We Are Bearers of the Peace of the Risen Christ

The Rev. Kathi Johnson

Easter 2 – 23 April 2017

Text: John 20:19-31

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Grand Prairie, Texas

+ INJ +

Happy Easter! It is still Easter today, and, in fact, for several more weeks we will be in the Easter season. Over this Easter season, we will spend time looking at the ways Christ is with us – exploring the theme of Christ’s presence with us.

Today’s Gospel lesson is one of two stories of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances that we hear this Easter season. Next week, we’ll hear about the risen Jesus meeting some people on the road to Emmaus. Today, we have the story of Jesus appearing to his disciples who are hiding away behind locked doors on Easter evening, and then, he appears to them again, a week later.

Today’s Gospel lesson from John 20 picks up the Easter story from last week. At this point, Jesus has appeared to the women, who’ve passed on the message of the resurrection to the other disciples. The text puts us in the evening of the first day of the week, so the evening of the resurrection. The disciples are hiding behind locked doors because their Teacher and Lord has been executed, and they are frightened that the authorities may come for them, too.

And then there’s the matter of them not really knowing or understanding what the women have told them about seeing Jesus, risen from the dead.

You can see why they might be afraid, and hiding behind locked doors.

Then, there is Jesus, standing among them. He bids them his peace, and they are filled with joy at seeing him again. There is then a beautiful moment of commissioning, as Jesus breathes on them – literally in-spiring the Holy Spirit into his disciples – breathing the Holy Spirit into them.

Thomas isn’t there on that evening, and so later, when the disciples tell him they’ve seen Jesus, he has his doubts. A week later, Jesus shows up again, and this time, Thomas gets to see Jesus himself.

If something is too good to be true, it probably is, right? We are taught to be suspicious - or at least very careful – especially in our day and age of email scams and other nefarious activities. Exercising caution can be a very good thing, at times, but I wonder how our suspicion affects our faith? How did Thomas’ suspicion affect his faith? Maybe Thomas had just been hoodwinked one too many times to believe that Jesus had really risen from the dead.

But as much as we like to cajole Thomas as the doubter of the group, the text shows that Jesus lovingly gives to Thomas exactly what he needs in order to move from doubt to faith. Thomas needs to see Jesus, and to touch Jesus, so – there Jesus is, in the flesh. When Jesus says to Thomas, “Do not doubt but believe,” this is an invitation by Jesus – an invitation for Thomas to step deeper into faith.

And Thomas does just that, calling Jesus “My Lord and my God!” – a true confession of his true faith.

For us, then, one of the lessons of this story is not how to have perfect faith, but rather that Jesus meets us wherever we are in faith, and lovingly breathes the Holy Spirit into us, so that we may have relationships with God that are meaningful and fruitful. Martin Luther said it beautifully in his Small Catechism: “I believe that by my own understanding or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him…” He goes on to explain that this belief – our very faith in Jesus – is the work of the Holy Spirit in each of us, and even throughout the whole Christian Church. It is the Spirit’s work.

One of the real challenges for us is that we don’t have Jesus here, in the flesh, the way Thomas did. We can’t physically place our hands into Jesus’ wounded side or put our fingers into the nail holes in Jesus’ hands.

But Jesus calls us “blessed” for that very reason. In talking with Thomas, he says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” That’s us! We don’t have the same proofs of faith experienced by those first disciples – yet we have their witness, and the witness of countless others. We also have the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Communion – acts wherein God meets us in water, bread, and wine. And we have each other, and we have the witness of brothers and sisters in faith all over the world.

Consider the witness of Coptic Christians in Egypt. On Palm Sunday this year, they gathered for worship as is the custom of Christians all over the world. In two of their churches, bombs inside and nearby killed scores of people. And yet, the very next Sunday, they gathered again to remember the resurrection of Jesus on Easter Sunday.

Surely the risen Christ is with them as they begin to recover from tragedy. Surely the Holy Spirit is with them as they offer their witness to the world. They walk by faith – faith in a risen Christ who has destroyed death by dying himself and being raised to new life again.

“Peace be with you,” Jesus says to his disciples on that Easter evening, and he says that to us, too. Whenever we come to the table to receive his body and blood, we are his guests, recipients of the very love of God. “Peace be with you,” Jesus says, but he doesn’t stop there, he continues by saying, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Like our brothers and sisters in Egypt, and elsewhere, we are the bearers of the peace of the risen Christ.

We have peace because Jesus is risen – it is peace that surpasses all human understanding at times, but that peace is ours because Jesus is risen. Alleluia.

Amen.

