3/1/17
The earliest Christians followed a Jewish tradition of pausing to pray, preferably together, first thing in the morning, about mid morning, at noon, about mid afternoon, and in the evening. “Just a Note” posts are brief observations made from Scripture readings not related to a lectionary. If I have one to post, it normally appears about 9:00 in the morning, at “the hour of prayer.”
In John 16:19-22 Jesus’ disciples have been questioning his words. He said he was going away and would come back sometime later. The disciples did not understand this statement or intention. What could Jesus be planning?
Rather than come to the disciples and chastise them for their unbelief, Jesus treats them with gentle care. He explains that the world would be glad that the disciples are distressed. Yet in their distress, Jesus has his sure plan to return to his disciples, to bring them joy, and to care for their needs.
Is our life full of trials/ It certainly is. While many of us look on the bright side of things and do live a rather pleasant life, we must admit that there are hardships around every corner. Many we endure. Others we deal with, trying to make the world a more pleasant place to be. But there is mourning, there is grieving, there is disappointment.
What hope do we have? We know that Jesus has promised to return. In his return we will know that we were not abandoned. We will see that the pain was a passing thing. It may have been very severe in its time, but it passes and we realize that with Jesus’ arrival we are receiving all the good we could ever hope for. This is the great promise of Jesus.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
The earliest Christians followed a Jewish tradition of pausing to pray, preferably together, first thing in the morning, about mid morning, at noon, about mid afternoon, and in the evening. “Just a Note” posts are brief observations made from Scripture readings not related to a lectionary. If I have one to post, it normally appears about 9:00 in the morning, at “the hour of prayer.”
In John 16:19-22 Jesus’ disciples have been questioning his words. He said he was going away and would come back sometime later. The disciples did not understand this statement or intention. What could Jesus be planning?
Rather than come to the disciples and chastise them for their unbelief, Jesus treats them with gentle care. He explains that the world would be glad that the disciples are distressed. Yet in their distress, Jesus has his sure plan to return to his disciples, to bring them joy, and to care for their needs.
Is our life full of trials/ It certainly is. While many of us look on the bright side of things and do live a rather pleasant life, we must admit that there are hardships around every corner. Many we endure. Others we deal with, trying to make the world a more pleasant place to be. But there is mourning, there is grieving, there is disappointment.
What hope do we have? We know that Jesus has promised to return. In his return we will know that we were not abandoned. We will see that the pain was a passing thing. It may have been very severe in its time, but it passes and we realize that with Jesus’ arrival we are receiving all the good we could ever hope for. This is the great promise of Jesus.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
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