Fall has finally come to Nebraska.  I love every season but I particularly love fall.  Maybe it’s because I am refreshed after a relaxing summer or maybe it’s because the world looks so beautiful colored in reds and yellows.  It might also be that fall brings the promise of Christmas on its way and that always makes me happy.  Fall, to me, is full of promises.

Today’s reading from the Gospel of Luke also includes promises.  There were two that stuck out to me in particular.  The first was the promise made by Jesus to the 72 in verse 20: that their names were “written in heaven.”  The promise of heaven is by far the most powerful; that Jesus would die for me still amazes me and, even though my human brain cannot fully comprehend eternity or the glory of heaven, I am continually comforted by the fact that what happens in this world is inconsequential and that someday I will be with my Savior.  The other promise that seemed to jump out at me (that’s another thing that amazes me—every time I read the scriptures, I notice something new) was the promise of Jesus Himself found in verses 23 and 24.  Jesus tells His disciples that they should rejoice that they know the truth about Him, and reminds them that many people waited their whole lives for Him but never saw God’s plan completed during their time on earth (I think of King David or the prophet Isaiah).  I am reminded of how blessed I am to have the promise of salvation and to know that God sent His Son for me. 

This entire passage brought me peace as I read it.  Even though I am an imperfect person, God promised a Savior so that I could have the promise of heaven.  Just like how the beauty of fall is found in its tranquil simplicity, the beauty of those two huge promises is the fact that there is nothing I need to do to earn them.  All I need to do is believe that they are true.