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