22 min
Sermon - 4-7-24 Your Faith Journey - Finding God Through Words, Song and Praise
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- Christianity
In a few of the churches that I have served for a period of times during worship, people were given an opportunity to share God moments. God moments were where they had seen God at work in the past week. Another way we can ask the question is to ask, “Where have you seen Jesus this past week?”
Often, what we hear and see news today it is often negative, it doesn’t help through the day. It may make us angry, sad or depressed. We know the news does not always give us the good news. Although, at the end of a broadcast and sometimes only on Fridays, they do share a good news story.
As Christians, it is important for us to stay connected to Jesus and one hour a week does not do it. We are bombarded with so many different things even in a day. There are family issues, work issues, school issues, health issues, whatever group we may belong to will have some issues or negativity.
In this Easter season, in order to experience and be connected to our risen Savior, I challenge us to ask this question at the end of every day, “Where have I seen Jesus today?” What a positive and healthy way of connecting with Jesus at the end of the day.
It may be much easier to hand all of those things that have stressed us out during the day over to Jesus. By asking this question, the answer can remind us that we were not alone during the day. Jesus was there walking beside us and in us. Could this be where the peace comes in?
In our gospel lesson today, we find the disciples locked in a room for fear of the Jewish authorities. Just as we made it clear on Good Friday, it was the Jewish authorities who enforce they what they feel was God’s law. We can’t lump everyone into a category.
In the Gospel of John, the disciples had heard that Jesus had risen from Mary Magdelene. Peter and the other disciple, who may have been John, ran to the tomb and saw what Mary Magdelene had seen. It says the other disciple believed and they went back home.
Since they had not seen Jesus, they still didn’t know how the Jewish authorities were going to respond to this. They could be out looking for the disciples. Jesus knew that they needed to have some tangible evidence that he had risen. Thus, he appeared to them through the locked doors.
Jesus first words were, “Peace be with you”. He then showed them his hands and side. At that point the disciples believed it was Jesus and they rejoiced. Jesus said to the again, “Peace be with you, as the Father has sent me, so I send you”. He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” In a sense this is John’s account of the coming of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit, the part of the trinity that would live within them and empower and guide them in continuing Jesus work on earth. There was one disciple missing, Thomas. We don’t know exactly what he was out doing, but even if he was fearful, it didn’t stop him from going outside the doors.
When Thomas returned, the disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”. Thomas said, “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”. He has often received the nickname , ‘the doubter’. But was he really any different than the other disciples? He had even gone outside the locked room.
Jesus came back at that point and offered to let Thomas touch his hands and side and said do not doubt, but believe. Thomas made a statement of faith, “My Lord and my God!”. The other disciples rejoiced, but had still not left the room. Jesus did not have to come back, he could have relied on the other disciples, but Jesus knew that Thomas needed this reconnection.
Thomas is not any different than any other follower of Jesus. It was and is hard to believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead. It is hard to believe that Jesus takes the time to love each person on this earth. It really is a divine thing and definitely not humanly possible.
It is when
In a few of the churches that I have served for a period of times during worship, people were given an opportunity to share God moments. God moments were where they had seen God at work in the past week. Another way we can ask the question is to ask, “Where have you seen Jesus this past week?”
Often, what we hear and see news today it is often negative, it doesn’t help through the day. It may make us angry, sad or depressed. We know the news does not always give us the good news. Although, at the end of a broadcast and sometimes only on Fridays, they do share a good news story.
As Christians, it is important for us to stay connected to Jesus and one hour a week does not do it. We are bombarded with so many different things even in a day. There are family issues, work issues, school issues, health issues, whatever group we may belong to will have some issues or negativity.
In this Easter season, in order to experience and be connected to our risen Savior, I challenge us to ask this question at the end of every day, “Where have I seen Jesus today?” What a positive and healthy way of connecting with Jesus at the end of the day.
It may be much easier to hand all of those things that have stressed us out during the day over to Jesus. By asking this question, the answer can remind us that we were not alone during the day. Jesus was there walking beside us and in us. Could this be where the peace comes in?
In our gospel lesson today, we find the disciples locked in a room for fear of the Jewish authorities. Just as we made it clear on Good Friday, it was the Jewish authorities who enforce they what they feel was God’s law. We can’t lump everyone into a category.
In the Gospel of John, the disciples had heard that Jesus had risen from Mary Magdelene. Peter and the other disciple, who may have been John, ran to the tomb and saw what Mary Magdelene had seen. It says the other disciple believed and they went back home.
Since they had not seen Jesus, they still didn’t know how the Jewish authorities were going to respond to this. They could be out looking for the disciples. Jesus knew that they needed to have some tangible evidence that he had risen. Thus, he appeared to them through the locked doors.
Jesus first words were, “Peace be with you”. He then showed them his hands and side. At that point the disciples believed it was Jesus and they rejoiced. Jesus said to the again, “Peace be with you, as the Father has sent me, so I send you”. He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” In a sense this is John’s account of the coming of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit, the part of the trinity that would live within them and empower and guide them in continuing Jesus work on earth. There was one disciple missing, Thomas. We don’t know exactly what he was out doing, but even if he was fearful, it didn’t stop him from going outside the doors.
When Thomas returned, the disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”. Thomas said, “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”. He has often received the nickname , ‘the doubter’. But was he really any different than the other disciples? He had even gone outside the locked room.
Jesus came back at that point and offered to let Thomas touch his hands and side and said do not doubt, but believe. Thomas made a statement of faith, “My Lord and my God!”. The other disciples rejoiced, but had still not left the room. Jesus did not have to come back, he could have relied on the other disciples, but Jesus knew that Thomas needed this reconnection.
Thomas is not any different than any other follower of Jesus. It was and is hard to believe that Jesus died and rose from the dead. It is hard to believe that Jesus takes the time to love each person on this earth. It really is a divine thing and definitely not humanly possible.
It is when
22 min