1 John 4:4
You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. NKJV
When Jesus the Christ, the anointed of God, returns there will be peace. Until His return we are His hands and feet created to do good. Soon the lion will lay down with the lamb. All those who caused destruction and chaos to His people on earth will be silenced. Satan and those who do his bidding to kill, steal and destroy God’s creation will be no more. Carla
John 16:33 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” NKJV
Tribulation is literally “pressure,” and figuratively means “affliction” or “distress.” Be of good cheer means “be confident and courageous.” When we place our trust in God, He can give us peace in the midst of pressure. See Philippians 1:27–30 for Paul’s explanation of the principle of joy in suffering. The NKJV Study Bible
Jesus wants His disciples to understand that they can be at peace when He suffers and dies. It is the Spirit’s ongoing work to grant peace to believers (John 14:27).
Jesus has overcome the powers of darkness (1:5) through His death and resurrection. He proclaims this now because He has already healed people and driven out demons, proving He is able to overpower what people consider unmovable forces. Jesus makes this claim as though it has already happened because He is confident in His prophetic proclamation that He will rise again after suffering and dying for the sins of God’s people. Faithlife Study Bible
John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Romans 8:37
Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
John 15:18–27
“If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you…
Revelations 3:21
To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.
Yes, we shine our light by making space.
And here’s the deal: you never know who may need that space. But you still make the invitation, “Come on in. There’s a place at the table for you.”
And this did my heart good: the healing power that comes from knowing there is a place at the table.
But too often, we wonder if we have what it takes to offer that space to others.
What if our light isn’t bright enough? What if we don’t have what it takes?
My friends, let us make space to see and to be seen.
Let us make space to welcome, to offer comfort, and reprieve, and hope.
Let us make space that says “NO” to cruelty and discrimination, and intolerance and hatred.
Let us make space to open our heart to care—to risk and embrace vulnerability.
Let us make space to speak out for compassion and justice for the marginalized, for the least of these.
Let us make space to be Sabbath (sanctuary), in a world of disquiet, disruption and unease.
I write this on the first day of Passover, the time when we celebrate and commemorate the Exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, a story about how God picked us up and brought us from despair to joy, from darkness to light, from chaos to meaning.
I was grateful for these reflections from Debbie Gutfreund, reminding us that Passover encourages, “Responsibility for each other. We invite all who are hungry to come and eat because we are responsible for one another. Some people are hungry for food, while others are hungry for wisdom. Whatever we have we should share as much as we can.
The meaning of freedom. Some people think freedom means being able to do what we want whenever we want to. But the Jewish definition of freedom is the ability to create a meaningful life with authentic values and to create a close connection with our Creator.
Freedom is living a life of constant growth and striving to live up to our potential.”
And a friend sent to me this reflection from an unnamed source. "Tonight we remember that we were strangers in the land of Egypt—and that too many are still not free. As we tell the story of liberation, we hold in our hearts migrants and refugees crossing borders and seas, searching for safety and those who are held in bondage. We remember workers whose bodies and time are exploited to sustain an unjust economy. We remember Black, brown, Indigenous, Jewish, Muslim, and other marginalized communities targeted by racism, antisemitism, and hatred. We remember those living under occupation and in the shadow of war, whose homes and hopes are shattered. The plagues of our time are climate catastrophe, state and economic violence, and the hardening of hearts to one another’s suffering. Let this night be a promise that we will not look away. As our ancestors walked together out of Mitzrayim, the narrow place, so we commit to walking together toward a world where all can live in safety, dignity, and self-determination. None of us is free until all of us are free."
Amen. And Happy Passover, my friends.
Sabbath Moments
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