A Joy Too Great

It is the evening of the first Easter. The world outside is trembling with rumors and fears. Behind closed doors, a small band of disciples cowers, uncertain of what comes next. They have seen their Teacher crucified. They know the terrible weight of loss. And they fear — not without reason, but that they might be next.

John tells us, “The doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you… As the Father has sent Me, so I send you… Receive the Holy Spirit'” (Jn. 20:19-22).

And then the room, so thick with dread, bursts into joy.

Today, on Pentecost Sunday, that same Jesus comes to us. He stands in our midst, still offering His Peace, still breathing His Spirit into ordinary, anxious hearts like ours, and still sending us out into the world—not because we are strong but because we are loved.

The resurrection of Jesus…