Peace Be with You
When Jesus appears to His disciples after the resurrection, He doesn’t waste time. His first words are, “Peace be with you,” and then, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” This moment is the starting line of the Christian mission.
Jesus doesn’t just bring a message of peace—He brings the presence and purpose of God. Just as the Father sent Him into the world to bring light, love, and truth, He now sends us to do the same.
You may feel unqualified, unsure, or like you don’t fit the mold of what a “witness” should be. But this verse—and the video—remind us that Jesus doesn’t ask for perfection. He asks for participation.
Wherever you are, whatever your background, your story matters. Your voice, your culture, your language—God wants to use it. Jesus sends you not alone, but with His peace and His Spirit.
So go. In your own way. With your own words. Into your own neighborhood. You’ve been sent.
Responding to God at All Times
Throughout our lives, we will all experience both suffering and joy. We'll have times of great grief and times of overflowing happiness. Sometimes, they’ll be separate seasons—but other times, these experiences come together.
In either case and in any situation, James expected Christians to come to God. If someone was suffering, prayer was the call to action. If someone was cheerful, people were to pause and praise God.
This might seem obvious, but when suffering clouds our thinking, we can sometimes forget to prioritize prayer. And when things are going well and we're feeling cheerful, it’s easy to just enjoy our season and not stop long enough to praise God for it. But every season of life is actually just an opportunity to put into practice what James wrote about…
When we are suffering, let us pray. When those around us are suffering, let us pray. When we are cheerful or happy, let us praise God. When others are happy, let us praise God with ...