The Story
Second Sunday of Lent

John 20:19-31

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.”

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “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.”

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. 

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Something to Do

He breathed on them

Perhaps you, like me, have noticed that Jesus did not have to worry about social distancing! And perhaps you, like me, have noticed that you miss breathing with other people.

When we sing or speak together in church, we breath together – matching our sound-making out breaths and our replenishing in breaths. On-line community doesn’t really allow us to breathe together.

When we gather as a small group for conversation, we pay attention (whether consciously or not) to one another’s breath as it gives us cues about who wants to speak next and when someone is done speaking and how people are reacting to what they are hearing. On-line community doesn’t really allow us to attend to one another’s breath in this way.

But even though we aren’t breathing in the same room and we ARE still breathing together – and our breath is not just the air that goes in and out of our lungs. Our breath is the very breath of God, the Holy Spirit breathed into us and upon us. So, this week, breathe with the knowledge that we breathe as one.

Breath Prayers – This is an ancient prayer practice (dating back to at least the 6th century) in which the prayer Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner is prayed to the rhythm of deep, slow breathing. Over time, and in other cultures, the practice has developed to allow for other words but the principle is the same: a simple phrase which orients you towards God and the need you are bringing forward. Consider these possibilities:

Jesus, Risen Lord, give me your peace.
Holy One, let me feel your love.
Source of all being, draw me into your presence
Creating God, create the world anew.

Doubting Thomas

Thomas’ doubts are entirely understandable – it’s not like his friends believed in Jesus’ resurrection without seeing him for themselves! Thomas’ doubts also don’t make him unacceptable to Jesus – who makes a special visit just for him.

As with Thomas, so with us. Doubts are an understandable and acceptable part of the life of faith and should be welcomed by our families and faith communities as expressions of genuine learning and searching. Doubts neither interfere with God’s love for us nor our love for God.

This is an especially important lesson for children and teenagers – but is a good reminder for all of us all of the time. Take the time to name your doubts this week and offer them to God in hope and trust that the truth will be revealed to you in good time.

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Something to Wonder

“Peace be with you”

What does peace feel like?
Are you finding peace hard to come by? Or are you finding a greater peace in the current situation?
Either way, what is bringing you peace in these days?

“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

What do you believe without having seen?
What has led you to believe those things?

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Something to Learn

The Meaning of Peace

Peace is a simple word for a big idea. The Hebrew word that gets translated as “peace” is shalom, which contains ideas of wholeness and harmony and well-being. Watch this Bible Project video for a word study on Peace: https://youtu.be/oLYORLZOaZE

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Something to Pray

Holy God, we do not always understand your word or your ways. 
Give us wisdom and imagination and courage as we learn and grow. 

The story this week has made me wonder about…
         (what questions are still on your heart?)
Receive my questions and help me hear your answers.

The story this week has filled me with…
         (how are you feeling?)
Accept my praise, heal my hurt, ease my worry.

The story this week has reminded me of…
         (are there situations or people you are thinking of?)
Be with all who are in need of you.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.

The Story
Fifth Sunday in Lent

John 11:1-45

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it, he said, “This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”

Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.” After saying this, he told them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.” Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.” Martha said to him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.” When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him.

Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him!” But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?”

Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upward and said, “Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.” When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

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Something to Do

Those who walk in the day…see the light of the world

For many people, this is a dark time. Many people are worried – about the virus, about their jobs, about their schools, about their lives. Last Sunday, at 7pm, Christians around the world put a candle in their window as a sign of hope for the world and a prayer to God. We are invited to join in every Sunday for as long as the world needs the reminder that the light of the world is with us.

You could also consider making candles a part of your dinner routine, if it isn’t already. Light a candle or two as part of your table grace and let the light shine.

Jesus began to weep

Jesus weeps with his friends and knows the pain of loss. If you are sad this week, remember that Jesus is with you. If you know someone who is sad, how might you be Jesus for them?

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Something to Wonder

“Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Is Mary’s cry familiar to you? Have there been occasions in your life when you felt abandoned by God or when you blamed God for something?

How do you think Jesus felt, hearing Mary’s words?

“Unbind him and let him go”

I imagine everyone just standing around in shock as Lazarus walks out of the tomb, still trapped in the burial cloths. Finally, Jesus says “Unbind him and let him go!” and everyone jumps to the task.

What do you think was the first thing Lazarus did?

While we are not dead, I am already imagining how good it will feel when the restrictions are lifted and we are unbound and let go. What do you think the first thing you will do will be?

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Something to Learn

The Question of Resurrection

Resurrection is central to Christian faith but that doesn’t mean we always really understand what we mean by it. In “Jesus Resurrection and Christian Origins“, theologian N.T. Wright offers a fascinating overview of ideas of resurrection in ancient Greek thought, Jewish thought, and Christian thought.

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Something to Pray

Holy God, we do not always understand your word or your ways. 
Give us wisdom and imagination and courage as we learn and grow. 

The story this week has made me wonder about…
         (what questions are still on your heart?)
Receive my questions and help me hear your answers.

The story this week has filled me with…
         (how are you feeling?)
Accept my praise, heal my hurt, ease my worry.

The story this week has reminded me of…
         (are there situations or people you are thinking of?)
Be with all who are in need of you.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.

The Story
Fourth Sunday in Lent

John 9:1-41

As Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see.

The neighbours and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, “Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?” Some were saying, “It is he.” Others were saying, “No, but it is someone like him.” He kept saying, “I am the man.” But they kept asking him, “Then how were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ Then I went and washed and received my sight.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.”

