Lord God, you come seeking out your children speaking to us blessings of peace and giving us your breath of life. Fill us to overflowing with your love and grace that we are moved beyond the comfort of our personal barriers proclaiming your love to all the world. Amen.
We are now in the midst of the season of Easter. During this season we have a series of readings from the Gospels related to the resurrection of Jesus and the mission he gave to his disciples to carry out.
The last Sunday of April we heard the story of doubting Thomas and Jesus two appearances to the disciples as they were locked in the room hiding in fear for their lives from the religious powers of the day. Reading that story we can discover for ourselves strength to overcome our own fears of bearing witness to Christ.
Following the resurrection the disciples, broken saints, were paralyzed with fear. In John's Gospel they are fulfilling the struggle Jesus had announced to them near the end of John, chapter 16, where Jesus offers them his peace and warning them of the trials and tribulations of the days ahead. Immediately in chapter 17 he offers a long prayer to his Father within the hearing of his disciples defining how he connects them to the Father and that he has made known to them God’s work in the world. With all of this already given and revealed to them they are still hiding in that locked room following the cruxifiction and the resurrection. These are not bold saints running out the doors with the news that, "He is risen!" They are captive to fear. They are broken saints.
Jesus comes into that locked room and offers them the same peace he did at the end of chapter 16. He shows them his wounds giving evidence to the events of the recent days, to the cross and his crucifixion, and then offering peace yet again he breathes his Spirit upon them and gives them a sending call. Jesus is busy healing those still separated from God, busy healing sinners.
A week later we return to the same scene and find the disciples still in the same room. Nothing seems to have changed. Even worse their attempts to convince one of their own seems to have fallen on deaf ears. Thomas had not been with them earlier and their initial attempt to witness to him concerning the resurrection cannot be called a brilliant success. Thomas resists their testimony proclaiming he will not believe until he sees for himself. Thomas doesn't realize what is about to happen.
Suddenly, Christ Jesus appears again proclaiming his peace to the group and offering himself to Thomas. In that moment Thomas is moved to confession “My Lord and my God,” and faith is born. Jesus then asserts a new blessing upon all those who will believe because of those bear witness to the resurrection. "Have you believed because you have seen me?Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."
It is incumbent upon us to remember that John's Gospel appears to have been written considerably later, decades later. By this point many were coming to faith in Christ without ever having seen or known him. Believing only in the witness of believers. Most of the apostles had already if not completely died off and yet the community of believers was growing. That growth was empowered by the witness of believers to each other and to the world around them.
How was all that possible? It was possible because is was given and empowered by God through Christ.
In these events we learn many things important to us and our ability to overcome our own fears today surrounding our halting attempts to bear witness to Christ. In that struggle we must remember the following from John's Gospel:
1 Bearing witness to Christ and his grace is our calling as Christians. It is God given
work.
2 Jesus himself intercedes with the Father for us in this work. (John 17)
3 Jesus repeatedly assures us that we receive his peace in the midst of our fears.
4 Jesus gives us the presence and power of his Spirit for this work extending his grace.
5 Not every attempt to bear witness will be successful. Thomas did not respond to
the disciples initial witness.
6 Many will be blessed with the gift of faith confessing Christ as Lord despite
not seeing.
7 Our calling is to simply bear witness and to allow the Spirit of Christ to bring
forth faith wherever he wills.
Our task then is clear; we are called to manifest God’s grace and forgiveness in the world and to give testimony to Christ’s power in our lives. Do not be afraid. It is God who has called you and God gives you the power of Christ’s Spirit for the task. Even in trial and tribulation, “Peace be with you.”
We are now in the midst of the season of Easter. During this season we have a series of readings from the Gospels related to the resurrection of Jesus and the mission he gave to his disciples to carry out.
The last Sunday of April we heard the story of doubting Thomas and Jesus two appearances to the disciples as they were locked in the room hiding in fear for their lives from the religious powers of the day. Reading that story we can discover for ourselves strength to overcome our own fears of bearing witness to Christ.
Following the resurrection the disciples, broken saints, were paralyzed with fear. In John's Gospel they are fulfilling the struggle Jesus had announced to them near the end of John, chapter 16, where Jesus offers them his peace and warning them of the trials and tribulations of the days ahead. Immediately in chapter 17 he offers a long prayer to his Father within the hearing of his disciples defining how he connects them to the Father and that he has made known to them God’s work in the world. With all of this already given and revealed to them they are still hiding in that locked room following the cruxifiction and the resurrection. These are not bold saints running out the doors with the news that, "He is risen!" They are captive to fear. They are broken saints.
Jesus comes into that locked room and offers them the same peace he did at the end of chapter 16. He shows them his wounds giving evidence to the events of the recent days, to the cross and his crucifixion, and then offering peace yet again he breathes his Spirit upon them and gives them a sending call. Jesus is busy healing those still separated from God, busy healing sinners.
A week later we return to the same scene and find the disciples still in the same room. Nothing seems to have changed. Even worse their attempts to convince one of their own seems to have fallen on deaf ears. Thomas had not been with them earlier and their initial attempt to witness to him concerning the resurrection cannot be called a brilliant success. Thomas resists their testimony proclaiming he will not believe until he sees for himself. Thomas doesn't realize what is about to happen.
Suddenly, Christ Jesus appears again proclaiming his peace to the group and offering himself to Thomas. In that moment Thomas is moved to confession “My Lord and my God,” and faith is born. Jesus then asserts a new blessing upon all those who will believe because of those bear witness to the resurrection. "Have you believed because you have seen me?Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."
It is incumbent upon us to remember that John's Gospel appears to have been written considerably later, decades later. By this point many were coming to faith in Christ without ever having seen or known him. Believing only in the witness of believers. Most of the apostles had already if not completely died off and yet the community of believers was growing. That growth was empowered by the witness of believers to each other and to the world around them.
How was all that possible? It was possible because is was given and empowered by God through Christ.
In these events we learn many things important to us and our ability to overcome our own fears today surrounding our halting attempts to bear witness to Christ. In that struggle we must remember the following from John's Gospel:
1 Bearing witness to Christ and his grace is our calling as Christians. It is God given
work.
2 Jesus himself intercedes with the Father for us in this work. (John 17)
3 Jesus repeatedly assures us that we receive his peace in the midst of our fears.
4 Jesus gives us the presence and power of his Spirit for this work extending his grace.
5 Not every attempt to bear witness will be successful. Thomas did not respond to
the disciples initial witness.
6 Many will be blessed with the gift of faith confessing Christ as Lord despite
not seeing.
7 Our calling is to simply bear witness and to allow the Spirit of Christ to bring
forth faith wherever he wills.
Our task then is clear; we are called to manifest God’s grace and forgiveness in the world and to give testimony to Christ’s power in our lives. Do not be afraid. It is God who has called you and God gives you the power of Christ’s Spirit for the task. Even in trial and tribulation, “Peace be with you.”
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