"A Little While..."

13Apr
‘A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me.’ His disciples said, ‘What does he mean by this “a little while”? We do not know what he is talking about.’ Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, ‘Are you discussing among yourselves what I meant when I said, “A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me”? Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy. So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. On that day you will ask nothing of me. Very truly, I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.
- John 16:16-17,19-23

I often intently watch and listen carefully when Jesus’ disciples admit their confusion and honest ignorance. I listen carefully — that is, I listen, filled with care; because their confusion and doubt is my confusion and doubt. It is easy to be dismissive of those who followed Jesus as a bunch of “simple fishermen.”. When I put myself in that circle, in those days, I am confused, and wracked with dread and fear of failure along with them.


With the gentle words, in “a little while” Jesus gives His beloveds a glimpse into the feelings that await them in the near future, and then removes their sting by putting them into a joyful context. 


Have you ever asked yourself what self-talk you would be engaged in, at table with Jesus in the final days of his ministry? Questions like, “Why do I feel so sad?” Where did it go wrong?” “Is this my fault?” “If it ends like He says, did it matter that I followed Him?…even more to the point, do I matter?” Yes, that’s it: “Do I matter?”


Are you listening with care, Marsden, Paul, Virginia, John, Maria, Andrew, Ashley, Aaron, Ross, Toto, Vicki, Melissa, [ insert your name here]… In a little while it will hurt more than you can imagine. And in a little while, you will know joy and freedom as never before. In a little while, you will speak and touch and heal and petition with the power of God the Father, because that’s the way it is when you love and follow Christ. And yes, you matter; not because of stuff you did or did not do, but because God our creator breathed us onto this life that way: loved and of ultimate matter to Him.          

                                                                      
Musical Reflection - They Cast Their Nets - Hymn Factory

Father, Son, and Spirit, Thank you for the first breath of this life and the last breath in death. Thank you for showing your servants how to feed one another and how to pick up a phone and relieve loneliness. Thank you for your Love, through which we matter. Amen.

New TestamentJoyEaster

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