Monday, May 9, 2016

9 May 2016 - overcome the world



Behold, the hour is coming and has arrived
when each of you will be scattered to his own home
and you will leave me alone.

LORD, don't let us leave you. It doesn't hurt you because the Father is with you. But it does hurt us. It keeps us immersed in the troubles of the world and far from you who have conquered it. Still, you know that at times we allow ourselves to be scattered. You even tell us this in advance. You don't tell us so that we can presume upon your mercy and just not care. You tell us so that when we realize what happened we aren't afraid to return to you. You see it coming and although you yourself have already conquered the world you still don't want us to be separated from you. It is bad for us to be apart from you and you love us too much to allow it without protest. We can have peace in you only when we stay near to you and realize the "breadth and length and height and depth" of your love for us (see Ephesians 3:14). If we mistakenly believe it is about our own performance we will eventually feel unworthy to return to you. But if we just realize that you always call us back to repentance than we can even have peace with our process.

There is an antidote to being scattered. It is the gathering, unifying power of your Holy Spirit. We who have received the baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus and the laying on of hands can't live like those who only know the baptism of John. This is a maturity check which Paul gives the disciples in Ephesus. It isn't an ambiguous question for them, either. Their lives change immediately in a remarkable way.

When they heard this,
they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
And when Paul laid his hands on them,
the Holy Spirit came upon them,
and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
Altogether there were about twelve men.

Now, Jesus, you are free to direct the community at Ephesus yourself. They don't have to rely on their own efforts. They can experience the profound peace of knowing that their lives are in the hands of the one who has overcome the world. Even though they will have trouble in the world it need rob them neither of their peace nor their effectiveness for the kingdom. Come Holy Spirit, make us "eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (see Ephesians 4:3). You are the only truly unifying principle that can be found in the universe because you yourself are the love which unites us (see First John 4:8).

God arises; his enemies are scattered,
and those who hate him flee before him.
As smoke is driven away, so are they driven;
as wax melts before the fire. 

It isn't so much that you want your enemies scattered. It is that they choose it. Come Holy Spirit, let us bring everyone together into unity in your kingdom. No matter how alone and isolated we feel, no matter how scattered we've let ourselves become, you always welcome us back. The root of division, sin, is conquered. Peace that the world cannot give is now ours for the asking.

The father of orphans and the defender of widows
is God in his holy dwelling.
God gives a home to the forsaken;
he leads forth prisoners to prosperity.



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