The Eighth Day
Read: John 20:26; 2 Corinthians 5 Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:26 NRSV) There is a theological tradition in the church that refers to the day of resurrection as the eighth day. The eighth day is meant to draw our attention to the seven days of creation. […]
The Lord’s Day
Read: John 20:19-23; Revelation 1:10 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19 NRSV) Any time a seemingly […]
The Power to Forgive
Read: John 20:1-10; Matthew 6:14-15 So she ran and went to Simon Peter. (John 20:2 NRSV) This is the first time Peter’s name shows up in the Gospel of John following his denial of Jesus. On the dark night we call Good Friday, Peter acted as if he did not know the man. Now, with […]
Meeting Our Doubts
Read: John 20:24-29; Revelation 3:20 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.” (John 20:25 NRSV) […]
Presence in Grief
Read: John 20:11-18; 1 Thessalonians 4:13 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb. (John 20:11 NRSV) Even though we believe in the resurrection, there is a place for grief in the Christian faith. Mary was the first to reach Jesus’ tomb on Easter morning. […]
Resurrection Day
Read: 1 Corinthians 15 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. (v. 20 NRSV) To put it in a considerable understatement: the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is the most significant event in the history of the world. The earth-shattering thing that […]
Unleavened Lives
Read: John 19:38-42 Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. (vv. 41-42 NRSV) The […]
Christ the King
Read: John 19:1-37 Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” (v. 19 NRSV) Holy Week began with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey’s colt, signifying that Israel’s king was arriving. Now when Friday turns violent, Jesus is proclaimed […]
April Prayer Guide 2021
ALBANIA — We give thanks that in the last quarter, over 10,000 individuals visited the Words of Hope Albania website. In response to a questionnaire on the site, 18 people responded that they had accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Pray with us for these new believers. Pray too for our leaders in Albania, […]