You Are Sent
"As the Father has sent me, so I send you." - John 20:21b
Picture the room. The doors are locked because they are afraid of who might be looking for them next. Their teacher is dead. Their movement is over. Peter has denied him, most of them ran, and every hope they had is three days buried.
Then Jesus is standing there.
The first thing he says is "Peace be with you." The second thing he says is this: as the Father has sent me, so I send you.
Look at the timing, because it is almost hard to believe. He does not wait until they have recovered. He does not wait for them to apologize for abandoning him or to prove they are ready. He commissions a room full of people who had just failed him badly and were still visibly afraid.
That should encourage anyone who has ever felt disqualified. God does not send the finished. He sends the forgiven.
Peter is standing right there in that room, three denials heavy, and he gets sent too.
And notice what he says about the sending. Not "go do something religious." As the Father sent me, so I send you. The same way. With the same mission he announced in Nazareth: good news to the poor, healing for the brokenhearted, freedom for the captive. That commission did not end at the resurrection. It accelerated, and it landed on them, and it has been landing on people ever since.
So the church is not a destination. It is a launching pad. We do not gather so we can stay. We gather so we can be sent, and then we come back and get sent again.
Being sent means leaving the safety of the familiar and moving toward the people and places that need what you carry. It means your faith does not stay inside a building. It goes to your neighborhood, your job, your school, your city council meeting.
And it means this: your presence where you are is not an accident. You are not in that workplace by chance. You are not on that street by coincidence. You are there on purpose, sent by Jesus, whether or not it has ever felt that dramatic.
Ask God to show you clearly where he is sending you right now. Write down what comes. Then tell one person who will ask you about it in a month.
The doors were locked, and he came anyway. He is not afraid of your fear. He is sending you through it!
Prayer:
Jesus, you were sent by the Father and now you send us. Give us courage to go where you lead, even when it is uncomfortable and even when we feel unready. Send us as we are. Amen.
Picture the room. The doors are locked because they are afraid of who might be looking for them next. Their teacher is dead. Their movement is over. Peter has denied him, most of them ran, and every hope they had is three days buried.
Then Jesus is standing there.
The first thing he says is "Peace be with you." The second thing he says is this: as the Father has sent me, so I send you.
Look at the timing, because it is almost hard to believe. He does not wait until they have recovered. He does not wait for them to apologize for abandoning him or to prove they are ready. He commissions a room full of people who had just failed him badly and were still visibly afraid.
That should encourage anyone who has ever felt disqualified. God does not send the finished. He sends the forgiven.
Peter is standing right there in that room, three denials heavy, and he gets sent too.
And notice what he says about the sending. Not "go do something religious." As the Father sent me, so I send you. The same way. With the same mission he announced in Nazareth: good news to the poor, healing for the brokenhearted, freedom for the captive. That commission did not end at the resurrection. It accelerated, and it landed on them, and it has been landing on people ever since.
So the church is not a destination. It is a launching pad. We do not gather so we can stay. We gather so we can be sent, and then we come back and get sent again.
Being sent means leaving the safety of the familiar and moving toward the people and places that need what you carry. It means your faith does not stay inside a building. It goes to your neighborhood, your job, your school, your city council meeting.
And it means this: your presence where you are is not an accident. You are not in that workplace by chance. You are not on that street by coincidence. You are there on purpose, sent by Jesus, whether or not it has ever felt that dramatic.
Ask God to show you clearly where he is sending you right now. Write down what comes. Then tell one person who will ask you about it in a month.
The doors were locked, and he came anyway. He is not afraid of your fear. He is sending you through it!
Prayer:
Jesus, you were sent by the Father and now you send us. Give us courage to go where you lead, even when it is uncomfortable and even when we feel unready. Send us as we are. Amen.
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