Sermon Notes
April 7 – The Second Sunday of Easter -
John 20:19-31
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I
often try to imagine what Jesus looked like, how he walked and the sound of his
voice. He was a Jewish man of first century Palestine so he was most likely of
brownish-olive complexion with dark hair and eyes. He was by all accounts a
carpenter or stone mason, so I imagine his hands were those of a laborer. He
was familiar with the scriptures of his time, our Old Testament. He was, I
imagine charismatic, confident, healthy and with a voice that was firm and yet gentle
and non-judgmental most of the time. He spoke
about the things many people yearned for then and now – a promise of God’s
love, a caring heart, compassion, justice for the outcast, those living on the
margins of society and the weak and of God’s Kingdom. He was open to all who
approached him. Imagine you are one of those who traveled with him, watched
him, and heard him. You are in a tight group. And then he is taken away,
brutally executed like many thousands of others over the course of the life of
the Empire.
The
story from John’s Gospel tells us that the disciples, all but Thomas (so, where
was he?) had gathered in a locked room on the evening of that first day. Were
they there to worship, to pray and sing praises? No, they were afraid for their lives. They
had just heard Mary Magdalene tell them she had seen the Lord. Yeah right (cynically)
some of them might have said or thought. This is nonsense.
And then suddenly Jesus came and stood among
them. Peace be with you, he tells
them. They are excited and filled with
joy. But, in disbelief too. How can this be? You are dead!! Aren’t you?
OK, so now what?! They may be asking themselves.
But,
in a few moments they hear Jesus say again – Peace be with you. And he
continues - As the Father has sent me, so
I am sending you. Oh, OK. This is
great, we see you, hear you, and it is all quite unbelievable! Yet, our
questions and disbelief are still the same, –so, Now What?! What are you sending me, us to do? We cannot do what you did?! Can we? And what do you mean – Peace be with us? We are frightened to death.
Then he
breathed on them, “Receive the Holy Spirit” he says to them.
There
are four things that strike me in John’s story. 1) The initial disbelief of all the disciples,
not just Thomas, 2) three times Jesus says to them – peace be with you; 3) He breathed
the Holy Spirit on them, and 4) Jesus says he is sending the disciples out as
the Father had sent him.
1) The initial
disbelief of all of the disciples, not just Thomas is quite evident. Imagine
you are there the first time Jesus enters the room. Whoa! You might say. This is quite something, but I
need to know more. I am hiding in this room with my friends and colleagues
because I am afraid for my life. Today, you and I, we all have our moments of fear,
disbelief and uncertainty. And we ask –
what now!?
2) Peace be with you. On Sunday mornings we often pass the “Peace
of Christ” before worship begins. Many of us greet one another with a
handshake, a hug and a how are you, good to see you and maybe make plans to get
together, etc. and that is great – it is a recognition of one’s presence in
worship in fellowship. It is a joy to see you here.
But, the time is called “Passing
the Peace of Christ”. “Good morning, I greet you with the peace of
Christ.” – Peace be with you.
In ancient Greek and Hebrew, the languages spoken and written at
the time – Peace in the sense that Jesus spoke it is Shalom in Hebrew. In the ancient Greek, which the Gospels are
written peace is in this context is eirene
(ee-ray-na). Both the Hebrew and Greek words connote wholeness and
well-being, especially through restoring individual and corporate relationships
with God and relationships between people.
In that locked room Jesus is saying to his followers – May Wholeness
and well-being be with you. May your soul be well with God and with your fellow
human beings. When we pass the peace
of Christ to one another, this is what we are saying –I wish for you to be whole, to be enriched by a relationship with God
and with your fellow human beings. I
honor the God within you.
3)
Jesus
breathes the Holy Spirit on them. In the first few verses of Genesis the
Spirit of God hovered over the surface of the waters. At the very beginning of
the formation and ordering the universe and life we hear of the presence and
the work of the Holy Spirit. A Divine energy and presence. The Hebrew word for
this spirit and presence is ruakh. In ancient Greek word is pneuma. Wind and breath. An
energy source. God’s wind, God’s
breath. It is a difficult concept to
grasp. We tend to think linear, in blocks with boundaries. God’s Spirit is
boundless. God’s breath pulls everything
together and adds life to the void. It comes alive with a soul.
I believe the Holy Spirit teaches us how to find our path to God.
The Holy Spirit moves in us, around us and through us. It is an unseen force of
pure love and energy. We know it when we feel it. It makes us move with God in
the world. We may sense the Holy Spirit move within us when we pray – in
solitude or in community such as worship together. When we are in loving and
caring service to others we may sense this unseen, unheard power of God’s
Spirit.
4) Jesus says
he is sending the disciples out as
the God, the Father had sent him. This is where it all comes together I believe.
It is in the activity, the doing of the words of God through Jesus that brings
it to fruition. Jesus is clearly sending us, his disciples today to walk with
him. Even in our moments of doubt and uncertainty we look to God who walked the
earth and breathed life and a soul into people and into the world. When we work
to do justice, to walk humbly, and to practice kindness the Peace of the Christ,
the wholeness of life begins to take hold in us and in our community. Jesus commissions the faithful to continue the
work God sent him to do.
I am reminded of a saying by John Wesley, one
of the founders of Methodism – he writes – “Do all the good you can. By all the
means you can. In all the ways you can. In all the places you can. At all the
times you can. To all the people you can. As long as ever you can.”
Amen.