04-28-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

 

CHRISTIANITY 101: LIVING ABOVE THE LAW OF RECIPROCITY

  The Boston Marathon is an annual event that is always held on Patriot’s Day, which falls on the third Monday in April.  Begun in 1897, the Boston Marathon is the world’s oldest marathon, and it attracts about half a million spectators every year.  This year, there were 26,839 people registered to run the Boston Marathon.  It’s a fabulous event that challenges the will and inspires the utmost in human endurance.

  On Monday, April 15^th, this year’s Boston Marathon began like any other.  Officials actually swept the area twice for bombs, finding nothing…so people were allowed to come and go freely.  Then at 2:49 p.m. – about two hours after the winner had finished the race, but with more than 5700 runners still on the course – two bombs detonated on Boylston Street near the finish line.  Three people were killed and 282 people were injured, some critically.  One of the people killed was a 29-year-old female restaurant manager, one was a 23-year-old female grad student, and one was an eight-year-old boy. 

  The bombs were placed in pressure cookers.  When they went off, many victims suffered lower leg injuries and shrapnel wounds.  Doctors described removing ball-bearing-type metallic beads a little larger than BBs, and small carpentry nails about an inch long.  One might be led to believe that – out of ignorance or out of malice – these bombs were intended to maim more than they were intended to kill.  And perhaps that makes what happened even worse.

  The FBI took over the investigation and soon released photos and videos of the two suspects.  They were identified – with help from the public – as a pair of Muslim brothers from Chechnya.  Shortly after the release of the photos, the suspects killed an MIT police officer, carjacked an SUV, and engaged in a shootout with police in Watertown.  The older brother was killed, while the younger brother escaped on foot.  He was eventually captured, cowering in the hull of a boat, badly wounded but still alive.

  If you’re like me, as you watched these events unfold, you became more and more incensed.  Sixty years ago, the fact that they were Russian might have invoked our ire.  Today, the fact that they are Muslim is what seems to upset us most.  Many of us have just about had it with these Muslim fanatics.  We want them stopped, and we want them stopped now!  When they hit us, we want to hit them back harder: an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth…what we call the law of reciprocity.  Yet as disciples of Jesus Christ, is that really the appropriate way for us to respond?  Is that really the appropriate way for us to feel?  Keep that thought in mind as we move on.

  A number of weeks ago, we noted how – each and every day – we make decisions that move us closer to a life of virtue, or closer to a life of ruin.  Though the past may be written in stone, the future is more like wet cement…pliable, soft, and ready to be shaped by the decisions we make.  Our goal is to develop a more godly life narrative.  Our goal is to discover what it means to live a life of virtue.  Our goal is to seek to discern where our deep happiness may truly be found.

  We suggested that our deepest happiness is found in the kingdom of God.  We noted that the kingdom of God is not just something we hope to attain the future.  As Jesus clearly stated, the kingdom of God is also a present reality.  Thus, the kingdom of God of which we speak is not a place.  The kingdom of God of which we speak is an interactive relationship with God…an interactive relationship that brings us peace of heart and mind.

  We noted how many of us will not even consider a more godly life narrative – many of us will not even begin to seek out an interactive relationship with God – until we encounter a drought in life…until we come up against something that we cannot control.  So what we did was consider a social problem that appears to be beyond human resolution: bullying in the classroom.  We postulated that while we may not be able to resolve all the social ills that surround us, God is able to resolve the un-resolvable.  What we need to do is recognize that fact, and be open to the movement of God’s Holy Spirit.  That, my friends, is where our own transformation truly begins.

 Then we got a bit more specific on how we build an interactive relationship with God.  The first thing we aimed at was conquering anger.  We contrasted anger with Sabbath rest.  Anger is a result of our need to control; Sabbath teaches us to trust in God’s strength.  Anger is a result of the narrative that we need to be perfect; Sabbath teaches us that we are forgiven.  Anger is a result of our fear that God has lost sight of us; Sabbath ensures us that God is watching over us at all times. 

  Our subsequent goal was to overcome lust; certainly not an easy thing to do.  In the words of Harry Emerson Fosdick, “Only by a stronger passion can evil passions be expelled,” and, “a soul unoccupied by positive devotion is sure to be occupied by spiritual demons.”  What we sought was what we called the expulsive power of a new affection.  We determined that if our new affection was, in fact, the kingdom of God…then lust would simply lose its grip on us.          Thus, perhaps the solution to our problem here…is prayer.

  Then next thing we aimed at was overcoming lying.  What we determined was that as we move further into kingdom living – as our hearts become more and more transformed into the likeness and image of Christ – what we need to do is use our tongues to bless and encourage, rather than to harm or humiliate.  We need to learn to build up, rather than tear down.  In short, we use our tongues to speak words that bestow the grace of God upon others.  While that means, on the one hand, that we do not lie…it also means that our general tone is one of compassion and kindness.

