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Monday, May 2, 2011 Read: 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." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." When he had said this he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained..." John 20:19-31 Think About: What was it like when the disciples saw Jesus standing among them and then heard his voice? The risen Lord was there, with them! Our gracious and merciful Lord also stands with us because he treasures us. Just as he was there with his disciples, the Lord is here now and holds us and walks every step of our lives with us. He offers us transformation to new life in him as a result of his resurrection. Can we surrender to him and his power, knowing that his power can remake, renew and revive us in his image? Are we afraid to shout out Easter's joy? Can we express our fears to him in our prayers? In Paul's second letter to Timothy, he writes in 1:7 "for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline." Are we ready to look upon resurrection possibilities for Christ's power, transformation and a new life? Are we willing to be changed and claim new life in the Lord? What will a new life in Christ look like for me? How will my personal view of the world around me change? Am I open to be changed? I confess that I may need more faith to believe that I can be transformed through the now empty tomb. Lord, will you help me gain more faith to be renewed and remade? With my baptism, I became fully adopted and claimed by the Lord. I belong to him. I need to re-claim his faithfulness so that I can experience his power and transformation of Easter. Through baptism, I am part of his family, connected and in community with others. How can I become more intentional in celebrating baptism and resurrection, while participating in my faith community through fellowship, worship, and service? Pray this Prayer: Holy One, cover me with your grace and resurrection power; transform me to your likeness. Help me to change as you would have me change. Help me to reach out to others with your love. Create in me new resurrection life so that I can serve your purposes in your power for your joy. Help me become an intentional listener to discover your plans for me. Amen. Written by the St. Luke's Writing Team You are invited and encouraged to share your thoughts, feelings and experiences with the spiritual practices at the Devotional Blog. We are on this journey together and your words may help another along the way. Having problems viewing this page? Click here to view it online. Click here to be removed from the Daily Devotions Daily Devotion Archive | St. Luke's Weekly Update © 2010 St. Luke's United Methodist Church at Windermere |
