Day 35 - Lent 2026

RESURRECTION HOPE

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”  And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

John 20: 19-22 NIV

I can imagine the disciples’ hearts breaking as they mourned the loss of Jesus. The weight of grief, confusion, and fear must have felt unbearable. Everything they had hoped for seemed gone, and all that remained was uncertainty behind closed doors. We know that feeling. There are points in our lives when the pain is so deep, the situation so overwhelming, that we cannot see beyond what is directly in front of us. We wonder how we will get through. We feel stuck in the sorrow, the fear, the unknown. Like the disciples, we go into our own “closed rooms,” trying to make sense of it all. But it is in those very moments that Jesus shows up.

He does not wait for everything to be put together. He does not need our perfect faith or understanding. He simply shows up right in the middle of our fear, our grief, our confusion and offers what we need most: peace. Jesus knows that we will experience pain. He understands our struggles and never minimizes them. Yet, he gently reminds us that we are not alone. He has not forsaken us. He is present, even when we cannot see him, even when the doors feel shut tight.

Even in our most guarded places, even in the silence of our hardest moments, he enters in and reminds us of who he is; our savior, our comforter, our peace. We must remember what he has already done. He gave His life for us. He took on our sin, our shame, and our guilt not out of obligation, but out of love. He came into that room to make sure his disciples had peace before he left them. He meets us right where we are, not where we think we should be, but exactly where and when we need him most.

Let us pray:

Lord God, thank you for your peace that surpasses all understanding. Thank you for your mercy, love, kindness that knows no end. Lord God as we go through this season, let us remember that there is no closed door that can keep you away from us, let us remember what you did for us on the cross. Thank you for loving us more than we can ever love ourselves. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen

SUBMITTED BY DEACON KETIA BROWN