Mark 6:33 But many who saw them leaving recognized them and ran on foot from all the towns and got there ahead of them. (NIV)
I wonder, if we knew where Jesus was going to be one day, somewhere in Knoxville, would we leave everything we were doing and run ahead to the place to greet Him? Would we look forward to seeing Him in-person to listen to His stories, perhaps watch a miracle or two, and wonder at His deep understanding about life, the universe, and everything?
I hope that one day, we will all get that opportunity to be with us Jesus in-person. For most of us, if not all of us, it will take place in the Heavenly realms beyond this life. However, every week we get the opportunity to meet with Jesus in-spirit when we intentionally gather to worship Him, to hear His teachings, and to pray to Him. We call that gathering place ‘church’ and it occurs on Sunday mornings to commemorate and celebrate the fact that Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week after the Sabbath – which is now called ‘Sunday’ by us.
In the past, some African-American preachers used to get excited about worshiping Christ in church. At the end of a heavy, burdensome, and troubled week, they would remind their parishioners that “Sunday’s Coming!” to let them know that no matter what they were going through or had even recently endured, the hope of Christ would once again be resurrected in their hearts to lift them beyond their despair and prepare them for a time when everyone would be embraced, accepted, and loved by God through Christ.
So, Sunday’s Coming and Christ’s Spirit will be among us at church – are you ready to run ahead and joyfully meet Him there?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we want to welcome and greet You into our lives, so we look forward to being with You in-person and in-Spirit. In your Holy Name, we cheerfully pray. Amen.
Today’s image is one of John’s latest drawings called ‘John1’ which is based on the Gospel text.
If you would like to view a larger image, click here.