Flames of Fire

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:1-4 

As ten days pass after Jesus ascends to heaven (Acts 1:9-11) the disciples watch and wait expectantly for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost (meaning fiftieth) was the celebration of the first fruits of the wheat harvest festival that was held fifty days after Passover (Exodus 23:14-17; Deuteronomy 16:16). We wonder whether, during those ten days, the believers spoke among themselves about how the coming of the Holy Spirit upon them would impact their work and ministry. The upper room that accommodated 120 believers must have been a fairly large room (Acts 1:14-15). Among those who gathered regularly in expectant prayer were the Apostles, Mary the mother of Jesus, his brothers and many others. The memories of Jesus’ powerful miracles, teachings, and deep spiritual life filled with works of the Holy Spirit must have been a dominant topic of conversation. 

When the day of Pentecost dawned, their eyes and hearts must have been wide open with excitement, wondering if this holy day would be the day of the awesome outpouring of the Holy Spirit into their lives. As the sun rises up into the sky, suddenly they hear the sound of a powerful wind coming towards them from heaven above. It is amazing that the Hebrew word for Spirit/ Ruach is the same word for breath and wind. It is interesting that the believers heard the sound of a rushing mighty wind. Soon they are engulfed in the fiery flames of the presence of the Holy Spirit. Tongues of fire settle above the heads of the believers, a unique sacred experience (Hebrews 12:29). This is a sign that our hallowed Father of compassion who saved us from the fire of his wrath, will now preserve us as sacred lamps dedicated to glorify Him forever (John 8:12). 

It is awesome the Spirit of God (Ruach Elohim) first referenced in Genesis 1:2, at the beginning of creation as hovering over the surface of the waters, came over Jerusalem and settled on 120 believers. The prophesy of John the Baptist that Jesus would baptize them with Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11) is fulfilled. The divine presence of the Lord has often been figuratively associated with fire. When Moses encounters God (Exodus 3:2) in exile in the Sinai desert as he is shepherding flock of sheep on Mount Sinai, he sees a blazing bush engulfed in fire. The bush does not seem to be consumed by the fire, and God speaks to Moses from inside the holy flames of the blazing bush. 

As sacred tongues of fire descend upon all the believers present, we see it as symbolic of the fire that begins to purify their hearts and they are emboldened to be witnesses for Christ all over the world. No longer is the Holy Spirit given to few Holy individuals but now a gracious gift poured out on all who believe (Ephesians 2:8). The residents all around hear the sound of blazing mighty wind hurtling through Jerusalem into the meeting place of these believers. Among them were a diaspora of devout Jewish pilgrims from all over the world living in Jerusalem at that time. They came running to see what had happened to cause the sound of the violent gale force wind whirling around the house where the upper room was situated. They were blown away to hear the believers speak in their own native languages (Acts 2:5-13) describing the mighty works of God. The skeptics laughed saying the believers were drunk on cheap wine as they couldn’t make head or tail of any of it.

Christians today remember these Jewish holy days of Passover and Pentecost in the light of Christ’s death and resurrection. Pentecost is a celebration of the first fruits of the Holy Spirit, given as a special gift from God first to 120 believers, and as Peter preached to the crowd drawn by the sound of the rushing winds, 3000 people (Acts 2:41-42) committed themselves to fellowship with the Apostles. It was indeed a bounteous spiritual harvest of the first fruits of the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus promised that if we repent and open our hearts to him, He will send the Holy Spirit to dwell in us to be our companion, comforter, intercessor, counselor, strengthener, and helper (John 15:26-16:15). The Word assures us of the depth of God’s love, that even when we go through the darkest days of our lives, the light of the Holy Spirit will shine through, strengthen us and enable us to endure the hatred and evil in the world (Romans 8:38-39). The Holy Spirit will teach and guide us to be witnesses to the life of Jesus Christ and spread the gospel of his redeeming love (John 16:7). The Epistles enlighten us on the invisible Trinitarian aspect of prayer, where the Holy Spirit prays from within us with groaning too deep for words (Romans 8:26) and Jesus continues to intercede for us (Hebrews 7:24-25) as one who suffered and faced temptation (Hebrews 4:15) to God our Father.

