Week of March 30, 2008, John 20:19-31

One of the Scriptures for Sunday is from the Gospel of John, chapter 20, verses 19-31 – a continuation of the Easter story from last Sunday.
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.

Jesus – You come to us sometimes at the most unexpected moments. But we need You now. We worship You now.

Breathe on each one of us to receive the Holy Spirit, knowing that You bring forgiveness, and peace. And peace brings trust and confidence that comes from living in faith, letting go of the doubts, and walking in Your light.

Thanks for Your overwhelming love, the joy that Your presence brings, the peace that You give. Amen.

May the love of the Lord Jesus draw us to Himself;
May the power of the Lord Jesus strengthen us in His service;
May the joy of the Lord Jesus fill our souls;
May the fire of the Holy Spirit bring comfort, guidance and fervency;
And may the blessing of the almighty and most merciful God - Creator, Word and eternal Holy Spirit - be upon us and remain with us always.
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's presence and peace be with you now and always.

Week of March 23, 2008, John 20:1-18

One of the Scriptures for Sunday is from John 20, verses 1-18, the resurrection message, important for us to hear:
1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.
2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb.
4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in.
6 Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there,
7 as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen.
8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.
9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)
10 Then the disciples went back to their homes,
11 but Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb
12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus' body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, "Woman, why are you crying?" "They have taken my Lord away," she said, "and I don't know where they have put him."
14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15 "Woman," he said, "why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" Thinking he was the gardener, she said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him."
16 Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher).
17 Jesus said, "Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet returned to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, 'I am returning to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"
18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: "I have seen the Lord!" And she told them that he had said these things to her.

Dear Lord, thank You for this most important of days – Resurrection Day. We give You thanks and praise. Because of this day, may we come to say, “We have seen the Lord,” and may we walk in a deeper realization of who You are. May the rocks cry out, and the mountains and hills sing Your praises along with each of us. May we be able to say that we see You, Lord Jesus, in others around us, in Your Word, in Your creation, and may we also, Jesus, be a reflection of Your love.

Thanks, Jesus, for Your presence with us, Your love with us, Your peace with us always. 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 here at: peacewm@tds.net.
May the resurrected Jesus, be with us now and always.

Good Friday, March 21, 2008, Luke 23:33-46

A Good Friday reading from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 23, from The Message edition of the Bible:
33 When they got to the place called Skull Hill, they crucified him, along with the criminals, one on his right, the other on his left.
34–35 Jesus prayed, “Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing.”
Dividing up his clothes, they threw dice for them. The people stood there staring at Jesus, and the ringleaders made faces, taunting, “He saved others. Let’s see him save himself! The Messiah of God—ha! The Chosen—ha!”
36–37 The soldiers also came up and poked fun at him, making a game of it. They toasted him with sour wine: “So you’re King of the Jews! Save yourself!”
38 Printed over him was a sign: this is the king of the jews.
39 One of the criminals hanging alongside cursed him: “Some Messiah you are! Save yourself! Save us!”
40–41 But the other one made him shut up: “Have you no fear of God? You’re getting the same as him. We deserve this, but not him—he did nothing to deserve this.”
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you enter your kingdom.”
43 He said, “Don’t worry, I will. Today you will join me in paradise.”
44–46 By now it was noon. The whole earth became dark, the darkness lasting three hours—a total blackout. The Temple curtain split right down the middle. Jesus called loudly, “Father, I place my life in your hands!” Then he breathed his last.

Dear Jesus, You suffered so much for each one of us. Help us to understand the overwhelming love that allowed You to walk to the place of crucifixion and die on the cross for our sins.

On this day, particularly, Lord, remind me of the terrible price You paid for sin. Give me a hatred of sin, of my sin in my life, to look to You for forgiveness, cleansing and restoration as my Savior and Lord.

Thanks, Jesus, for Your presence with me, Your love that overwhelms me, Your peace that comes with complete trust in Your word, Your Spirit that empowers me to walk this life as You would want each of us to walk, eyes on You, clinging to the cross. 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 e-mail me at: peacewm@tds.net.
May Jesus, our Lord and Savior, be with us now and always.

Week of March 16, 2008, Philippians 2:5-11

One of the Scriptures for Sunday is from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, chapter 2, verses 5-11 – a reading that puts the final week of Lent into perspective about who Jesus really is, and who Jesus is for each one of us:
5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

In this last week of Lent, from days before having raised Lazarus to life after being dead for four days, to Jesus entering into Jerusalem amidst shouts of “Hosanna” to Maundy Thursday when Jesus was with His disciples and talked intimately with them for the last time, to sharing Communion with them, to dying on the cross on Friday for each one of us, for the sins of the world, we realize that Jesus is truly God – a God-Man – fully God, fully man, with the servant image and the Lamb of God sacrificed on the cross, to Jesus the King of kings in the midst of the glory of God the Father. All of this is a lot for us to take in, but it is the mystery of salvation – the mystery of God’s presence with us, and then finally an understanding that reveals to each one of us that Jesus is who He says He is.

Thank You, Father God, for the plan of salvation. Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the cross for me. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for empowering us to be disciples.

Help me, God, to be a servant in my thoughts and actions, that I may always give You glory. Help me bow before You, Jesus, to worship You, to confess that You are my Lord, my Redeemer, my Savior, my Friend. 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 a prayer request by e-mailing me at: peacewm@tds.net.
May God be with you now and always as we ponder the mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Week of March 9, 2008, Psalm 130

One of the Scriptures for Sunday is Psalm 130 – a psalm from despair to hope:
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
2 O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.
6 My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.
8 He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

Dear Lord, from the depths I cry to You. Hear my voice. May Your ears be attentive to me. I know, Lord God, that You do hear me, and You are always attentive, and that You do respond. And sometimes, I don’t listen, and sometimes, I have a hard time waiting.

Thank You, Heavenly Father, for forgiving my sins – not only that, but wiping out the memory of my sins – for I could not stand, or even be in Your presence without Your grace and mercy and forgiveness.

In You, Lord, I wait. In You, Lord, I hope. Your Word is precious to me. Your Word reminds me of Your unfailing love, and reminds me that You bring redemption to my weary soul.

Thanks, Jesus, for the gift of who You are – the Son of God, who lived on this earth, with all the qualities of being human – physical, and emotional, and spiritual, and You died on the cross for our sins.

Thank You that You taught each of us how to walk with You, to respond to Your love, to know that hope comes because of the certain knowledge that You are with us, and that You never leave us or abandon us. Thanks for Your peace, Jesus, always. 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 can leave a message or prayer request by e-mailing me at: peacewm@tds.net.
May God be with us now and always.