and in this, the Scripture was fulfilled.
And now I come to you; in the world I speak these things,
so that those whom you gave me, might have joy—all my joy within themselves.
I have given them your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world,
just as I am not of the world, I do not ask you to remove them from the world, but to keep them from the evil one.
They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth.
I have sent them into the world as you sent me into the world; and for their sake,
I go to the sacrifice by which I am consecrated, so that they too may be consecrated in truth.

REFLECTION:
Change is a part of life. Without change there is something in us that sleeps and seldom awakens.
Change, when it is for the better, produces growth, creates new and better ways of being.
But it can also be sad and gut-wrenching because it often involves farewells that are not only uncomfortable,
but throw us off balance. Change has always been a part of the life of the church as well – from the very beginning in fact.
All throughout the many changes and transformations it has gone through though
– over a period of two thousand years in fact – there has been one thing that has always remained stable,
always remained the same, namely, the abiding presence of Jesus in the life of the community
he left behind in the world in order to continue the work of bringing the Good News of God’s salvation to men and women of every age.

© Copyright Bible Diary 2020