures. Like the writer we too weep because we need someone to love us that much, to rescue us and to know for certain that our names are written in heaven (Luke 10:20).

And we do. Because of Your Son Jesus. The Lion and the Lamb. Today is a good day to worship, praise and give thanks.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.

We pray:

For family, friends, neighbours, our church family. Those living in our neighbourhood.
For our town, our local council and the prosperity of the surrounding area.
For Putin and the end of war in Ukraine.
For the Middle East and an end to killing. Send in Your peacemakers.
For help, relief and comfort for those hit by the earthquake in Afghanistan, and for the devastated areas in Libya and Morocco. For all the aid and medical agencies.
For the church that is growing, for the church that is struggling, for the church that is persecuted. For each and every believer to know for certain today, Your love, Your forgiveness and the assurance of heaven.
For us and what we need to live in faith and hope and joy today and this week.

In Jesus name we pray, Amen.