Loving God, you meet us in the midst of our doubts and our fears, speaking peace.  Renew us by the power of your Spirit, teaching us to trust in you, through Jesus Christ our Saviour.  Amen.

            When today’s gospel begins, it is Easter evening, and the disciples are acting as if Jesus is still dead.  Now, to be fair, only Mary Magdalene has actually seen Jesus at this point.  The others have just heard the news, which isn’t quite the same as having your own experience of the risen Lord.  And so, the disciples are gathered behind locked doors, still fearful that the authorities might be coming for them next, after Jesus’ crucifixion.

         It is in this locked room, in the midst of this atmosphere of fear, that Jesus shows up saying, “Peace be with you” (Jn. 20:19).  He also shows them his hands and his side – one of a number of things that Jesus does in order to show them that it really is him, and he is not a ghost.  It is only then that they are able to rejoice.  Again, Jesus says, “Peace be with you,” perhaps knowing that this will not come easily for them.  And then, a very important thing happens – Jesus gives them the Holy Spirit.

         This is the Spirit that will empower the disciples as Jesus sends them out to continue his mission here on earth.  This is the Spirit that will empower them to announce the forgiveness of sins through Jesus.  This is the Spirit who gives the gift of faith – even to those who have not literally seen Jesus.  And Thomas missed the whole thing.

         Can you blame him for wanting the same experience that the other disciples had in his absence?  Can you blame him for wanting the same proof that Jesus really is risen from the dead?  After all, none of the other disciples believed simply because somebody told them that Jesus was alive.  They all needed at least one experience where they encountered the risen Jesus for themselves, and some of them even had multiple encounters with the risen Jesus.  I’m not so sure that Thomas doubts any more than the rest of us do!  Plus, he hadn’t received the Holy Spirit.

         While the gospel doesn’t explicitly say that Thomas received the Holy Spirit, he does confess, “My Lord and my God!” when he encounters Jesus a week later (Jn. 20:28).  It sounds a little bit like that verse that says that “no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:3).  It is certainly implied that Thomas received the Spirit and was sent out just like all of the other disciples.

         However, to return to the house with the locked doors for just a moment, I wonder if that is where many of us find ourselves these days – locked inside, fearful, and acting as though Jesus is still dead.  After all, there seem to be plenty of things to fear.  We look around our world and see the effects of climate change and the threat of nuclear weapons.  We see tyrants who will stop at nothing to feed their own lust for power and control.  We see lies that spread like wildfire and spawn hatred and violence.  We see people in positions of trust who turn out to be far less trustworthy than we would have hoped.

         At the same time, we might be afraid that others won’t like us, or that we don’t measure up to other people’s expectations.  We might be afraid of getting sick – or of making other people sick.  We might be afraid of what the future holds – both in our own lives and in the church.  We might be afraid of what comes next for our shared youth ministry.

         Whatever it is that keeps us behind locked doors and makes us afraid, Jesus comes among us, just as he did among those first disciples, and says, “Peace be with you.”  He shows us his scars, trying to convince us that he really did die and rise again.  He gives us the breath of life, and breathes the Holy Spirit into us as we are baptized into Christ – sending us out to share the good news of God’s forgiveness through Christ.  He sends us out, knowing that it still will be scary, but that the Holy Spirit will empower us with whatever gifts are needed for ministry.

         At the same time, Jesus sends us out, knowing that the future will not look the same as the past.  Just as Jesus’ disciples had to get used to the idea of not having him physically with them, so we need to get used to ministry in a different world.  Going back to what worked in the 1950’s is not going to help us.  Too many things have changed.  However, in spite of the changes around us, the good news of God’s love has not changed, and neither has the human need for belonging and meaning and life in all its fulness.

         May God continue to empower us through the Holy Spirit, so that others might come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and through believing might have life in his name (Jn. 20:31).  For Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!  Amen.

Easter 2 (NL 4)                                 John 20:19-31

April 24, 2022

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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