Daily Scripture: John 16:16 “In a little while, you will see me no more; then, a little while later, you will see me.” 17 At this, some of the talmidim said to one another, “What is this that he’s telling us, ‘In a little while, you won’t see me; then, a little while later, you will see me’? and, ‘I am going to the Father’?” 18 They went on saying, “What is this ‘little while’? We don’t understand what he’s talking about.”
19 Yeshua knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Are you asking each other what I meant by saying, ‘In a little while, you won’t see me; and then, a little while later, you will see me’? 20 Yes, it’s true. I tell you that you will sob and mourn, and the world will rejoice; you will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21 When a woman is giving birth, she is in pain; because her time has come. But when the baby is born, she forgets her suffering out of joy that a child has come into the world. 22 So you do indeed feel grief now, but I am going to see you again. Then your hearts will be full of joy, and no one will take your joy away from you.
Reflection Questions:Even people who love baseball can acknowledge downsides and challenges. "I really love baseball,” said announcer Vin Scully. “I love the challenge of describing things. The only thing I hate—and I know you have to be realistic—is the loneliness on the road." Jesus’ disciples found great joy in serving the risen Lord, but the road to it ran through the grief of the cross.
- In verse 18, John wrote that Jesus' teaching (that hardship would come, but wouldn't last forever) confused the disciples. What has been your experience of suffering—emotional, physical or both? When you have faced those times, have you felt any confusion about how your faith fits into that? Has having a connection with Jesus made a difference in your ability to persevere?
- Scholar N. T. Wright noted, “Giving birth is terrifying….a form of agony that mere men can only watch with awe. But most women giving birth go through it with eager expectation…. John wants us to grasp that with Jesus’ death and resurrection, a new world—the new world—is indeed being born. This isn’t just a matter of Jesus saying ‘there’s trouble coming, but it will be all right afterwards’.” In what ways has the new world to which Jesus' death and resurrection gave birth changed your world for the better?
Today’s Prayer:
Lord, your joy isn’t just a glib way of looking at the world through rose-colored glasses. Guide and teach me even through the harder times, knowing that you have ultimately triumphed over all of them. Amen.Insights from Darren Lippe
Lord, your joy isn’t just a glib way of looking at the world through rose-colored glasses. Guide and teach me even through the harder times, knowing that you have ultimately triumphed over all of them. Amen.Insights from Darren Lippe
Darren Lippe helps facilitate Journey 101 “Loving God” classes, guides a 7th-grade Sunday school class, is a member of a small group & a men’s group, and serves on the Curriculum team.
In a sport where getting 3 hits out of 10 at bats is considered Hall of Fame-esque, baseball fans & players are uniquely equipped to fully comprehend Jesus’ discussion with His Disciples that “in a little while your sorrow will turn into joy.”
Sometimes the struggles are as an individual player.
Like the shortstop, lining up for the National Anthem, turning to his manager & saying, “Man I’m jinxed. Every time they play this song I have a bad game.”
Or the pitcher whose one wish was to hear his whole name announced to the home crowd, instead of “Now pitching, ‘Tom…[crowd] BOOOOOOOOOO!”
Or the pitcher who complained to his manager as he was yanking him from the game, “But I’m not tired.” The manager replied, “Yes, but our outfielders are.”
These individual struggles that can impact the team.
Like the manager lamenting that for his team “back-to-back home runs’ meant 1 today & 1 tomorrow.
Or the 2nd baseman, currently batting .198, telling his manager, “I never want to leave. I love this team. I want to play here forever.” The manager replied, “Be careful. That comes off as a threat.”
Or the newly acquired outfielder coming out of the dugout on Opening Day & spots a sign in the crowd saying, “Wait Until Next Year!”
Finally, the team’s poor performance typically impacts crowds as well.
What kind of promotion would it take to get 20,000 fans in the stands tonight? 50,000 free tickets.
Or you know, in hindsight, this would have been a good year to re-paint the seats.
Or things were so bad; we were selling hot dogs “to go” in the 4th inning.
But Jesus comforts His Disciples that these times of great turmoil will soon pass & become a time of great joy. Scholars debate, as scholars are prone to do, whether Jesus is referencing His Resurrection or His Second Coming. Interestingly, the Disciples don’t seem too bothered by the timing of this transition; rather their focus is on the meaning of ‘sorrow turning to joy.’ This suggests to me that they felt this conversion was imminent & not some far-off ideal. (That, and Jesus spent a great deal of His time discussing life in the “here & now” rather than the “hereafter.”)
I would submit that this realization provides great comfort for us today. We needn’t wait for the End of Times/Second Coming to re-experience joy. His resurrection is what provides humankind with its greatest remedy for conquering suffering & offering hope.
As a result, we don’t have to “wait until next year” to experience joy; we can find small rallies & hot streaks of happiness even while we endure life’s inevitable slumps. So, let’s grab our bats & get back up to the plate. As Ernie Banks said, “It’s a great day for a ballgame, let’s play two!”
Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
In a sport where getting 3 hits out of 10 at bats is considered Hall of Fame-esque, baseball fans & players are uniquely equipped to fully comprehend Jesus’ discussion with His Disciples that “in a little while your sorrow will turn into joy.”
Sometimes the struggles are as an individual player.
Like the shortstop, lining up for the National Anthem, turning to his manager & saying, “Man I’m jinxed. Every time they play this song I have a bad game.”
Or the pitcher whose one wish was to hear his whole name announced to the home crowd, instead of “Now pitching, ‘Tom…[crowd] BOOOOOOOOOO!”
Or the pitcher who complained to his manager as he was yanking him from the game, “But I’m not tired.” The manager replied, “Yes, but our outfielders are.”
These individual struggles that can impact the team.
Like the manager lamenting that for his team “back-to-back home runs’ meant 1 today & 1 tomorrow.
Or the 2nd baseman, currently batting .198, telling his manager, “I never want to leave. I love this team. I want to play here forever.” The manager replied, “Be careful. That comes off as a threat.”
Or the newly acquired outfielder coming out of the dugout on Opening Day & spots a sign in the crowd saying, “Wait Until Next Year!”
Finally, the team’s poor performance typically impacts crowds as well.
What kind of promotion would it take to get 20,000 fans in the stands tonight? 50,000 free tickets.
Or you know, in hindsight, this would have been a good year to re-paint the seats.
Or things were so bad; we were selling hot dogs “to go” in the 4th inning.
But Jesus comforts His Disciples that these times of great turmoil will soon pass & become a time of great joy. Scholars debate, as scholars are prone to do, whether Jesus is referencing His Resurrection or His Second Coming. Interestingly, the Disciples don’t seem too bothered by the timing of this transition; rather their focus is on the meaning of ‘sorrow turning to joy.’ This suggests to me that they felt this conversion was imminent & not some far-off ideal. (That, and Jesus spent a great deal of His time discussing life in the “here & now” rather than the “hereafter.”)
I would submit that this realization provides great comfort for us today. We needn’t wait for the End of Times/Second Coming to re-experience joy. His resurrection is what provides humankind with its greatest remedy for conquering suffering & offering hope.
As a result, we don’t have to “wait until next year” to experience joy; we can find small rallies & hot streaks of happiness even while we endure life’s inevitable slumps. So, let’s grab our bats & get back up to the plate. As Ernie Banks said, “It’s a great day for a ballgame, let’s play two!”
Download the GPS App
The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224 United States
913.897.0120
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