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Matthew 26:31-32 NLT
On the way, Jesus told them,
"Tonight all of you will desert me. For the Scriptures say, 
'God will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'
But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.
Matthew 26:31-32 NLT
Not only have the disciples gone through all this anxiety around betrayal, now they're being told by Jesus that Zechariah's prophecy includes them and they're all going to abandon Jesus.
There's no mention of them confronting Judas, so maybe they're all a bit shocked, processing what they're hearing, and now Jesus is not only talking about dying but being raised from the dead & meeting them afterwards...in Galilee...which is 150km away, a 3 day walk at least.
Confused?
Lost?
Angry?
Afraid?
And yet this thread of hope is always there, resurrection, meeting again.
This is the Hope that arrived on Christmas morning, a baby who is Hope, who will hold the thread that will bring us together again...
In the meantime there will be times of loss, confusion, anxiety, those big emotions will be part of our story, and we're part of a Bigger Story, the one where Jesus is the thread of Hope.
#wordsofJesus #redletterBible 
#Christmas 
#hopeishere

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