John 20:19-31
19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were 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 his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” 26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
Conversation Time
What are our biggest fears? For ourselves? For our children and grandchildren?
Are there any particular people or group of people that we are afraid of? Why?
What would our fears be, if we were a citizen of, or soldier serving in Afghanistan, Thailand, Kyrgyzstan?
Do we have any fears about God? Why are we afraid of God? Should anyone be afraid of God? If so who should be?
Sermon
The doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jewish leaders.
Fear seem to be a very strong feeling in most people’s lives. I am reminded of the story of the single mother in Moose Jaw, who recently won ½ million dollars. I don’t remember the details about how she became a single mother. According to the story she has only ever purchased one lottery ticket…this one…and it is the winner. She says that the win will not change what she does…to a great extent… She will still live in the same house…and she will still go to work cleaning the Coop store after hours… She told all about how hard she and her two children had to work to survive. The boys worked along side their mother… If they wanted to spend time with their friends they had to help first or the friends helped out… They even came home from University on weekends to help.
For me the most interesting part of the interview came close to the end. She began talking about her fears… Surprisingly she was not afraid during the time when she had very little… when she had to work so hard to survive and raise her children. She was also not afraid when she was sick for months and unable to work…and her sons and friends pitched in to help. When all the assets available to her was her job and having to go out to work every day to live she was never afraid…
Strangely though… now that she has money…she is afraid. She is afraid that her windfall will disappear. She is afraid that someone may come along and defraud her of it. She is afraid about how to invest it and preserve it for her retirement… and is there enough?
I am presently reading a book about slavery in the USA. It is told through the eyes of an African girl who is snatched from her home and brought to South Carolina. What is most interesting is who and why people in this story are fearful. At home in Africa this young was an only child of a very liberated family. At age 10 and 11 the girl accompanied and learned the mid-wife trade from her mother. Her father…a devout Muslim… taught her that daily prayers and how to write Arabic symbols. This young independent minded girl… never seemed to be afraid…even when she lost everything important to her. She wasn’t afraid on the ocean journey. She wasn’t afraid when she was forced to work. She wasn’t even afraid when she was raped by her owner.
However, the people most afraid were the slave owners. They were filled with fear about loosing the assets… who made them rich. Fear caused them beat and humiliated their slaves into submission. Slaves could never look their owner in the eye… They could not talk proper English… Fear caused owners to beat them for being uppity… Fear that others would follow…caused slave owners to cut off fingers and toes of runners… Slave owners always lived in fear of a revolt… and cruelly suppressed any attempts.
Of course fear is familiar to everyone including us. Older people are concerned about end of life issues… As we age we become fearful when the hospital is far away…or when doctors leave the community… People who are concerned about creation and future generations… are often fearful about how the products and bi-products of industrialization and technological advances… damage the environment. We are fearful about living in a damaged polluted the world. Canadians citizens are often fearful…because citizens new to our country… don’t look as familiar as they used to…and we are fearful that their religion don’t proclaim the same values. Young parents are often fearful about the type of world their children are inheriting. We are afraid of loosing cheap fossil fuel… We are afraid of loosing Jobs… We are afraid about declining commodity prices for the products…which help us prosper… whether the commodity is potash, oil, wheat, or meat. We are fearful about dying… and we are even fearful about our God when we meet on the other side. Fear is common to everyone… rich or poor.
Fear is a paralyzing and self destructive force… Fear consumes the disciples for three days after the death of Jesus. They live those three days in fear that they will be next…they don’t want to die. Fear has them trembling and locking themselves into a house…away from the prying eyes…of the authorities… Remembering… how they have been unfaithful and have deserted God’s Son… to face trial and the crucifixion on his own… causes them to fear God’s reaction… Fear…causes them to imagine only an angry God… and fear keeps them from seeing what God is actually doing…and God’s real desires for the world. Fear keeps them from living joy-filled and contented lives.
But today in the resurrection of Jesus God reveals the real plan and God’s real desires for the world. And what God wants is revealed in the very first words which the risen Jesus’ says to these fearful people. Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” In case they miss what God wants for them he repeats the words again; “Peace be with you.” And then he tells demonstrates how God offers this peace. Jesus breathes on them and says to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Receiving the Holy Spirit in it completeness gives a clear understanding about the next statement of Jesus about how forgiveness and peace are entwined into God’s real plan for the world. According to God’s wisdom peace can only result from forgiveness. So Jesus says… When we for give the sins of any they are certainly forgiven…and peace can flow from that forgiveness… If on the other hand; We refuse to forgive their sins…they will certainly know that they are not forgiven… and peace will never come out of an unforgiving situation. Through Jesus God make the first move… Jesus offers peace and forgiveness when it is not deserved…when the disciples are locked away in fear… when they are filled with guilt because of their desertion. Our God who is ultimately in charge of forgiveness…forgives even though it is undeserved. This is God’s real plan and real desire for each of us.
But God plan doesn’t just end with the disciples…and it doesn’t just end with us either. God does not want just the disciples or us to be forgiven and live in peace. God wants that for the whole world…so Jesus enlists the disciples and us also into God’s plan. After offering bestowing peace to the disciples Jesus continues; “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” We become an important part of God’s plan through the work of the Holy Spirit. As God has sends Jesus to bestow peace through to forgiveness of sins… through the Holy Spirit… we are call to be God’s messengers of forgiveness and peace to the world.
So let us receive the Holy Spirit…and God’s forgiveness. And let us live in God’s peace. Most of all let us join in on God’s mission to bestow peace and forgiveness to the whole world by having forgiving hearts. Thanks be to God. Amen
Another good sermon — thanks. You have a way of describing God’s love in terms that gives peace, and a sense of misson at the same time.
Was here to look up comments and pictures about the May 1, 2011 Gospel lesson. Good point about how we fear losing more when we have more. And that we sometimes do things that we ought not to do when we are afraid. Please note that the word is spelled “losing” not “loosing”. Thanks.
David, it was great meeting you last night (and sylvia).You are INSPIRATION to the shared minisrty movement!Thanks again,Bill Hetland