Inspired by John
20:19-23
“When it was evening
on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the
disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among
them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’”
John 20:19
There are many things to fear in this world. We fear instability, poverty,
lawlessness. We fear injustice, chaos,
persecution. Sometimes we have very
clear images of exactly what we fear, and sometimes we know the faces of the
people we fear. Many of us live in
constant fear, venturing out only when we have to, looking over our shoulders
when we do, hiding behind the safety of locked doors when we can.
Even if we aren’t consciously aware of our fear, many of us
are ruled by it nonetheless, and we make our decisions based on it, and we
limit our interactions with others and the world because of it. What if I’m rejected? What if I’m ignored? What if I’m made a fool of? What if I fail? Better to not try at all. So we lock ourselves away, and hope that
those we fear will never find us.
But no matter how deeply we bury ourselves, Jesus will
always seek us out and offer us his peace.
No matter how hunted we may feel, Jesus will bring us respite. No matter how risky or frightening the
situation might seem, Jesus will stand with us, and remain with us, and assure
us that he has already conquered death for us, so we have nothing to fear.
Let us pray. Lord of
peace, you have already conquered that which we fear most. Let your peace reign in our hearts, that it
may drive out all fear and we may engage with the world confident of your grace
and love. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment