Picture the scene in John 20:19-31. All the disciples except Thomas are in a room behind locked doors at night. It was common for early Christians to meet at night. In times of persecution they were forbidden to meet during the day, so they had to meet at night. The disciples are scared. They saw their leader brutally killed, and they are afraid that they will also be killed. In more ways than one, the room and the situation are dark.

Suddenly, Jesus appears. He walks through the locked door. The first words Jesus says to the assembled disciples are, “Peace be with you.” They are terrified, first for fear of the Jews and because they thought they were seeing a ghost. But when Jesus shows them His wounds, they know this is their Lord. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would come. Just as God created humanity with His breath in Genesis 2:7, He gave the Holy Spirit to His disciples by breathing on them. God is recreating humanity in Christ. The darkness of the room is dispelled by the light of Christ.

Jesus gave the disciples and us a mission, but we and they can’t begin this mission of healing and peace without the power and energy of Jesus’ risen life. Jesus breathed on these men. As God breathed His life into that first man and he became a living soul, Jesus shared the intimacy of His own life with His disciples that they may be a new humanity, recreated and empowered for their mission.

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Do you like eggs? There are so many different ways to fix eggs -- fried, scrambled, or hard boiled. You can make an omelet or a breakfast burrito. You can eat them by themselves or mix them with chicken or tuna to make sandwiches. Eggs are also used to make delicious treats such as cookies, cakes, and pies.
Have you ever wondered why some eggs are white and some eggs are brown? Well the answer is quite simple. White chickens lay white eggs and reddish brown chickens lay brown eggs. Is there any difference between white eggs and brown eggs? Well, yes, white eggs are white and brown eggs are brown.
"What about the inside?" you may ask. On the inside they look just the same. The color of the shell has nothing to do with an egg's quality, nutritional value, or flavor. On the inside, all eggs are the same.

You know, that is true of people too. Some people may be light-skinned and have blond hair and blue eyes. Others may be dark-skinned and have brown hair and brown eyes. On the outside, they may look different, but on the inside they are the same.

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The passage from John 20:1-18 is the key point of our faith because it is about the Resurrection. Christ’s resurrection is the basis of our faith. Without it:

1.The Gospel would be meaningless.
2.Forgiveness of sins would be hopeless.
3.Present life would be joyless.
4.Godly living would be fruitless.
5.Future life would be worthless.

The resurrection of Jesus is like the quiet dawning of a new day heralding the defeat of the night. Our Saviour meets us personally and intimately at unexpected times and places. When we meet Him, our grief and doubt are overcome. We are flooded with joy and peace as we move from sight to faith.

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For Christianity, the passion narrative is built, at least in part, on the Passover narrative. In Matthew’s Gospel, the disciples gather in the upper room to celebrate the Passover meal, at which time Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper, offering the wine as a sign of the blood of the covenant poured out for the forgiveness of sins. While Passover had nothing to do with the sins of Israel, it does speak of liberation, and the cross is itself understood in that context. In John’s Passion narrative, the connection of Jesus to the Passover Lamb is even more explicit. He is crucified on the day of preparation for the Passover, the day when the Passover lambs are sacrificed in preparation for the feast. Thus, for John, Jesus is the Passover Lamb, through whom liberation takes place. It is his blood placed on the doorposts as a sign to the angel of death. The good news, the gospel, is that God is a liberating God, and in our worship, we are invited to continually retell the story of how God acts to liberate.

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Psalm 31 is an accurate description of Jesus’ agony while on the cross. Just like the psalmist, Jesus cried out to God in despair. In this psalm we have a picture of a seriously ill man whose violation of God’s will led to emotional pain and bodily weakness. Although Jesus was perfect and sinless, He took all of our sins on Himself as He was on the cross. Those sins were represented in His bodily weakness.

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In Philippians 2:1-13, Paul talks about unity and servanthood. To live in unity, or to be like-minded, believers must practice three things: harmony, humility and helpfulness. When we value ourselves, we demonstrate Christian humility. We mirror Jesus, who came not to be served but to serve. When we take the very nature of a servant, we have the mindset of Jesus. When we serve, it takes our minds off our desire to be served. The danger of being a lover of self is inherent in each of us. As we put aside our desires and become more selfless, we will enrich those around us, show God’s love wherever we are, and develop the mind of Christ. When we welcome those we consider to be below us, our eyes are opened to the stories of those we meet. It’s such a simple way to love-one that changes our lives and the lives of those around us.

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The readings we heard from Isaiah and Philippians talk about how we are to live like Christ, including suffering for our faith. Isaiah talks about the servant who submits to the father's will. Paul tells us in Philippians to be like Christ. Christ was the suffering servant Isaiah referred to-the servant who submits himself to the father's will and a cruel, painful death to save us.

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John 12:20-33 marks the beginning of a change in Jesus’ ministry. The coming of the Greeks is seen as anticipating the coming of the Gentiles into the community of believers. While it is true that before the events in our Gospel reading Jesus spoke to the woman at the well and healed a woman’s daughter, the primary focus of Jesus’ ministry until this point in time was the people of Israel-the Jews. The visit of the Greeks reflected the Pharisee’s statement in verse 19 that the whole world has gone after Jesus. Their arrival prompted Jesus to acknowledge that the hour had come for him to be crucified, and by his death and resurrection, he will draw all people to him, including the Gentiles.

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Each and every one of us can be a priest!

Does that statement make sense to you? After all, when we hear the word “priest” we often think of the ordained clergy who preside at weddings, funerals, baptisms or weekly worship services. The truth is, we are all priests. Let me explain by talking about the role of a priest as outlined in Hebrews 5:5-10.

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What do you think is the hardest thing we would ever have to do? Well, one of the hardest things we have to do is to be a follower of Jesus. Following him is one of the best things we can do because when we die we will go to heaven to be with him. It’s also one of the hardest things we can do because we might have problems when we follow him. What problems might we have? Jesus said that we would have trouble because we follow him, and that trouble might include dying for him, but if we die because we believe Jesus we will live with him in heaven. He talks about this in John 12:20-33.

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