April 28, 2019      Not Doubting, But Believing                        

         This morning our John’s gospel tells us a story of the disciples on that first Easter evening and week. And while we celebrate Easter with joyful worship services, that was the last thing the disciples were doing.

         The disciples had locked themselves behind closed doors. They were afraid, Jesus had been crucified, and they were afraid that the Jewish leaders, and the Roman authorities would hunt down his disciples next. And to make matters worse, the women of their group had come to them with strange stories of Jesus being gone from the tomb. For as of yet, they did not believe their statements about his being risen.

         Yes, rather than joyously celebrating his resurrection, his disciples, the earliest of the early church were locked in a room, fearing for their lives, the gospel message silent, and them going nowhere. And the Risen Christ comes to them on that first Easter evening and gives them four statements that get the early church going!

The first thing Jesus says to them, is “Peace be with you!” In the midst of this fearful gathering he tells them to have peace. He shows them his hands and his side, he shows them that it is truly him, and that he has risen from the dead. In doing this he shows them that death no longer has power over him, – and so they need not be paralyzed by fear, afraid of the Jews or the Romans, for through faith in the resurrected Christ, they no longer need to fear death.  

Have Peace in Christ, is the first of these four statements for the early church, and for our churches today. In a world filled with hostility, anxiousness, alienation, violence, war and greed. Through the peace that Jesus resurrection gives to us, we can go forth to minister in this world without fear, we are freed to go forth into this world and proclaim the gospel of God’s love, which overcomes all these worldly powers.

The second thing Jesus says is “As the father has sent me, I send you.” This is Jesus commission to the early church. Jesus now sends them into world, just as he was sent, to proclaim God’s love that seeks to save us from these powers of sin and death, and to call others to join them in seeking God’s kingdom in our lives together.  

In my grandmother’s Evangelical catechism, published in 1906, the answer to the first question about what is the purpose of those who follow Jesus Christ. The answer had two parts. Give glory to God, and win new followers to Christ. In later printings of the Catechism, winning new followers to Christ, has been left out. And I wonder if that wasn’t a mistake, because being sent is who we are as followers of Christ – and if we don’t realize this, than religion becomes all about our personal salvation, rather than the salvation of the world.

         The third statement Jesus makes is, “Receive the Holy Spirit”. Jesus then breathes upon them the breath of God. It is this spirit that fills them with strength to go forth into the world and proclaim the gospel message.

         As I think of this statement, I think about Moses before the burning bush, asking God how he can make a difference in the face of Pharoah, and God tells him, not to worry, for God will go with him. And that is what Jesus promises to the disciples and to all of us who follow him. That God will be with us, in the form of the Holy Spirit, to both protect us, and to give us the strength we need to do the things that Jesus did. And so, Jesus doesn’t just send us into the world, but promises his presence in the form of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus final statement to the disciples as this meeting is this, “If you forgive sins, they are forgiven, if you refuse to forgive they are retained.” In the gospel of John, proclaiming God’s forgiveness in Jesus Christ is the work of his disciples. Over and over, the disciples have seen Jesus forgive sins, to overcome, blindness and illness, to call sinners to repentance, and to restore people to community. They have seen how the Jewish legal system of refusing forgiveness has oppressed and separated the people. And now they are called to do this work. And so are we.

Our world today has the same legalists and moralists. We have state and federal governments who administer the law. The world does not practice forgiveness. Nations are unforgiving, and Families are unforgiving. It is only through God’s forgiveness, that oppression and division ends, that sin and death are overcome. And this is not just blanket forgiveness, but the announcement of God’s forgiveness in Jesus Christ, those who accept it are forgiven and lead new lives, those who do not accept it, for themselves or for others, condemn themselves.

         And so on this first Easter evening, and on the following Sunday, Jesus comes to a fearful and silent church, and gives them these instructions. Have Peace through Christ, You are sent into the world, You will receive the Holy Spirit, and do the work of forgiveness that heals and overcomes the powers of sin and death. With these instructions, the church went forth into the world, and spread around the globe. And we are called as followers of Jesus Christ, to heed these instructions as well, so that we may be filled with the Holy Spirit, and continue to spread the gospel to all the world. Amen.