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The Vine at Home

Sunday 14th April 2024 – Third Sunday of Easter – Year B

Opening Prayers
Take a moment to centre yourself and listen to your breath. Once you feel still and a bit
calm, you might like to read these words out loud.
God of all time – today I worship you as the Author of Life, the Source of all that is good. I
pause in wonder; to give thanks for the world you have created, for my life, for this day.
God of all time – today I worship you as the Incarnate Word, the One who knows what it is
to be human.
God of all time – today I worship you in the power of the Holy Spirit, poured out on me this
and every day.
Use this time – this time marked for worship and reflection, but also this whole day, my
whole life, as a blessing for the world. May I receive your love, and share it with the world.
Amen.

You may now wish to say the Lord’s Prayer in a version or translation with which you
are comfortable.

Hymn:
82 STF – O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder – YouTube

Readings: Luke 24:36b-48 – Click for reading

Responding to the reading
Don’t necessarily try to answer all these questions now, but read them through, and reflect
on anything that speaks to you.
– What does “peace” mean to you, and how does Jesus’ greeting of “Peace to you”
challenge your understanding of peace in today’s world?
– How can you embody Jesus’ message of peace as an agent of reconciliation in the
place that you call home and in the wider world, particularly in the face of division
and conflict?
– In what ways can the church or community that you are connected to work towards
justice and liberation for the marginalised and oppressed, following the example of
Jesus’ ministry? How are we already doing that? Is there something different or more
you could be doing, or could stop doing?
– Reflecting on the concept of peace as transformation, how can you allow Jesus’
message of peace to transform your hearts, minds, and actions, and how can we be
agents of transformation in our communities?

1 // Easter 3B – 14th April 2024

The Vine at Home is compiled and produced by twelvebaskets

These are big questions, take your time with them, think them over, make some notes, talk
to a friend. Perhaps some of these thoughts might help you as you continue to reflect.
In the Luke passage, you can read that Jesus’ disciples were filled with fear and doubt,
grappling with the reality of his resurrection. Did they believe? Did some of them, and not
others? Were they fearful that they might have got themselves caught up in something
rather bigger than they had realised?
Perhaps they also had mixed reactions to the recognition of how radical this Jesus
message was… If the rumours were true, that Jesus really was coming back from the dead
(or already had), then this might well be the revolution, it might just change everything…
surely a time of great uncertainty, conflict and pain was ahead, even if it was to bring about
the change they wanted… Maybe some of them were energised by this, but most – we can
see – were full of fear and doubt.
Yet, in the midst of their turmoil, Jesus offers them peace. This radical peace transcends
circumstances and transforms hearts. It is in this context of potential revolution, political
unrest and radical change that Jesus begins with peace. The resurrection, remember, was
illegal…Jesus’ body had been condemned, and was now no longer dead. But this was not
an act of war, rather one of ultimate, deep, radical peace.
True peace cannot exist without justice. Jesus’ ministry was marked by a commitment to
justice and liberation for the marginalised and oppressed. As followers of Christ, we are
called to work towards a world where all are treated with dignity and equality, where justice
flows like a mighty river. Not that we continue to invest in the status quo, because it’s
‘easier’, but we work for those who do not get a good deal at the moment, and ensure that
peace also brings justice.
Finally, Jesus’ greeting of “Peace to you” signifies more than a mere wish for tranquillity. It
is a proclamation of transformation – a transformation of hearts, minds, and communities.
As you seek to embrace Jesus’ message of peace, each of us is called to be transformed
and to be agents of transformation in the world around us.
As you reflect on Jesus’ words, “Peace to you,” may you be challenged and inspired to
embody radical peace in your life and in our world. May the peace of Christ be with you.

Hymn:
313 STF – Thine be the glory – YouTube

Blessing
May you go out with joy and be let forth with peace, and may the streets and houses be
filled with hope, and the trees of the field clap their hands!
May you go and be that people – a joy-filled, joy-giving, joy-bringing kind of person, an