Take Heart!
John 16:33 (NIV)
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
This scripture appears in the Gospel of John, as part of Jesus’ long soliloquy to the disciples preparing them for his departure. It provides the transition between the Last Supper and the arrest of Jesus. The disciples are confused and troubled by Jesus’ words. It is only after his death and resurrection and appearance in their midst that they begin to understand.
Over 2000 years later, we are like the disciples. At moments in our lives, we are stunned by loss and grief and we cannot see the promise of new life. Perhaps it is the end of a relationship; the loss of a job; the death of a loved one. Where do we go from here?
One of my favorite stories in the New Testament takes place near the end of the book of John. It is set at the tomb of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, a place of death and loss. It is pre-dawn and Mary Magdalene has come to the tomb and discovered it is empty. She runs to tell Simon Peter and the other disciples. The men rush to the tomb and likewise discover it to be empty, then leave.
But Mary stands there weeping. She looks into the tomb and sees two angels inside. They say, “Woman why are you weeping?” Mary replies she does not know where the body of Jesus has been taken, then turns around and, through her tears, sees a man she believes to be a gardener. The figure is actually Jesus, but Mary does not recognize him. He asks her why she is weeping and she says, “Sir, tell me where they have taken him, and I will take him away.”
This is the darkest hour, both physically and spiritually, for Mary. Earlier she stood at the foot of the cross. All her hopes and dreams for Christ to be the Savior of the world, have died. And now she cannot even find the body to prepare it for burial. Mary is in despair. Then Jesus speaks her name, “Mary!” and she recognizes his voice. “Rabboni!” she exclaims. And the sun comes up over the tomb and her heart nearly bursts with joy. A new world is dawning, and Mary realizes that Jesus has fulfilled his promise. “In the world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
Let us pray:
Dear God, we thank you for the fulfillment of your love through the life of Jesus Christ. We know that in this world we will have trouble. But we take heart that you have overcome the world and will work all things for ultimate good. Thanks be to you for the gift of your Son. Amen.
This devotion was written by Laura Derr and read by Susan Daves.
Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.
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First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.
