April 17: Psalms of Resurrection & Ascension
♫ Music:
WEEK EIGHT
BRIGHT WEEK
TITLE: PSALMS OF RESURRECTION & ASCENSION
April 17–April 23
“Let God Arise, Let His enemies be scattered; Let those also who hate Him flee before Him. As smoke is driven away, So drive them away; As wax melts before the fire, So let the wicked perish at the presence of God. But let the righteous be glad; Let them rejoice before God; Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.” (Psalm 68:1-3)
CHRIST IS RISEN! INDEED HE IS RISEN!
What magnificent psalms of victory and praise are before us this final “Bright Week” of the Lent Project. The resurrection, ascension, and eternal reign of Christ unfold in psalm after majestic psalm. These passages affirm the establishment of our Savior’s universal rule as “King of kings and Lord of lords.” One day he will judge the wicked and reward the righteous, and as his name is proclaimed “every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10–11).
Christ is the exalted one who was crucified. He is the holy one who has conquered sin, death, and the devil. The power and the glory are his alone. He is the true ruler over the kings of this earth, he is the one who governs all. There is only one who was and is and is to come. “I am the first and the last,” Christ says,“ I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death” (Revelation 1: 17–28). Christ rose again on the third day, ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. Christ in his heavenly kingdom is glorified in holiness, purity, knowledge, wisdom, and love, shining as the sun forever and ever. John the beloved disciple concludes, “Now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” (1 John 3:2)
Day 47 - Sunday, April 17
EASTER SUNDAY
Title: LET GOD ARISE
Scripture: Psalm 68:1-6, 19-23, 32-35
Let God arise,
Let His enemies be scattered;
Let those also who hate Him flee before Him.
As smoke is driven away,
So drive them away;
As wax melts before the fire,
So let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
But let the righteous be glad;
Let them rejoice before God;
Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly.
Sing to God, sing praises to His name;
Extol Him who rides on the clouds,
By His name Yah,
And rejoice before Him.
A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows,
Is God in His holy habitation.
God sets the solitary in families;
He brings out those who are bound into prosperity;
But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation! Selah
Our God is the God of salvation;
And to God the Lord belong escapes from death.
But God will wound the head of His enemies,
The hairy scalp of the one who still goes on in his trespasses.
The Lord said, “I will bring back from Bashan,
I will bring them back from the depths of the sea,
That your foot may crush them in blood,
And the tongues of your dogs may have their portion from your enemies.”
Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth;
Oh, sing praises to the Lord, Selah
To Him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which were of old!
Indeed, He sends out His voice, a mighty voice.
Ascribe strength to God;
His excellence is over Israel,
And His strength is in the clouds.
O God, You are more awesome than Your holy places.
The God of Israel is He who gives strength and power to His people.
Blessed be God!
Poetry:
Love Calls Us to the Things of this World
by Richard Wilbur
The eyes open to a cry of pulleys,
And spirited from sleep, the astounded soul
Hangs for a moment bodiless and simple
As false dawn.
Outside the open window
The morning air is all awash with angels.
Some are in bed-sheets, some are in blouses,
Some are in smocks: but truly there they are.
Now they are rising together in calm swells
Of halcyon feeling, filling whatever they wear
With the deep joy of their impersonal breathing;
Now they are flying in place, conveying
The terrible speed of their omnipresence, moving
And staying like white water; and now of a sudden
They swoon down into so rapt a quiet
That nobody seems to be there.
The soul shrinks
From all that it is about to remember,
From the punctual rape of every blessèd day,
And cries,
“Oh, let there be nothing on earth but laundry,
Nothing but rosy hands in the rising steam
And clear dances done in the sight of heaven.”
Yet, as the sun acknowledges
With a warm look the world’s hunks and colors,
The soul descends once more in bitter love
To accept the waking body, saying now
In a changed voice as the man yawns and rises,
“Bring them down from their ruddy gallows;
Let there be clean linen for the backs of thieves;
Let lovers go fresh and sweet to be undone,
And the heaviest nuns walk in a pure floating
Of dark habits,
keeping their difficult balance.”
BREAKFAST WITH A RISEN JESUS
It is Resurrection Sunday! What if today Jesus meets you for breakfast? The year is 33AD, and the disciples are distressed, afraid, and in pain. Jesus was crucified forty-eight hours ago. The weight of the situation was felt by all his followers. Jesus, the initiator who is always reaching out to us, appears to the two Mary’s (John 20:1-18), the two on the Emmaus Road (Luke 24:13-31), the disciples (Mat 28 2-7) ,and to Peter who had sunk into a sea of betrayal (Mat 14:31). In the morning of the first Easter as the disciples were having breakfast, I can imagine them eating café con pan (coffee with bread) or something traditional from their culture. Small conversations were taking place around the room, when suddenly! Mary runs in and screams––“He Has Risen!.” People are shocked with unbelief; others received the news as the best portion of the breakfast. The good news of the resurrection came during breakfast––it comes at precise times, ruptures hopelessness, changes environments with hope, and brings joy to the darkest hours.
