John 20:19-31
Lead in: John 20:19-31 takes us to the room where the disciples are holding out. They have locked the door for fear that what happened to Jesus would happen to them. They are struggling to make sense of all that has happened. The one they had followed for the last three years was crucified on a cross and is now gone. They are left confused, scared, and without hope. They are not at peace and things seem hopeless.
Prompt: If there ever were a time when things seemed most hopeless for you, when was that?
Prompt: Are there locked doors of fear that you might be hiding behind these days? If so, what are they?
Lead in: But then, through locked doors the Risen Jesus appears. In an instant, the mood of the room shifts from dark despair to incredulous joy.
Prompt: Can you think of a time when it looked like disaster, but then suddenly things changed for the better? What did that do for your mood and outlook?
Lead in: The first words out of the mouth of the Risen Jesus are, “Peace be with you.” The peace Jesus offers does not depend on favorable circumstances. It’s like the waters found at the bottom of the ocean. No matter how turbulent the waters on the surface, down below all remains calm and quiet. This is the peace Jesus offers his disciples.
Prompt: Where is it in your life these days where you wish you could feel more of the peace that Jesus offers? What would you have to change in your way of thinking to feel that peace?
Lead in: The Risen Jesus showed the disciples his hands and his side, his wounds. How difficult it is sometimes for us to share with another our wounds. Invariably, our wounds are the place where we have been hurt by life.
Prompt: What are the wounds that life may have handed on to you, the disappointments, the heartaches, the regrets you still live with? To be healed, what is being asked of you?
Lead in: Thomas’ skepticism is often seen as a lack of faith. Yet, it took courage for Thomas to admit his struggle in coming to authentic faith.
Prompt: What have been the struggles in your faith journey that have brought you to deeper faith?
