John 20:19-23 · Jesus Appears to His Disciples

19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

21 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

Let It Breathe...
John 20:19-31
Sermon
by Leonard Sweet
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What does it mean to be "spiritual?" In a day when "spirituality" is in and "organized religion" is out, it behooves the church to seek a biblical definition and theology of "spiritual." To this end, breathing is more than a means of propulsion; it''s a spiritual principle.

(The following discussion of "The Kiss of God" has been developed more directly in my Quantum Spirituality: A Postmodern Apologetic [Dayton: Whaleprints, 1991]. The quotes are from that book. -L.I.S)

"The human species has been twice kissed by the divine. If the first kiss brought us breath and birth, the second kiss brought us rebirth and a second breath" (298). As John records Jesus' first post-resurrection appearance to his disciples,

Jesus came and stood among them. "Peace be with you!" he said, and then showed t…

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