Peace be with you where you are at

Thursday April 23^rd, Luke 24: 36 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you." 37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself. The truth is that Jesus comes to where we are in our lives, even if that where happens to be in hiding. When Jesus comes, he brings peace, shalom. When Jesus came to the disciples they were afraid. That is often the case with us also.  Last week we heard the story in John, this week in Luke, and they agree on the fear part. It is almost comical to imagine the disciples hiding in a room, doors locked, afraid there will be “that” knock on the door, when all of a sudden, without a knock, someone is standing in their midst breathing down their necks.  Oh, Jesus, you scared me, was most likely a proper response.  Jesus comes to where we are to calm our fears. No matter what is going on in our lives, the one thing we can be assured of is that we are never alone. The God of love is always by our side uttering words of shalom.