Saturday, July 28, 2018

The Daily Readings for SUNDAY, July 29, 2018 - Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

Jesus Walks on the Water
John 6:16-21

The Daily Readings
SUNDAY, July 29, 2018 - Tenth Sunday after Pentecost
(Revised Common Lectionary Year B)

Greeting
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer of the Day (Collect)
O God, the protector of all who trust in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy: Increase and multiply upon us your mercy; that, with you as our ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we lose not the things eternal; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Confession and Forgiveness
Trusting God's promise of forgiveness, let us confess our sins against God and one another.

Eternal God our creator, in you we live and move and have our being. Look upon us, your children, the work of your hands. Forgive us all our offenses, and cleanse us from proud thoughts and empty desires. By your grace draw us near to you, our refuge and our strength; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


The Lessons

Old Testament
2 Kings 4:42-44
Elisha Feeds One Hundred Men
4:42 A man came from Baal-shalishah, bringing food from the first fruits to the man of God: twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. Elisha said, “Give it to the people and let them eat.” 43 But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred people?” So he repeated, “Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus says the Lord, ‘They shall eat and have some left.’” 44 He set it before them, they ate, and had some left, according to the word of the Lord.

The Psalm
Psalm 145:10-19 Exaltabo te, Deus
All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
    and all your faithful shall bless you.
They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom,
    and tell of your power,
To make known to all people your mighty deeds,
    and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
    and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
The Lord is faithful in all his words,
    and gracious in all his deeds.
The Lord upholds all who are falling,
    and raises up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you,
    and you give them their food in due season.
You open your hand,
    satisfying the desire of every living thing.
The Lord is just in all his ways,
    and kind in all his doings.
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
    to all who call on him in truth.
He fulfills the desire of all who fear him;
    he also hears their cry, and saves them.

The Epistle
Ephesians 3:14-21
Prayer for the Readers
3:14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. 16 I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, 17 and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. 18 I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, 19 and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

The Gospel
John 6:1-21
Feeding the Five Thousand
6:1 After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias. 2 A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick. 3 Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples. 4 Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near. 5 When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?” 6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do. 7 Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.” 8 One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 9 “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?” 10 Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all. 11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” 13 So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. 14 When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”

15 When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.
Jesus Walks on the Water
16 When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, 17 got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. 18 The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. 19 When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified. 20 But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.” 21 Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.


Here ends the Lessons

Click HERE to read today's Holy Gospel Lesson message

The Apostle's Creed
We believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

We believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Closing Prayer
Lord God, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us; through Jesus Christ ore Lord. Amen.

Blessing
The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.

The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. The Collects, Psalms and Canticles are from the Book of Common Prayer, 1979.
It is I; do not be afraid.

"Making Much Of Little" The Sermon for SUNDAY, July 29, 2018 - Tenth Sunday after Pentecost


"Making Much Of Little"

The Holy Gospel comes to us this morning from John the 6th chapter, beginning at the 1st verse.

1* After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, also called the Sea of Tiberias.2* A large crowd kept following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing for the sick.3* Jesus went up the mountain and sat down there with his disciples.4* Now the Passover, the festival of the Jews, was near.5* When he looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?”6* He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he was going to do.7* Philip answered him, “Six months’ wages would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.”8* One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him,9* “There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?”10* Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was a great deal of grass in the place; so they sat down, about five thousand in all.11* Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated; so also the fish, as much as they wanted.12* When they were satisfied, he told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.”13* So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets.14* When the people saw the sign that he had done, they began to say, “This is indeed the prophet who is to come into the world.”15* When Jesus realized that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, he withdrew again to the mountain by himself.16* When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea,17* got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.18* The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing.19* When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were terrified.20* But he said to them, “It is I; do not be afraid.”21* Then they wanted to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the land toward which they were going.
Grace and peace to your from our Lord and Savior, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen
This morning we are going to look at the story of feeding the 5000 as found in John’s gospel.

Andrew said to Jesus, "There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?" But what are they among so many, isn’t that the age old question. We look at what we have then we see the many who need more than we can possibility give so we ask, but what are they among so many. This boy didn’t realize how much he had until he gave it over to the Lord. Sure he saw he had only 5 loaves and 2 fish, but the Lord saw it as a gift to be used to feed the hungry people. The Lord made much of the little the boy was willing to give.

Notice, who did the action in this lesson, Jesus and the boy. This is an interesting lesson because it shows the faith of the boy and the power of Jesus to use our gifts to a great purpose.

