6:00 – Pizza & Fellowship, Room 6/7 6:30 – Meet & Greet, Room 1 6:45 – Opening Activity, Room 1 7:00 – Small Groups, various locations 7:30 – Presentation & Reflection, Room 1 8:00 –Dismissal

John 20:19-31

Peace Reminder (see My Bible Journal)

Acts 4:32-35 – The Believers Share Their Possessions Live it! – Looking Out for One Another (BB p. 1591) 1 John 5:1-6 – Our Victory over the World Making the Connection (see TALKING page) John 20:19-23 – Jesus Appears to His disciples Catholic Connections – Penance and Reconciliation (BB p. 1581) John 20: Jesus and Thomas Psalm 118:2-4,13-15,22-24 – A Prayer of Thanks for Victory

Opening Prayer  Heavenly Father, through these words help me understand the things you wish to teach me.  Dear Jesus, through these words let me feel the love you have for me as you feel your Father’s love for you.  Holy Spirit, through these words inspire me to live as a follower of Jesus and bring your love to everyone I meet today.  Amen

Return to double classrooms for Presentation starting at 7:30 pm

Lost Intro Jack Shepherd & Thomas the Apostle

God’s Gift of Peace Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19)

Peace in the world. Peace in our hearts. Peace on earth and in personal life is elusive, but God’s peace is everlasting. It sustains us even in crisis, for it is the presence of Christ in our lives.

Peace is more than a lack of conflict. A lull in action between two opponents only gives them a chance to regroup, to recharge for the next round. A void of violence does not lead to happiness.

True peace, on the other hand, gives us happiness, since it is built on trust. The gospel tells us how Jesus gave his followers peace because they trusted him. In spite of skepticism, he offers us the same peace.

In his gospel, John gave the reason the followers gathered together behind locked doors. They feared the Jewish leadership. “If they killed Jesus,” the followers reasoned, “the leadership would certainly be looking for us.”

Barred doors made Jesus’ followers look more suspicious. At the time, trust within the Jewish community was built upon open access. Doors were never locked. Neighbor children could enter one's house at will. Jews lived private lives in the open. Anyone who locked their doors cut themselves off from the community.

Suddenly Jesus appeared in the locked room and greeted his followers with “Shalom,” the Hebrew word for “Peace.” When God worked, he put the world in balance. No war, no hatred, no cynicism could overcome God's providence. When God worked, he put the spirit in balance. No fear, no doubt, no lack of trust could overcome the sheer joy of God's presence. Shalom meant everything was right in God's world.

When his followers saw Jesus alive with his deadly wound, they realized the “Shalom” of Jesus, for they witnessed God's activity in the world. Fear left them, for now they believed. Joy entered their hearts.

Again Jesus said “Shalom” with a command and a gift. The command: Go into the world. As the Father sent Jesus into the physical world, Jesus would now send his followers into the cultural world.

With the command came the gift: the Holy Spirit. In Greek (pneuma) and Hebrew (ruah), the word “spirit” can be translated as “breath." The word “breathe on” in Greek can be seen only here and in Genesis 2:7 where God breathed life into Adam. So, when Jesus breathed on his followers, he gave them his Spirit. When the followers took in the Spirit, they received his newly risen life.

Now they could obey the missionary command to proclaim repentance and forgive sin. Jesus told his followers to forgive or retain sin like a knot loosening or tied closely together. If the followers forgive, however, they must loosen the sinner from the guilt now and in the future.

Many have called Thomas the “Doubter.” But it was more than that. Over and over, Thomas heard the witness of the followers. But, he wanted more than their words to be convinced. He wanted to see and touch Jesus for himself. He stepped beyond skepticism (doubt) into cynicism or disbelief.

A week later, Jesus appeared again with the greeting of “Shalom.” Turning to Thomas, Jesus answered the challenge of cynicism with the challenge of faith. Thomas responded with two titles for Jesus: Lord and God. Thomas acknowledged the rightful place of Jesus as Lord; he also saw God working through the Risen Christ. Thomas finally received Christ's gift of Shalom.

In contrast to Thomas, Jesus blessed those who believed without seeing him raised from the dead. John used the word “believe” in two senses: to trust (believe in) and to hold onto the truth (believe something about). Blessed were those who placed their personal trust in Christ; they do not need proof of his resurrection, for they know he is alive. But, even blessed are those who hold onto the truths of faith with an open heart, for they will soon experience the risen Christ.

The peace Christ gives us heals the fear and cynicism of the world. This peace builds bridges of trust and allows us to walk together to the Father. His peace allows us to continue to believe and to hold on to his very life. Let us, then, offer each other the peace of Christ, the Shalom of his Spirit.

“Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” John 20:29)

Apr 15………………..Six Flags Permission Slips due!!! Apr 22 & 25…….…..Witnesses of Christ Apr 29/May 2……….The Good Shepherd (Last Session) May 4………………..Girls My Clayground May 6………………..Six Flags Day (permission slips due 4/15) Jun 11-15……………Middle School VBS

Do you know the joy of the resurrection? Journaling Activity

The Divine Mercy of Jesus Journaling Activity

That on this Divine Mercy Sunday the Church will re-dedicate herself to living and proclaiming Christ’s mercy, we pray to the Lord. R: Lord, hear our prayer. That the power of Christ’s Resurrection will destroy the culture of death, we pray to the Lord. R: Lord, hear our prayer. For those who live in confusion, ignorance, or skepticism that that they may know the truth and the light of the risen Christ, we pray to the Lord. R: Lord, hear our prayer. For the grace this week to replace any doubt we may have with the certainty of the Gospel, we pray to the Lord. R: Lord, hear our prayer.

Closing Prayer O God, You want the whole world to believe in you and in Jesus whom you sent to save us. Show us how to believe, and teach us what we should believe. Though people may laugh at us for believing, give us courage to stand up for you and live as we should. We ask you this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen Sign of Peace