John 20:19-22 (TNIV)
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.
Reflection:
As we rang in the New Year, many people, and we ourselves, may have made some ‘New Year’s resolutions’; resolving to live differently and setting new goals. When Jesus appeared to the disciples, He was ushering in a new season, a way to be and to live by His Spirit. Jesus sent his disciples out with a mission, to no longer stay paralyzed in fear or locked behind closed doors, but to declare that Jesus, Salvation, and Victory has come. What we read in the Book of Acts about all the miraculous signs and wonders God accomplished through the disciples is evidence that they didn’t stay behind closed doors. We too are given this same command and empowering. We are the sent ones in our generation.
Unlike New Year’s resolutions that are often made, but often not fulfilled, Jesus marks us, breathes on us, and empowers us with His Spirit, the same Spirit that raised him from the dead. With this empowering, we can live and obey.
Responding to the Transmission:
Let’s thank God for the life, purpose, and ability we have through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have true peace. We have power through his Holy Spirit. We have a calling, meaning, and a purpose in this life. May we be caught up in worship, praise and thanksgiving for all that the Lord has given us. May it melt away all our fears and apprehensions about living for him and spur us on to live out his command as his sent ones.