What is it that the Holy Spirit can do that we cannot do? Jesus said that not only will the power of the Holy Spirit cleanse our own hearts but our testimony will convict the hearts of those who hear our message and energize us to lead lives pleasing to God (John 16:8). As the lovely hymn goes, "It only takes a spark to get a fire going. That’s how it is with God’s love, once you have experienced it; you want to pass it on". Do you have a spiritual gift or a special gift that can be a blessing to your community? The believers, once they were filled with the Spirit of God, went through transformation and renewing of their minds, and went on to live out the gospel message of love, peace, and grace. Christ is calling us to be vessels of his love moved by the Holy Spirit to embody the love of God to those around us.

Soli Deo Gloria

The Great Transition

God has ascended amid shouts of joy,

    the Lord amid the sounding of trumpets.

Sing praises to God, sing praises;

    sing praises to our King, sing praises.

 

For God is the King of all the earth;

    sing to him a psalm of praise.

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭47:5-7

Reading: Philippians 2:6-11 ; Acts 1:9-11; Psalm 47;

  

During the forty days that Jesus spends on earth, between his resurrection and ascension, he appears before the women near the grave, the disciples on the road to Emmaus, all the apostles, and many others whose testimonies were written or went unwritten. Jesus shows that he can miraculously appear and disappear at his choosing and even share meals with his disciples. His disciples touch and feel his nail-pierced hands. We see through Jesus’s interactions that even after his death he continues to be very human in many ways. He speaks, eats, drinks, and above all showers his love on all the people. As we read and hear the testimonies of the disciples on the Ascension we marvel at the supernatural transition of the risen body of Christ from this world to the heavenly realms.

The gospel of Matthew ends with the great commission on the mountains in Galilee (Matthew 28:16-20) where Jesus empowers the disciples to go forth into the world as Apostles to preach, teach and baptize in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He assures them that he will be with them to the end of time.  The Ascension is the miraculous transfiguration of Jesus passing from this physical dimension to the eternal spiritual dimension through a veil of clouds.  The Book of the Acts of the Apostles begins dramatically with the Ascension at Bethany near the Mount of Olives Acts 1:9-11. Of the four gospels only two, Mark (Mark 16:19) and Luke (Luke 24:51) record the Ascension. Many Christians across the world do not observe this as a memorable anniversary like they do Christmas, Good Friday and Easter. The great transition of Christ physically from this world and the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost is separated by the Ascension.

As they look up forlornly watching Jesus disappear behind the cloud of glory, two men dressed in white tell them not to keep gazing into heaven for a time will come when Jesus will return the same way he went into heaven (Acts 1:10-11). Ascension is a turning point in the life of the disciples as they transition to becoming Apostles of Christ who go out into the world to preach and teach the Gospel message all over the world. The Ascension is the precursor to the Pentecost ten days later, that Jesus foretells to his disciples as the time when they will be baptized by the Holy Spirit (John 16:7; Acts 2:33). 

The entire New Testament after the gospels are the acts of the Spirit of Christ working in the lives of the Apostles and Disciples who present their bodies as living sacrifices to serve their Lord and Savior (Romans 12:1-2).  St. Paul says that once Christ transitions to heaven, God exalts Him above everything in Heaven and on Earth (Ephesians 1:20-23; Philippians 2:9). The Ascension of Christ is a call for us to have a binocular vision where we see Christ enthroned above in Heaven while we live our lives on earth (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 3:1-3). Christ, our High Priest, is in the presence of God assuring us of mercy and grace in our time of need (Hebrews 8:1; 9;24; 4-14-16; 7:25). Everyone who confesses the name of Jesus as Lord will be saved (Romans 10:5-13; Acts 2:21).  As the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, the breath of eternal life renews and opens our hearts and minds to confess Jesus as our Lord and bear the fruits of the Spirit in our lives. The Holy Spirit helps us to use our own unique gifts to bring glory to God and His Kingdom.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, King of glory, your name is exalted over all the Earth and Heaven. With great triumph you entered into your kingdom in heaven. Lord fill us with your Holy Spirit, comfort us when we are grieving, strengthen us when we are weak, and bear fruit within us to glorify your name through our lives. Amen

Soli Deo Gloria

Mysteries of the Kingdom

Resurrection, Baptism, and Spiritual Transformation

As we journey through the pages of Scripture, we encounter moments of profound revelation and transformation that illuminate the mysteries of the kingdom of God. From the resurrection of Jesus to the spiritual awakening of the apostle Paul, these sacred encounters invite us to delve deeper into the truth of God's love and redemption.

