Punk or Peace?

SCRIPTURE

Second Sunday of Easter
John 20:19-31 (NRSV)

Beholding the wounds of the risen Christ

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.


DEVOTION

Oh, how I love Jesus, because He first loved me!

Doesn't today's scripture reading remind you of how much Jesus truly loves us?

We're not always at our best as human beings. Sometimes we allow fear to rule us. Sometimes we cower from the cruel words of others. Sometimes we are just weak and ineffectual.

At times we may wonder why God even bothers with us. I don't know about you, but there have been some days that I have been so ashamed of my unwillingness to boldly proclaim the resurrection of Jesus that I have wanted to crawl into a hole and "hide" from God!

But, rather than rebuking or shaming the disciples for acting like punks, Jesus walks into their locked room, offering the peace, purpose, and presence of the Holy Spirit!

Hey Glory!

Even when Thomas refused to initially believe, Jesus did what he had to do, to convince Thomas that he was the same Jesus who had died on the cross, but then resurrected on the third day!

Upon sticking his fingers into Jesus' wounds, Thomas said, "My Lord and My God!," to which Jesus responded, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."

We are those blessed people! Although we have not met Jesus in flesh and blood, we know and believe that Love gave Jesus to die on the cross to save us from our sin and gift us with eternal life!

As Christians, we are offered the peace of God in the midst of difficult circumstances, the purpose of God that sends us to to proclaim the gospel always, and the presence of the Holy Spirit to make our work effective!

There is no reason for us to be afraid my friends! We have good news to share that is for all people! Let us boldly declare it, now and for eternity.

ALLELUIA! HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN, INDEED! ALLELUIA!

Let us pray:

Dear God, I know that I have often acted like "Doubting Thomas." I have put you to the test, time and time again. I am so sorry. Today, I know and believe with my whole heart that you died and rose again for me--and for all people. Please forgive me of my sin and fill me with the Holy Spirit so that I can share this good news with others! I pray this in Jesus' Name, Amen.



SPECIAL NOTE

If you just prayed that prayer for the first time, today, you are saved! Let me encourage you to tell a Christian friend that you just put all of your hope in Jesus. Ask him or her to help you find a Bible that is easy for you to understand and to find a good Bible believing church where you can be baptized and make new friends who will walk with you on your Christian journey!

I would be honored if you would let me know about your decision today by clicking "YES" in the poll located in the upper-right hand corner of the good news blog in answer to the question, "Did God save you today?"

Congratulations and Happy Re-birthday! Your salvation is our GOOD NEWS, please go and share the GOOD NEWS with others!

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

SCRIPTURE

Resurrection of Our Lord
John 20:1-18 (NRSV)

Seeing the risen Christ

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.



DEVOTION

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Christ is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

Oh how I love Resurrection Morn! It is the day of greatest victory!

Keep your eyes open for Jesus on this day! He may appear to you in ways that you don't expect or imagine...

After all, Mary Magdalene did not recognize her Teacher and Lord and she had walked with him throughout much of his earthly ministry.

We may not recognize the way in which Jesus chooses to "appear" to us on this day. Will it be in the face of the homeless man we pass on the way to church? Will it be in the defiant face of a teenage child who is refusing to worship? Will it be in the face of a grinning child running up the center aisle of the church?

We do not know how Jesus will appear, but we do know that HE IS RISEN--victorious over sin, death, and the grave, triumphant in his quest to atone for our sin and open the door to our eternal life!!

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!


Let us pray: Ah holy Jesus! I am so glad that Love gave you to die on the cross to save me from my sin and gift me with eternal life. But, I am gladder still that you did not stay dead, but resurrected on the third day, just as you promised that you would. Thank you that because you live, I am alive also! Thank you for conquering sin, death, and the grave on my behalf! I am so happy this day! Please forgive me of my sin and fill me with the Holy Spirit, so that I can share the good news that you are alive. I pray this in Jesus' Name, Amen.



