Jesus is resurrected

John Chapter 20

Early Sunday morning while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. She ran and got Simon Peter and John and told them the Lord's body had been taken from the tomb. Peter and John ran to see and John stooped and saw the linen cloth lying there but didn't go in. Simon Peter went inside and noticed the cloth that had covered Jesus' head was folded up and lying to the side. Then they realized that the scripture said he would rise from the dead.

Mary was standing outside the tomb crying and as she wept, she stooped and looked inside and saw two white-robed angels sitting there. They asked her why she cried and she replied because they took away her Lord. Then she saw someone standing behind her and it was Jesus, but she didn't recognize him. He too asked why she was crying. She thought he was the gardner and asked where he put Jesus. "Mary!" he said. She turned to him and exclaimed, "Teacher!"
"Don't cling to me," Jesus said, "for I haven't yet ascended tothe Father. But go find my brothers and tell them that I am ascending to my father and your father, my God and your God."

That evening, the disciples met behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them. "Peace be with you." he said and he showed them his hands and his side. One disciple, Thomas, was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him about seeing Jesus, but he replied that he would not believe it unless he saw the nail wounds and put his fingers in them and placed his hand into the wound in Jesus' side.

Eight days later, the disciples were together again and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but suddenly Jesus was standing with them. He told Thomas to put his fingers in his hands and his hand into the wound in his side. "Don't be faithless any longer. Believe!" he said. Then Jesus said, "You belive because you have seen me. Blessed are those who haven't seen me and believe anyway." Then Jesus' disciples saw him do many other miracles besides those written in this book.

BIBLE NOTES SHOW: In other gospels, there were other women who accompanied Mary to the tomb. His tomb wrappings were left in the shape as though his body was still in it. Jesus resurected body was unique and not the same kind of flesh and blood because he was no longer subject to the same laws of nature as before his death. He could appear in a locked room, yet was not a ghost because he could be touched and could eat.

Jesus was not hard on doubting Thomas. Some people need to question before they believe. If doubt leads to questions, questions lead to answers and the answers are accepted, then doubt had done good. It is when doubt becomes stubbornness and stubbornnes becomes a lifestyle that doubt harms faith.

Jesus' resurrection is the key to Christian faith because 1. he rose from the dead. 2. his bodily resurrections shows us that the living Christ is not a false prophet or imposter, but is ruler of God's eternal kingdom 3.we can be certain of our own resurrection because Jesus was resurrected. Death is not an end- there is future life. 4. the divine power that brought him back to life is now available to us to bring our spiritually dead selves back to life 5. the Resurrection is the basis for the church's witness to the world.

Yours in Christ,
Mary

Prayer Requests are needed for:
HEALTH: Gabe, Wanda, Janice Long’s parents, and Arlene’s nephew David. Pray for my neighbor Al who is nearing the end of his life. Pray for Carolyn’s brother Ronald who has cancer. Pray for our friend Michelle who was diagnosed with MS. Pray for Cyndi Sullivan who was given 14 months to live with cancer, but has made it six years. The pain has returned and she needs our prayers.
UPDATE on Barb who went in for back surgery and had a heart attack and stroke, she has 90 percent of her speech back and is home from the hospital and having rehab for the paralysis on one side of her body. Continue to pray for her recovery.
Pray for Robert Sargent with lung cancer and Marthaline Sargent with serious health issues. Update on Stella: She has shed the feeding tube and is taking formula on her own! But breathing problems are still with her, though improving all the time. She continues to have a long road, so prayers are still needed. She has been moved to a St. Louis hospital.
Pray for Carolyn’s friend Margaret and her husband who were in a car accident. As elderly drivers they may face a life change which may cost them their independence. Let’s all raise our voices to God to hear our prayers.
SPIRITUAL UPLIFTING: Gail, Mary
RESTORATION OF FAITH: Al, John
LOVE AND SUPPORT: Claire, Hunter, Brian
SUPPORT: Haiti, Chile, survivors of Japan’s earthquake,those who need jobs, those who are about to lose or have lost their homes. Pray too, for our country’s leaders and our military people who die each day for our freedom.