We gather and join in the great multitude because the Lamb is at its center, and the Lamb’s Kingdom ushers in the peaceable eternity of life resurrected.
John the Revelator sees us in his vision just as much as he sees fantastical creatures and myriads of angels, all of us giving praise to the Lamb who alone is worthy.
This is a word of comfort, because it assures us that even when our words fail, our heart can rest secure, and even when our heart doubts, we can still speak the simplest three-word creed: Jesus is Lord.
Each member finds their value, worth, and identity from the same inexhaustible source: The grace-drenched water of baptism which splashes every living body just the same.
The most counter-cultural action any Christian church can take right now would be to foster healthy and constructive conversations among its members and neighbors across their variety of opinions and perspectives.
Jesus’ baptism ushers in more than only His own life of ministry, the reign of God come near. It opens the power of the baptism He received from God, the power of the Spirit with fire, to all the baptized.
As we continue to celebrate the mystery of the incarnation, this is a perfect moment to meditate on how the work of God “in Christ,” even as it is centered in His death and resurrection, unfolds in every moment of the life of Jesus of Nazareth.