Notice how this all begins. The crowds had gathered and it was time to eat. The crowds numbered about 5,000 men not counting the women and children. And Jesus says to Philip, "Where are we to buy bread for these people to eat?" Then notice the respond that Philip makes, he looks in the money bag to see they have only two hundred denarii and says there is little that can be done because they don’t have enough money. Philip never once asks Jesus what he can do about the situation . Philip never turns to Jesus and asks him to do something, he relies on his own resources and because of that he fails. Philip is like many of us, we rely on our own resources. We rely on me, myself and I. So when tough situations come along we have a difficult time coping with them. Philip viewed the situation hopeless even though Jesus was right there, he didn’t turn to him.

Philip could not see that Jesus could have helped this situation. Philip could not see beyond his own power to do something with the physical resources he had. Because Philip could not see beyond his own power, he could not help in this situation.

Many times you and I are like Philip. We see need, we look at our resources, and we decide that we are powerless to help, so we don’t do anything. We never think of turning our resources over to Jesus. We never think that maybe he can do something with our little gifts in a way we would never think of doing. Our faith as Philip’s faith in the power of Jesus to change situations is often lacking. We would rather trust our own resources, our own power, our own pride and maybe even fail, instead of turning everything over to Jesus and letting him be in charge.

Now let’s look at Andrew. Andrew saw the same problem, he saw all the hungry people and he knew there wasn’t enough money to buy food. So Andrew went out among the crowd to see what could be done. He found a boy who had a picnic lunch. It was only enough food to feed one hungry, growing boy, but Andrew decides instead of this being a hopeless situation, he goes and tells Jesus what he had found.

I would imagine Andrew might have had thoughts similar to this: "Well, this boy has only a limited amount of food, but maybe Jesus can do something with it. Yes, I will tell Jesus, if he can calm an angry sea, if he can heal people, if he can turn water into wine, surely he can do something with this bread and with this fish."

So, Andrew takes his knowledge, his resources to Jesus. He turns over to Jesus what he has found out. He lets Jesus be in control of his resources.

Then notice what Jesus does with the resources that were brought to him, he turn the little into much. Jesus takes the 5 loaves and 2 fish and he turns it into enough food to feed 5,000 men plus their children and wives with 12 baskets of food left over. Andrew knew that Jesus could do something very special with the limited resources that were present. Jesus took a few fish, some loaves of bread and turned it into a feast for over 5,000 people.

There was a man in England during the 1900’s who also saw the power of Jesus to feed a group of people. The man was George Muller and he founded several orphanages which cared for as many as 2,000 children. One night Muller was informed that the supply of food was gone at one of the houses. The next morning he joined the children at the breakfast. There was a bowl, and plate and glass in front of each of the several hundred children, but all were empty.

Mr. Muller asked the children to bow their heads as he prayed. His words included "Father, we thank Thee for what Thou art going to give us to eat."

After he ended the prayer there was a knock at the door. A baker was standing there who said, "I couldn’t sleep last night. I felt you didn’t have any bread and the Lord wanted me to send you some, so I got up at 2:00 this morning and baked some fresh bread for you."

George Muller not only thanked the baker, but also said a prayer of thanksgiving to God.

Within a few minutes there was a second knock at the door. There was a milkman standing at the door. He explained that his milk cart had broken down right in front of the home. The milk had to be unloaded and he wanted to give it to the home for the children. "Could you take it?’’ he asked.

Andrew knew that Jesus could do something very special with the limited resources of bread and fish. George Muller knew that if he would turn over to the Lord the problem of the hungry orphans, the Lord would provide. There is a lesson in this for us. When we turn over to the Lord the resources he has given us, he will use those resources to further his kingdom in ways that we cannot understand.

Andrew did not understand exactly what Jesus could do with the boy’s few loaves and few fish, because of his question, but what are they among so many. He really wasn’t quite sure what Jesus could do, or how this could help the crowd, but it is important to note even with his doubts, even with his wondering he still gave this resource over to Jesus, he still surrendered his own will to the will of Jesus.

