Scriptures: Luke 24:45-53, Psalm 110, & Revelation 5
Song of Praise: Doxology
Devotion:
The plan of redemption is accomplished at last! The covenant of redemption, established by the Godhead before creation, was fulfilled and accomplished by Christ's finished work on the cross. Jesus rose victoriously from the grave; the firstborn of new creation.
In His resurrected state, He ate, drank, appeared to His disciples; explaining to them how all the scriptures pointed to Him.
After 40 days, Earthside, Jesus was carried up into the heavens where He took His rightful place on the throne.
In Revelation, after realizing there was no creature able to open up the sealed scroll, John began to weep.
As if Jesus was waiting for His que, He enters the scene; taking the scroll from God's right hand, exhibiting His ability and ownership. Only Jesus, the conquering hero, the Redeemer of fallen creation, is able to break open the scroll.
Similar to the myth of Excalibur, Jesus' ability to manipulate the scroll, proves Him to be the rightful Lord and Master of the Earth.
At once, all of heaven breaks out into song and begins to worship King Jesus.
The fractured cosmos, once lost, were recovered by King Jesus.
With deed in hand, He began to break ground on some new construction.
Jesus' rule and reign are unending, and His kingdom is expansive. He has authority over every molecule and every square inch of land. There is nothing that doesn't belong to Jesus.
Because the reigning King is also the master builder, all creation eager looks forward in anticipation to the day when Christ's renovations will be complete.
"All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation." - 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
In the past, the reality of Jesus' Kingship may not be something that you have paid much attention to. However, recognizing Jesus' as the reigning King will change so much in the life of a Christian.
Because Jesus is ruling right now, we belong to a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Hebrew 12:28).
Jesus is King of an expanding domain, and gave us the task to help Him expand even further.
Because He owns everything, the gates of Hell are not prevailing against us ( Matthew 16:17-19).
When Jesus told us to make disciples of all nations, He didn't give us an unattainable goal. We have great motivation for our kingdom building endeavors.
Because Jesus has all Kingly authority, He gave us the ability to disciple the nations, and to place everything we have conquered at His feet in victory.
Jesus' Kingship changes our hopes, our goals, our fears and most importantly, He changes us; He made us, born enemies of God, friends and co-heirs to His Kingdom.
Table Talk Questions:
Who rules as King?
How did heaven react when Jesus open the scroll and win back creation?
How is Jesus Kingship good news for you?
Benediction:
May the Lord bless you and keep you;
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26
Meal: Apple & Walnut Salad, Crazy Easy Calzones, & Flicia's Southern Debutantè Banana Puddin’
TIP: Today, begin to prep for tomorrow's final feast. Check the menu to see what you can make/prep in advance.
Recipes:
Apple & Walnut Salad
Prep and Cook Time:15-20 minutes
Serves: 6-8
2 heads Romaine lettuce, washed and torn
1 Granny Smith Apple, chopped into bite sized bits
½ -1 cup chopped Walnuts
8 ounces or 1 cup fresh Mozzarella Cheese chopped
Blue Cheese Dressing
Instructions:
Chop fresh mozzarella into 1 inch squares. set to the side.
In a large serving bowl, add torn romaine leaves, sprinkle with walnuts and chopped mozzarella cheese. To prevent them from browning, chop and add apples right before you serve.
serve with the dressing on the side.
Store in fridge before serving
Crazy Easy Calzones
Prep and Cook Time: If possible, prepare the dough in the morning. Cook time is about an hour.
Serves: 8-10
For the crust:
1 ¾ teaspoon yeast
1 ¾ teaspoon Salt
3 ¼ cups Flour
Water
For the Filling:
1 jar Marinara Sauce
2 pounds fresh Mozzarella
1 container Ricotta Cheese
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 Egg
Pepperoni (optional)
Bell or Jalapeno Peppers (optional)
diced Onion (optional)
Black Olives (optional)
Ground Sausage (optional)
Pineapple (optional)
Bacon or Canadian Bacon (optional)
Instructions:
For the crust:
In a large mixing bowl, combine ingredients with JUST enough water to make a very sticky dough. The dough should be a putty like consistency.
Cover the dough and allow it to rise until it has at least doubled.
It can also be made in the morning and set on the kitchen counter to rise all day, until you are ready to use it for dinner.
When you are ready to use it, sprinkle your work surface with flour liberally. Divide your dough into 8 equal balls.
Roll into circles and place on a greased sheet pan or pizza stone.
In a medium sized bowl, mix together the three types of cheese. Set to the side.
Crack your egg into a small bowl and whisk it together with 1 Tablespoon of water. Using a pastry brush. Brush the edges of the dough with the eggwash. If you don't have a pastry brush, use your fingers or a paper towel to brush on the egg.
On one side of the dough circle, spread a table spoon full of the cheese mix. Add in whatever other ingredients you prefer.
Gently fold one side of the dough over the other, making a pocket. Pinch or fork down the egg washed edges. Ensuring the filling doesn't escape in the oven.
Allow the Calzones to rest and rise for 15-20 minutes.
Bake in the oven at 400F until the crust is brown and fully cooked. about 20-25 minutes.
Serve hot and with HOT marinara on the size for dipping.
Flicia's Southern Debutantè Banana Puddin'
Prep and Cook Time: If possible, prep in the morning to the wafers can soften. About 30 minute prep time.
Serves:12
1 box of Vanilla Wafers
1 can of Evaporated Milk
2- 3.4 ounce boxes of Vanilla Pudding
3 Cups Whole Milk
16 ounces Whip Cream (Cool Whip)
2-6 ripe Bananas (your preference)
In a large bowl, mix together both types of milk, pudding, and cool whip.
In a 9x13 pan or a trifle bowl, layer wafers, pudding and slices of banana.
Allow the pudding to set for as long as possible before serving. Allowing the wafers to soften.
Serve cold and with extra whipped cream or sprinkles (if desired).
*If you have extra wafers, you may crush them and sprinkle them across the top of the pudding, it looks beautiful and tastes great.