Sunday’s Blessing – 05/03/2026 – 5th Sunday of Easter: Preparation for Ministry – Focusing on the Church as the Body of Christ in the World

Sunday’s Blessing – 05/03/2026 – 5th Sunday of Easter: Preparation for Ministry – Focusing on the Church as the Body of Christ in the World

I heard a story about one of the first attempts at creating artificial intelligence (AI). A group of British computer experts of their day (mid-1900s) developed a computer which could “learn”. They provided the entire Bible as input to its knowledge base, then the time came to ask it the first question: “Why did Jesus come to earth?” The computer searched its data to come up with an answer. The conclusion was then printed on a piece of paper (its only form of communication). With a little fear and trepidation, the scientists picked up the paper and read the brief statement returned by the computer. It said: “To establish His Kingdom on the earth.”

The gospel is so simple that a child can understand, but also simple enough for those with great intelligence (real or artificial) can comprehend. Why do we make it so difficult? On this 5th Sunday of Easter (according to the liturgical calendar) we focus on the church (the called-out ones) as the body of Christ in the world. Paul used the term “ambassador” in one of his letters to the church at Corinth. An ambassador is one sent with a message from another, in our current vernacular, that of political representation in another country. The Christian is no longer a citizen of earth but instead has become a citizen of the Kingdom of Heaven. And like the political ambassador, the Christian has a message for the earth to hear: that God is reconciling the world to Himself, not counting sins against them, through Jesus.

If we could only keep things that simple. Perhaps we can lose some of the rhetoric and keep the message clear: God love you and has a wonderful plan for your life. (1st of the Four Spiritual Laws). On this Resurrection Sunday (every Sunday is Resurrection Sunday) let us do our job and represent the Kingdom of Heaven to those around us here on the earth. Let us speak well of our Lord (which means tell the truth about His nature and character) so that others will want to know more about our homeland; perhaps even enough to want to change their citizenship.

Today’s Blessing:

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 (ESV)

Sunday’s Blessing – 04/19/2026 – 3rd Sunday of Easter - Continued celebration of the Resurrection and Its Impact on the Early Church

Sunday’s Blessing – 04/19/2026 – 3rd Sunday of Easter - Continued celebration of the Resurrection and Its Impact on the Early Church

Every Sunday in the liturgical calendar is Resurrection Sunday. On this particular day, the 3rd Sunday of Easter, the focus is on the Continued celebration of the Resurrection and Its Impact on the Early Church. After Jesus came out of the tomb, He was seen by many people. Some say as many as 515 people saw Jesus in the flesh, alive, after He was crucified, buried, and then was raised from the dead. That’s a lot of people! It’s not easy to get even a few people to concoct a false narrative about most anything. But 515 people? That would be nearly impossible.

There had already been a precedent for someone coming back from the dead. Lazarus, the friend of Jesus, brother of Martha and Mary, came out of the tomb at Jesus’ command. He had been dead for several days to the point that the sisters discouraged the men from rolling away the cover of the entrance to the tomb, saying, “He’s already stinking.” Jesus gave the command, “Lazarus, come forth.” When Lazarus stepped out of the tomb it caused quite a stir.

But now Jesus, who had prophesied His own resurrection, comparing it to rebuilding the temple after it was demolished, stood in their presence alive, bearing in His body the scars of the nails and the spear, the crown of thorns and the scourging, speaking words which now carried a new weight saying, “Come, place your finger in the holes. They are real.”

When word began to spread that Jesus was, indeed, alive it ignited faith in what had been spoken by this one called Jesus, and they believed He was the Messiah sent by God to redeem mankind back to their Creator. Like the two who walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus, just His words caused their hearts to “burn within us”.

In just a few more weeks after the resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven right before the eyes of many of these people. They heard His final words of hope when the Promised One, the Holy Spirit, would be sent to abide IN them, not just ON them as He had up until this time. That would be the confidence they would have of a new heart and a new life.

Today’s Blessing:

Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”  Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:26-30 (ESV)

Sunday’s Blessing – 04/12/2026 – 2nd Sunday of Easter – Divine Mercy

Sunday’s Blessing – 04/12/2026 – 2nd Sunday of Easter – Divine Mercy

I’m still learning about the liturgical calendar. I never knew the Easter theme continued for seven weeks until Pentecost Sunday. This year, the seven themes for the Sundays of Easter cover the full scope of the relationship between the Believer and the Creator.

Since this series started last week (and I missed it) let’s look at this year’s theme for Easter Sunday was the Focus of Hope, Victory Over Death, and New Beginnings. Jesus promised His disciples that He would rise from the dead on the third day. He wanted to give them something to hope for, something to believe in, something to replace the black hole the crucifixion of Jesus would create in their soul.

