Sermon
March 29 and 30, 2008
Easter 2
Christ is Risen!
He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Sometimes we let the Easter celebration end too soon.
Last week was Easter,
but the celebration continues today.
In fact,
every weekend we gather
to remember the good news of Easter—
--resurrection and new life.
Christ is Risen!
He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Today we hear about doubting.
We focus on doubting Thomas,
but doubting seemed to be pretty common—
--and still is.
Luke tells us
that when the women told the disciples
that the tomb was empty,
they considered it an idle tale
and they did not believe them.
When they were on the mountaintop in Galilee,
Shortly before Jesus ascended into heaven,
Matthew reports that the disciples saw Jesus for the last time,
and some of them still doubted.
And in today’s account,
they were locked away in a room—
--afraid.
And Jesus came to them,
and spoke to them
and showed them his hands and his side.
And the text says,
“Then they were glad when they saw the Lord.”
Then.
Only after he showed them.
Only after there was evidence.
Doubting was common among the disciples.
And I have to say it’s common for me.
And probably for you, too.
So, it’s good to know,
that locked doors don’t keep Jesus away.
And our fear doesn’t keep Jesus away.
And not even our doubt can keep Jesus away.
Jesus comes to us.
Even in the midst of doubt.
Even in the midst of fear.
And Jesus says:
“Peace be with you.”
Peace be with you.
That’s a greeting
that was common in Jesus’ time.
But it’s more, too.
It’s what God wants for us,
for you and for me.
And it’s what God gives us.
PEACE.
Not the absence of problems or pain,
but a deeper peace than that.
Peace in the midst
of the problems
and peace in the midst of the pain.
When I’m worried about something,
I’ll often spend hours—
--particularly if I’m lying awake in bed—
--I’ll spend hours trying to figure it out.
And sometimes that’s productive time.
More often the issues just kind of spin around.
And I think one of the reasons I do that
is that I think I can rest,
I can have peace,
if I just figure it out.
If I can get the answers in my mind,
then I’ll have peace.
That’s not Jesus’ message.
The message is not that we’ll have peace
when we work it all out.
Instead,
the message is that Jesus’ brings peace
even when we can’t figure it out.
Even when we feel trapped.
Even when we don’t know how it’s going to turn out.
Even when we’re right in the middle of something
that seems overwhelming,
or hopeless,
or fills us with deep, deep pain.
Right in the middle of that,
God says:
“Peace be with you.”
And what has changed?
The problem may still be there.
The sickness or grief may still be there.
But Jesus is there, too.
With us.
By our side.
God’s Spirit even living in us.
And when God is with us,
then it’s different somehow.
Because we’re not alone.
We’re never alone.
Jesus says to you and to me:
“You don’t have to worry,
because I’m here.
I love you.
I died for you.
And because I rose again,
you know that you don’t have to worry—
--because I’ve defeated your greatest fears
--even death.
And you will live with me today,
and tomorrow,
and forever.
Peace be with you.”
And then,
verse 21:
Jesus said to them again,
“Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me,
so I send you.”
Jesus has given us assurance.
Now he gives us purpose.
We are sent out.
We are in mission.
The first two words of our mission statement are:
Following Christ.
We follow Jesus
into daily life.
Into our homes.
Into our schools and work.
To our families.
To those needy
nearby and around the world.
You are sent.
Verse 22 tells us the source of our power:
When he had said this,
he breathed on them and said to them.
“Receive the Holy Spirit…”
Would you turn with me
to hymn 488
in the green hymnal.
In Confirmation Class,
we learn about the Hebrew word for breath—“ruach”—
--which also means Spirit or Wind.
Jesus breathes on them.
He fills them with the spirit.
That’s what this hymn in talking about.
Would you read the first verse with me:
Breathe on me, breath of God;
Fill me with life anew,
That I may love all that you love
And do what you would do.
When Jesus breathes on us,
we love,
we follow,
we are filled with new life.
Would you read verse 2 with me:
Breathe on me, breath of God,
Until my heart is pure,
Until with you I will one will
To do and to endure.
We are asking Jesus to breathe on us
until our hearts are pure.
When is that?
Never—in this life.
So I hear this as a prayer for sanctification,
for God’s Spirit to continually breathe in us.
For God to stay with us
and work on us
and guide us
and shape us—
--always.
Because in this life,
we never arrive.
So God,
keep breathing on us.
Because we need it.
Always.
Forever.
And would you read/sing verse 3 with me:
Breathe on me, breath of God;
So shall I never die,
But live with you the perfect life
Of your eternity.
Finally,
one of the great gifts of Easter
is that we know we will live forever
with God in heaven.
God is with us now.
And God’s mansions are being prepared for us.
God’s breath will never, ever leave us.
I read a story a while back.
And I know a lot of you know it—
--because I see it making the rounds on the internet
from time to time.
But I still like it.
There was a woman
who was very sick with cancer.
And she wanted to start getting ready
for the time when she would die.
One of the things she did was call her pastor.
Asked him to come over,
because she had some things
she wanted to talk about.
She’d been thinking about her funeral.
They got together and talked.
And she told him what hymns she wanted at the funeral.
Which Bible verses.
Told him that she wanted to be buried
with her Bible by her side.
When they’d finished talking,
and shared a prayer,
the pastor was getting ready to leave,
when the woman said with some excitement:
“There’s one more thing.”
“What’s that?”
the pastor asked.
“I’ve been thinking about this for a long time
and I’ve decided that I want to be buried
with a fork in my right hand.”
The pastor looked at her and said:
“I don’t get it.
Why would you want to be buried
with a fork in your hand?”
The woman explained.
“Over the years,
I’ve gone to a lot of church potlucks
and meals.
My favorite part has always been at the end of the meal,
when we clear away the dishes.
And at that point in the meal,
someone would lean over and say,
‘You can keep the fork.’
And when they said that,
I’d just smile,
because I knew that something great
was about to be given to me.
Like a piece of cake,
or a piece of pie.
So, I just want people to know,
when they see the fork in my hand
that “Something better is coming.”
Something even better than cake or pie.
Life forever with Jesus.
Something better is coming.
So, today,
when you’re eating a meal,
and you reach down for your fork,
remember that there’s something better coming.
Jesus says: “Peace be with you.”
Gives you hope even in tough times
Jesus breathes on you and sends you out with the Spirit.
Sends you out in love.
Jesus gives you life everlasting.
Because there’s something better coming.
Christ is Risen!
He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
