Come and Seeنموونە

Blinded by the darkness of the cross, the followers of Jesus couldn’t see the truth behind
the empty tomb. For Mary Magdalene, finding it empty filled her with sorrow rather than joy.
Frantically, she looked for a lifeless body, searching for an explanation that would make sense.
Her mind ignored the miracle behind the empty grave, the discarded clothes, and the sitting
angels. Even when He stood in front of her, she couldn’t comprehend the impossible truth. Until
He said her name. Then opening her eyes, she saw the resurrected Christ and joyfully she
exclaimed, “I have seen the Lord!”.

Later, inside a room locked with fear, Thomas had sunk deep into the bitter reality of His
teacher’s death. So intense was his despair that he wouldn’t let himself have faith in something
that sounded too good to be true. Unless he could see the evidence for himself, he would not
believe. But then Jesus appeared. At the sound of His voice and the sight of His wounds, all
doubt washed away. His eyes were opened, and Thomas proclaimed, “My Lord and my God!”
The resurrected Christ was confirmed by over 500 eyewitnesses, but Jesus said, “Blessed are
those who believe without seeing me.” This is our blessing.

It's hard to have faith in things that aren’t visible. Being physical people, we want to be
able to connect truth to the things we can touch. But, when we open our eyes, the reality of His
presence is all around us.

All faith hangs on the truth of His resurrection. It is this truth of our risen Lord that brings
eternal life, and it is through this truth that He gives His Holy Spirit. In Him, the very real, yet
unseen presence of God is always with us. Open your eyes to Him. It’s not enough to just believe
that Jesus died. We must also believe that He lives.

DAILY READING

Read John 20

CHRISTMAS CONNECTION

“Believe” is a Christmas phrase usually associated with Santa. However, belief should be most
closely connected to Christ. Tonight, find a verse that has helped strengthen your faith. Leave it
out and be ready to share it tomorrow with loved ones. Each family member can do this as a way
of encouraging each other’s faith.