[Propertalk] Sermon tidbits for 2 Easter - John 20:19-29 - Part 5

[Joe Parrish]

Jesus shifts immediately to mission--"As the Father has sent me, so I send you."  Then, "he breathed on them."  The disciples are given power from the divine breath.  The Greek word translated as "breathed" is emphusao.  It is the same word the Septuagint uses in Genesis 2: 7:  "And the Lord God...breathed into (Adam's) nostrils the breath of life." 
Moreover, the fourth gospel's use of emphusao is the only use of this word in the entire New Testament.  Clearly, the author of the fourth gospel is equating the breath of Jesus with the breath of God.  Where the Lord God breathed life into a human being, the Lord Jesus breathes life into his church.  This is yet another of the fourth gospel's many references to the book of Genesis.
 
http://www.progressiveinvolvement.com/progressive_involvement/2011/04/lectionary-blogging-john-20-19-31.html

John Petty, 2011
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Whether it is becoming a mythic creature or conquering another civilization, gamers can be part of any simulated world they choose.  To participate in these games, people create alternate identities called “avatars.”  These identities allow players to maneuver through virtual societies and have encounters that they don’t have in the “real world.”  As the avatars fight demons, build amusement parks, or run political campaigns, real humans gain insight into experiences they may never have in actuality.   These online societies can help inform and explain the offline world.In today’s Gospel story, we find ourselves given the opportunity to participate in a reality that is not our own through an avatar – Thomas. 

http://www.ministrymatters.com/all/article/entry/892/sermon-starter-thomas-the-avatar

Susan Brown, 2011
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"...one day I saw the rabbit..."

http://www.ministrymatters.com/all/blog/entry/702/why-cant-you-just-have-more-faith

Rachel Held Evans, 2011
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William Sloane Coffin, a great prophet of the United Church of Christ who died several years ago, fittingly, during Holy Week, once said: "As I see it, the primary religious task these days is to try to think straight...You can't think straight with a heart full of fear, for fear seeks safety, not truth. If your heart's a stone, you can't have decent thoughts – either about personal relations or about international ones. A heart full of love, on the other hand, has a limbering effect on the mind."

http://www.ucc.org/worship/samuel/may-01-2011-second-sunday-of-easter.html

Kathryn Matthews Huey, 2011
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In this house there is a disciple who does not believe. We should constantly remind people that Thomas did not doubt. He was a-pistos. Un-trusting, not- believing. What Jesus says, well translated in NRSV, is blessed are those who have trusted.

[and see the myriad of Australian farm mailboxes on his site, some very creative!]

http://onemansweb.org/theology/the-gospel-of-matthew-2011/life-in-all-its-fullness---john-20-19-31.html

Andrew Prior
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