In Luke 24:1-7, we witness the awe-inspiring moment when the women at the tomb are met by two men dressed in white robes, bearing the miraculous news of Jesus' resurrection. Symbolic of baptism, these white robes signify a new beginning, a spiritual rebirth that transcends earthly limitations. They remind us that through Christ's victory over death, we too are called to rise to new life in him.

The significance of baptism is further underscored by the Didache, the earliest known manuscript on baptismal practices. It serves as a testament to our sacred task of opening the gifts of the kingdom of heaven, of embracing the graces bestowed upon us through the sacrament of baptism.

As we turn to the Psalms, we are reminded of the prayers and praises of the people, lifting their voices to a God who reigns supreme over all creation. Yet, in his infinite love and mercy, God humbled himself to dwell among us, bridging the divide between humanity and divinity through the sacrifice of his Son.

The apostle Paul, in his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus, experienced a profound spiritual awakening that transformed his life forever. Blinded by his own spiritual blindness, Paul's eyes were opened to the truth of Christ's love and redemption. Through the prayers of Ananias and the lifting of the veil that separated his mind from Christ, Paul was able to see with unveiled faces the transformative power of God's grace.

In Christ, the sin that once separated us from God has been lifted, and we are welcomed into the family of God as beloved children. As we grow spiritually in the kingdom of God, we are called to a realistic appraisal of our strengths and weaknesses, knowing that through Christ, we are being transformed into his likeness.

As we reflect on the mysteries of the kingdom, may we be reminded of our Savior, King, and Forerunner, who has gone before us to prepare a place for us. May we draw strength and inspiration from his love and grace, as we continue our journey of faith and prayer in the unfolding story of God's kingdom on earth.

Soli Deo Gloria

Breakfast by the Sea

Reading John 21:1-19

The gospel of John closes gracefully in chapter twenty with even doubting Thomas believing in the resurrection of Jesus. Chapter twenty concludes by saying that the purpose of Jesus’s life, teachings and miracles are recorded for all his followers who come later to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and all who believe in him will inherit eternal life (John 20:30-31). However John continues the gospel with an epilogue in chapter 21 where he lingers around the intimacy the disciples shared with Jesus after his resurrection but before his ascension. We do not know for sure how many times he meets with them for the details are not written. On the other hand we can assume that he continues to show them how deeply he loves and dearly cares for each one of them. Jesus after his resurrection instructs the disciples to go ahead to Galilee where he will come and meet them (Matthew 28:5-10,16). We believe they fellowship together praying and preparing themselves for Pentecost before they start their ministry in full swing, empowered by the Holy Spirit to reach the hearts of those to whom they present the gospel.

One evening Peter says to the disciples, “I am going fishing,” and they say, “We will come with you.” So seven of them set out to go fishing. They fish all night but catch no fish. At dawn suddenly they see a stranger calling out to them from the shore, “Lads did you catch any fish?” Weary, hungry and disappointed, they say, “Not a thing.” He tells them, “Throw your nets on the other side.” They are rewarded with a bountiful catch. John’s sharp mind realizes it is Jesus, and he tells Peter, “It is the Lord.” Peter is overjoyed and leaps out of the boat to rush over to the shore to greet his risen Lord. Jesus waiting by a charcoal fire serves them fish roast and bread. He says to them, “Come let us have some breakfast.”

We wonder why Peter and the disciples didn’t recognize Jesus at first. After an unsuccessful night of fishing they suddenly hear an unknown encouraging voice calling out for them to try again, another way. Did Jesus direct the fish to their net and perform another miracle? The voice of guidance can come from anywhere. Are we open and listening? We can clearly see a striking similarity to a flashback by the Sea of Galilee when Jesus first commissions Peter to become his disciple (Luke 5:1-11). In this testimony after a long day of preaching to the crowds from Peter’s boat Jesus says to him to, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” Peter apparently had fished all night and come up with nothing, but when he obeys Jesus’ command he is rewarded with a bountiful catch. Peter is amazed at the turn of events in his second expedition into the sea. He realizes that Jesus performed a miracle, and he confesses to Jesus saying he is so unworthy of this success or to keep company with someone so divine. But Jesus assures him that he has great hope for him and asks him to join him in fishing for people.

