Devotion:
Read John 20:19-23.
The writer of this Gospel has caused us to remember the book of Genesis before. The first three words he used to begin his Gospel were the same ones used to begin Genesis: “In the beginning…” As he nears the end of his telling of the story of Jesus, he offers a scene on the evening of Easter that takes us back to Genesis again. It was our devotional text for yesterday, where the writer says that God breathed the breath of life into the first human.
Here in the Gospel, Jesus enters a room that is lifeless. His followers are physically locked inside the room, but also spiritually locked up inside because of fear. Then comes this image of Jesus breathing on them and inviting them to receive the Holy Spirit. Once again, the breath of God is being given to lifeless humans. Until we get that breath/Spirit, we cannot live as God has created us to live. Without God’s Spirit, we cannot be the fully alive and fully functioning humans that God has created us to be.
When you experience those times in life when you feel spiritually lifeless, remember to seek the One who gives the breath/Spirit of life. Whether you are feeling scared, hopeless, lost or whatever else is depleting you, open yourself to the God who gives both physical and spiritual life. And notice that our focus from last Sunday shows up again in this scene: Christ sends us with his peace to forgive others. It is one of the primary ways God invites us to receive and give life. It is one of the primary ways we receive and give the Holy Spirit.
Personal Worship Option:
Offer this prayer verse from an old hymn written in 1878 by Edwin Hatch:
Breathe on me, Breath of God, fill me with life anew,
that I may love what thou dost love, and do what thou wouldst do.
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