Evening Prayer 2-21-11

Reading:
John 7:1-13

"My time has not yet come"

Today, Jesus is speaking with those of his family that are requesting Him to make the trip to attend to the Feast of Booths.  Jesus lets them know that "His time has not yet come". 

The Jews were already plotting to kill Him.  He was leading people astray many thought.  They felt that He was destroying their faith and He had to be stopped.  Is it really much different today?  Ask people what they think of Jesus, some will say that He was a great teacher, others will say He came to do nothing but judge people and condemn them, others will say that He was crazy.  Many times we hear the same thing regarding us as Christians in this society.  We are bigots, racist, hypocrites.  We are always trying to impose our "rules" on others. 

We must remember that people who are in the darkness want to stay there.  They are there because they do not want to see who they really are and we can not expect them to act like Christians.  However, we must continue to stand up for those that have no voice, the poor, the orphans, widows, and the unborn.  We must not stop speaking about the truth of life in the womb.  We are not putting in rules, we are trying to protect human life that is made in the image and likeness of God.

After all this is why Jesus Christ came into the world to redeem mankind.  He came and was like us in every way yet without sin.  He died voluntarily on the cross so that He could make us right with God.  This is what occurred when He time was come and that is why He stated from the cross, it is finished.  The perfect sacrifice was offered that covers the sin of the whole world.  Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to save the world but dying in its place. 

Just look to Jesus Christ and trust that He did it all and you will be saved.  It is all about Him and not about you.  The world has hated Him from the beginning because He called out the sin.  He still gives His life for the world and offers salvation to all.