Fisherfolk risk their lives every time they set out to fish in the perilous sea. Reflecting on the calling of Jesus to fish for people we wonder, “Isn’t the sea like the chaotic dark world?” The net that sweeps the sea to draw in people have to be always cleaned and kept in mint condition. The net does not show any discrimination on the kind of fish it catches. The net is like the church that can draw and hold an unlimited number of people from all nations. Jesus calls Peter to the perilous task to draw people from this dark world into the Light of the Kingdom of God.

When he washes the disciples feet before the last supper we are amazed as Jesus exemplifies the role of a leader. Jesus eats, drinks and even serves the disciples breakfast. The breakfast by the sea reveals to us the reality of the resurrection. Following breakfast in the presence of all the other disciples Jesus turns to Peter who denied him three times publicly. Jesus calls him by his first name Simon (Matthew 26:31-36) asking three times, “Simon son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?” Peters response is, “ Yes Lord, you know I do.” Jesus responds by saying, “Feed my sheep.” To feed means to nourish and care for the needs of the children of God who like sheep will more often than not be very challenging.

Jesus graciously shows Peter that he is fully forgiven. We wonder what Jesus meant by “more than these.” Could it be the fishing boat and net, or the other disciples, or the fish? Isn’t it a challenge to love the Lord with all our heart, more than the things we value in our lives? Yet it is Peter’s love for Jesus that will strengthen his faith in him in the years to come. It is a beautiful crowning moment in Peter’s life to be openly restored and recommissioned, in the presence of the other disciples, by the Good Shepherd to be a loving Shepherd of his flock.

Prayer:

Dear Lord just as you forgave Peter and restored him, forgive us for the times we have denied you in thought, word and deed. Teach us through the Holy Spirit to listen to your commands to throw our nets out to fish for people just as you did with your disciples. Amen

Soli Deo Gloria

Doubting Thomas

Reading John 20: 24-29

Many of us can identify with St. Thomas as the patron Saint of Doubt. We are constantly bombarded with situations where we have to decide to believe or disbelieve, to trust or distrust, facts or fiction, and so on and so forth. Yet over time the decisions we make mold us into becoming who we are today. When the disciples break the good news that Jesus is alive, Thomas is very clear about his terms of faith in the resurrection. Unless he sees and touches the scars on Jesus’ hands and side, he remains steadfast in his disbelief of the testimony of the disciples (John 20:24-25). We wonder where Thomas was when Jesus appeared to the disciples. Did Thomas stay away from the fellowship of the disciples because he is so brokenhearted from the betrayal, arrest, duplicitous trial and brutal death of Jesus? 

There are two notable incidents in the gospel of John where we see Thomas speaking passionately to Jesus and the disciples. The first time is when Jesus is called urgently to come to Judea to heal the dying Lazarus, however the Jews were all set to stone him if they crossed paths. Thomas, filled with love and loyalty to Jesus, courageously says he would go with Jesus to his death (John 11:7-16). The second time is at the last supper when Jesus reveals he is going away soon to the father saying, “You know the way to where I am going” (John 14:4-7). On hearing this revelation Thomas says, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” The impatient despair in Thomas’s frank question to Jesus is clear evidence that he doesn’t really understand who Jesus was or what he meant by this departing dialogue.

Is Thomas so brokenhearted that he just can’t get past the grief and doubts that overwhelm him? Or is it that he desperately longs to have the same personal experience that the other disciples had with the Lord? It is amazing that even after being with Jesus at the raising of Lazarus from the dead, he just does not understand that with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26).

A week later Jesus comes back to visit his disciples and this time Thomas is with them. Jesus knows Thomas has doubts so he asks Thomas to touch and see that all his conditions for belief are met. Looking at Jesus with awe and reverence all he can say is, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus says to Thomas,”You believe because you have seen with your own eyes. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” (John 20:26-29). Jesus says we are blessed if we can believe in his resurrection without having seen him like his disciples.The gospel message that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God by whom we all receive eternal life can be found in the Bible. The sermons and parables of Jesus, along with the testimony, epistles and acts of the apostles are all we need to believe. Above all practicing the two commandments that are fundamental to our faith and witness as Christians is our love for God and our neighbor.

