{"id":19549,"date":"2022-07-18T06:15:00","date_gmt":"2022-07-18T05:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/urc\/urc-daily-devotion-monday-18th-july-2022"},"modified":"2022-07-18T06:15:00","modified_gmt":"2022-07-18T05:15:00","slug":"urc-daily-devotion-monday-18th-july-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/urc-daily-devotion-monday-18th-july-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"URC Daily Devotion Monday 18th July 2022"},"content":{"rendered":"

St John 20: 19-23<\/strong><\/p>\n

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, \u2018Peace be with you.\u2019  After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.  Jesus said to them again, \u2018Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.\u2019  When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, \u2018Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.\u2019<\/p>\n

Reflection<\/strong><\/p>\n

We normally think, in Holy Week, about the crucifixion, death, and resurrection of Jesus and what it all means.<\/p>\n

We normally associate the giving of the \u2018Holy Spirit\u2019 in Acts at Pentecost with images of fire, prayers offered in multiple languages, and attention to the Church\u2019s prophetic vocation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Johannine Pentecost,\u201d as this passage is sometimes called, gets much less attention.<\/p>\n

That makes sense, since in John\u2019s Gospel Jesus does not impart the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Here, the Spirit comes at Easter, during Jesus\u2019 first post-resurrection appearance to a collection of his followers. (Earlier in the day, outside the tomb, he spoke to and commissioned only Mary Magdalene.) Also, in this passage we encounter the Spirit with less of a universal tone (in comparison to Acts); the focus here is more particular, focused on the identity and sending of a community.<\/p>\n

The close connections John draws among Jesus\u2019 promises about the Spirit, his glorification and ascension, his intimacy with the Father, and his commissions to his followers caution us not to skip over \u201cthe Johannine Pentecost\u201d too casually, as if it serves merely as a final \u201cGoodbye, and good luck\u201d from Jesus to his friends. <\/p>\n

Receiving the Spirit, the Church receives Jesus. And so the Church receives Jesus\u2019 own capacity to make God manifest, bringing light to the world. The Trinitarian intimacy inferred from John\u2019s presentation of these ideas is striking, but even more so is the intimacy expressed between the Divine and humanity.<\/p>\n

Such intimacy between God and us is but one consequence of the rich Easter confession about what happens when God raises a corpse to new life. Jesus lives, yes\u2013not apart from us, but in and through us.<\/p>\n

Prayer<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lord Jesus, we thank you that you meet us every day, just as you met your disciples after your resurrection.<\/p>\n

We thank you that your victory of good over evil, love over hate and life over death made such a difference to the lives of the disciples just as it continues to make such a difference to our lives today.<\/p>\n

And we praise you that for each of us there is always the promise of new beginnings. Amen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

St John 20: 19-23 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, \u2018Peace be with you.\u2019  After he said this, he showed them his … <\/p>\n

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