John 16:16-20 NRSVue
16“A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me.” 17Then some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying to us, ‘A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me,’ and ‘because I am going to the Father’?” 18They said, “What does he mean by this ‘a little while’? We do not know what he is talking about.” 19Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, “Are you discussing among yourselves what I meant when I said, ‘A little while, and you will no longer see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’? 20Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy.
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Some thoughts on this scripture
Reflection
Pain turning into joy is part of the human condition. A grain of wheat falls
and dies in the ground and then becomes a rich harvest. Loss and pain can
bring us close - to God and to each other. It may not. Prayer can be a time
of noticing the good in everything and of praying that pain will turn into
joy.
Reflection
/The Ascension is celebrated in some areas today./ The final departure of
Jesus and the coming of the Holy Spirit gave new strength and energy to the
group of disciples. The new message seems to transcend boundaries like
language among people and illness within people, and that evil does not
conquer. From heaven the Lord continues his work on earth through his
followers.
Reflection
Jesus knew what was in the disciples' hearts, he realised what they wanted to
ask him. As I pray now, I know that Jesus sees what is in my heart and ask
for the will of God be revealed a little more to me.
Reflection
Reflecting on my life, I realise that there have been times of light and
shade. I pray for all of those who are in darkness just now; that they may
draw hope from Jesus promises: I pray that all who rejoice may give thanks
for God's blessings.
Reflection
What Jesus said was not always understood by the disciples and, sometimes,
their talking to each other seemed only to give rise to more questions. There
are times when I need to turn Jesus' words over in my heart rather than
seeking the answer outside in discussion or inspiration points. Perhaps I can
recognise where Jesus has, at times, been hidden from me and, at other times,
revealed.
Reflection
To be a follower of Jesus is to have feelings that seem to be at odds with
the world. Jesus does not promise removal of mourning immediately. I pray for
the patience that I may need -and for wisdom.