4/17/21

Our Gospel lesson is Luke 24:36-48, taken today from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).

He Himself stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be to you.” But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit. And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; and He took it and ate it before them. Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”

Jesus told us with every word and showed us with every action what God expects of us. Now He tells us it is our turn to speak and act. He has completed His time on earth and will return to the Father, leaving His ministry here in our hands.

It is an awesome responsibility, and while He may not be physically present to lead us, He promised us God’s Holy Spirit as our guardian and guide. We have each other to lean on and learn from as well. All creation is connected through God’s eternal plan.

Like the disciples, our minds must be open to the scriptures, doing our best to understand and apply the lessons Jesus taught. Each of us must use the gifts God gives to spread His love and truth to all the world. This is our task and our blessing, to announce the coming of His kingdom.

Gracious God, we are grateful to be called as Your children, responsible for Your work here on earth. Make us strong in Your love to share the truth of Your salvation with all the world. Amen.

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