READ
John 20:24-31
CONSIDER
After Jesus’ resurrection, He met with His disciples for over forty days. From the book of Acts, Luke said Jesus’ appearance after the resurrection had two purposes. First is to give convincing proof that He was alive. Second is to speak about the Kingdom of God. The church established after the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the foretaste of the Kingdom of God before Christ’s glorious return. On this Easter Sunday, we are going to explore the resurrection narratives from the Gospel of John chapters 20-21. John said Jesus appeared to His disciples three times. We are going to learn from Jesus what kind of communities He wanted His disciples to build after the Holy Spirit comes at the Pentecost.
I believe Jesus talked about the Kingdom of God to His disciples countless times before His crucifixion. But the resurrected Jesus chose to remind the disciples again in-person. Love, care, encouragement, and reminders can all be done remotely, but it is more effective and intimate if in-person. If we explore further the narratives, it is not hard to notice that Jesus was eating with His disciples while teaching the Kingdom of God.
The pandemic is over or almost over. We had been meeting remotely for a long time and we might forget slowly how joyful we were when we met in-person before the pandemic. Easter is a great time to meet to worship our risen Lord together and reconnect as the community of Christ.
Hope to see you all in-person this Easter Sunday!
Pastor Julian Wong
PRAY
Our risen Lord, you are our hope and our joy. May the Spirit of God dwell in us richly and let us continue to find joy in you and your community. Let us continue to live our lives and build our communities for your glory. When people see us and our communities, they see the risen Lord. Empower us to be the communities of love and faith which proclaim your glorious gospel till you return, in Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
DIVING DEEPER
The first lockdown in Canada began March 2020. More than 3 years later, what do Christ’s communities look like after the society slowly re-opens and we can finally connect in the ways we used to?
How can we live closer WITH GOD in our lives?
How are we being TRANSFORMED to be more like Christ?
How is the Holy Spirit empowering us to imitate Christ in what we DO this week?