They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?” And they were divided. So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” He said, “He is a prophet.”

The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, “Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, “I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” They said to him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” Then they reviled him, saying, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.” The man answered, “Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out.

Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered, “And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said to him, “You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.” He said, “Lord, I believe.” And he worshipped him. Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgement so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind.” Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, “Surely we are not blind, are we?” Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would not have sin. But now that you say, ‘We see,’ your sin remains.” 

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Something to Do

Play in the mud

Notice Jesus’ rather gross healing technique – making mud with his saliva and rubbing it on the man’s eyes! If you are of a certain age, you probably don’t want to play in the mud (but more power to you if you do!) so just remember that what is good for us is not always pleasant to begin with.

If you are of a different age, you might be up for something a little more hands on. Head outside and make some mud (not with your saliva, please). Get your hands good and dirty (don’t rub the mud on your eyes!). What does it feel like? What shapes can you make with it? Then go wash your hands and enjoy the feel of the water rinsing the mud away.

I came into this world for judgement so that those who do not see may see…

We are all flying a little blind these days, as we feel our way into social distance, isolation, and new ways of maintaining community. Explore what learning this time might have to offer you. Set aside some time for intentional silence. Read a book you have been meaning to get to. Learn a new skill. Figure out how to use a new communications platform. Call someone you haven’t spoken to for a while. How will Jesus open your eyes?

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Something to Wonder

he was born (blind) so that God’s works might be revealed in him

Jesus is clear that the man’s blindness has nothing to do with anyone’s sin but rather has to do with God’s work in him. The danger with this line is that it can sound an awful lot like God burdened the man with blindness for God’s own purposes. What we need to remember is that we are all born, with whatever characteristics we have, for the same reason – so that God’s works might be revealed in us.

How are God’s works being revealed in you? In your strengths? In your struggles? Joys and sorrows?

In their shoes

Imagine you are the man’s parents. How are they feeling? What are they thinking? What do you think they do next?

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Something to Learn

Blindness in John’s Gospel

The use of blindness as a metaphor can be highly problematic when considering the reality of actual people with actual blindness. In “Out of the Darkness: Examining the Rhetoric of Blindness in the Gospel of John” the authors discuss the consequences of John’s images and the importance of befriending complicated texts.

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Something to Pray

Holy God, we do not always understand your word or your ways. 
Give us wisdom and imagination and courage as we learn and grow. 

The story this week has made me wonder about…
         (what questions are still on your heart?)
Receive my questions and help me hear your answers.

The story this week has filled me with…
         (how are you feeling?)
Accept my praise, heal my hurt, ease my worry.

The story this week has reminded me of…
         (are there situations or people you are thinking of?)
Be with all who are in need of you.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.

The Story
Third Sunday in Lent

John 4:5-42

Jesus came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us the well, and with his sons and his flocks drank from it?”

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come back.” The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true!” The woman said to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.”

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When he comes, he will proclaim all things to us.” Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.”

Just then his disciples came. They were astonished that he was speaking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you want?” or, “Why are you speaking with her?” Then the woman left her water jar and went back to the city. She said to the people, “Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done! He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” They left the city and were on their way to him. Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, “Rabbi, eat something.” But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” So the disciples said to one another, “Surely no one has brought him something to eat?”

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. Do you not say, ‘Four months more, then comes the harvest’? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you did not labour. Others have laboured, and you have entered into their labour.”

Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I have ever done.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Saviour of the world.”

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Something to Do

Carrying Water

Women all over the world still carry water to their homes from wells or other central distribution places. Get a feel for how much water weighs. Fill bowls or buckets of different sizes and carry them down your driveway or down the block. This is what the Samaritan woman expected to be doing when she met Jesus at the well.

The wonders of water

Really pay attention to water this week. Drink big glasses and notice how refreshing it is. Wash your hands (often!) and give thanks for how easy it is to keep clean. When you bath or shower, relish the comfort and restoration of the experience.

The water Jesus promises does all of this for once and for all – refreshing, restoring, comforting, and cleansing.

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Something to Wonder

An Ensemble Cast

There are a lot of people in this story -who do you most relate to?

• Jesus
• the Samaritan woman
• the disciples
• the Samaritan villagers

Why do you connect to this character? Does the connection reveal anything surprising to you? Or anything to suggest a change or new direction for you?

I sent you to reap that for which you did not labour.

What is the harvest others planted and is now ready for us to gather up? What has Jesus sent us to reap?

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Something to Learn

Who were the Samaritans?

BBC’s travel writer, Judith Fein, visited the ancient and modern Samaritan village of Kiryat Luza and reported on it in “The last of the good Samaritans“

Jacob’s Well

The site of Jacob’s Well now lies in the crypt (basement) of a modern Greek Orthodox church in Nablus in the West Bank. It’s an astonishing place, worn thin by centuries of prayer. Read more and see some pictures on seetheholyland.net

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Something to Pray

Holy God, we do not always understand your word or your ways. 
Give us wisdom and imagination and courage as we learn and grow. 

The story this week has made me wonder about…
         (what questions are still on your heart?)
Receive my questions and help me hear your answers.

The story this week has filled me with…
         (how are you feeling?)
Accept my praise, heal my hurt, ease my worry.

The story this week has reminded me of…
         (are there situations or people you are thinking of?)
Be with all who are in need of you.

In Jesus’ name, we pray.
Amen.