Week of April 23, 2006, John 20:19-31

One of the Scriptures for Sunday is from John, chapter 20, verses 19-31 - a continuation of the narrative after Jesus' resurrection:
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"
20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."
22 And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.
23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."
24 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came.
25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!" But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it."
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"
27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."
28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"
29 Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."
30 Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.
31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Dear Lord, we praise You, the Resurrected Christ, with us, bringing us hope, peace, confidence, faith. Jesus, we’re sorry for sometimes needing the visible and the natural, when we need to look beyond the obvious and see the supernatural, seeing You in all Your glory.

Thanks for Your peace that You freely give. Thanks for Your Spirit that You freely give. Thanks for forgiving our sins and cleansing us as we call on You for forgiveness. Thanks for a faith that sees You in our ordinary lives and that allows us to believe and trust in You, and call You Lord, Savior, Redeemer, and God.

Thanks for Your presence and the many miracles that occur in our lives each day without our awareness. And thanks for the peace that You bring as we trust in You, our Resurrected Savior, who brings eternal life…. Amen.

The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you His strength and His great peace. In the name of the Father and of the Son of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

You may leave a message or prayer request by e-mailing me at: peacewm@tds.net.
May God, our Father, Jesus, our Resurrected Christ and Savior, and the Holy Spirit, breathing freshness into us each day, be with you now and always.