December 23rd, 20

 HE’S STILL AT WORK

Today’s reading is John 19 – 21.  We are reading from the New Living Translation.

He’s the God of many other things. John ends his Gospel with these words,

Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written. (Jn 21:25 NLT)

Jesus did many other things. Those “other things” aren’t relegated to the past. Those “other things” continue on even today.  He continues to transform men and women, boys and girls. He’s showing up behind locked doors and locked hearts. He’s appearing to you and to me. And the words he has for us are the same words he had for the disciples back then – words like

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. (Jn 14:27 NIV) and Follow me.(Jn 21:19 NLT)

He’s calling broken failures like Peter to receive God’s peace, the love show on the cross, the hope of the resurrection and the presence of Christ himself.  He called Peter to move beyond his failures into a new life – beyond the past and into His purpose.  And He’s calling us, too.

His purpose for us is to go and feed His sheep, making our life about others, laying down our life for the sheep the way Christ has laid his life down for us.  These are the things that Christ continues to do in our lives, even today. He comes to speak peace and offer us his life. He comes to release us from our past, and into His purposes for us – making this life, not about us but about Him and others.  

Even on this Christmas Eve, may we move beyond ourselves and into his path of purpose.

You are loved!