Don’t we all have our share of doubts and need for personal experiences? We have our own threshold for when we are willing to believe anyone or anything. Isn’t the opposite of doubt, faith? St. Anselm of Canterbury of the eleventh century is famous for his quote, “faith seeking understanding” (fides quaerens intellectum). What he means by that often misunderstood quote is, “an active love for God seeking a deeper knowledge of God.” To build our faith in Jesus, we have to first accept that God loves us and we in turn love him too. Just as St. Anselm’s love drove him to a deeper knowledge, we should use this as a model to grow our faith through this mutual bond of love with the Lord. As we face trials and tests in our lives that cause us to doubt, we learn to grow in faith by the confidence (hope) that God loves us and wants the best for us in our life. St. Paul says that to build our faith without love is really nothing of any value (1 Corinthians 13:2).

In the psalms we see that the Psalmists never question whether God exists but they lament crying out to God why they have been abandoned or their enemies have dominion over them. It is amusing that in St. Anselm’s book, Proslogion, he writes about the “Fool” who has said in his heart, “There is no God” (like the psalmist says Psalm 14:1). In this meditation he strives to reach the Christians who seek a rational basis for their faith in God. St. Anselm’s conclusion with so much of reverence and awe is, “A being than which none greater can be conceived must exist, and we call this being God.”

St. Paul says that God decides the measure of faith each one receives (Romans 12:3). For some faith is a God given gift. A key to faith is to humbly understand our identity in Christ. We judge ourselves conscientiously based on how God sees us and not as the world does. To some doubt is a normal phase in their spiritual lives, there is no need to be alarmed by those thoughts and feelings.  Michael Faraday the brilliant scientist who grew up in a good Christian home, became a believer much later in his life. He was a faithful member of a church from boyhood but passed through a sea of doubts until one day he came to humbly witness the reality of Christ in his life. It was his perseverance to seek God through his fellowship with other believers and share in their faith experiences that leads him to finally become a believer (Luke 11:5-12). When brilliant scientists like Faraday doubt yet still believe it gives us hope.

C. S. Lewis in his book “ Grief Observed ” writes about the pain of losing his wife when he doubted the goodness and fairness of God. He says, “My idea of God is not a divine idea. It has to be shattered from time to time. He shatters it himself. He is the great iconoclast. Could we not almost say that this shattering is one of the marks of his presence?” When spiritual giants like Lewis doubt yet still believe, it gives us hope. To Lewis, faith comes to us as a gift, the grace of the comforting presence of God reaching out and touching our shattered lives, when we confront significant downturns like death, disease, alcoholism, drug addiction, abuse, bankruptcy etc. Like the potter shapes and reshapes each piece to his delight, so God shapes us into masterpieces with his skill and creativity (Ephesians 2:10).

Jesus said to to Thomas,”You believe because you have seen with your own eyes. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” (John 20:26-29).  How do we believe in an invisible God? It is by being joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer (Romans 12:12).  St Paul urges us to offer our lives as a living sacrifice to God and use our gifts to serve one another in love (Romans 12:1-2, 6-8). We are bound to face trials and turbulences in our lives. Can we climb half way up a mountain and then give up? If we do reach heights that seem unscalable in life, with the help of the Holy Spirit we persist in prayer like the parable of the persistent widow until we find our way again (Luke 18:1-8). There will be times we lament with all our heart to God like the Psalmist until we are comforted by the presence of God in our lives (Psalm 55:17). The important act of faith is to pray fervently and not let our problems and pain fester within us. When we articulate our doubts to a caring prayer fellowship group it helps to clean up the toxicity in our lives. The path to spiritual maturity is through childlike humility of learning to trust in the path God has carved out for us to walk through (Matthew 18:1-4). A critical step in prayer is when we surrender our doubts to a loving God and ask him to help us understand with the help of the Holy Spirit enlightening us with God’s Word. We stand on the promises that God the author and perfecter of our faith will mold us to be perfect one day. (Hebrews 12:2; Romans 8:29-30; Philippians 1:6). 

