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The Weekly Word: The victory has been won

By Pastor Isaac Johnson, New Hope Lutheran Church, Charles City

“In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

— John 16:33

Another shooting this week. This time it was an elementary school. The last report I heard, two adults and 19 children had been killed and others wounded. There are few things I can imagine that would be more terrible than this.

The Weekly Word: The victory has been won
Pastor Isaac Johnson, New Hope Lutheran Church, Charles City

So what was God doing when that shooting happened?

There are all sorts of typical Christian sayings that come to mind: “God’s in control”; “God’s got a plan.”

Well, of course he is in control, and he does have a plan, but it can also sound like a canned platitude if the real pain is being ignored.

John 16, on the other hand, has something to say to these people and to you and me when we are hurt, afraid or enraged at the evil we see in the world. Jesus doesn’t just put a Band-Aid on it and say it’ll be fine, but he looks reality right in the face and says: “In this world you will have tribulation.”

Jesus is genuine and upfront that his disciples will suffer in this world. We will all experience pain, heartbreak and death. Children will mourn for their parents and parents for their children. He said this would happen. In fact he said that it would get even worse than this before the end.

But even as Jesus is telling his disciples that they will suffer, he tells them: “Take heart, I have overcome the world.”

He knows that it will be hard. He knows that we will face battles that we lose, but he wants us to know this: he has fought a battle greater than any that we will ever face.

He has contended with the whole world, with Satan and with our own sin and won. Life and death clashed, and life came out victorious. The heel of our Lord was bruised, but Satan’s head was crushed. We will lose battles. We will hurt. There will be times when there is nothing we can do.

But Christ has done something. He has won the war. He died on the cross and rose again.

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You are warmly invited to Sunday services at 9 a.m. at New Hope Lutheran Church, 607 N. Main St, Charles City.

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