Saturday we attended the memorial service for Miguel, a young Dominican/Haitian pastor, taken ill suddenly with meningitis and dead 3 days later. We mourned the loss of a dear friend, a spiritual leader of a growing church who showed so much potential for the Kingdom. We mourned the shattered dreams of his beautiful bride of 10 months and for his large extended family in shock and anguish over the loss of the "baby of the family." For three hours we listened as one after another shared how Miguel, in his humble, godly way, had impacted their lives and how hard it was to imagine life without him.
As I read John 20, I imagine Jesus' followers reeling from the shock of his death! Confusion rocked their souls. How could He be dead if He was really who He had claimed to be: the Son of God? Their whole world had been built around him for the last 3 years, and now it had all come crashing down. They had given up everything to follow Him: their jobs, homes, families. They had pinned all their hopes on Him, the One who they believed was the Messiah, coming to save his people from their sin and their slavery to Rome. They had made big plans, they had invested themselves, they had dared to dream. They couldn't imagine life without him.
The disciples not only mourned the loss of their Lord, their friend, their teacher,and their future but they also experienced great fear. In vs. 19 we see them huddled behind locked doors, expecting the Jews to come after them at any minute, now that their master had been successfully eliminated. To add insult to injury, they believed that Jesus' body had been stolen away as well, despite hearing what "unstable, grief-striken Mary" had witnessed in the garden.
Here they were at their lowest point, dreading the worst, no hope, no future, totally disillusioned. The very last thing they could have imagined or dared to hope for was for Jesus to suddenly appear in their midst, but He did! Surprised by joy! "Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' After he said this, He showed them His hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord." vs. 19,20
Because Jesus rose from the dead and He is alive, He came and stood among us at Miguel's memorial service last Saturday! Right there in the midst of our loss and our "How could this have happened?" we heard His voice: "Peace be with you!" thru song, and scripture and testimony. And if any of us doubted His love in the midst of the great pain He had allowed, He showed us His hands and side, proof of his His great love and sacrifice made to rescue us.
Yes, we grieve, yet with hope. "We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep with him....And so we will be with the Lord forever.....Therefore encourage each other with these words." 1 Thes 4:15,17b,18 So inspite of our tears we rejoiced in His presence in our midst and rejoiced for our brother who is alive, enjoying the Savior he loves and serves. We encouraged each other in the hope that we have not said a permanent "adios" to Miguel but only a temporary "hasta luego", knowing that one day we will be reunited and together enjoy our Lord forever.
May you be overjoyed as you hear His voice, experience His presence, see the scars of His love for you today.
Priscilla
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