Daily Dose of Hope
November 13, 2025
Scripture – John 20
Prayer: Almighty God and Risen Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, We come before you today with praise and a sense of awe. Even though you are incredibly mighty and take care of us in such fundamental ways, we struggle to stay focused on our faith. Help us gather our scattered and distracted thoughts. Help us take a moment of silence and remember who you are...Holy Spirit, speak to us today. We want to hear your voice. In Your Name, Amen.
Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan. As most of you know, we have been walking through the Gospels and will soon walk through Acts. Today, we walk through John 20.
Let me start by saying this. The resurrection of Jesus is the most critical event in our faith; we could argue it was the most critical event of all time. Jesus wasn't simply resuscitated. He wasn't just alive in a spiritual way. It wasn't his ghost that showed up in that room with the disciples. Jesus was dead with no pulse, no heartbeat, wrapped in grave clothes and laid in a tomb, AND then he became alive again in a totally real, physical sense. Death to life. That is huge and that is what today's passage discusses with lots of great detail.
It starts with an empty tomb. Mary Magdalene heads over to the tomb on Sunday morning. We know from other Gospel accounts that she wanted to properly prepare Jesus' body for burial, as the Friday tomb situation had been rushed. It's then she saw that the stone had been removed. She goes to get Simon Peter and the other disciple whom Jesus loved (most likely John, the author). They rushed to the tomb. Jesus' body was no longer there but the strips of cloth used to wrap his dead body were still present.
John went inside. He saw and believed. Think about those words. He had been walking with Jesus for three years. John saw miracle after miracle, healing after healing, feeding after feeding. But none of it made sense. It now makes sense. What Jesus said would happen has happened. The cross did not have the final word. Jesus Christ defeated death and darkness. He overcame the world.
Jesus then appears to Mary Magdalene, to the disciples, and then specifically to Thomas, who said he needed to see the scars himself to truly believe. Jesus knew that his dear friends would be feeling thoroughly defeated and they needed his presence. The Holy Spirit was not yet here and they needed to see his physical body to have the peace that only Jesus can bring. He also wants to encourage them to continue his mission. Nothing is done. One of my favorite verses is John 20:21, Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." And then he breathes on them so they receive the Spirit. They won't fully receive the Spirit until Pentecost but I think they got a taste of God's Spirit right here, enough to empower them and encourage them to keep on keeping on.
The transforming power of God was at work then and is still at work today! The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives within us as believers. There is power in that, friends! We are resurrection people. We believe that what was dead can be brought to life. We believe that we are new people in Jesus Christ. We believe that we are raised with Christ. We believe that there is so much more to this world than meets the eye. How have you seen resurrection power at work in your life?
Blessings,
Pastor Vicki
