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Faith Daily | 17 May 2022
PRAYER of the DAY - APBA p 512
Saving God,
who called your Church to witness
that you were in Christ reconciling the world to yourself:
help us so to proclaim the good news of your love,
that all who heart it may be reconciled to you;
through him who died for us and rose again
and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen
GOSPEL for the Day: John 14: 27-31
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
28 ‘You heard me say, “I am going away and I am coming back to you.” If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. 29 I have told you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe. 30 I will not say much more to you, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold over me, 31 but he comes so that the world may learn that I love the Father and do exactly what my Father has commanded me.
‘Come now; let us leave.
GOSPEL REFLECTION: Virginia Hasker
Chapters 13 & 14 in John’s Gospel are my favourite passages in the Bible. They reveal so much of Jesus - not only his emotions going into his trial, crucifixion and death, but also his deep love and understanding for his group of friends – the disciples. We can imagine the disciples’ sense of apprehension at all the talk about ‘Going to the Father’ and leaving them but sending another to be an Advocate (verse 28). They were losing their friend and teacher who they had seen performing amazing miracles and who had rescued them from the storm on the Sea of Galilee. When we lose a friend there is a sense of loss, a sense of an empty space within our lives. But Jesus ‘gets it’.
Jesus is leaving them his ‘Peace’. This peace, shalom (in Hebrew) does not mean the absence of trouble. It means everything that makes for our highest good. The peace which the world offers is the peace of escape, avoidance of trouble and refusing to face up to things. ‘Jesus offers the peace of conquest. No experience of life can ever take it from us and no sorrow, no danger, no suffering can ever make it less. It is independent of outward circumstances’ William Barclay.
In this section of Chapter 14 of John’s Gospel Jesus is warning his friends about his impending trial and death. He is looking forward to ‘returning to his Father, God’ and the end of his ordeal. His disciples can only see his departure as their loss. At this stage they don’t understand about the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, the Other who will be coming. We on the other hand 2000 years later know about the Holy Spirit and in belief and in prayer we have experienced the guidance, comfort and companionship of the Holy Spirit, and so we know that Jesus promise to his disciples has been fulfilled. We as his modern-day disciples have the privilege of hindsight.
I am so grateful for this wonderful insight into the person of Jesus that John left us in his Gospel.
FINAL PRAYER
Deep peace of the running wave to you
Deep peace of the flowing air to you
Deep peace of the quiet earth to you
Deep peace of the shining stars to you
Deep peace of the gentle night to you
Moon and stars pour their healing light on you
Deep peace of Christ, of Christ, the light of the world, to you
Deep peace of Christ to you.
Amen.