Communion

Jesus told His disciples the truth so they could have peace and joy even in a world full of trials. Real peace and joy aren't the absence of problems — they come from love, faith, and hope found only in Jesus, who has already overcome the world.

Because of Jesus' blood, we're no longer shut out of God's presence like Old Testament worshippers were — we get to come boldly into the Holy of Holies. Gathering together to praise Him isn't a checklist to appease an angry God or a performance about our own preferences; it's the natural response of people who see how great the gap was between us and God, and how completely Jesus closed it.