A Home For All!

1 9 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors were locked where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the 24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin [a] ), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 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.” 26 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.” 27 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.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 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.” 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may continue [b] to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, [c] the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. Good morning, dear people of Emmanuel. Our beloved Andy Ross was scheduled to preach today, but yesterday morning he was felled by a short-term illness. Our prayers are with him. My Lenten spiritual journey has been deeply enriched by The Rev. Paul Dazet, Senior Pastor of Sandy Hook United Methodist Church in Columbus, Indiana. His the writings are posted on Substack as “A Wounded Healer’s Journal”. His Easter Monday post was a quiet, powerful meditation on the gospel for today. Rev. Dazet’s meditation moves through each moment of the story, drawing profoundly moving conclusions. I decided to read it to you in lieu of the sermon and am honored and grateful to do that now. It is a rich banquet of faith that I think some of you might want to revisit it. In that hope, and out of respect for his full presentation, I’m attaching the link to the post: A Wounded Healer's Journal - Still in the Room (The Church That Keeps Thomas)  Amen! Alleluia!!

First Sermon