Growing Deeply

Sunday Sermon

a daily scripture guide

Week of April 25 April 30

MONDAY: John 20:24-29 Doubts

Much has been spoken about Thomas, even to the point of ridicule. However, Thomas
was simply showing his human quality. To doubt is to be human. Doubt in its truest form
is not the opposite of trust, but a guide to discernment. I prefer to believe that Thomas
did not want anything to disparage the personal knowledge that he had of Jesus. Doubt,
when used as a means of discernment, can create great faith.
PRAYER: Help me when I doubt, guide me when I question, lead me to true
understanding and acceptance.

The Cost of Faith - April 24

TUESDAY: John 20:24-29 Proof

Thomas lived in an age of deception. Much like today, people attempted to sway trust
and belief by making false claims. Thomas wanted to trust, but he wanted to be sure.
Can I truly say that I am that much different? Perhaps we should follow Thomas lead.
We should seek the true Christ and build a relationship that is real and lasting.
HYMN: Trust and Obey (UMH No. 467)

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.

WEDNESDAY: John 20:24-29 Belief

For some of us, belief comes easy. For others, belief takes time. Jesus says that those
who come to believe are blessed, not those who believe automatically. Perhaps the
lesson in the story of Thomas is not a chastisement, but an encouragement to seek and
to know. We are to make our belief our own, and not one that has simply been handed
to us. Only when we question and search do we develop a faith that is our own.
PRAYER: Dear God, may our doubts lead us to faith, may our need for proof be
tempered by our desire to know, and may our belief be genuine and true.

Scripture: John 20:24-29 (NRSV)

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.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 the Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission.
All rights reserved.

My Notes:

THURSDAY: John 21:1-19 Peter on the water again

Jesus calls Peter while fishing. And now in this passage, he returns to the water to fish
after witnessing the Resurrected Jesus twice before. Imagine the swirl of emotions
within him and the disciples: grief, confusion, awe, and hope.
CONSIDER: What do you do, where do you go when you encounter a swirl of emotions?
FRIDAY: John 21:1-19 Peter hears its Jesus
The beloved one, traditionally identified as John, sees that its Jesus on the beach
speaking to them. Peter hears its Jesus, puts clothes on, and swims to the beach. What
motivated this action? Guilt from denying Jesus beforehand? Desire to prove to Jesus he
is sorry? Sheer joy to be in Jesus presence? Over compensating?
CONSIDER: Recall a time you made a mistake; how did you act when you saw the person
who was impacted by that mistake again?
SATURDAY: John 21:1-19 Restoration
In place of Peters denial three times, Jesus asks Peter if he loves him also three times.
Scholars say the word love here is translated from Greek as agape, phileo, and eros.
Which kind of love was Jesus asking about, and what kind of love was Peter responding
with? In the end, Peter affirms his love three times for Jesus and receives a new call:
from fishing to tending and feeding the sheep. He lived out this new call in Acts, as he
preaches the word (feeds the people) and thousands are saved.
PRAYER: Jesus, thank you for not allowing my falls to be the end of my story. Like Peter,
you give us new calls to follow you and for that I am grateful.

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