Weight of the World

Minute: 18:30 to 20:20

“You’re pressure is trying to point to something. So many in my life the reason that I was under pressure is because I was full of pride. He said, “We have this power, this treasure in earthen vessels”, or vessels of clay. An ordinary vessel and it’s an extra ordinary power. And so I am an ordinary person with an extra ordinary promise of the presence of God. But sometimes I get confused and I forget that I am just the pot, I am not the power. And sometimes I get so burdened because I put  the weight of the world on my shoulders and carry a cross that I am not strong to carry, that has already been carried for me. So I am under pressure sometimes because I am full of pride. And sometimes not all the time, pressure comes into your life not because of what you’re handling but because of how you’re handling it: you forgot your source (Jesus) and you lose strength. Pressure, pressure sometimes points to pride in your life“.

• A similar sermon in Arabic shot in an Egyptian Coptic Church

Truth

Silvery Saturday: Son of God

Dear Wonderful Reader,

I am sorry this is up late, but I had to share this film with you.

I had the immense blessing to go see Son of God with my family last Saturday, and I couldn’t be any more grateful. The film has its flaws and shortcomings just like any other film, but the film’s power to move one’s spirit is far grander than such little inevitable mistakes.  In short, if you’re looking for a movie review, then you won’t find it here.

Countless scenes have touched my soul, and as I sat down watching it, I thanked God who graces us with revelations and epiphanies as we’re relishing in his worship (or in my case, watching this film).

As I was watching a scene where one of the Jew priests called Jesus a “dangerous man”, It dawned on me how goodness and holiness are truly the most powerful, sharpest weapons. In other words, the bible and the film show how the Lord is forgiving, generous, kind, loving, considerate, gentle, and merciful in all his actions on Earth. Nothing he does can be described as dangerous; or at least relate to our understanding of what’s dangerous. Yet, to those Jew priests Jesus was the ultimate danger. And that’s because his weapons were holiness and goodness; weapons that couldn’t be defeated with the most violent or advanced weapons.  Why? Because the battle of holiness and goodness has already been won, when Jesus resurrected from his death.  As Jesus said, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). So holiness and goodness can’t be fought because there is no more fighting for them because they live with Jesus’s peace and victory; instead, they treat every experience as a chance to be the light to the world. Again, as Jesus said “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.” (Matthew 5:14).

In a later scene, when Jesus was being arrested and Peter pulled a sword from a Roman solider and cut off one of the soldier’s ears, Jesus reproached him and said, “Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.” (Mathew 26:52). Again, in this verse Jesus  confirms the idea that anger, and violence won’t save anyone because their fight is a never-ending fight. Thus, whoever employs them will die fighting by the sword, as he chose to fight a battle that can never be won.

Then, the film ends with a very promising scene that brought a lot of peace to my heart.

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.”

(Revelation 21:4)