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In Hope
'IN HOPE THAT THE CREATION ITSELF WILL BE LIBERATED...' ROMANS 8:20-21
What would this day have been like for the disciples? For three fantastic years they'd being living the dream.
They'd been the entourage of the No.1 celebrity of the day. But there was more than that, more than just being the centre of attention in every town and village they visited.
Deep down in their own hearts they knew that they'd found the One, the Messiah, the hope their nation had been waiting for. Life was making sense, miracles were happening every day, and they weren't just spectators - they were in the thick of the action. And then it all got a bit serious. They found themselves looking over their shoulders after dark. They started hearing whispers and rumours. And Jesus himself started saying crazy things about having to leave them to go elsewhere, to a place they couldn't follow Him.
Today is a day of remembrance for us but not really a day of sadness because we know the end of the story. But for the disciples and the other close friends of Jesus this Friday afternoon was heart-breaking on an unimaginable scale. Jesus had tried to encourage them to trust Him but they'd just not understood. They couldn't see what He could see. And how often are we just like them? When God allows sadness and suffering to cross our path we can quickly find ourselves feeling depressed or victimised because we don't see the other side.
Paul reflects back on the 'frustration' of the whole world and says even that was 'in hope' of a future liberation. That's the liberation we celebrate over this weekend, Jesus bringing freedom to all creation through His death and resurrection!
written by Bob Gass
'IN HOPE THAT THE CREATION ITSELF WILL BE LIBERATED...' ROMANS 8:20-21
What would this day have been like for the disciples? For three fantastic years they'd being living the dream.
They'd been the entourage of the No.1 celebrity of the day. But there was more than that, more than just being the centre of attention in every town and village they visited.
Deep down in their own hearts they knew that they'd found the One, the Messiah, the hope their nation had been waiting for. Life was making sense, miracles were happening every day, and they weren't just spectators - they were in the thick of the action. And then it all got a bit serious. They found themselves looking over their shoulders after dark. They started hearing whispers and rumours. And Jesus himself started saying crazy things about having to leave them to go elsewhere, to a place they couldn't follow Him.
Today is a day of remembrance for us but not really a day of sadness because we know the end of the story. But for the disciples and the other close friends of Jesus this Friday afternoon was heart-breaking on an unimaginable scale. Jesus had tried to encourage them to trust Him but they'd just not understood. They couldn't see what He could see. And how often are we just like them? When God allows sadness and suffering to cross our path we can quickly find ourselves feeling depressed or victimised because we don't see the other side.
Paul reflects back on the 'frustration' of the whole world and says even that was 'in hope' of a future liberation. That's the liberation we celebrate over this weekend, Jesus bringing freedom to all creation through His death and resurrection!
written by Bob Gass