Prayer: - Lord Jesus, your living presence in the lives of Thomas and the other disciples drew them with chords of love to believe in your resurrection. Oh Lord shine in our hearts the light of your glory that we may grow in faith, hope and love to believe in you as our Savior and Lord. Amen

Soli Deo Gloria

Breath of God

Reading : John 20:19-23

Jesus said, 

‘Peace be with you! 

As the Father has sent me, 

I am sending you.’”

‭‭John‬ ‭20:21‬ 

As the day came to an end they were gathered behind locked doors, probably in prayer and fellowship. The terror of religious leaders, exacerbated by an already inflammatory situation of the empty tomb and rumors of a resurrection, consumes their thoughts. They confine themselves together in one home. Mary Magdalene has told them that she spoke to the risen Lord and he would soon be ascending to his Father and God. Then to add fuel to the flames, two disciples from Emmaus return with news of seeing Jesus. The Good News of Jesus’s resurrection has a telling impact on the disciples. There is a growing expectancy in the air as to when they will see the Lord. 

Then suddenly there in their midst stood Jesus, The Risen Lord, gently greeting them as he always had, “Peace be with you (Shalom)!” (John 20:19). A climatic peace of mind that calms their fears and soothes their trauma of having seen Jesus suffer and die. The renewal of the peace of conscience Jesus gives to his disciples is an assurance that even though they all abandoned him at the time of his trial and crucifixion there is nothing to be ashamed of any more (Colossians 1:20). They are forgiven (John 14:27).

He shows them his hands and his sides (John 20:20).They see and believe. Then he extends his peace to them once more. Their hearts rejoice and are overflowing with everlasting joy of seeing their Lord and Savior just as he said they would (John 16:22). Our hearts and minds wonder with amazement. How did Jesus just appear out of thin air? What did the scars look like? Did they touch them to see if he is actually still flesh and blood? Clearly the resurrected spiritual body is beyond comprehension or supernatural in many ways (1 Corinthians 15:42-44).

Jesus commissions them to go spread the Good News of Salvation all over the world. He says, “just as the Father sent me so am I sending you (John 20-23) to proclaim the forgiveness of sins and salvation to all who believe”. He breathes on his disciples and gives them the Holy Spirit. The disciples experience an exclusive filling of the Holy Spirit which all believers would experience on Pentecost. 

St. Paul says that the first Adam was a living being, referring to how God breathed into the man formed from dust the breathe of life (Genesis 2:7). Jesus the last Adam breathes the Holy Spirit into the disciples (1 Corinthians 15:45). The Spirit equips all of us to live a transformed life from now to eternity (2 Corinthians 4:6).

If Christ had not come back and spent time with them they would have probably gone back to their old professions. After they met the Risen Christ they are not the same men any more. They were the eye witnesses of the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus while he was in the world. Their testimony is the foundations on which the church of which we all are a part of is built (Ephesians 2:20-22). From disciples of Christ they become known as the Apostles.

Jesus gives them the Holy Spirit (Paraklētos-Greek which means advocate, intercessor, consoler, comforter, or helper). The Holy Spirit will transform them to Christ’s likeness ie to be imitators of Christ (Romans 8:29, 2Corinthians 3:18). An Advocate who will plead on their behalf before God about their trials and tribulations with God’s laws. A Comforter who will calm, console and cheer them through the great challenges they face in their ministry. The Holy Spirit will play a role in two key areas of their lives. The Holy Spirit will teach and remind them, and all of us who follow Jesus, of things, as he had been doing with them during his time with them. Here is Jesus sending them just as the Father sent him, empowered by the Holy Spirit to preach salvation and forgiveness of sins. Through the help of the Holy Spirit they were able to have a binocular vision of the mind for the life on earth and the heart (Hebrews 11:1)for the life eternal with Christ. 

Prayer: Lord Jesus just as you breathed the Holy Spirit into the disciples, breathe on us your breathe. Lord fill our hearts and minds that we may see the gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives. May the light of your presence in this world help us to see the way ahead and beyond this life where you live and reign forever and ever. Amen

Soli Deo Gloria

Shattered Sojourners

Strolling with a Stranger

Gang nach Emmaus, Gemalde vin Robert Zund 1877

Reading - Luke 24:13-35

They asked each other

Were not our hearts burning within us

While he talked with us on the road

And opened the Scriptures to us?

