The Message of Hope for All
He said to them, “This is what is written and so it must be: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. (Luke 24:46–47)
When Jesus appeared to his disciples in the upper room on that first Easter evening, Luke tells us that he once again opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. They had spent 3 years studying under him and learning from him. At times, they had professed their understanding that he was the Christ, the one that God had promised from the beginning. But they still did not always understand. And this was one of those times. Jesus opened their minds to understand that this good news was not just for the Jews. It was also for the Gentiles in all the world.
That includes you and I. The same repentance and forgiveness that Jesus taught to his disciples, and that his disciples spread throughout the middle East, is the repentance and forgiveness that you and I have also. It is the same repentance that comes by faith and the same forgiveness that faith receives. And it is the same message of repentance and forgiveness that we take to those around us as well. It is the message of repentance and forgiveness that gives hope to all who hear it. Amen.
The song for today is “Forgiven” by Crowder