You and I are called upon by Jesus to do the same thing. Even if we cannot understand what Jesus will do with our resources, even if we think what we have is very little, we must have faith that Jesus can do something special with our gifts. Remember the story of the widow’s mite. She gave the smallest coin, but Jesus said her gift was special because she gave all she had. She was willing to turn her resources over to God so that God in his mysterious way could do something very special with it. It is this kind of faith and trust in God that we are called upon to possess. It is this thinking that everything we have is a gift from the creator, and it is our responsibility to give to him those resources which he has given us for him to use in his way to further his kingdom. He doesn’t want us to give with strings attached, with conditions, but he wants our free gifts, he wants our gifts because of the great love we have for him. He doesn’t want them because we think we are influencing him in our lives, or because we think we will achieve a greater reward in the after life, no God wants our gifts because that is our way to respond to his great love in our lives.

We tend to look at ourselves as people who have worked to get everything we have by ourselves. Sure, most of us have worked hard to reach the kind of level of living we have, but just think about those gifts, those talents, those people in your life who were there when you needed, maybe, a helping hand or an encouraging word, or a piece of advice, all of those kinds of things I feel are God’s hand working in our lives. So, yes, we have made ourselves what we are, but at the same time we have not done it alone, because God’s hand was in there guiding the process whether we were aware of it or not. Now then isn’t it appropriate for us who have been given so much to in some way thank the provider? Isn’t it appropriate for us to give back to him some of what he has so generously given to us?

That is what this lesson is all about. Giving back to God what he has given to us so that God can make out of our little much. Philip saw the hungry and didn’t know what could be done, Andrew saw the hungry and brought a little boy to the Lord hoping that the Lord could do something. He wasn’t sure how the Lord would use his gift, his resource, but he gave it the Lord, anyway.

And finally I would like to look at the young boy for just a few moments. Here was a boy who had a picnic lunch, in it contained the poorest bread, and some pickled fish. That was to probably be his whole meal for the day. And now these men want him to turn it all over to a man named Jesus? Can you imagine what must have gone through his mind? There must have been a lot of thought, a lot of questions, a lot of hoping that it would all work out.

But the one thing that definitely went though his heart and mind was some faith in this man Jesus not to cheat him or hurt him or let him go hungry in any way for he was willing to hand over to him the only food he had. Here was a boy with a simple faith. He must have heard Jesus teach, he must have felt some love, some kindness, some compassion from Jesus. He must have felt that Jesus would not let him go hungry, This little boy had faith to turn over to Jesus all the resources he had at that moment. He turned over to Jesus not only his bread and fish, but his entire life. He turned over to Jesus his physical resources and then himself, he turned his life over to Jesus at that moment for he trusted Jesus to take care of him, to not let him go away from there hungry.

And Jesus provided, didn’t he? He provided for this boy and for more than 5,000 people. What if all of us turned over our resources to Jesus, what if we surrendered to him our entire lives, what if we trusted him to provide for us, can you imagine what he could do!
Loving God, You are our Creator and Sustainer. When You open Your hand, You satisfy the hunger and thirst of every living thing. And so we look to You whenever we are in need, trusting in Your love and Your abundant goodness.

As You once fed the hungry crowds with five loaves and two small fish, we ask that You would again fill those who are empty this day. Pour out Your Spirit on all who hunger and thirst. Amen
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The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Church of Christ in the USA, and used by permission. Sermon written by Pastor Tim Zingale, July 21, 2003.
This is an interesting lesson because it shows the faith of the boy and the power of Jesus to use our gifts to a great purpose.

The Morning Prayer for SUNDAY, July 29, 2018


Father, today we celebrate Your magnificent splendor, for by Your hand You placed time in motion. From the first day of creation until this day, Your creative wonders have filled the universe.

Today we celebrate Your mighty power, for by Your hand you raised Christ from the grave. From resurrection Sunday until this day, Your love has given life to all mankind.

Father we thank you for today. We give this special day over to You. May we rest in Your presence, bathe in Your goodness and celebrate Your eternal life, this day and always.
Amen

Verse of the Day for SUNDAY, July 29, 2018


Colossians 3:13 (NIV) Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

Read all of Colossians 3

Listen to Colossians 3

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Un dia a la Vez - Nuevas oportunidades


Nuevas oportunidades

Susténtame conforme a tu palabra, y viviré; y no quede yo avergonzado de mi esperanza.
~ Salmo 119:116 (RV-60)

En el transcurso de este libro hemos comprobado por los testimonios y los pasajes bíblicos que nuestro Padre es un Dios de oportunidades. A veces la gente nos frustra nuestros sueños. Incluso, los padres por error cortamos las alas de nuestros hijos. Muchos líderes también cortan los anhelos de sus discípulos y, en otros casos, hasta los cónyuges arruinan la vida de sus parejas. Sin embargo, la buena noticia es que no todo está perdido. Por el contrario, Dios nos está llamando a brindarnos más oportunidades con nuevo retos. Claro está, todo dependerá de nosotros si estamos alertas a los cambios que Él quiere en la vida de sus hijos.

