WATCHWORD:
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:16-20.
So, do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10.
Meditation:
Fear of The Lord
Do you see the thread running through these two passages? The presence of the Holy Spirit in each of us, the reassurance, the need to fear God in the sense of reverencing Him, and finally, I am with you always…We need to keep that in mind. We each have concerns about the future and too often those ‘concerns’ turn into fear and worry.
Do you sometimes wonder, when listening to some great classical music compositions, and wonder if they know how to bring a piece to an end. One of the most notorious is Beethoven. There are times when at the end of one of his symphonies, you think it’s about to end, but, surprise, the fullness of the music returns with a flourish.
These last verses of Matthew are like that. Not that it goes on longer than we expect; it is in fact quite compact. But it contains so much that we would do well to slow down in our reading and ponder the meaning of each line, each phrase, to see how they gather up the whole Gospel and pack it tight into the final meeting between Jesus and his followers.
Jesus says to us “I have been given all authority in heaven and earth.” We get puzzled by the claim that Jesus is already ruling the world, until we understand what is being said. The claim is not that the world is already as Jesus intends it to be. The claim is that he is working to take it from where it is and bring it under the rule of his love. How is he doing this? Through the disciples, through us, his followers. Right here, in each of our lives.
We humans are just a little cautious. We follow the first law of wing-walking – Never let go of one thing until you hold securely something else! We have a very hard time risking…
It is easy to love the God that saves us, but harder, much harder, to trust God who asks us to undertake the difficult. Commands that raises the standards to our Christian life, that expresses expectations that take us out of our comfort zone and puts us on the high ledge where God says, in so many words, “If you trust me, let go! Do what I say.” Or, in the words of Christ: “Come, follow me.”
That’s the problem for many Christians; we have not fully understood the risk in obedience to God, and how it requires action before knowledge. The world says knowing is acting and God says acting is knowing, and trusting.
Yes, we worry about the future. All our worry will not accomplish much. However, knowing that God is always with us and we are His people, should reassure us that in following, we accept the gift of His Peace.
The Master’s Touch:
Keep your prayers coming. We are all in need of the Master’s touch through prayers for others and our selves, in what could be called “directed prayer”? Within our circle of family and friends there is much pain. WebMD reported that all forms of prayer allows relaxation, reduces pain, and promotes healing. Prayer is a powerful force, as we bring our pain and that of loved ones to Him, with confidence that your words and thoughts have meaning. As we pray for our loved ones, be specific, name them, surrender it all to Him, and know that God is in charge and God loves us.
Morning Prayers:
Good morning, Lord! Today’s a new day, a chance for a new start. Yesterday is gone and with it any regrets, mistakes, or failures I may have experienced. It’s a good day to be glad and give thanks, and I do, Lord. Thank you for today, a new opportunity to love, give, and be all that you want me to be. Amen.
