The wonderfully-Trinitarian glimpse of heavenly worship that John describes in Revelation 5 should cause us to reflect on our approach to worship here on earth. Do we come with the same kind of anticipation that John and the heavenly host had as they waited for the Lamb to act? Do we expect to encounter the slain-but-now-risen Jesus?

When God’s people gather together, we are participating in that same ongoing heavenly worship! When we proclaim and remember God’s story, we are equipped to stand up against the false story told daily by the world which still opposes God. We are re-membered, too—knit together with the whole of Christ’s body (even those who have already passed on from this life). And joining in with the shouts and acclamation and songs arising "from every tribe and language and people and nation” helps us to proclaim to all the world that even when we feel the pain of death, Easter means death’s power is broken forever.