Towards Belief
Heather Weir Download: Audio
Sunday Scripture Reading: John 20:19-31 (NRSV)
19 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.” Read more…
Looking to Sunday: Preparing to Hear From God
by Elaine Poproski
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there were some women mourning. They deeply loved a man who had died – who had been killed. The timing of his death was such that they hadn’t said a proper good-bye. So they rose very early in the morning and went to his tomb.
But he wasn’t there.
As the shock of his absence gave way to an even deeper grief, they came to understand that his body hadn’t been stolen, it hadn’t been moved; he had risen from the dead! He was alive again!
Their mourning turned to dancing. Their tears turned to laughter. Somehow, some way, this man they loved was alive!
They ran back to town to tell others of the man’s friends the extraordinary, good news. But the friends didn’t believe them. “You’re delusional,” said one. “You’re hysterical,” said another. “Stop with the fairy tales,” said a third. And that would have been that, if what happened next hadn’t happened.
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
And the friends believed.
Easter was last weekend. But Easter is also this next weekend (and the weekend after that). On Sunday the story of Jesus’ closest friends encountering Him alive, even though they knew he’d been fully dead and buried, continues. As you prepare to hear more of the story, I invite you to read through John 20 for yourself. You’ll meet Mary, Peter, John, and Thomas. You’ll witness their varied responses to Jesus’ resurrection. And hopefully you’ll be able to place yourself in the story as well. With which character do you resonate? Who best exemplifies your initial experience of the risen Jesus? As you prepare for Sunday, perhaps spend some time thanking God for introducing you to Jesus, for convincing you that He is alive and that He has given you life as well.