Jesus, Lamb of God (2)

by Anne Linington⁽²⁰⁷⁾ Red Star

http://Faithwriters.com

Jesus: Lamb of God

Introduction

What happened yesterday?

Quiet Day here on the theme of the Holy Spirit- continued and reflected in our hymns today

We looked at the Holy Spirit as Water.. Dove.. and Fire

Using music, readings, poetry, craft, times of Quiet and finishing with Taize- style worship.

About 25 people from seven different churches came for at least part of the day, the majority, around twenty spending the whole time with us.

We sought to listen to God in a variety of ways, using our senses - in what we see, hear, touch and smell – and taste, as we shared fellowship with soup and bread.

And God spoke- to those who had been hurt in the past week; those who were tired; those who needed to forgive and be forgiven; those whose hearts are hurting for family members; those who needed inspiration- a new vision to get going and keep going.

What did not happen yesterday?

I picked up from the internet that it had been prophesied that the “Rapture” was to take place on 21^st May, 2011- when Jesus would return with a shout and the sound of trumpets to take his Church to be with him.

I said to Russell on Friday- “if I'm not home by ten past three, you'll know what's happened”

It was a joke, because like me, Russell is a committed Christian.

So what happened- because we are all here today?

It was another of those cranky predictions, that somebody believes they know when Jesus will return, when he clearly said “no-one knows the day of the hour.

We do believe that Jesus will return one day, at a time of God' choosing- and those who have died as Christians will be raised to eternal life and join Christ first, and then those who are still living will also be “caught up” with Christ, in the air, “and so shall we ever be with the Lord”

It didn't happen! So today is still a day of salvation for those willing to turn to Christ as Saviour.

What happened 24^th May for John Wesley?

The son of a rector, miraculously saved as a boy from the burning rectory,

He went to University and trained as an Anglican priest

Became a missionary travelling to America

Yet deep down he wasn't satisfied- and he didn't have the peace he craved, and saw in the Moravian Christians.

In a room off Aldersgate Street in London, John Wesley describes his heart as being “strangely warmed” when he experienced the certainty that he belonged to Christ- the assurance, , that comes from the Holy Spirit: the Spirit of sonship, by which we can say to God “Abba Father”.

This led to his itinerant mission, travelling throughout the country to places like Bristol, Bath and Cornwall- also to the Isle of Wight where he landed at Wootton Creek.

He preached in the open- air to those who would never be found in Church- to the poor, to miners-

who came in large crowds to hear him.

It is reminiscent of another itinerant preacher who drew large crowds often excluded by the religious establishment- Jesus of Nazareth during his Galilean ministry.

Jesus the lamb of God

Some of you may have watched “lambing live” another of the BBC's spin-off programmes continuing on from Springwatch and Autumnwatch. I suppose “Lambing Live” is a bit more alliterative than lamb watch.

I discovered a few years ago that some of my ancestors had been shepherds near Salisbury plain.

A group of eleven family members on a “King Family Trail” sat up on Martin Down the area where our predecessors had lived and worked. We imagined what it would have been like on cold clear nights, listening to the familiar sounds of contented sheep, and taking turns to watch for predators or thieves.

I later found a second-hand book in the bookshop in Yarmouth called “A shepherd's life” written about a shepherd who was contemporay with my ancestor- their daughters are on the same Baptismal record, and presumably went to school together. Much of the wool went to the carpet industry at Wilton.

Of course the Bible speaks of a " Lambwatch" , or more accurately "sheep-watch" when the shepherds outside Bethlehem were watching their sheep at night that first Christmas. It is suggested that many of these lambs were destined for temple sacrifice in Jerusalem.

Bethlehem shepherds visiting the babe born to be “The Good Shepherd”

Raising lambs for sacrifice, when Jesus came as the once for all sacrifice for sin.

Lambs and sacrifice- Old Testament

Right back in Genesis when mankind first sinned, we find the necessity for sacrifice.

For Adam and Eve God provided “aprons”/ covering of skin- were these the first animals to die as a consequence of man's disobedience?

Their innocent nakedness and openness before God, was replaced by disobedience and shame, resulting in separation and exclusion from God's presence.

Under Moses, the Covenant Law was given by God at Mount Sinai, and sacrifice was required for sin, especially on the Annual Day of atonement when the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies with blood- having already made an offering for his own sin, because priests weren't perfect- priests and ministers aren't perfect today either- and we shouldn't expect them to be!

In the New Testament, John the Baptist points to Jesus as “The Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world”

This was at the river Jordan where another open-air speaker had drawn crowds

to hear this strangely dressed man preach a message of repentance

using words like “You brood of vipers” to describe the Pharisees and Sadducees-

the religious elite who thought that their Jewish ancestry would suffice,

and who placed intolerable religious burdens on the people.

This was a predominantly Jewish crowd- familiar with sacrifice

As Jesus steps forward to be baptised, as is identified by the dove descending and resting on him,

and the voice of the Father affirming him as God's Son. This is the Messiah- the anointed of God about to begin his ministry described in Isaiah- and that Jesus says is fulfilled in himself:

preaching Good News to the poor,

bringing sight to the blind,

setting captives free

comforting those that mourn,

proclaiming the year of the Lord

John speaks the words- “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”

This lamb is not just for the Jews familiar with their Passover- though he will die at Passover- he

dies for the sins of the whole whole world, Jew and Gentile.

Hebrews

Compares the sacrificial system under the old covenant / agreement God had with Israel

And the New Covenant that Christ established in shedding his blood.

The word diathekos meaning testament is like a will- only becoming valid on the death of the testator

He is both Lamb and High Priest, taking his blood into the temple of Heaven,

where his sacrifice need never be repeated- it is once and for all- for all people and for all time.

Revelation

John's vision of the last days and Heaven, speaks of Jesus still bearing the scars of Calvary- the Lamb as he had been slain- I wonder if he is the only one in Heaven bearing scars, as I understand we are to have new bodies with none of the illness, pain and injury that we have known in this life.

In my work with children and adults who have disability and learning disability-

Down's syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Autism and the like, I wonder how much greater the difference will be without all the physical, mental and emotional limitations of this life-

free to run and jump and dance;

free to think and understand,

to speak and sing;

free to feel and love and rejoice, in a way that hasn't been possible in this life.

But Christ still bears his scars.

And the whole of Heaven worships him “Worthy is the lamb that was slain.. to receive honour and glory and power, because by your blood you have ransomed (bought back by paying a price) people from every tongue and tribe, race and nation.

At Babel the nations became separated with different tongues.

At Pentecost, by the gift of the Spirit those barriers were surpassed, each hearing the gospel in their own tongue- from Rome in Italy around the Eastern Mediterranean to Libya in North Africa. This was a foretaste of what is to come.

In Heaven this will find full consummation as all mankind combine with the praises of the Angels-“Worth is the Lamb!”

Yesterday we looked back to the Spirit in Genesis, in the life of Christ and forward into Revelation

Today we have done something similar- the sacrifice in Genesis- Gospels- Revelation: These are “Macro” narratives- arching from eternity past to eternity future in one cohesive whole.

Article submitted Wednesday, May 25, 2011 & read 79 times.

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