John 20:19-20 (NIVUK)
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, 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.
This week we’re picking up the theme of peace from Sunday’s talk by Tim (see the video below). Helen brought us our reading from Barton-upon-Humber (thanks Helen!), sharing the passage where the disciples were hunkered down in a locked road scared. Jesus had been crucified, were they to be next? And then Jesus was there, standing amongst them, wounds to show that it really was him, but alive and announcing peace! This would be a turning point for them – if death couldn’t beat them, what could! As Paul would write in Romans 8:38-39, ‘For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.‘
Thank you Father for the peace that comes from knowing that your resurrection power is greater than anything that we might face.
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