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<div dir="ltr"><font size="3">Jesus shifts immediately to mission--"As the Father has
sent me, so I send you." Then, "he breathed on them." The disciples
are given power from the divine breath. The Greek word translated as
"breathed" is <em>emphusao</em>. It is the same word the Septuagint
uses in Genesis 2: 7: "And the Lord God...breathed into (Adam's)
nostrils the breath of life." </font></div>
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<div dir="ltr"><font size="3">Moreover, the fourth gospel's use of <em>emphusao</em> is
the only use of this word in the entire New Testament. Clearly, the
author of the fourth gospel is equating the breath of Jesus with the
breath of God. Where the Lord God breathed life into a human being, the
Lord Jesus breathes life into his church. This is yet another of the
fourth gospel's many references to the book of Genesis.</font></div>
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<div> <br>
<font size="3">http://www.progressiveinvolvement.com/progressive_involvement/2011/04/lectionary-blogging-john-20-19-31.html<br>
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</font><font size="3">John Petty, 2011<br>
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Whether it is becoming a mythic creature or conquering another
civilization, gamers can be part of any simulated world they choose. To
participate in these games, people create alternate identities called
“avatars.” These identities allow players to maneuver through virtual
societies and have encounters that they don’t have in the “real world.”
As the avatars fight demons, build amusement parks, or run political
campaigns, real humans gain insight into experiences they may never have
in actuality. These online societies can help inform and explain the
offline world.
In today’s Gospel story, we find ourselves given the opportunity to
participate in a reality that is not our own through an avatar – Thomas.
<br>
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http://www.ministrymatters.com/all/article/entry/892/sermon-starter-thomas-the-avatar<br>
<br>
</font><font size="3">Susan Brown, 2011<br>
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<strong><br>
<b>"...one day I saw the rabbit</b></strong></font><b>..."</b><br>
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http://www.ministrymatters.com/all/blog/entry/702/why-cant-you-just-have-more-faith<br>
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</font><font size="2" color="#000000">Rachel Held Evans, 2011<br>
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</font><font size="3">William Sloane Coffin, a great prophet of the United Church of Christ
who died several years ago, fittingly, during Holy Week, once said: "As I
see it, the primary religious task these days is to try to think
straight...You can't think straight with a heart full of fear, for fear
seeks safety, not truth. If your heart's a stone, you can't have decent
thoughts – either about personal relations or about international ones. A
heart full of love, on the other hand, has a limbering effect on the
mind."<br>
</font><font size="2" color="#000000"><font size="3"><br>
http://www.ucc.org/worship/samuel/may-01-2011-second-sunday-of-easter.html<br>
<br>
</font></font><font size="3">Kathryn Matthews Huey, 2011<br>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><font size="6"><font size="3">In this house there is a disciple who does not believe. We should constantly remind people that Thomas did <em>not</em> doubt.</font> <font size="3">He was <em>a-pistos</em>. Un-trusting, not- believing. What Jesus says, well translated in NRSV, is <em>blessed are those who have <span style="text-decoration: underline;">trusted</span></em>.<br>
<br>
[and see the myriad of Australian farm mailboxes on his site, some very creative!]<br>
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http://onemansweb.org/theology/the-gospel-of-matthew-2011/life-in-all-its-fullness---john-20-19-31.html<br>
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Andrew Prior</font><font size="2" color="#000000"><font size="3"><br>
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