“I have seen the Lord!” (Easter 2021)
Last year we celebrated Easter from a distance due to COVID. We were thankful for the technology that allowed us to meet virtually, but it wasn’t the same. As the risen body of Jesus itself suggests, there is something significant about our embodied selves and worshiping together. We are excited, then, to be able to celebrate Easter this year together, in person (for those who are able)!
For three Sundays and Good Friday, we will direct our eyes to the passion and resurrection of Jesus through the lens of the Gospel according to John. We will pay particular attention to the theme that the risen Jesus is Lord of all things. Join us and invite your friends to encounter Jesus in a fresh way this year!
| Date | Text | Theme |
| Mar 28 | John 12:12-26 | Palm Sunday: “Lord save!” |
| Apr 2 | Various | Good Friday: the Lord on the cross |
| Apr 4 | John 20:1-18 | Easter Sunday: “I have seen the Lord!” |
| Apr 11 | John 20:34-31 | “My Lord and My God!” |
Listen
Reflection Questions
The questions below are great to use in a small group or for personal application. Click on the arrow or heading to expand and show the questions.
My Lord and My God! (John 20:24-31, April 11)
- What are some of your biggest areas where you have “sincere caution” about Christian claims?
- What were you taught growing up to do with those questions?
- What can you and the church do to make our fellowship a place where serious questions can be engaged?
- What are the implications of Thomas’s confession that Jesus is “God” (theos)?
I Have Seen the Lord (John 20:1-18, April 4)
- What are the four main (inadequate) responses to the resurrection found in this passage? Where do you most often gravitate?
- What is the significance of the bodily resurrection?
Lord, Save! (John 12:12-26, March 28)
- Where do you tend to want more evidence for the claims of Christ before accepting them?
- Look at Psalm 118. How does it reflect the life and, ultimately, rejection of Jesus (esp v22)?
- Look at Zech 9:9. How does it reflect the saving arrival of Jesus?
- Reflect: “Palm Sunday is not really a triumphal entry but an a-triumphal entry.”
- Why is a “resurrection” necessary to believe in Jesus as king, more than just mere evidence?
- Where do most people seek reasons not to believe? How can you respond?
Special Sunday School (4/4)
Pastor Lanier led a special adult Sunday school on Easter Sunday discussing why the resurrection of Jesus matters.
