Mark 6:33 But
many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns
and got there ahead of them. (NIV)
I wonder, if we knew where
Jesus was going to be one day, somewhere in Knoxville, would we leave
everything we were doing and run ahead to the place to greet Him? Would we look
forward to seeing Him in-person to listen to His stories, perhaps watch a miracle
or two, and wonder at His deep understanding about life, the universe, and
everything?
I hope that one day, we
will all get that opportunity to be with Jesus in-person. For most of us, if
not all of us, it will take place in the Heavenly realms beyond this life.
However, every week we get the opportunity to meet with Jesus in-spirit when we
intentionally gather to worship Him, to hear His teachings, and to pray to Him.
We call that gathering place ‘church’ and it occurs on Sunday mornings to
commemorate and celebrate the fact that Jesus rose from the dead on the first
day of the week after the Sabbath – which is now called ‘Sunday’ by us.
In the past, some African-American
preachers used to get excited about worshiping Christ in church. At the end of a heavy, burdensome, and
troubled week, they would remind their parishioners that “Sunday’s Coming!”
to let them know that no matter what they were going through or had even recently
endured, the hope of Christ would once again be resurrected in their hearts to
lift them beyond their despair and prepare them for a time when everyone would
be embraced, accepted, and loved by God through Christ.
So, Sunday’s Coming
and Christ’s Spirit will be among us at church – are you ready to run ahead and
joyfully meet Him there?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we
want to welcome and greet You into our lives, so we look forward to being with
You in-person and in-Spirit. In your Holy Name, we cheerfully pray. Amen.
John Stuart is the pastor
of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Check out our website at www.erinpres.org.
Today’s image is one of
John’s latest drawings called ‘John1’ which is based on the Gospel text.
If you would like to view
a larger image, please click this link: John1.
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