Encouragement - Pt. 3

His disciples said, “Ah, now you are speaking plainly and not using figurative speech! Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.” Jesus answered them, “Do you now believe? Behold, the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me. I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:29-33 ESV).

 

Heather Perry, a photographer from Lawrence, Kansas, took this photo of a mural done in honor of the city motto, which is “From Ashes to Immortality.” It is even more interesting that Kansas’ motto is “Ad Astra Per Aspera,” translating “To the Stars Through Difficulty.”

 

Our reading today comes from Jesus as he neared His death. In John’s Gospel, this admonition precedes what is known as “the High Priestly Prayer.” It is Jesus’ prayer for all of those who would become followers through the ages. Jesus was always very clear that the way forward for them would not be easy. We certainly have experienced that truth first-hand in our day. Someone not long ago suggested that a new catch-phrase was being developed in our culture: “2020’d.” It could easily be used to make reference to being caught in a very difficult circumstance: “Wow! You’ve certainly been 2020’d!”

 

Whether that happens or not we have been called upon to deal with many problems in the first eight months of this calendar year. We have seen escalating conflict, both on a personal and global scale. People have experienced more anxiety, depression, and fear than in my recent memory. There has been a rise in poverty with loss of wages and jobs in the midst of increased cost of some of the basic necessities of life. Couple that with the devastating health issues and death that have invaded families across our nation and you get lives that are challenging at best. Of course, there are those other things that challenge us as a normal course. We’ve already seen storms and wildfires cutting paths of destruction through some of our nation. The list seems to go on and on.

 

However, Jesus wants us to understand that whatever comes our way, we do not face our struggles without hope. We have a Savior who died and then rose again. He made new life possible by defeating sin and death forever. Scholars have long called this the Christus Victor, the idea that Jesus will triumph over every enemy of God and that we will share in that victory because of our faith. In Christ, we have hope for the possibility of redemption in this life. We overcome with Him!