My husband, Pastor Patrick Sipes, will be our guest blogger with a prayer meditation for the Easter season. He is currently serving as the transitional minister at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in North Platte, Nebraska, and will be inviting congregation members into these meditations in worship. May God bless you as you explore Scripture through Prayer.

Bible Reading

John 20:19-31 NRSV: Jesus Appears to the Disciples

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, “Peace be with you.” ²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. ²¹ Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” ²² When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
Jesus and Thomas
²⁴ But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵ So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
²⁶ A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” ²⁸ Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
The Purpose of This Book
³⁰ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. ³¹ But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Prayer Meditation

On the evening of the resurrection, Jesus visits his disciples in the upper room where they are hiding behind locked doors. As he enters, the room, he greets the disciples with the phrase, “Peace be with you.” Through this prayer, we ask for that same peace in many places of our own lives.

In our lives, we have places of fear, fear of illness, fear of injury, fear of others, fear at times that we simply cannot place a finger on or name but it is there none the less. This morning we take a few moments to bring those places of fear to Jesus.

(Take some time for bringing fears to mind, heart, and body.)

As you bring your fears to Jesus, hear his words, “Peace be with you.”

In our lives we have reason to rejoice. Places where we see new life coming, accomplishments that we have achieved, birthdays, anniversaries of many kinds, small things like simply getting out of bed. This morning, we take a few moments to bring those places of celebration to Jesus.

(Take some time for bringing things that make you rejoice to mind, heart, and body.)

As you rejoice with Jesus, hear his words, “Peace be with you.”

In our lives there are things that make us doubt. There is news that seems to good to be true, there or places where our expectations have not been met, there are lies and half truths that are difficult to sort through. This morning, we take a few moments to bring our doubts to Jesus.

(Take some time for bringing doubts to mind, heart, and body.)

As you bring your doubts to Jesus hear his words, “Peace be with you.”

May this time of worship be a time that fills your whole being with the peace of Christ. Amen.