Easter 2 09 - April 19, 2009..............

Acts 4:32-35; Psalm 133; 1 John 1:1 – 2:2; John 20:19-31 

 Enable Us to Show the Power of the Resurrection in All We Say and Do... Prayer of the Day
What did you do this week? I went to a Tigers game. Went to some meetings – public meeting on health care, Council meeting.... Got ready for today...Drove to Ohio, spent a night with my parents and sister,Went to a day long class at Trinity Lutheran Seminary Spent an evening with my brother, sister-in-law, nephew and niece Connor says my name now Olivia crawled over to me and pulled herself into a standing position. What did you do? Today is the Second Sunday of Easter. It’s often known as Doubting Thomas Sunday. Today deals with something that many people struggle with:  doubt.  I know many people have struggled with doubt – worry that perhaps it is a sin, that God gets angry. "Doubt is the ants in the pants of faith. Doubt keeps faith awake and moving". Frederick Buechner Maybe the danger isn’t doubt that it happened....but doubt that it makes any difference in our daily lives.  Doubt that the living Jesus actually calls us (or can empower us) to live our lives different from what society wants, what we want.
In today's prayer of the day, we asked, "Enable Us to Show the Power of the Resurrection in All We Say and Do..."
 How can we do that?  What does it look like?  Can it be seen in the ordinary activities, like those I included in my week?
I believe it can and does.
 "Faith is to believe what we do not see and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe". St. Augustine
We can see this not only in church, but in our everyday lives.  For me, my time in meetings,  my time with family, my time in my class at Trinity were all opportunities to experience the power of the resurrection.   
Jesus is alive.  It makes a difference in our daily lives.
Sometimes the way to recognize the power of the resurrection in our daily lives, is to practice by seeing it here, in our worship, ministry, and community. What do we see today?    Kids receiving Holy Communion for the first time.
At the end of the curriculum preparing kids to share in the Meal, they face the question, "When are you ready to receive Holy Communion?"  The answer comes from Luther's Small Catechism:    When you trust.
Part of being able to recognize the presence of Jesus in our daily lives is trusting that he is alive --- and his new life is 'for you' to share.
Today we will see kids receiving the bread and wine – the body and blood of Jesus – the living Lord.  They are receiving a living faith – growing in Christ -- becoming new.  Seeing them reminds us that we too are becoming new.  In Christ. If St. Augustine is right – today is a little glimpse that Jesus is alive.  And it makes a difference  -- in our every daily lives.