This also happens with Peter. A few hours later, the resurrected Christ reaches Peter and pulls him not just from the Sea of Tiberias, but from his deepest sorrows and restores his joy and hope. After Jesus extended his arms to save him, He invited him to have pescado sarandiado (grilled fish) for breakfast. This reminds us that Christ’s relentless love, not just pulls us out of complex seas in which we drown with pain and disappointment, but also shows that Jesus wants to have intimacy with us. Yes, this resurrection day Jesus wants to spend time with you. Why? Because his love is relentless, and He wants to have breakfast with you. In other words, you are not alone, Jesus is there now with you through the sweet presence of the Holy Spirit. My friends hope and joy are your portions today. If I may ask, what do you need to share with Jesus, and the Holy Spirit on this Resurrection Sunday?
Today all over the world a diverse Christian community from all backgrounds, and races are celebrating the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. By faith we together affirm that Jesus is Risen and is alive. As a community we sing the songs of resurrection in the Church, we give voice to poetry, and contemplate the beauty in art which expresses that “He is Risen.” The resurrection reminds us that Jesus is Christus Victor over the evil power of the world, and has given us victory over all our circumstances. As the rays of the sun break through the windows, so is resurrection hope and joy breaking through our dead things today!
Let us pray:
Abba, let every dead thing in our life receive the power of the resurrection and may new life cometh forth in the power of your Holy Spirit. Jesus, let the transformation of our hearts blossom into faithful living that leads us to walk in a new light. Holy Spirit, as life goes on, tomorrow will bring its troubles. Yet, help me to acknowledge that Easter Sunday reminds me of a resurrected Christ that invites daily to, “come and have breakfast with me.” For it is the most important meal of the day!
Dr. Oscar Merlo
Director, Center for the Study of the Work and Ministry of the Holy Spirit Today
Talbot School of Theology
Biola University
For more information about the artwork, music, and poetry selected for this day, we have provided resources under the “About” tab located next to the “Devotional” tab.
About the Artwork:
Resurrection
Paul van Dongen
2006
Etching with watercolor
70 × 33 cm
Artist Paul van Dongen's work is deeply rooted both in his Roman Catholic faith and his scientifically detailed aesthetic. Explicitly religious subjects like the pietà, crucifixion, and resurrection are common themes in his work. He often chooses one detail from the usual iconographical depiction and then enlarges it. In Resurrection, thorns and the crown of thorns show us something of the meaning of the resurrection. These enlargements, often executed on big pieces of stark white paper, make his work new and contemporary. This print speaks of sin, death, and mortality, and of new life that has been opened up for us through Jesus’ suffering and death. Just as the crown of thorns is broken in two, so Jesus’ body was broken for us, breaching the brokenness and clearing the way upwards. The erect branch breaks through the bended crown of thorns like Jesus through the stone on his grave. He opens the way that leads on high. Concerning the plant motifs Van Dongen says, “Nature with its cycle of growing, flowering, dying and sprouting again is symbolic to me of Christ and his resurrection.”
https://artandtheology.org/2021/03/27/thorns-resurrection-paul-van-dongen/
About the Artist:
Paul van Dongen (b. 1958) is a Dutch artist known for his detailed drawings, etchings, and subtle watercolors. Explicitly religious subjects like the pietà, crucifixion, and resurrection are common themes in his work. He often chooses one detail from the usual iconographical depiction and then enlarges it. These enlargements, often executed on big pieces of stark white paper, make his work new and contemporary. He attended the art academy St. Joost in Breda, and since then he has been working as an independent artist. His work can be found in the collections of the Noordbrabants Museum in Den Bosch; the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam; the Museum of Religious Art Uden; the Teylers Museum Haarlem; the Tilburg University; the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science; The Hague; and in corporate collections. In 1998 he was awarded the Carnation Fund Prize by the Province of Noord Brabant.
https://www.paulvandongen.com/
https://artandtheology.org/2021/03/27/thorns-resurrection-paul-van-dongen/
About the Music #1:
“Christ is Risen” from the album Alive Again Album
Lyrics #1:
Let no one caught in sin remain
Inside the lie of inward shame
We fix our eyes upon the cross
And run to Him who showed great love
And bled for us|
Freely You bled, for us
Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with Him again
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Beneath the weight of all our sin
You bow to none but heaven's will
No scheme of hell, no scoffer's crown
No burden great can hold You down
In strength You reign
Forever let Your church proclaim
Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake!
Come and rise up from the grave
Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with Him again
Come awake, come awake!
Come and rise up from the grave
Oh death! Where is your sting?
Oh hell! Where is your victory?
Oh Church! Come stand in the light
The glory of God has defeated the night
Oh death! Where is your sting?
Oh hell! Where is your victory?
Oh Church! Come stand in the light
Our God is not dead, He's alive, He's alive
Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with Him again
Come awake, come awake
Come and rise up from the grave
Christ is risen from the dead
Trampling over death by death
Come awake, come awake!
Come and rise up from the grave
Christ is risen from the dead
We are one with Him again
Come awake, come awake!
