Sunday, April 28, 2002
John 14:1-14
I hadn't really thought about it until I read today's DBD, but this passage is all about getting from this world to the next one.
posted by Susanna King 10:37 PM
Monday, April 22, 2002
John 10:1-10
I love the writer's anecdote about this passage! In the sermon this morning, the rector focused on the very same verse, verse 10. He pointed out that abundant life doesn't mean getting everything you want. Rather, it's a life rich with God's grace and love, a life lived with the joy of knowing Him.
posted by Susanna King 12:05 AM
Tuesday, April 09, 2002
John 14:18-31
(This reading makes more sense if you start at verse 15.) "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me."
posted by Susanna King 10:59 PM
Sunday, April 07, 2002
John 20:19-31
I am glad that Thomas doubted, because it gives me someone to relate to when I have doubts. Jesus didn't hesitate to quench Thomas' doubts, so I know he will gladly answer mine. I know that it's OK to question, and that my questions will be answered, somehow. Whether or not I accept those answers is a matter of faith.
posted by Susanna King 10:11 PM
Friday, April 05, 2002
John 21:1-14
This month's DBD writer is really jumping around all over the Bible! It is interesting, though, to read the different resurrection stories from the different gospels one after another.
In this passage from John, Jesus shares a simple breakfast of fish and bread with his disciples. It's a poignant reminder of the last meal they shared before his crucifixion, and, as the writer points out, also a reminder that every time we sit down and "break bread" together we are sharing the gifts of God and he is in our presence.
posted by Susanna King 9:58 PM
Thursday, April 04, 2002
Luke 24:36-48
In verses 45-47, Jesus explains the whole story to the disciples. He prepares them to be the first witnesses to his resurrection, so that they can go out and tell the rest of the world. It's neat to think, as the writer points out, that that's why I've heard Jesus' story myself.
posted by Susanna King 10:53 PM
Wednesday, April 03, 2002
Acts 3:1-10
I like what the writer said about this passage: "Each of us has the opportunity to give what we have been given."
posted by Susanna King 11:10 PM
Tuesday, April 02, 2002
John 20:11-18
Happy Easter! My quiet time blog is back, and a few months early. I decided I needed a change from the Psalms and now was as good a time as any to go back to Day by Day. However, I have decided to change the format of this journal a little bit. Instead of just commenting on the reading, I will try to justify its existence in the "creative" section of this web site by sometimes drawing a picture or posting a snippet of a song or poem or story. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens.
Today's reading, however, makes me just want to write a commentary. On Easter, we read Matthew 28:1-10 in church, so it is kind of odd to read a different version of the Resurrection so soon. But what strikes me more than the differences between these passages are the similarities: Mary visiting the tomb, the angel appearing to her, Jesus appearing to her and telling her to go tell the disciples that she's seen him. Also, her joy at seeing Jesus alive. I looked at the story as told by Luke and Mark, and they are also very similar, with the exception that they all contain more people and fewer angels, and Mark says the women were so scared they didn't tell anyone.
It's remarkable to think how many centuries people have been telling others about Jesus' resurrection, when other prophets and religious leaders of that time have faded into the past. Sometimes I wonder if God didn't wait just until He thought our written language had progressed to the point where we could preserve the story of the Messiah before sending Jesus. Any earlier, accounts could have become muddled through oral retellings; any later, and many more people would have had to live and die without salvation.
posted by Susanna King 9:44 PM