“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world
will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will
live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me,
and I am in you.” (John 14: 18-20)
Do you know the saying, “My life has a superb cast but I can’t figure out the plot”? It’s a funny way to appreciate your friends and family while facing surprises that bring big life changes.
Major choices - education, children, mortgages, and jobs can define life as “points of no return.” Other plot twists are unwelcome - think addiction, living with chronic pain, or losing a house to catastrophic weather. Life can feel like it happens “to us” with turns like financial windfall, relocation, or falling in love as big points of no return.
Let’s think about how the author of the Gospel of John elucidated a point of no return for all mankind.
John recounts the death and resurrection of Jesus so carefully it leads us to see a startling new reality – an inseparable Holy Trinity. In the telling, Jesus is a sacrificial lamb offered the afternoon before a Passover holiday. It is different from other Gospels as a first-hand version of the Crucifixion. Surely, the life of Christ had major plot twists.
Seriously, God now dwells inside - n o t j u s t v i s i t s – believers? Did you say not just one believer like a king, a priest or a prophet, but ALL believers? Can you imagine having to explain that concept to the world for the first time? I believe they would still be scratching their heads and trying to defend such an outrageous idea if it were not simply true.
To people of faith it is self-evident, the indwelling, as we know a holy presence totally not of our making. The Holy Spirit keeps us inseparable from God. To believe in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ is to believe in a point of no return for all mankind.
A life of faith is a game changer because from that point on, come what may, you are never alone. Think about how a loving God allows us to see ourselves in our own children as a beautiful demonstration of being inseparable. Life is good.
Do you know the saying, “My life has a superb cast but I can’t figure out the plot”? It’s a funny way to appreciate your friends and family while facing surprises that bring big life changes.
Major choices - education, children, mortgages, and jobs can define life as “points of no return.” Other plot twists are unwelcome - think addiction, living with chronic pain, or losing a house to catastrophic weather. Life can feel like it happens “to us” with turns like financial windfall, relocation, or falling in love as big points of no return.
Let’s think about how the author of the Gospel of John elucidated a point of no return for all mankind.
John recounts the death and resurrection of Jesus so carefully it leads us to see a startling new reality – an inseparable Holy Trinity. In the telling, Jesus is a sacrificial lamb offered the afternoon before a Passover holiday. It is different from other Gospels as a first-hand version of the Crucifixion. Surely, the life of Christ had major plot twists.
Seriously, God now dwells inside - n o t j u s t v i s i t s – believers? Did you say not just one believer like a king, a priest or a prophet, but ALL believers? Can you imagine having to explain that concept to the world for the first time? I believe they would still be scratching their heads and trying to defend such an outrageous idea if it were not simply true.
To people of faith it is self-evident, the indwelling, as we know a holy presence totally not of our making. The Holy Spirit keeps us inseparable from God. To believe in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ is to believe in a point of no return for all mankind.
A life of faith is a game changer because from that point on, come what may, you are never alone. Think about how a loving God allows us to see ourselves in our own children as a beautiful demonstration of being inseparable. Life is good.
God’s Peace,
Vickie Schreffler
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