![]() ![]() Alas, many European politicians preferred to wait and see. This envisaged EU and NATO membership for Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, and a free Belarus. To view a video devotional of this message, click here.A few years ago, against the backdrop of a national pro-democracy uprising in Belarus, I called on European leaders to develop a clear strategy for Eastern Europe. We are expecting His Holy Spirit to come and bless His Church. Yet, we are expecting something even bigger and better. Yes, we expect the end of this global pandemic with hope and assurance. His Spirit gives us the power to look beyond any frightful situation.Īs we journey together from Easter to Pentecost, we are still reminded of the power of the resurrection, and we are together in a period of expectation. The Lord is willing and able to intersect our fragile human sense of security and replace it with “His peace that passes all understanding.” The power of His resurrection gives us joy for the journey. However, there is something bigger than any human sense of safety and security, even amid a pandemic, and that is the Lord’s absolute peace. All these things will help us keep the threat of the pandemic at bay. All of these things are absolutely necessary. We have found ways to support each other so that we do not feel alone in this pandemic, and most of us have found mechanisms to “lock ourselves in” to stay safe and healthy. What a great reminder this is for us in times like the present! Many of us are isolated, either by choice or by order of the local authorities. Jesus’ presence provided them with peace, joy, and the assurance of His Spirit. ![]() He was going to replace any human device that would provide temporary assurance with a divine, permanent, and true peace-His everlasting peace. What Jesus did was exactly what He had promised. What kind of a greeting is this? To break into the place where they thought they were completely safe and somehow let them know that even the most secure human mechanism only gives a temporary, if not false, sense of security. Yet, in the middle of what they felt was the most secure way to avoid any threat, the Lord suddenly appeared and shook them with a strangely soothing message: “Peace be with you!” The disciples thought that they were safe from the threat because they were in complete isolation, supporting each other by being together and under lock and key so no one could find them and hurt them. However, the Lord interrupted the disciples’ false sense of security and replaced it with His permanent and reassuring sense of peace. The same people who had killed their Lord and Master only days ago were now threatening to annihilate His followers. The disciples had every reason to feel threatened and fearful. They were isolated, gathered together in a support group, and under lock and key for fear of the Jews. His disciples were together, doing what normal individuals do when facing fear and threats. The Gospel of John tells us the story of the event that coined this familiar greeting (John 20:19-22). This is the first greeting the disciples received from Christ on the very first Easter Sunday, and the church has faithfully passed along this greeting from generation to generation as a witness and assurance that the Resurrected Christ is our source of true peace. This is a beautiful way to greet each other because it identifies all of us as followers of the resurrected Christ. “Peace be with you” is the greeting of many churches in North America. “A Paz do Senhor” is how Christians in Brazil greet one another. ![]() “Mir Vam” is the greeting of the church in Russia. Many of us have had the privilege of being with the global Christian family, and we have been greeted by what is unequivocally the most well-known Christian greeting throughout generations. This is one of the most common greetings among Christians around the world. ![]()
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