+ SDG +

Mary Weeps...and Sometimes We Do, Too

The Rev. Kathi Johnson

Easter 8am – 16 April 2017

Text: John 20: 1-18

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Grand Prairie, Texas – Outdoor Chapel

+ INJ +

The resurrection story as John tells it (which we just heard) has two parts. The first part is verses 1-10 – it’s the part with all the rushing around. Mary Magdelene, upon finding the empty tomb, runs to tell Peter and another disciple. Then Peter and the other disciple run back to the tomb to see what she’s talking about. They inspect the tomb briefly, and then return home.

The second part of the story is verses 11-18 – the part that begins with the heartfelt words that “Mary stood weeping outside the tomb.” Her sorrow and bewilderment is hitting her full-on, and so, she stands and weeps. She talks with a couple of angels who appear, and then with Jesus himself, whom she believes is the gardener. At this point, she’s only trying to figure out where the body of Jesus is.

Then Jesus says her name: “Mary.” And she knows it is Jesus – she has no doubt. Jesus then sends her to tell the others, and she does just that. “I have seen the Lord!” she announces to them.

Our Easter story seems to wrap itself up pretty nicely at that point, right? Mary’s done her job and shared the good news.

Except that this isn’t where the story of Jesus’ resurrection ends. In the Gospel of John alone, the risen Jesus keeps showing up to his disciples: in a locked room and on a beach, cooking breakfast. In the Gospel of Luke, he appears on the road to Emmaus, walking with some of the disciples. Even risen from the dead, Jesus stays busy.

One question I’ve been asked before is “Where is God when things are going wrong?” In other words, it may be very easy for us to recognize the presence of God when everything is great and life is going along just fine. But – where is God when things are going wrong? Where is God when I feel like I’m sinking – or when it looks like the world is? Where is God when I’m in hell?

The Easter story doesn’t end on Easter – it can’t end on Easter because we don’t live our lives here, all the time. Our lives are lived in all kinds of circumstances on all kinds of days. And our hope as Christians comes again as we realize – again – that the same Jesus who rose from the dead – that Jesus is with us always.

It may be more difficult for us to see God at certain times. There may be times when we are like Mary, standing there, weeping. But I know that Jesus, who has been to hell and back, can and does accompany me to hell and back, too. This is part of the joy of the resurrection story – that Jesus is risen from the dead, not for his own sake, but for my sake, for your sake, and for the sake of the whole world.

Amen.

+ SDG +

Alleluia and Pass the Potatoes

The Rev. Kathi Johnson

Easter 10:15am – 16 April 2017

Text: Matthew 28:1-10

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Grand Prairie, Texas

+ INJ +

What did you expect to see this Easter morning?

I expected to see some old – excuse me – some familiar faces, and some new faces. I expected to see lots of good food at the Easter breakfast. I still expect to see lots of eggs hidden around the property later. And later, I expect to see the insides of my eyelids during a lovely Easter nap. We all come to this day of Easter with expectations – what will we experience here at church, what will we experience the rest of today - what will we see?

This same sense of expectation is what Mary Magdalene and the other Mary have when they show up at Jesus’ tomb in our gospel story today. The text says they went to “see” the tomb but that word we translate as “see” is a loaded word – it doesn’t mean simply that they went to visit or look at the tomb. It means they went there with expectation.

I’m not sure if they expected what came next: an earthquake, and an angel, rolling back the big stone that the authorities had placed in front of Jesus’ tomb, to seal it. The angel rolls the stone and then plunks down on top of it, and addresses the women right away: “Do not be afraid,” the angel says to them. “I know that you’re looking for Jesus who was crucified. He isn’t here; he’s been raised from the dead, as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then, go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead...’ This is my message for you.”

Now, the next verse is important. What does the next verse say? “So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.”

They don’t stay there, conversing with the angels or even between themselves. The angel gives them a message, and they take it.

And on their way, they encounter the Risen Christ, just like that. He greets them, and then Jesus entrusts these women with the good news of his resurrection. And, just like that, the story of Easter is over – Alleluia and pass the potatoes.

But maybe against our expectations, the story of the resurrection of Jesus doesn’t end there. In the next two weeks during worship, we’ll hear what happened next: we’ll hear about the risen Christ appearing to the other disciples. We’ll hear about Doubting Thomas (who comes to believe) and about Jesus showing up while some disciples walk to Emmaus. In these appearances, Jesus defies fear by offering peace, and defies despair by offering hope. He defies their expectations.

Like some of you, I’ve been a Christian much of my life, and I’ve been in all kinds of churches and around all kinds of people in those churches. One thing I’ve learned is that we have more than a bunch of ancient stories to show us the Risen Christ. Jesus meets us here, at his table, when we share in the holy supper. Jesus meets us when we study Scripture or pray. Jesus meets us when we do loving acts of service in his name.

There are times when I expect Jesus to show up – like the times I mentioned just now.

Do we expect Jesus to show up, and do we see him when he does? Think back to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, walking along, going to tell the disciples about the earthquake, and the angel, and the message about the resurrection. They aren’t expecting to see Jesus, but Jesus shows up, and they see him and they worship him.

Sometimes, Jesus defies my expectations and shows up when I least expect it. I didn’t expect to encounter Jesus in an old train station, but I did one time, when I prayed for a sick homeless child. I don’t expect to find Jesus when I walk out to the Bunny Box or the mailbox or stroll out to the Outdoor Chapel, but I do, quite often, as I walk and pray. Sometimes, Jesus surprises me by showing up in the forgiving words of someone I’ve hurt or the words of encouragement someone gives me on a bad day.

Jesus defied expectations in the way he lived his life – through healing people, feeding crowds, paying attention to those who were normally ignored, loving his enemies, and praying for those who persecuted him. Jesus defied expectations by dying on a cross. We expect that God will cast us aside to live in our sin; in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we are instead shown God’s love and mercy.

Our joy and our hope come from knowing that Christ is risen. This unexpected message is what we are called to share with everyone. So, go and tell the good news that Christ is risen indeed!

Amen.

+ SDG +

Jesus is Risen! ...So what?

The Rev. Kathi Johnson

Easter 3, Year B – 19 April 2015

Texts: Luke 24:36-48, 1 John 3:1

Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Grand Prairie, Texas

+ INJ +

I’m going to be honest with you: it has been a challenging week for me. Steve and I found out that some family members are facing some serious health issues. We have friends who are actively in crisis. We had multiple people in and out of our guest rooms this week. It was a full week of ministry as the pastor of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in Grand Prairie, Texas. It has been a challenging week.

At the very beginning of this challenging week, I was moving laundry from the washer to the dryer and I had a thought: “Jesus is risen! …So what?” At that point of the week, doing something as mundane as moving laundry from one machine to another, “Jesus is risen” seemed to have very little meaning for me.

But as this challenging week began to unfold for me a little bit more, the resurrection of Jesus began to take hold of me, once again. I began to be grateful, again, for the resurrection of Jesus, for we are people of the resurrection - we follow a risen Lord – and in his resurrection, we find hope.

It is this resurrection hope that sustains us when we are facing loved ones who are suffering. It is this resurrection hope that sustains us when we are suffering ourselves, or when we are weary. It is this resurrection hope that gives us hope to keep on going, to keep on doing all of the things that we are called to do each day and every day.

The disciples in today’s Gospel lesson have also had a challenging week. As their challenging week unfolds, Jesus is betrayed, arrested, put on trial, beaten, and crucified. His body is buried. And then, his body is gone, and they don’t know how or where.

Then, little by little, they start hearing stories. Stories of angels appearing at the tomb. Stories of Jesus appearing in the garden near the tomb and on a roadway to Emmaus. And the disciples are hidden away, and Jesus comes to them, and they are startled and terrified, the text says – because they think that this must be a ghost.

Jesus reaches into their fear and tells them to see and touch him – he is real – he is not a ghost. And, just to prove it further, he asks for a little snack.

It is from the disciples at this moment that we learn how – in the same moment – we can have joy, and we can have doubt and wonder. And isn’t this how life often leaves us? We have joy, but we also have doubt and wonder.

In our second lesson for today, the writer of 1 John pleads with his readers to see how great is the love of God for us: “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are!”[1]

Jesus is risen – so what? I am a beloved child of God – that’s what.

Like the writer of 1 John, I plead with you, too, to see what love God has given to us, that we should be called children of God – for that is what we are. For all of our joy and doubt and wonder, we are beloved children of God.

But this is not something that I cling to, only for myself, like child clings to a toy and doesn’t let go. The great love of God compels me to realize that I am not the only beloved child of God – you are all beloved children of God and there are lots of people out there who are also beloved children of God.

I wonder what would happen if each of us began to think of other people as beloved children of God…? For that is what they are.

Yes, our lives are full of the sin of other people (to say nothing of our own sin, of course). But the love of God compels me to see what love God has given to us, that we should be called children of God. And “God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.”[2] God didn’t wait for us to get our act together; Christ died for us while we were still sinners.

If you look at the front cover of your bulletin – under the name of the church – it says there that we are “Growing in Faith, Hope, and Love.” We’re growing in our faith in God, growing in faith that God does love us. As our faith increases, so does our hope. And as Emily Dickinson wrote,

“Hope” is the thing with feathers - That perches in the soul –

And sings the tune without the words - And never stops - at all…

It doesn’t end there. It cannot stop with our own faith and our own hope. The love of God compels us to love others, to be witnesses. If we have seen what love God has given to us, that we should be called children of God, we are then compelled to share that great love.

“You are my witnesses,” Jesus says to his disciples. And he says this to us, too.

Jesus is risen – so what? I am a beloved child of God, you are beloved children of God, and they – out there – they are beloved children of God. That’s what.

+ SDG +

---

[1] 1 John 3:1

[2] Romans 5:8