Weekly Liturgy : April 21-27
- Elmarie
- Apr 21
- 4 min read
John 20:19-30
The Message
Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.” Then he showed them his hands and side.
The disciples, seeing the Master with their own eyes, were awestruck. Jesus repeated his greeting: “Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you.”
Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. “Receive the Holy Spirit,” he said. “If you forgive someone’s sins, they’re gone for good. If you don’t forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?”
But Thomas, sometimes called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We saw the Master.”
But he said, “Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won’t believe it.”
Eight days later, his disciples were again in the room. This time Thomas was with them. Jesus came through the locked doors, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.
Then he focused his attention on Thomas. “Take your finger and examine my hands. Take your hand and stick it in my side. Don’t be unbelieving. Believe.”
Thomas said, “My Master! My God!”
Jesus said, “So, you believe because you’ve seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing.”
Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book. These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it.
REFLECTIONS
Thoughts from Elmarie:
“Peace to you.” “Peace to you.” “Peace to you.” Three times Jesus shares this greeting with his followers. Their world has been turned upside-down by Jesus’ arrest and execution. Fear reigns. What would the future hold? Would those in power also seek them out for retribution...simply because of their association with Jesus? The companions of grief and loss also accompany these men and women as they gather behind locked doors. How would they continue now that their leader and inspiration had been brutally murdered by those in the highest political and religious offices of the land?
“Peace to you.” “Peace to you.” “Peace to you.” Three times Jesus shares this greeting with his followers. And he breathes the gift of God’s Spirit, God’s ruach, God’s own breath of life, into them. Ruach is an ancient Hebrew word meaning wind, breath, mind, or spirit. “Peace to you.” “Peace to you.” “Peace to you.” Receive the very breath of life. “Peace to you.” “Peace to you.” “Peace to you.” Breathe in slowly. Breathe out. The breath of life.
This gift comes amid the chaos, amid the fear, amid the grief, amid concerns and questions. The breath of life comes. “Peace to you.” “Peace to you.” “Peace to you.” And with this gift comes another gift, a couple of them. First is the gift of purpose, a commissioning, a sending...to walk in the same way Jesus walked among a diversity of people, but always with a bias towards the most marginalized, the most oppressed by injustice. The second is the gift of passing on life, the possibility of abundance, through the act, the journey, of forgiveness. “Peace to you.” “Peace to you.” “Peace to you.” Breathe in slowly. Breathe out. The breath of life.
PRACTICE:
Outward Mindset Application
Pay attention to how breathing-in the peace Jesus offers to you increases your capacity to see the person in front of you as a person instead of seeing them as an obstacle.
Non-Violent Communication Question of the Week
What difference does it make to my capacity to offer observations rather than judgements when I ground myself first in breathing-in the peace Jesus offers to me?
Pathways toward Centeredness
Sensation (Loving God through the senses):
Pay attention to your breath this week. Try a breath prayer. One idea...as you breathe in, pray something like, “Jesus, thank you....” and as you breath out, pray something like, “for life (or whatever else you are thankful for with each breath out).”
Questions for Reflection
What do I notice within myself when I receive Jesus saying to me, “Peace to you.” “Peace to you.” “Peace to you.”?
How am I being invited today to walk in the same way Jesus walked?
“Liturgy” refers to the habits and practices humans use to form community around shared values and meaning. At Church at the Park, we desire to be a community of practice, becoming people who see the world through the eyes of the marginalized, making meaning through the lens of pain and suffering, and committing ourselves to non-violence in a wounded world. This weekly email is intended to provide pathways of practice for becoming the type of people who embody these values.
Many of our reflections on each week's text come from other sources. If you're interested in reading more of what inspires us, here our our two favorite reflections.
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