JUBILEE YEAR

Welcome to a new day, my fellow pilgrims. We spend one last day in Rome reflecting on the Jubilee years of days past and of 2025.

 

Count off seven sabbath years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbath years amount to a period of forty-nine years. Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each of you is to return to your family property and to your own clan. The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines. For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields.  –Leviticus 25:8-12  (NIV)

God’s provision for the Israelites was that every fiftieth year was a special year consecrated to Him where liberty, being set free from bondage and opposition was to be lived out. It was a holy, sacred time of living in freedom, being restored, and with a complete reset of the land and its people–a different way of life. The beginning of the year was sounded by the shofar.

 

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”  –Luke 4:18-19  (NIV)

Jesus spoke these words that fulfill the proclamation of the Jubilee year so that we all can live being consecrated to Him, living in liberty and freedom. God anointed Jesus to proclaim the good news of salvation to the poor, those who do not know Him. With Jesus, we all have freedom from our oppression and are set free to also share the good news because of what He has done for us. Jesus grants us freedom from sin and its consequences as He lavishes His grace and mercy upon us.

 

Photo courtesy of Dr Michael D Evans under Creative Commons License (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

 

Celebrating the year of Jubilee is a special time of pilgrimage, of reconciliation and prayer marking the 2025^th year of Jesus’ incarnation. It is a time to reflect on God’s providence, forgiveness, mercy, freedom, and hope that we have in Jesus, His only Son that obtained salvation for us. It is a time to be encouraged to stay the course with God and with one another, the community we have.

In the city of Rome there are four Jubilee Holy Doors that are only opened once every twenty-five (versus fifty) years. What are the chances that I was in Rome during a year where these doors were open? I was able to pass through one on my birthday and the remaining three the next day. For me, crossing through them were holy moments–symbolizing the sacredness of the Jubilee from the early days. They were times to acknowledge my sinfulness; thanking God for His grace and mercy as I strive to be the person He created me to be living in freedom.

 

Lower half of the Jubilee Holy Door at the Archbasilica of St John of Lateran

 

Jubilee Holy Door at the basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls

 

Jubilee Holy Door at St Peter’s basilica

 

Jubilee Holy Door at the basilica of Saint Mary Major – My favorite one as I walk hand in hand with Jesus.

 

The other side of the door – Mary pointing us to Jesus, her son.

 

The Jubilees have different themes, and 2025’s was ‘Pilgrims of Hope’ which runs from December 24, 2024 – January 6, 2026. Aren’t we all called to live as pilgrims of hope on this journey of life?

 

Jubilee 2025 – Pilgrims of Hope

 

And again, Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; in him the Gentiles will hope.” May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.  –Romans 15:12-13  (NIV)

What great news it is that the Gentiles, the non-Jewish people, too, have access to the hope found in the Root of Jesse, who is the Messiah, Jesus. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we are filled with hope. In fact, our lives overflow with hope because of the Holy Spirit present in our lives.

 

What about Jesus gives us hope?

 

Jesus is TRUSTWORTHY.

Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for he judges fairly and wages a righteous war. His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him that no one understood except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God.  –Revelation 19:11-13  (NLT)

The writer of the book of Revelation, John, had a vision of Jesus, who we know is the Word of God made flesh and whose blood redeemed us. He knows that Jesus is called Faithful and True because that is who He is. Jesus keeps His promises.

 Jesus is our ANCHOR.

So God has given both his promise and his oath. These two things are unchangeable because it is impossible for God to lie. Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us. This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary. Jesus has already gone in there for us. He has become our eternal High Priest in the order of Melchizedek.  –Hebrews 6:18-20  (NLT)

God too is a promise keeper and cannot lie. He is our refuge and sent Jesus, His only Son as the eternal High Priest, the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. As we come to believe in Jesus, our souls are anchored in trust and in the hope of freedom for what Jesus has done for us.

Jesus is always in our MIDST.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”  –Matthew 28:18-20  (ESV)

Jesus assures the disciples and us that we are to keep sharing the good news of salvation in Him with all the world. What a beautiful privilege that is–to carry the torch that Jesus started. No matter where we go or what we are doing, we have the assurance that Jesus is always in our midst leading and guiding us.

 

Be encouraged this week to…

… spend a little extra time in prayer.

… set someone free from opposition.

… live as a pilgrim of hope.

… say “Jesus, I trust you” frequently.

… hold on tight to the anchor.

… talk with Jesus more knowing He is always with you.

 

REFLECTION:

How has Jesus provided hope in your life?
Which statement about Jesus giving us hope do you need to work on most?

And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.  –Romans 5:5  (ESV)

Note:  We will continue our pilgrimage in Italy in two weeks after the holidays. I wish you and your families a blessed and sacred time celebrating the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! Stop by anytime to read a reflection or two.