Pastor Ellen Cave encouraged those in pain to cry out to Jesus, for He is their perfect friend.
Pastor Ellen Cave
One of the founders of Glow Church, Pastor Ellen Cave, encouraged people who were suffering. She reminded the congregation about how Jesus treated Judas. He loved and chose him despite everything. Jesus didn’t create boundaries like people did when they were in pain. Then, Pastor Ellen told the congregation that they had a perfect friend named Jesus. For her, human friendships have flaws, but Jesus’ friendship has a reverence.
She mentioned that when people cry out to Jesus, He would respond with kindness and empathy. She believed that Jesus understood people’s pain and saw their intentions.
“If you think about the worst painful moment in your life… does it even closely compare to being whipped 39 times? Because 40 would have killed you. To then being made to carry the 135-kilogram cross through streets where people are yelling at you and hating on you,” she shared.
Glow Church Gold Coast [@glowchurchgc]. A perfect Friend. Instagram, 29 March 2024, https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5Fjw0lpR_A/
Perfect Friend
Furthermore, she explained that Jesus went through a slow and suffocating death. But while he was in great pain and suffering, He cared for His mother and His friend. In John 19:26-27, it was written, “When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.”
She elaborated on the context of the passage by sharing that Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father, passed away. Thus, the responsibility was given to the eldest son. Since Jesus was the eldest, He looked at John and instructed him to take His mother with him. Jesus did all these things while he was dying.
Moreover, she highlighted, “God, His father, His best friend, had to physically turn His face away from Jesus. That meant being separated from the Father for the first time. That was his greatest pain. I just hope when you see this picture of Jesus now, that you see a picture with potential of a perfect friend. He’s present in people’s hearts.”
Watch the full sermon here.
Reference | Glow Church
Header Image: Glow Church Gold Coast [@glowchurchgc]. A perfect Friend. Instagram, 29 March 2024, https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5Fjw0lpR_A/