The LORD God is the Creator of the ends of the earth. He has established laws in nature which govern all the processes of life–planting, growth, cultivation and harvest. These principles give us insight on how to conduct our lives, families, churches, and societies (to continue reading this essay, click on image above).
Jesus Appears to His Own, John 20.19-31
Christ meets us precisely where we are, in our places of fear and doubt, offering his peace and inviting us to move from skepticism to faith through personal encounter with him. Just as Jesus did not rebuke Thomas for his doubts but rather compassionately provided the evidence Thomas needed for his assurance, so our honest questions and spiritual wrestling can lead us to deeper conviction when we bring them before the Lord. In commissioning his disciples Jesus reminds us that encountering him is not merely for personal assurance but to propel us into the mission of God’s reconciling work in the world. The purpose of God’s revelation in Christ is to move us to believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah and Son of God, the one whom God has sent to grant eternal life to all who believe.
Our Focus Today
Thomas’s Absence and Doubt.
Thomas, who was absent during Jesus’ first appearance, expresses skepticism and demands physical proof of Jesus’ resurrection, John 20.24-25.
Invocation
Gracious God, I come before you with my own Thomas-like tendencies to doubt and to frequently demand from you tangible proof before I will fully trust your promises. Meet me in my skepticism as I honestly bring my questions and uncertainties into your presence, knowing that you welcome our authentic struggles. Grant me the humility to recognize the value of the faith community’s testimony and the wisdom to discern when my own insistence on personal verification may limit my spiritual growth. Amen.
Gloria Patri
Glory be to the Father,
And to the Son and to the Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning,
Is now, and ever shall be,
World without end. Amen, amen.
Chronological Scripture Readings for Today
These Scriptures allow us to read through the entire Bible in one year in chronological order.
Wednesday: Prov. 14-16
Psalms and Proverb for Today
These Scriptures allow us to read through the Psalms and Proverbs each month.
Wednesday: Psalm 30, 60, 90, 120, 150 and Proverbs 30
Thomas’s Absence and Doubt.
Thomas, who was absent during Jesus’ first appearance, expresses skepticism and demands physical proof of Jesus’ resurrection, John 20.24-25.
Reflection
Thomas’s absence from the community at this crucial moment reminds us of how isolation can intensify doubt. His skepticism reveals the deeply human struggle to accept the unprecedented reality of resurrection. Rather than accepting the unified testimony of the other disciples, Thomas insisted on the authority of his own observation and personal experience—an understandable yet limiting approach to faith that privileges individual verification over communal witness. His detailed requirements for belief—seeing the nail marks and touching the wounds—focusing on proofs that would only satisfy his understanding of Jesus’ resurrection. We should examine our own demands for evidence before believing, to recognize the value of our larger (and ancient) community in sustaining our faith. While Jesus does not condemn doubt, he does later suggest that there is a greater blessing in believing without requiring physical proof.
Engaging God’s Word Today
What personal conditions or evidence have you set as necessary before you will believe certain aspects of God’s promises or character? How do these requirements hinder your ability to experience the fullness of faith that comes through trusting the testimony of Scripture and the witness of the faith community?
Nicene Creed
We believe in one God, The Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth and of all things visible and invisible.
We believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Begotten Son of God,
Begotten of the Father before all ages,
God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God,
Begotten not created, of the same essence as the Father,
through Whom all things were made.
Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven
and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary and became human.
Who for us too, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, suffered and was buried.
The third day He rose again according to the Scriptures, ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and His kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and life-giver,
Who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
Who together with the Father and Son is worshiped and glorified.
Who spoke by the prophets.
We believe in one holy, catholic, and apostolic church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sin,
and we look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the age to come. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory for ever. Amen.
Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him all creatures here below;
Praise Him above ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.
Benediction
Eternal God, please meet me in my places of honest doubt with compassion rather than condemnation, providing what I need to believe while you gently lead me toward a faith that transcends physical evidence. Help me to find strength and encouragement in the testimony of others when my own experience seems insufficient to sustain belief. And may my journey from skepticism to conviction become itself a powerful testimony that draws others toward your Son, the risen Christ. Amen.
Scripture Memory for this season
Psalm 1.1-3 (ESV):
1 “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither.
4 In all that he does, he prospers.”
Scripture Engagement
As disciples of Jesus, the Churches of Christ the King strongly seek to engage the Scriptures to discover the centrality of Christ and his Kingdom in the prophetic and apostolic writings. You will find a rich treasure of resources on engaging Scripture at the Center for Scripture Engagement of Taylor University.
Book Reading and Reflection
“Why is it so easy to repeat bad habits and so hard to form good ones? Few things can have a more powerful impact on your life than improving your daily habits. And yet it is likely that this time next year you’ll be doing the same thing rather than something better. It often feels difficult to keep good habits going for more than a few days, even with sincere effort and the occasional burst of motivation. Habits like exercise, meditation, journaling, and cooking are reasonable for a day or two and then become a hassle.
However, once your habits are established, they seem to stick around forever—especially the unwanted ones. Despite our best intentions, unhealthy habits like eating junk food, watching too much television, procrastinating, and smoking can feel impossible to break. Changing our habits is challenging for two reasons: (1) we try to change the wrong thing and (2) we try to change our habits in the wrong way.”
~ Clear, James, Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones. Penguin Random House UK, 2018. Electronic Edition., Location 410.
Seedling Focus for the Season: The Tree Planted by Streams of Water
Description: A spiritually mature believer bears fruit in all circumstances and seasons of life, Psalm 1.1-3.
On Eagles Wings Prayer Focus: A Long Time Comin‘
Worthy Is the Lamb Who Was Slain, Revelation 5.11-14.
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