Come and rise up from the grave
Rise up from the grave
About the Performer #1:
Matt Maher (b. 1974) is a Canadian contemporary Christian music artist, songwriter, and worship leader who currently lives in the United States. He has written and produced nine solo albums to date. Three of his albums have reached the Top 25 Christian Albums Billboard chart and four of his singles have reached the Top 25 Christian Songs chart. Maher has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards in his career and was awarded the Songwriter of the Year at the 2015 GMA Dove Awards. Maher was born and raised in Newfoundland, Canada. His parents recognized his musical talent, and he grew up taking piano lessons and immersing himself in a broad variety of music, including playing in concert and jazz ensembles, singing in a choir, and playing in a garage rock band. Maher started his post-secondary studies at Memorial University of Newfoundland and continued his studies in the Jazz Department at Arizona State University. Maher currently lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
www.mattmahermusic.com
About the Composers #1:
Songwriters: Mia Fieldes and Matt Maher
Mia Leanne Cherie Fieldes (b. 1983) is an Australian Christian musician. Her career in music ministry began when she was seventeen years old at the Hillsong Church in Sydney, Australia. It was there that she would be based for ten years, learning her craft of songwriting and musicianship, all the while growing in her faith. Her music recording career commenced in 2009 with the self-released album There's a Reason. Instead of releasing more recorded music, she wrote songs for a myriad of Christian musicians in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Her first extended play, Ashes, was released in 2015 after she signed a recording contract with Provident Label Group. Fieldes moved to Nashville, Tennessee, where she is one of the current worship leaders at The Belonging Co. Church.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mia_Fieldes
About the Music #2:
“O Yah—Let God Arise” - Single
Lyrics #2:
O Yah
O Yah
O Yah let God arise (5x)
Let His enemies scatter
Let them flee from before Him
As smoke is driven away
So drive them away
O Yah
O Yah let God arise (5x)
Extol Him that rideth
Upon the heavens
By His name YAHWEH
Let us rejoice before Him
O Yah
O Yah let God arise (7x)
About the Performer/Composer #2:
Paul Robert Wilbur (b. 1951) is an American Christian musician, worship leader, and guitarist, who primarily plays a Messianic-worship style of music. He has released albums with Integrity Music, Hosanna! Music, Epic Records, and Venture3Media during his career. His first known musical work, Up to Zion, a live album, was released in 1991. Wilbur has been leading worship and ministering for over four decades in over seventy-five nations. He received a Dove Award for best live praise and worship album of the year and continues to minister to thousands in stadiums and churches around the world.
https://www.wilburministries.com/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Wilbur
About the Poet:
Richard Purdy Wilbur (1921–2017) was an American poet and literary translator. One of the foremost poets of his generation, Wilbur's work, composed primarily in traditional forms, was marked by its wit, charm, and elegance. He was appointed the second poet laureate consultant in poetry to the Library of Congress in 1987 and received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry twice, in 1957 and 1989. Continuing the tradition of Robert Frost and W. H. Auden, Wilbur's poetry finds illumination in everyday experiences. Wilbur also provided lyrics to several songs in Leonard Bernstein's 1956 musical Candide. His honors included the 1983 Drama Desk Special Award and the PEN Translation Prize for his translation of The Misanthrope; the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry and the National Book Award for Things of This World (1956); the Edna St. Vincent Millay award; the Bollingen Prize; and the Chevalier, Ordre des Palmes Académiques. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1959. In 1987 Wilbur became the second poet, after Robert Penn Warren, to be named US poet laureate after the position's title was changed from poetry consultant. In 1988 he won the Aiken Taylor Award for Modern American Poetry and in 1989 he won a second Pulitzer, for his New and Collected Poems. In 1994 he received the National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton. In 2003 Wilbur was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame. In 2006 he won the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize. In 2012 Yale University conferred an honorary Doctor of Letters on Wilbur. Wilbur taught for twenty years at Wesleyan University and, in 1959, helped found the influential Wesleyan University Press poetry series, which first published important poets like James Wright, Richard Howard, and Robert Bly.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Wilbur
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/richard-wilbur
About the Devotion Author:
Dr. Oscar Merlo
Director, Center for the Study of the Work and Ministry of the Holy Spirit Today
Talbot School of Theology
Biola University
Oscar Merlo is passionate about empowering new generations through the Holy Spirit and illuminating the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. He has served in executive leadership positions for profit and nonprofit multinational organizations. Merlo has traveled extensively to over thirty-five countries in five continents and has experienced how God’s missio-dei is at work in diverse places such as Cuba, Tel Aviv, Bissau, Istanbul, Guatemala, local communities in Los Angeles, and other places in the global South. He leads global plans in evangelism and transformation initiatives and has participated in social justice advocacy, the Latin America Free of Corruption Initiative, and coordinated global leadership training programs. Merlo served as a co-founder of the OMEGA generation project, an initiative to mentor Latin-X millennials in the twenty-first century. He has developed EDEAM (School of Evangelists Alberto Mottesi) academic programs expanding to 136 international centers throughout Latin America, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Oscar is happily married to Lexa and they have two daughters.