Aunque pensemos que es imposible salir adelante, debemos tener presente que Dios está siempre dispuesto a darnos la salida. Nunca nos dejará solos y nos pondrá nuevos anhelos. El secreto es confiar en Él.

Pídele a Dios que resucite esos sueños que ya habías enterrado y empieza a visualizarte alcanzado esos logros. Ubícate en el futuro, mírate renovado y trabaja hacia ese blanco con la seguridad que alcanzarás tu meta. No importa la edad que tengas. Aunque para otros sea absurdo, recuerda que Dios es el que tiene la última palabra. Por lo tanto, Él es el que decide cuándo, cómo y dónde cumple ese anhelo de tu corazón.

Un Día a la Vez Copyright © by Claudia Pinzón
En el transcurso de este libro hemos comprobado por los testimonios y los pasajes bíblicos que nuestro Padre es un Dios de oportunidades.

Standing Strong Through the Storm - WHAT FORGIVENESS IS AND IS NOT


WHAT FORGIVENESS IS AND IS NOT

Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Colossians 3:13 (NIV)

To understand forgiveness we must realize what forgiveness is NOT:
  • Forgiveness is not forgetting. Deep hurts can rarely be wiped out of one’s awareness.
  • Forgiveness is not reconciliation. Reconciliation takes two persons, but an injured party can forgive an offender without reconciliation.
  • Forgiveness is not condoning. Forgiveness does not necessarily excuse bad or hurtful behavior.
  • Forgiveness is not dismissing. It involves taking the offense seriously, not passing it off as inconsequential or insignificant.
  • Forgiveness is not a vague notion of ‘tolerance’. This is, at best, a low-grade parody of forgiveness. At worst, it’s a way of sweeping the real issues in life under the carpet.
  • Forgiveness is not pardoning. A pardon is a legal transaction that releases an offender from the consequences of an action, such as a penalty.
Throughout the Old Testament we read that only God can forgive sins. We hear David exclaim, He forgives all my sins…” (Psalm 103:3). We also see examples of human forgiveness—even in pain—like Joseph forgiving his brothers for selling him into slavery. Joseph gains true freedom. He then names his son Manasseh, “one who causes to be forgotten.”

In the New Testament we see Jesus, the Lamb of God, come into to the world to die for our sins. Through His shed blood we can once and for all receive ultimate forgiveness. This is the pure “gospel of grace.” This forgiveness is a gift. We do not deserve it but God, in His grace, reached out to provide forgiveness to a dying world.

Then we read in the verse above the impact of this on those of us who have received that forgiveness. Its ethical challenge parallels “love your enemies” and “pray for your persecutors.”

In the final analysis, forgiveness is an act of faith. By forgiving another, I am trusting that God is a better justice-maker than I am. By forgiving, I release my own right to get even and leave all issues of fairness for God to work out. I leave in God’s hands the scales that must balance justice and mercy. I simply forgive others and leave them to God.

RESPONSE: Today I will leave fairness and justice in God’s hands. I will obediently forgive others just as the Lord forgave me.

PRAYER: Lord, grant me the faith to trust You with the offenses committed against me. I will forgive.

Standing Strong Through The Storm (SSTS), a daily devotional message by SSTS author Paul Estabrooks. © 2011 Open Doors International. Used by permission.

LHM Devotion - July 29, 2018 - Give Him an Inch

https://www.lhm.org/dailydevotions/default.asp?date=20180729

Daily Devotions from Lutheran Hour Ministries

"Give Him an Inch"

Jul. 29, 2018

And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'"
~ Genesis 3:2-3 (ESV)

As you can see from up above, the theme of this devo is "Give him an inch and ...."

As part of my research, I thought it would be wise to find out where the expression comes from. Wikipedia told me that the bit of common-sense wisdom was almost first used by John Heywood in the year 1546. I say, "almost first used" because when Heywood put together a collection of expressions and sayings which were popular in his day, he included, "Give him an inch and he'll take an ell."

That quote made things as clear as mud. What, I had to know, is an "ell."

Knowing that you are also burning with desire to know, I'll tell you what I found: an ell is a measurement that was once used in the fabric industry. An ell is a cubit, the distance of a man's arm from elbow to fingertip, approximately 18 inches.

