Wednesday, November 9, 2016

John 20:19-23

John 20:19-23
English Standard Version (ESV)

 Here are the disciples, stunned at what has happened.  Their lives have been turned upside-down in the last week, having watched their Messiah parade into Jerusalem, then arrested under the dark of night, crucified, and yet here he is, alive and offering his peace to them all.  Even death has fallen beneath his feet, and in the midst of the celebration, they are charged to forgive.
  Jesus does this all the time -- he is constantly asking more of his disciples.  They are always pointed forward, looking to the Kingdom that lies ahead, asked to go out into a difficult and complicated world and share the peace of God.  It's never easy, especially when it comes to forgiveness, but it's how the world is changed -- one interaction at a time.
  Can you imagine what it might be like to look at every human interaction as pivotal in terms of the Kingdom of God?  What if you viewed each conversation as an opportunity to sow peace and love?  We recently had someone steal some valuable things from our house, and it's a real struggle to think about how God would have us treat the situation, setting aside our desire for revenge.  What's the best path forward that points to God's Kingdom?  We don't know the answer to that, but it definitely forces us to ask some tough questions about our gut reactions and how to let God challenge our assumptions about how things 'should' be.
  Remember, in human wisdom, death should have the final word.  God upends all of that, and sends us out to make sense of it in the world, enabled by the Holy Spirit to love without condition and spread the peace of Christ in all we do.

No comments: