Easter Two

Easter Two – April 19, 2020 | A sermon on John 20:19-31 | by The Rev. Dr. Judson F Merrell, STS |

John 20:19-31

¹⁹ When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, „Peace be with you.“

²⁰ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

²¹ Jesus said to them again, „Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.“

²² When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, „Receive the Holy Spirit.

²³ If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.“

²⁴ But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.

²⁵ So the other disciples told him, „We have seen the Lord.“ But he said to them, „Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.“

²⁶ A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, „Peace be with you.“

²⁷ Then he said to Thomas, „Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.“

²⁸ Thomas answered him, „My Lord and my God!“

²⁹ Jesus said to him, „Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.“

³⁰ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.

³¹ 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.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, grace and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

We may never experience another time such as this.  For weeks now the church has strived to find ways in which we reach our members with the proclamation of the Word.  Last week I stood in the chancel and celebrated Easter with an empty sanctuary.  You all watched on Facebook Live.  It was different.  It felt a little like being in a locked room, cut off from the world around me.  These are trying times for the church.  It’s hard to do ministry when we have to maintain 6’ between us.  It’s hard to do ministry when the pews are empty.  But one thing remains easier than it ever has:  Proclaiming the Word.  Here in the church we talk about the Means of Grace and how we use them.  This includes our sacraments.  But it also includes the proclamation of the Word.  Proclaiming the Word is the only Means of Grace that isn’t bound in some way to bodily action.  Yes, it is different to preach to a camera and microphone, as I am sure it is different for you to be sitting in the comforts of your home and watch church on a phone or a tablet.  The proclamation of the Word has become the frontrunner in how the church does ministry in these unusual times.  The Eucharist, Funerals, Baptisms, and even weddings have to change, but the proclamation of the Word remains.  It is where we can look for comfort and hope; it provides strength for our faith.  To hear the proclamation of the Word in and of itself is a great help to us, but thankfully technology also allows us to see the proclamation of the Word.

There is that old saying “Seeing is believing.”  We need to see that the church continues to be a rock.  While for some it is enough to hear, others need to see.  As mentioned in our Gospel today, Thomas is one that needs to see.  Absent from being with the other disciples, Thomas does not see the Lord appear in that locked room.  Even after hearing about this encounter, Thomas is adamant that he must not only see but touch Jesus’ wounds in order to believe.  Our inclination is to tear down Thomas for his doubt.  However, having watched how the church has handled our current situation, I have to say that I get it.  Jesus’ disciples have been locking themselves in this room because of the fear they have that the Jews will do to them what they did to Jesus.  It is hard to overcome fear, and we all know our world still has a lot of fear right now.  We want to have concrete solutions to fear, to know that there is something that can overcome it.  Thomas needed a concrete solution, because for him hearing was not enough.  And so John tells us that a week later they are gathered again, and this time Thomas is with them.  Again, the doors are shut, and Jesus comes among them.  His word of peace calms fear, but it is the opportunity to see and touch that truly changes Thomas.  His fear, coupled with doubt, blinds his faith.  Now none of us were in that room so we have to rely on John’s account as to how this really happened.  John doesn’t tell us that Thomas even touched Jesus.  The account from John tells us that Thomas answered Jesus with “My Lord and my God!”; making it seem as though the hearing and the seeing overcame the doubt, fear, and need to touch.  The seeing and hearing restored  and confirmed Thomas’ faith.  And Jesus’ reply speaks to this:  “Have you believed because you have seen me?  Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

In this difficult time, there are Christians among us who need faith confirmation.  For some they get that confirmation simply by hearing.  Others need to hear and see.  Still others proclaim that they need to see, hear, and touch, just like Thomas.  I am thankful the church is able to proclaim the Word in a way in which it can be heard and seen.  When we get down to it, the church is able to remain a solid rock for the faith of the world, so that those who have not heard the gospel may hear it and believe.  That is our task for the moment, to continue to proclaim the Word.  During this Easter season we proclaim the resurrection of our Lord, the defeat of sin and death, so that the entire world may be reconciled to God.  We proclaim this so that people may come to believe that Jesus is indeed the Messiah, the Son of God.   More importantly, through the proclamation of the Word by the church we hear “that through believing you may have life in his name.”  This is a life of peace, a life absent of fear of the unknown, a life absent of hardships.  As we continue doing worship in this new way, may we always remember that God is at work building our faith and giving us the strength to do things in a new way, so that the living Word may be proclaimed to all who hear.

In the name of the Father, and the +Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.