In the early days of Christianity, it was common for Caesar to require that everyone worship him as a god. Of course, Christians would not do that, so the Romans began to charge followers of Jesus with sedition, then torture and murder them as threats to the empire.
And as persecution began to press hard upon Christians, ‘Maranatha’ began to replace, “shalom” as the common greeting among early disciples—particularly in their worship assemblies. ‘Maranatha’ is an ancient Aramaic word meaning,“The Lord is coming” or “Come, Lord.”
The more things change, the more they stay the same. We don’t know what is coming our way, even in this country, but certainly Christians are often despised, mistreated, and killed for no other reason than who they worship. The Lord clearly told us we would be hated just as he was; we are IN the world but not OF it.
Today is called ‘Easter’ and we gather in worship with others like us around the world to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from death. In fact, every time we eat of the bread and drink of the cup we celebrate the one who IS LIFE. Jesus demonstrated his authority over every enemy of mankind including the grave! For Christians, it means there is nothing we should ever fear again. We ARE victorious through him; more than conquerors.
But while here on Earth, everyday life can bring difficult moments.
Sometimes those 'moments' can last a very long time.
So.
If you are discouraged today, sad, or depressed, I say to you . . . Maranatha!
Are you worried? Maranatha!
Maybe you are hurting? Maranatha!
If you are filled with anxiety over the problems you are facing . . . Maranatha!
And on this wonderful day of victory, let us with joy remind each other,
“Maranatha! Maranatha Jesu!”
“Our Lord is coming! Come, Lord Jesus!”
© April, 2019 mypericope.com
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