SPECIAL NOTE

If you just prayed that prayer for the first time, today, you are saved! Let me encourage you to tell a Christian friend that you just put all of your hope in Jesus. Ask him or her to help you find a Bible that is easy for you to understand and to find a good Bible believing church where you can be baptized and make new friends who will walk with you on your Christian journey!

I would be honored if you would let me know about your decision today by clicking "YES" in the poll located in the upper-right hand corner of the good news blog in answer to the question, "Did God save you today?"

Congratulations and Happy Re-birthday! Your salvation is our GOOD NEWS, please go and share the GOOD NEWS with others!

He Arose! He Arose! He Arose From the Dead!

SCRIPTURE

Resurrection of Our Lord
John 20:1-18 (NRSV)

Seeing the risen Christ

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

DEVOTION

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Don’t you just love Easter? It is a day of so much hope, promise, and victory it makes you feel like giggling…

I get so happy every year when our Lenten journey ends in the celebration of God’s victory. Jesus did die, but he did not stay dead, he was resurrected, just as he promised!

Mary went to the tomb weeping and left the tomb laughing! She went to the tomb full of despair and left the tomb full of hope! She went to the tomb depressed and went away overflowing with the joy of having seen the Lord!

I don’t know about you, but I, too, feel hope and joy when I think about the great victory Jesus wrought when he overcame sin, death, and the grave on Easter morning!

Like Mary, this is news that I cannot possibly keep to myself! Jesus told her, “Go to my brothers and tell them…”

Wow! What an awesome charge! Jesus made Mary the first barer of the GOOD NEWS message. She was sent to proclaim, “Alleluia. Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!”

Mary did her job faithfully and because of her bold witness, we are yet proclaiming the mystery, “Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again!”

Today, as we should, many of us will get dressed in our fanciest clothes, place hats upon our heads, and gloves on our hands and go to church to worship our awesome God! Truly, on this day of greatest victory, we should make our way into the house of prayer and offer God our very best worship, praise, and adoration in the company of our community of faith! Together we sing, "He Arose! He Arose! He arose from the dead!"

But, once we have done that, let us also make time to go to the highways and byways of our towns and communities and tell people who may not know--or believe--that God loves, God gave, and God saves!

Undoubtedly we all have family members or friends who will not go to church today. They do not yet acknowledge God’s great love for them revealed in Jesus Christ’s dying on the cross to save us from our sins and to gift us with eternal life. But, there is yet hope! Jesus loves them and died for them whether or not they yet believe!

I have a dear friend who recently passed away. For the majority of his life he was unable to believe the GOOD NEWS message. He did not believe that God loved him or could forgive him of his many, many sins. But, at the end of his life, when he was sick and frail, he turned to Jesus and reconciled his relationship with God. As he lay dying, all of the GOOD NEWS words that had been spoken by his friends and family rose up in his heart and he gave his life to Jesus! He left this world in peace, secure in the blessed assurance that he would spend eternity with a loving and compassionate God, who had forgiven him all of his sin!

My friends, never, ever, grow weary in well doing! Don’t give up on those who seem resistant to God’s love and your message of hope. Keep on gently and respectfully proclaiming the GOOD NEWS message! Keep on telling them, just as Mary did, “I have seen the Lord!”

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Who can you share the Resurrection story with today?


All Powerful God, thank you that you have forgiven all of my sin and restored my right relationship with God. Your victory over sin, death, and the grave is amazing! I can’t wait to go and tell somebody, “I have seen the Lord!” Show me who to share this GOOD NEWS with today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.





ANNOUNCEMENTS

If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, "Come to Jesus" found at
http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/2009/03/come-to-jesus.html

Have a blessed Resurrection Day (Easter)! You are in my thoughts and prayers.

Pastor Yolanda extends a very special welcome to all of our friends reading outside of the United States of America! We are honored that you are sharing with us today.

From Pastor Yolanda's blog http://aintathatgoodnews.blogspot.com/