Remembrance

   In John 16, Jesus is talking to His disciples. It is the day before the crucifixion, and He is preparing them for the events to come. He is trying to lay the groundwork so that they will be able to get through the days immediately before them, days that will shake their faith in their leader, and, indeed shake the world. He tells them:

   "In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I've conquered the world."

   We are up in Blacksburg, VA, as I sit and write this blog this morning. The date is April 14 and our son, who teaches at Virginia Tech, and his son who is 11, will run in a race on the campus of this university, a race that has as its theme the remembrance of events that happened 5 years ago on April 16, 2007. On that day 32 students and faculty were shot down and killed, and the world of a lot of folks was shaken.

   Mayre Lou and I were living in that small university town in those days, and, although we were not there when those events happened, I can remember the concern for our family and friends there and our shock that something like that could happen in such a peaceful place. Although we could not go back home for a few days, we felt as if we should be there as the whole town grieved. It was a time of great trouble, and, as we watched with the rest of the world, the aftermath of that day, we were reminded again of Jesus' words quoted above.

   We live in a fallen world, and there will be trouble, but the story of the resurrection is that Jesus has conquered all of that, and we can have hope because of what He has done.

   I remember driving through a rural section of Georgia, maybe 6 months after all the events of that VA tragedy, and seeing a church sign that read "Today we are all Hokies". Yes, we are all affected by events like these, but our lives are also profoundly influenced by what Jesus did for us.

  Thank you Jesus for the hope and life that You bring to us, even in the midst of suffering. Help us to live in remembrance.