Today's reflection & Song
Friends... Over the next 2 weeks, we will take some mid-week time to continue to consider Easter:
Never let a good crisis go to waste, part 1 of 4:
Winston Churchill is credited with having said, “Never let a good crisis go to waste,” though the phrase cannot be found in his recorded speeches, personal notes, or his books. Illinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel did say it in 2008.[i]
It seems to me that that is exactly our call as Christians living in the weeks following Easter, not only this year, but every year. For Easter, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, created a crisis for the first disciples. What did they do with this new reality? We, as we live in the midst of staying in our homes, get more devotional readings from our pastor because of our current crisis – and thus more opportunities to read some of the many resurrection sightings of Jesus in the Bible. Here, then is reading 1 of 4 of those sightings. Read, reflect, and live your own crisis well.
-Pastor Steph
Today’s story tells the story of Thomas, who had the unfortunate luck of being out of the room when Jesus first showed up, risen from the dead. Jesus could have said, “ya snooze, ya lose.” But of course, that’s not who Jesus is. Jesus meets us where we are, and where Thomas was, was in need of a physical visit.
John 20:24-29 Common English Bible (CEB)
24 Thomas, the one called Didymus, one of the Twelve, wasn’t with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples told him, “We’ve seen the Lord!”
But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my finger in the wounds left by the nails, and put my hand into his side, I won’t believe.”
26 After eight days his disciples were again in a house and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus entered and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here. Look at my hands. Put your hand into my side. No more disbelief. Believe!”
28 Thomas responded to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Jesus replied, “Do you believe because you see me? Happy are those who don’t see and yet believe.”
Please enjoy this beautiful piece of music today as well:
Leave It There,[ii] sung by Steve Barrett
https://youtu.be/Us29N-eAAjU
[i] Alan Rudnick. https://christiancitizen.us/churches-never-waste-a-coronavirus-crisis/. Accessed 4/7/2020.
[ii] Charles A. Tindley. Leave It There. Folk song, 1916.