Luke 24:32

As two dispirited followers of Jesus return from Jerusalem, a stranger joins them. They seem to be walking and talking away trying to process all the events of the past week. He asks them gently to reveal their sorrows to him (Luke 24:17-18). They wonder if this stranger is the only one who has not heard of Jesus. Yet something about the stranger’s questions makes them open their hearts out to him. So they narrate to him about the crucifixion, death, and burial of their teacher. They go on to say that some of the believers had found the tomb empty and now they believe he has risen from the dead. Resurrection seems so unbelievable they exclaim (Luke 24:19-24). They grieve deeply for their shattered hopes of a Messiah who they thought would save them. 

We wonder what might have gone through Jesus’s mind when he heard their doubts and disbelief. We realize how far and deep our savior’s love is, as he reaches out to followers outside his inner circle. Jesus knew exactly how they felt and chose to join them as they walk back to Emmaus. Is this another instance of where Jesus says I know you will have doubts, but please don’t walk away from the fellowship of believers or the church? Do we not often have similar doubts in our own lives? Jesus’s death only points to the greatest hope there is for all of us who believe.

We wonder to which passages Jesus was referring (Luke 24:25-27). If we look into the Messianic prophesies in the Bible there are so many that point to why he was born, suffered, died and rose again.

The passages from Moses' writings and the prophets elucidate on what the scriptures had to say about the Messiah. Could Jesus have been referring to God’s promise to Abraham that through him the entire world would be blessed (Genesis 12:1-3)? Was it that the Messiah would come from the Tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10)? Or that the Messiah would be a descendant of David (2 Samuel 7:12-16, Psalm 89:2,27)? Could Jesus have referred to Psalm 2, used for the coronation of the kings of Israel, as being applied to the coronation of him the chosen one, now King of Heaven and Earth? David clearly foresaw a relationship between a father and son, in God and the Messiah? Did he not also speak of the begotten son as Jesus, as the son of God (Psalm 2:7)? 

Did Jesus speak of his encounter in Mathew 22:41-46, when he confronts the Pharisees with a rhetorical question, “Whose son is the Messiah?” They reply, “The son of David.” When Jesus asks them why David refers to the Messiah as Lord in Psalm 110:1, they were silenced. The Pharisees probably could never conceive that the Messiah, a descendant of David could be the everlasting God in human flesh (Isaiah 9:6). David grasped the plurality of persons in one God.

Did Jesus refer to the Prophet Micah who prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)? Prophet Zechariah prophesied the Messiah would come riding into Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9). Could Jesus have referred to Prophet Isaiah  (Isaiah 52:13-53:12) and the role of the suffering servant, where he had to suffer and die? Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross is the path he paved to God the Father (John 3:16) and the witness of the Holy Spirit (Zechariah 12:10) for all of us who believe. In Psalm 16:10 David says he is filled with great joy that God will not leave his soul among the dead. He says that God would not allow His holy one to rot in the grave. These verses are used by the disciples when they speak about the resurrection of Christ (Acts 2: 25-31). Did not this promise of King David come true when Christ rose from the dead? 

We can imagine the shattered Sojourners strolling along with Jesus, as he speaks to them. As his words roll into their hearts like refreshing steams of living water they become more and more captivated by this stranger who speaks the truth with so much love. His presence makes their weary walk refreshing to their thirsty souls. Although it seems that Jesus has to go further, they invite him to abide with them for a meal, and he obliges (Luke 24:28-29). As Jesus breaks the bread, something about his familiar gestures suddenly illuminates their souls. Jesus disappears but touches their hearts and renews their thoughts by this close encounter(Luke 24:30-32). They ask each other, “As he spoke to us did you not feel your hearts burn?” Immediately they hurry back to Jerusalem, to tell the good news to Jesus’s followers that they have seen the Risen Lord (Luke 24:33-35). Although Jesus disappears from their sight, his presence has softly and tenderly shed his light into their souls. Their story now lives on in the hearts of all of us who have not seen but believe in Jesus Christ (the Messiah in Greek is Khristós (Χριστός), anglicized as  Christ).

