Sunday Reflections
(REVELATION 1:17-18, JOHN 20:19-31, ACTS 5:12-17)
“When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying, “Fear not, I am the First and the Last, and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades”.
The Easter season is a season of joy and celebration of Christ’s victory over death. So, still on the joy of the Resurrection, Christ who is the First and the Last, the First born of all creation (Colossians 1:15), Christ reaffirms His Eternal status of ‘Being’ at the Island of Patmos to John and then to His Apostles showing them that indeed He has overcome not just the ‘World’ but ‘Death ‘.
Going through the Gospel of John (John 20:19-21), it can be divided into four parts. First, is the appearance of the Risen Christ to His Apostles. In the second, His commission to them follows. The third is the appearance of the Risen Christ to the Apostles when Thomas is present and finally is the comments made by the evangelist.
Christ’s appearance to His Apostles is a testament to Him being alive, having overcome death, and has taken His place in the midst of the Living, not just for a moment, years, temporary but Forever, for to Him belongs the key and the power of the Kingdom. All power indeed belongs to Him. It is this same power that He has given to His Apostles and to all those who believe in Him to manifest Him in the world.
The power can be seen manifesting in the life of the Apostles in the Acts of the Apostles 5:17-19, that even their shadow healed the sick and cast out unclean spirits. He gave them the power to reach out in love; the power to make Him manifest in their every word and action so that others will be brought to believe.
The Big question before us today is, ‘how will our belief in the Living Lord be made manifest in the face of the world? What measures are we taking to ensure that the Living Lord can be felt in others? Can we give life to those dead and lost in the trials and challenges of life, hope to the frustrated and downtrodden, peace to the troubled souls and love in a world filled with hatred and malice?
As we meditate on His Word, may the Peace and Love of Christ that surpasses all things ever abide in your hearts. Amen.