Through the victory over Death, Hell, and the Grave, He restored their belief that Jesus was, in fact, the Messiah. Life as they knew it would never be the same. It truly was a time of new beginnings.

This week, the 2nd Sunday of Easter, calls us to look at Divine Mercy. As humans, we have the ability to show a level of mercy to others. Things like compassion, pity, and empathy can lead us to things for others, but when you look back at all Christ endured in the week leading up to the crucifixion, you see something beyond human caring. You see Divine Mercy in action. Jesus, laying down every aspect of His human life to become the Supreme Sacrifice needed to save mankind, gave Himself up as the Passover Lamb without spot or blemish, providing the blood needed for the propitiation (see earlier post explaining this) to redeem all people, past, present, and future.

When Jesus presented Himself to the disciples and others in the days following His crucifixion, He restored hope in the promise of the Father to send the Second Adam, the Son of God, to once-for-all remove the penalty of sin brought on by the First Adam. Jesus fulfilled the promise made by the Creator in the Garden of Eden when He proclaimed, “The seed of Eve would crush the head of the serpent (satan).” This was accomplished by the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Divine Mercy had intervened into human existence to make salvation possible. This was the purpose of Easter.

Today’s Blessing:

Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16 (ESV)

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV)

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 2:4-6 (ESV)

Sunday’s Blessing- 04/05/2026 - Easter Sunday

Sunday’s Blessing- 04/05/2026 - Easter Sunday

He is risen indeed!

Sunday’s Blessing – 04/20/2025 – Resurrection Sunday – I AM the Resurrection and the Life

Many liturgical churches who observe Lent redecorate their buildings to reflect the time of fasting. They replace the cross of gold with one of wood, the brass collection plates with wicker baskets, and the beautiful flowers normally adorning the pulpit with some leafless tree branches. All of this serves as a visual reminder that they are in a time fasting, awaiting the resurrection of the Savior.

Then, on Easter Sunday, also called Resurrection Sunday, all of the usual beautiful and ornate décor are returned to their rightful place. Everything is shouting, “He is alive!” Jesus declared to those who would listen that He would rise again. The final I AM we will consider is found in John 11:25:

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live.” (ESV)

This was spoken outside the tomb of Lazarus, the friend of Jesus who had died had been buried for days. Martha, the sister of Lazarus, was lamenting to Jesus, saying, “If only you had been here he would not have died.” She had faith to see her brother healed, but did not realize the power operating in Jesus was not only strong enough to heal the sick, but could also bring them back from the dead. That’s when He declared, “I AM the Resurrection.” It was something He did, but it was also part of who He was.

Jesus then demonstrated this by commanding Lazarus, who was dead, to come out of the tomb. And he did! I will not take time to cover all of it here, but this is when the religious leaders decided to kill Jesus; not with their hands, but with the blessing of Roman government who ruled over them. They could discount the healings, but who could argue with a dead man who came back to life?

This is still what Jesus does today. As Paul stated in Romans 5:8, “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (ESV). We were dead, not physically like Lazarus, but spiritually dead, separated from the Father. Jesus comes and gives us life, resurrecting our dead spirit so we can be born again, back into fellowship with our Creator.

Now for this week’s blessing:

May you experience a complete resurrection through Christ, the Risen Savior

So you can walk in the life He purchased for you with His own death

So in turn, you can lay down your life for others

Being poured out as a sacrifice of praise to the glory of God

May you comprehend the lengths God went through to bring you back to life

From the Garden when man sinned and became separated from God

Then passed on that spiritual death to everyone after Adam

But ended when Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice to redeem you from death

May you be refreshed by the depths of God’s love

Demonstrated by Christ who became an example for us

Lead by the Holy Spirit and empowered to do only what the Father commanded

You now live a life full of the blessings of God

May the resurrection of Jesus be evident in your life

By reflecting the glory of God in the earth

Speaking the good news of salvation, redemption, and restoration

Turning others back to the Father, full of grace and truth

Sunday’s Blessing – 03/31/2024

As you walk through this Easter Sunday, among all the beauty of God’s creation

May you never cease to be amazed at the wonder around you

If you cannot see the wonder, I pray you will slow down a moment

So you can find the beautiful expression of God’s creativity

In the budding trees and plants, in the joyous laughter of children

As you greet your family or your neighbor

Or simply realize you are still breathing

May the reality of The Resurrection give you renewed hope

And awareness of God’s grace and mercy

To know that no tomb, real or imagined, can contain the life God has placed in you

And to experience the stone-moving power of God to release you

From any and all feelings of captivity

To allow the God-life in you to flourish

And affect your world for the Kingdom