So, John Heywood was saying, "Give him an inch and he'll take 18."

In Altadena, California, resident Mark Hough recently found the truth of the old adage. Hough was at his house, all alone in his hot tub, when he heard twigs snapping and leaves being stirred around on the forest nearby. He thought it was his neighbors. It wasn't.

It was a bear which was climbing over his fence.

Hough made a wise, albeit, hasty retreat from his hot tub. Picking up his video camera, he recorded modern-day proof that there is still truth in the words: give him an inch and he'll take a mile ... or an ell.

As you just heard, the bear took his first inch when Hough vacated his backyard. In just a few minutes, he saw the bear get into, and enjoy, the hot tub; finish off his margarita and take a leisurely, lengthy nap next to the hot tub. Give him an inch and he'll take a mile.

Adam and Eve also found that to be true when they were accosted by Satan.

The tempter started by asking about the tree which Adam and Eve had religiously been avoiding. Eve explained that God said we're not supposed to eat from this tree, and then she added that nor are we to touch it.

What!? God had never said that.

In the conversation, Satan kept taking, and he wasn't content with his day's work until the garden had been lost, death had entered the world, and God's children were condemned to hell for all of eternity. Yes, give the devil an inch and he'll take a mile. It's as true for us as it was for Adam and Eve.

Which is why we go to Jesus for our forgiveness and salvation. You see, Jesus is special. He is the only human being who never gave Satan an inch. Nowhere in His life did Jesus compromise with evil. He just resisted temptation, declined the devil, carried our sins, and defeated death. Now, because of Jesus' refusal to give an inch, we who believe are given eternal life.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, send Your Holy Spirit upon us so we may be given the insight and strength to resist Satan's suggestions and temptations. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.

The above devotion was inspired by a number of sources, including one written by Merit Kennedy for NPR on July 3, 2018. Those who wish to reference that article may do so at the following link, which was fully functional at the time this devotion was written: https://www.npr.org/2018/07/03/625599623/bear-hot-tub-margarita

Use these devotions in your newsletter and bulletin! Used by permission; all rights reserved by the Int'l LLL (LHM).
The theme of this devo is "Give him an inch and ...."

Notre Pain Quotidien - Espérer malgré le chagrin

https://www.ministeresnpq.org/2018/07/29/esperer-malgre-le-chagrin/

Espérer malgré le chagrin

Lisez : Luc 24.13-32
La Bible en un an : Psaumes 49 – 50 ; Romains 1

Alors leurs yeux s’ouvrirent, et ils le reconnurent ; mais il disparut de devant eux. (V. 31)

Lorsque j’avais 19 ans, une de mes grandes amies est morte dans un accident de voiture. Durant les semaines et les mois qui ont suivi, j’ai avancé chaque jour dans un tunnel de chagrin. La douleur de perdre une personne si jeune et si merveilleuse m’a voilé la vue. Il m’est même arrivé de ne plus discerner par moments ce qui se passait autour de moi. Je me sentais aveuglée par la douleur et la tristesse au point de ne plus voir Dieu.

Dans Luc 24, deux disciples, confus et accablés par la mort de Jésus, ne se sont pas rendu compte qu’ils marchaient avec leur Maître ressuscité, alors même qu’il leur expliquait pourquoi leur Sauveur promis devait mourir et revenir à la vie. Ce n’est qu’au moment où Jésus a rompu le pain avec eux que son identité leur a été révélée (V. 30,31). Même si les disciples de Jésus avaient fait face à la mort dans toute son horreur lors de la sienne, Dieu leur montrait par sa résurrection d’entre les morts comment retrouver l’espoir.

À l’instar de ces disciples, il se peut que la confusion et la tristesse nous accablent. Reste que nous pouvons puiser espoir et consolation dans la réalité selon laquelle Jésus est vivant et à l’œuvre dans le monde, ainsi qu’en chacun de nous. Même si casse‑têtes et souffrances sont encore notre lot, nous pouvons accueillir Christ à nos côtés lorsque nous marchons dans notre tunnel de chagrin. En tant que Lumière du monde (JN 8.12), il peut susciter des rayons d’espoir pour éclairer notre brouillard.

Malgré notre tristesse, nous espérons en Jésus.


© 2018 Ministères NPQ
Lorsque j’avais 19 ans, une de mes grandes amies est morte dans un accident de voiture.