Return to the Homepage Home
 Worship Schedules, Education, Fellowship, Outreach Worship & Service
 Sermon Archive Sermons
 A copy of the Sunday Prayers of Intercession Prayers
 Pastor Lynne's monthly newsletter Pastor's Page
 Articles and tidbits from the monthly newsletter Newsletter
 This month's events as well as the monthly calendar Current Events
 Read the Sunday School News Letter! Sunday School News
 Events for grades 7 to 12 Youth
 Other websites of interest Links
  
 Login to Administer this site Admin Login

St. Luke's Zion Lutheran Church
2903 McPhillips Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba
CANADA R2P 0H3
http://www.stlukeszion.ca

Phone: (204) 339-0412
Fax: (204) 339-0412
E-mail: stlukeszionchurch@gmail.com
site design by clayton rumley

 

Second Sunday of Easter
Sunday, April 11th, 2010

click here for past entries

Loving God, you bring us peace through Jesus Christ and call us to believe and to trust in you.  Renew us this day by your Holy Spirit, that we, too, might be faithful witnesses to the same Jesus Christ, our Lord.  Amen.

    Over the years I have heard many different stories about how people have come to believe in Jesus.  Some have dramatic conversion stories where they have an experience that changes their whole lives around and brings them from a life of sin to a life that worships Jesus Christ as Lord.  Others have described how reading certain parts of the Bible brought them to faith, including one man who, surprisingly, was converted through reading Leviticus!  Some people have experiences where their prayers are answered, and that solidifies their faith.  Others might have a vision, or some kind of a personal encounter with Jesus.  Still others see their faith growing little by little over the years – through worship and prayer and study and personal sharing with other Christians.

    Those who do, in fact, believe without seeing, are blessed, just as today’s gospel suggests.  They have received a precious gift which is not to be discounted.  Yet, at the same time, every person is different, and many - just like Thomas and the other disciples - need to see to believe.

    When today’s gospel reading begins, the disciples believe in Jesus and yet do not believe.  We can tell because the doors of the house are locked out of fear.  Both John and Mary Magdalene have already had experiences that caused them to believe that Jesus was risen from the dead (cf. Jn. 20:1-18).  The disciples had previously expressed their belief that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.  Yet, they do not trust in Jesus as their Lord and Saviour.  We can tell because they are still ruled by fear.

    In confirmation classes, we talk about three things that are part of having faith in Jesus.  The first of these things is knowledge – knowing about Jesus and about God’s plan of salvation and about Jesus’ life and teaching and death and resurrection.  The first part of having faith is knowing the story, just as the disciples knew all about Jesus through his teaching and healing and his showing them the power of God at work.

    Yet, if we simply know the story, our faith is not complete.  We also need to say, “Yes - this is true!,” which is what a person is saying when they are confirmed or when they are baptized or when they affirm their baptism in order to become a member of the congregation.  Faith says more than that there was a man named Jesus who did this and that and performed miracles and ended up being crucified.  Faith says that this Jesus is the Son of God and is risen from the dead and is our Saviour and did all of this for our sake.

    And so, saving faith involves knowing the story of Jesus and assenting to it – saying, “Yes, this is true!”  However, there is still one thing missing, and that is trust.  Trust is the difference between today’s gospel and the first reading that we heard from Acts.

    In the gospel, the disciples do not yet put their trust in the risen Jesus.  While one or two of them might have already said, “Yes - Jesus is the Son of God and Jesus is risen,” the others simply aren’t there yet.  They are still ruled by fear - hiding behind locked doors.  

    Yet, by the time we get to Acts, the same disciples are boldly teaching people about the death and resurrection of Jesus, in spite of the fact that the religious leaders had ordered them to stop it.  They are no longer afraid of being arrested, or even of being put to death, for their trust is in Jesus, and the commission that they have received from God is far more important to them than what people might like or want.

    The disciples have moved from death to life and from fear to trust.  They not only “believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.”  They now “have life in his name” (Jn. 20:31).  How did this happen?

    Certainly we can point to their encounter with the risen Jesus and how Jesus shows them his hands and his side.  Yet, this alone is not enough, and many other people come to trust in Jesus without that physical experience of the risen Christ.  Perhaps we could also point to how Jesus speaks peace to them over and over again.  They seem to need to have that peace with Jesus, peace with God and peace in their hearts.  And we, too, can hear those same words of peace through the Scriptures.  Yet, once again, that is not enough in and of itself.

    The key seems to be when Jesus gives them the Holy Spirit.  Jesus breathes on them, gives them the Holy Spirit and sends them out.  The disciples now become apostles, which means “sent.”  “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.... Receive the Holy Spirit” (Jn. 20:21, 22).  They have their commission, their faith is solidified, and they are empowered by the Holy Spirit to go out and tell what God has done for them through Jesus Christ.  They not only believe in Jesus – they truly “have life in his name.”

    However, this is not something that happens only to Jesus’ disciples way back when.  God continues to give the gift of the Holy Spirit, and to send us out, and to give us abundant life through Jesus.  This does not happen only to those who are called to preach, but to all those who are baptized and believe in Jesus Christ.

    When you are baptized, God gives you the Holy Spirit.  When you are confirmed, God gives you the Holy Spirit.  When you are called to minister to others in the name of Jesus, God gives you the Holy Spirit.  Whatever your line of work is - wherever you spend your days - God gives you gifts for ministry and calls you into service.

    Ultimately, it is when you take God’s call into service seriously and step out in faith to answer that you truly learn to trust in Jesus Christ.  Truthfully, how would we ever experience the power of the Holy Spirit or the power of the name of Jesus if we were never called to do anything outside of our comfort zone?  It is when we are asked to do something that we know we can’t do on our own that we learn to rely on the power of the Holy Spirit working through us for the glory of God.

    You might be asked to visit somebody in the hospital.  You might be asked to tell somebody about Jesus who has never heard the story before.  You might be asked to serve a meal to people who are poor or homeless.  You might be asked to pray with somebody.  You might be asked to lead a Bible study or teach a class.  You might be asked to help somebody with whom you wouldn’t normally associate.  Whatever it is that God calls you to do, trust in the Holy Spirit, who can and will work through you!

    John writes,

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.  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 (Jn. 20:30-31).

May it be so for us, as well!  Amen.

Easter 2(C)                                    John 20:19-31
April 11, 2010                                Acts 5:27-32
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2010 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved


Previous Sermons
March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004
September 2004
August 2004
July 2004
June 2004
May 2004
March 2004
February 2004
January 2004
December 2003
January 2003
March 0201