December 31 - Messiah - Revelation 5:12-14

December 31 - Messiah - Revelation 5:12-14

Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by His blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

Blessing and honour, glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. Amen.

G. F. Handel died on April 14, 1759 and was buried in Poet’s Corner, Westminster Abbey.  Just six days before his death, he accompanied a performance of Messiah on the organ.  On the twenty-fifth anniversary of his death in 1784, three commemoration concerts were organized at Westminster Abbey and the Pantheon and on May 29th of that year, a mass performance of Messiah at the Abbey celebrated the life of its composer.

As a month fades away and a new one begins, as seasons move from life to death and life again, as the year passes and a new one enters, we often get caught up in the cycle of old and new, passing memories and new possibilities.  We see deaths and new births occur.  Change seems to be the standard for our lives.

For some these changes seem like upheavals, chaotic interruptions to an already difficult life. For others, natural transformations occur without much concern and very little attention, but as they look back over their lives, they are clearly aware of the ups and downs that have happened.

One of the great joys of knowing Jesus Christ is the strong line of continuity He provides throughout our lives.  He never changes.  Ever. We might dance everywhere else but along that line with Him, and yet He will remain in place; offering strength and hope, peace and joy.

When chaos erupts, Jesus Christ is still there. When we are overwhelmed, He is still the same. At the beginning He was there and when all is finished, he will be there.  There is never a moment in our lives when Jesus Christ is not there, the same as He was yesterday, is today and will be tomorrow.  We can have confidence in Him.

The scripture passage tells us that for His sacrifice He is worthy to receive praise. Do you understand that because of His eternal ‘sameness,’ that sacrifice could have occurred at any point in the timeline of eternity and His work would have been the same. But, it happened when it did in our timeline and it is this gift which we can receive. Because of His sacrifice, we have the gift of His presence in our lives. For this and for so many other things, we can lift up our hands and cry “Worthy are you, Lord to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.”