Resurrection is… Recreation
John 17:20-26
We’ve spent the Easter season learning what Resurrection truly is—not just that it happened to Jesus, but that it happens to us. On the first Sunday, we began with the great announcement: Jesus is risen, and those who believe in Him receive His resurrection life. Then, week by week, we traced what that life means. Resurrection is Peace with God, Power through the Holy Spirit, and a Proclamation we carry. It is Purpose, it is Faith, it is loving others the way Jesus loves us. And now, on this final Sunday of Easter, we come to the last revelation: Resurrection is… Recreation.
Let’s begin with a little imaginative exercise. If I showed you rolling tumbleweeds, swinging saloon doors, and a five-shooter on someone’s hip, you’d know we were in a western. If I gave you thunder, flashes of lightning, and a dark silhouette of a Victorian house, you’d brace yourself for a horror movie. Patterns train our imaginations. And Scripture works the same way. When you begin to notice recurring themes and echoes, you start to know what kind of story you’re in.
John 17, Jesus’ high priestly prayer, is filled with such clues. It’s not just a prayer—it’s a story. And not just any story, but a creation story. The patterns are evident: Jesus gives His disciples a Name (v. 6, 26), He gives them His Glory (v. 22, 24), and He prays for their Unity (v. 21, 23). Name. Glory. Union. These are not random theological terms—they’re typological threads pulling us back to Genesis.
At the climax of the first creation, God formed man from dust and breathed life into him. But something wasn’t good—man was alone. So God put Adam into a deep sleep, a death-like slumber, opened his side, and fashioned woman from him. When Adam awoke, he gave her a name. He saw that she was like him, yet distinct, born of his body—bone of his bone. Then came the divine blessing: “The two shall become one flesh.” The story ends with a union—glory shared, identity named, and oneness declared.
Now, consider Jesus’ prayer again. He’s the final Adam. He prays not only for those in the room but “for those who will believe in Me through their word” (v.20)—that’s us. He speaks of Name, Glory, and Oneness. And what follows His prayer? A betrayal, a cross, and a spear piercing His side. Blood and water pour out. Death. But like Adam, Jesus rises. And in His rising, He meets Mary in a garden and calls her by name. He gathers His disciples and breathes on them (John 20:22). Then, at Pentecost, the Spirit is poured out. A new creation begins. A new Bride is born. The Church—Christ’s Eve—comes into being.
So, Resurrection, we learn, is not just about life after death. It is about being remade. To be joined to Christ, filled with His glory, called by His name, united to Him as one flesh—this is resurrection life. We are no longer alone. We are being fashioned into a Bride fit for the final Adam.
This is the lesson of the Seventh Sunday of Easter: Resurrection is… Recreation. Jesus’ prayer has become our reality. His intercession has given us identity. His death has opened the way for our life. And now, we live not as scattered individuals, but as one Body, one Bride, one Church—bearing His name, filled with His glory, and united in His love.
Let us live as the new creation we are. Let us walk as those who are no longer alone but joined to Christ. Resurrection is recreation—and it is happening in us. In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Watch the full Sermon HERE. Listen to Sermon HERE.
Peace Be With You,
Pastor Bruce
