There are times in life when we are simultaneously overwhelmed by the magnitude of God’s glory and His gracious, personal act of knowing us intimately, and making Himself known. I remember sitting on the back porch of a cabin in the mountains years ago, guitar in hand, and thinking about God’s beauty in the midst of His creation. My eye was suddenly captured by two amazing sights in the same landscape. In the distance I saw the grandeur of mountains, towering over valleys filled with tall trees, shrinking the cabins around them. And yet, in the foreground of this same landscape, a few feet in front of me I saw the minute details of gorgeous flowers, blossoming in early Spring. The same God who causes magnificent mountains to rise above the earth expresses the beauty of His character in the exquisite details of an elegant flower. He overwhelms us with His majesty and His intimacy, His transcendence and His immanence, the mountain and the flower. By God’s design, Scripture portrays this amazing heavenly reality of both beholding the glory of Christ and seeing Him “face-to-face.”

What will it be like to behold Christ, the greatest treasure our hearts could ever long for (Phil 3:8)? In our study of 1 Corinthians 13, we see a glimpse into what God is making us in Christ (Rom 8:29). We also read that “now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face” (1 Cor 13:12). Really, face-to-face? To see the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, our Savior and Redeemer face-to-face (Rev 22:4)?! The disciples got a glimpse of this in the Transfiguration when Christ’s face was altered and His clothing became “dazzling white” (Luke 9:29). What an amazing gift from the Lord to one day behold the “Sun of Righteousness” (Mal 4:2) in all His glory, who’s face is “like the sun shining in full strength” (Rev 1:16). And yet, we are given this privilege because we have been adopted as God’s children (1 John 3:2). While we will be overwhelmed by the radiance of His glory (Heb 1:3), we are truly known and truly loved. “Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known (1 Cor 13:12).

The song, “O Praise the Name (Anástasis)”, recounts the resurrection ( the meaning of the word anástasis) of our Lord Jesus, the declarative defeat of death and sin that we cannot over celebrate. By this, Christ secured for us victory over sin and life eternal in Him. We take a moment to vividly reflect on His sacrifice, celebrate His resurrection, and long for the day when we will both bow in His presence and gaze at the glory of His face. Come, let us praise the Name of the Lord, our God!

- Jonathan

Key Scripture Passages:

Matthew 28:1-10
Romans 5:8
1 Peter 2:24
1 Corinthians 15:54-57
Revelation 1:1-20
Revelation 22:20

O Praise The Name (Anástasis)

Written by Benjamin Hastings, Dean Ussher, & Marty Sampson

Lyrics:

Verse 1

I cast my mind to Calvary
Where Jesus bled and died for me
I see His wounds His hands His feet
My Savior on that cursed tree

Verse 2

His body bound and drenched in tears
They laid Him down in Joseph's tomb
The entrance sealed by heavy stone
Messiah still and all alone

Chorus

O praise the Name of the Lord our God
O praise His Name forevermore
For endless days we will sing Your praise
Oh Lord, oh Lord our God

Verse 3

Then on the third at break of dawn
The Son of heaven rose again
O trampled death where is your sting
The angels roar for Christ the King

Verse 4

He shall return in robes of white
The blazing sun shall pierce the night
And I will rise among the saints
My gaze transfixed on Jesus' face