Prayer:

 Lord Jesus Christ we praise and glorify you for you have shown us the wonders of your love. When we are weary and lost you hear our cries. Thank you for strengthening and filling our hearts with hope of the world to come. Amen 

Christ in the Stranger's Guise 

A Scottish Hospitality Prayer 

 I met a stranger yest're'een;

 I put food in the eating place, 

Drink in the drinking place, 

Music in the listening place; 

And, in the sacred name of the Triune, 

He blessed myself and my house. 

My cattle and my dear ones, 

 And the lark said in her song, 

 Often, often, often, 

Goes the Christ in the stanger's guise; 

 Often, often, often, 

Goes the Christ in the stranger's guise.

Soli Deo Gloria

The Risen Lord

“They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” 

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, 

“and I don’t know where they have put him.””

‭‭John‬ ‭20:13‬ ‭

Source:https://www.freebibleimages.org

Reading John 20:11-18

Peter and John, the disciples of Jesus run ahead of Mary. They examine the empty tomb and leave without looking for any further evidence. Mary who couldn’t keep pace with them, arrives and glances into the tomb of Jesus. She witnesses two angels, one at the head and the other at the foot of where Jesus lay. In most encounters with angels great fear overwhelms the eyewitness. The spontaneous response of the angels is, “Do not be afraid.” Mary did not appear to be surprised by their presence. Did her previous bout with demon possession give her spiritual powers to see beyond the land of the living?

On the Day of Atonement, the high priest would enter the holy of holies where the Mercy Seat of God is located in the Tabernacle, to atone for the sins of all the people. What the high priest did once a year for the Jewish people, Jesus did once and for all for all people (1 Peter 1:3-12). The most exciting part of the Tabernacle are the two cherubs at either end of the “Mercy Seat” (Exodus 25:17-22). Between the two cherubs gazing down at the mercy seat is the divine presence of God. Could the two angels be symbolic of  the mercy and grace of God through Christ for the atonement of our sins (Romans 3:23-26, 2Corinthians 5:19)? When the veil of his flesh was severed from his spirit, we have all been given access into the very presence of God (Hebrews 10:19-20). The sight of two angels did not make Mary draw any parallels with the Mercy seat of God.

Source:https://www.freebibleimages.org

 Here Mary is so preoccupied with her loss of her teacher and Lord she does not remember that Christ had said he would rise from the dead, or see any of the visible clues indicating the magnificent resurrection of Jesus. The angels inquire, “Woman why are you weeping?’ The trauma of the death of Jesus and her hope to embalm his body as soon as possible made her only think of the down to earth life that perturbed her. One can picture the grief stricken Mary bewailing to the angels, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” Had she relapsed into her old psychiatric disorder of yesteryears seeing demons and angels? 

Then she sees a figure she assumes is the gardener who asks her the same question a second time, “Woman why are you weeping?” Nonetheless she didn’t recognize Jesus’s voice because he called her “woman” although he did hint by saying, “ Whom are you seeking?”. She responds by saying, “Sir, if you have taken him away, tell me where you laid him.” At that moment Jesus gently calls her, “Mary!” She jolts out of her stupor and responds with a joyous shriek, “Rabboni!”(which means teacher) and clings to the feet of Jesus. Jesus tells her to let go, as he no longer can be physically there for her like of old. He is now the Savior of the world, nevertheless will very soon send the Holy Spirit to be with her forever. 

Source:Wikimediia

Jesus told his followers so many times he would rise again. Mary never understood. Be that as it may, why does Jesus have compassion on Mary and reveal himself to her first? Was it because she persists to seek Jesus when everyone else has left? Can anyone ask for a a closer encounter with Jesus than Mary? Mary sees the Risen Lord alive, touches his feet and rejoices.  Jesus sends her to tell the good news to his brothers (disciples) that she has seen him and he is on his way back to his Father’s house. Isn’t she the first Apostle of the Gospel message?

Prayer: Heavenly Father we praise you who in your abundant grace and mercy has given us a new birth into a living hope, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. Lord Jesus our risen Savior of the world, we magnify you as our resurrection and life. Renew us and make us alive in you. May our hearts and minds come alive with your glorious inexpressible love and joy. Amen.

Soli deo Gloria