The more things change, the more they stay the same...

Matthew 5:43-45 (NIV)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 

Love your enemies.

Pray for those who persecute you.

Justice is not to be found in this world but grace is found in the promise of the resurrection.

Simple but powerful words for troubled times, whether 33 A.D or 2019.

Move towards the joy....

Change.

What emotions does that word evoke for you?  Is it opportunity?  Or is it dread?  Does it open up vistas in your mind, a sense of hopefulness?  Or does it overwhelm you with fear and a sense of instability?

By definition, change is the act of making or becoming something different.  To change, then, one must give something up in order to become something else.  We must admit that we are not a completed work of humanity, but merely a project, partially finished.