The Gospel reading appointed for this week is Luke’s account of Jesus’ appearance to his disciples in the upper room. Luke includes the detail of the disciples actually touching Jesus and then Jesus eating with them. What is the significance of this? Perhaps there was a heresy circulating in the early church that Jesus had not fully risen in bodily form and was just a vision. The Gospel writers are emphatic about there being a physical, bodily resurrection. Today many people, including some Christians, still dispute the reality of a physical resurrection. Perhaps their thinking is that corpses do not come back to life and not even God can do this. This is a curious view to hold of the God who created a universe 100 billion light years in diameter and formed humanity from dust. Surely, the author and sustainer of all life could easily accomplish new life from death. The wonderful reality is that just as God did this with Jesus, He can accomplish the same with all of us who are in union with Jesus. However, for me, the real wonder is even more profound. The real wonder is that God bothered with us in the first place. Why, when we had rejected Him, did God do this for us? That is the real miracle. Let us continue to ponder that, this week.
Home Groups
MATERIALS FOR SPRING 2020
Weekly notes for home groups based on the Sunday morning sermons
Contact Steve
Sharing your Faith
Discerning your gifts
Discovering your Gifts for God’s Kingdom:
Blog Categories
- Advent (16)
- Ascension (1)
- Christmas (4)
- Discipleship (42)
- Discipleship (81)
- Easter (23)
- Epiphany (25)
- Lent (24)
- Parables (4)
- Pentecost (69)
Discipleship Training Course
RESOURCE MATERIAL:
- Session 1:
Grace Brings Freedom (PPT) - Session 1:
Freedom from the lies of the devil (Word) - Session 2:
Grace declares us innocent (PDF) - Session 3:
Grace declares we have no shame (PowerPoint) - Session 4:
Grace Brings Courage (PPT) - Session 5:
Grace trumps legalism Session 5 Teacher (PPT)
- Session 6:
Being Fruitful Session 6 Teacher (PPT)