“It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.”

— Luke 24:34

Buoyed by a renewed understanding of Jesus’ mission and their calling to tell others, all of the disciples found renewed hope. They shared stories among themselves of other encounters with the risen Lord, and their joy and confidence grew. Hope was the very thing these sheep needed, and Jesus provided it in abundance (see also vv. 36-49).

Hope is powerful. It sustained the disciples well into the future. It comforted them when Jesus returned to heaven (Luke 24:50-53). And with the coming of the Spirit, it propelled them into new places and fortified them when they faced persecution (Acts 2-8).

These sheep could declare with the writer of Psalm 23 that they lacked nothing. Jesus provided all that was needed to anchor and build their faith. They regained confidence that they belonged to him and to each other. They had renewed knowledge that God faithfully keeps working in the world. They also had a renewed sense of calling to be on mission with God as they continued working and waiting in hope for Jesus’ return.

We can declare the same. The shepherd continues to form our faith. And like the early disciples who shared testimonies of their encounters with the living Jesus, we are invited to give witness to our own encounters with Jesus today.

With whom can you share stories about the Lord’s work in your life?

Lord, help us to encourage one another by sharing about the ways we have seen you working in our lives and in the world around us. Amen.