  Today our goal is to learn to live above the law of reciprocity.  In the kingdom of this world, people often feel disempowered, vulnerable, or exposed.  The easiest way to deal with such an insecurity is to do what you can to reverse it.  Do you feel like a 98-pound weakling?  Go to the gym and build some muscle.  Do you feel vulnerable financially?  Do what you can to build your portfolio.  Do you feel as though you’ve been treated unfairly by others?  Fight back; take them to court; assert your rights.  The dominant narrative here is: If someone hits you, you hit them back harder.  When faced with injustice – whether it be public humiliation, unfair treatment or intentional harm – our natural inclination is to demand an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.  That’s what the law of reciprocity is.  Of course, as Gandhi once put it, “An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth…makes the whole world blind and toothless.”

  Jesus addresses the law of reciprocity in the passage we read from the gospel according to Matthew.  He does so by turning conventional wisdom on its ear.  Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’  But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer.  If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.  And if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well.  And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.  Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.”

  Let’s try to take this statement apart.  First of all, Jesus says, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’”  The people who were listening to Jesus would have more than just heard this statement.  It was in the Torah!  Read Leviticus 24, verses 19 and 20.  It’s in our Old Testament as well.

  Jesus is trying to tell us that in the kingdom of God, there is a better way than the law of reciprocity.  He cites four specific examples.  The first one has to do with turning the other cheek.  Two thousand years ago, it was common to see a master slapping a slave on any city street.  Since the right hand was used for slapping, to slap someone on the right cheek was to give them the back of your hand. 

  Usually when this happened, a slave would cower in submission.  Unfortunately, that allowed the abuse to continue.  Oh, a slave could hit his master back, but there were grave consequences for doing so.  Jesus presents a stunning, new idea: offer the left cheek instead.  This would leave the striker wondering what to do next.  Don’t do it smugly; do it sincerely.  It should completely diffuse the situation.

  Then Jesus says, “If anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well.”  In Jesus’ day, the poor were often at the mercy of the rich.  Many people were so poor that they had nothing to offer as collateral for a loan except the clothes on their backs.  A lender could ask for the money he had loaned to be repaid at any time, and if the borrower could not pay, the lender could take his tunic.  That would leave the poor person with only his outer coat.  Jesus says to offer that as well.  Why?  Because the guiding principal of the kingdom is love.  If someone takes something from us, our natural reaction is to cling to it.  Those who understand God’s abundant provision are able to take a different approach.  We say, “You want my shirt?  Here, you can have my coat as well.”  In the kingdom of God, we are never in a position of scarcity.  Thus, we can afford to freely give of our possessions. 

  Jesus then adds, “If anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile.”  Two thousand years ago, a Roman soldier could force a Jew to carry his luggage.  That such a privilege not be abused, the Roman government actually enacted a law that made it illegal for a soldier to force a Jew to carry his bags any more than a mile.  Jesus asks his disciples to do the unthinkable: carry the bags another mile.  Why?  Because the guiding principal in the kingdom of God is love, and love seeks the good of another.  That, my friends, is literally what it means to go the extra mile.

  Finally Jesus says, “Give to everyone who begs from you, and do not refuse anyone who wants to borrow from you.”  This one’s really hard.  One time I put a transient person up in a motel room using what we call the Lindley Fund.  Then I gave him twenty dollars out of my own pocket because he said he hadn’t had anything to eat.  Believe it or not, I got a call from the motel clerk later on that day.  He said, “Did you give so-and-so money?”  I said, “Yes.  He said he needed something to eat.”  The motel clerk then said, “I just wanted you to know that he came back to the motel carrying a twelve-pack of beer and a carton of cigarettes!” 

  At that point, what could I do?  My philosophy on those kinds of things is this: I do what I feel I am called to do as a Christian.  If someone’s pulling the wool over my eyes, I figure they’ll have to answer for that themselves one day.  At least I know I did the right thing…and I can sleep at night.

  In each of the aforementioned situations, Jesus asks his disciples to do the unnatural; to do the unthinkable.  Yet we are in a unique position when we abide in the kingdom of God.  We believe the kingdom of God is unshakable.  We believe the kingdom of God is never in trouble.  And because of that belief, we can be bold enough to actually do the unthinkable.

  Are you familiar with the story of the patriarch Joseph?  Joseph was the 11^th born son of Jacob.  Jacob loved Joseph more than his other sons and gave him what the Bible calls a coat of many colors.  Broadway changed the name of it to the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.  One day Jacob sent Joseph out to check on his older brothers who were tending the sheep.  When he told them of a dream he’d had where they all bowed down to him, they were outraged.  They sold him to a group of Midianite merchants, smeared blood all over his coat of many colors, and told their father that he’d been killed by a wild animal.

  The Midianite merchants later sold Joseph to a military captain in Egypt named Potiphar.  When Potiphar’s wife took a liking to Joseph and Joseph refused to commit adultery, she accused him of molesting her.  This landed Joseph in prison.  Yet Joseph had the unique ability to interpret dreams.  When none other than Pharaoh himself had a perplexing dream, Joseph was called upon to interpret it for him, and essentially saved the nation of Egypt from a famine.  This got Joseph promoted to second-in-command of all of Egypt. 

  Eventually the famine in the land was so severe that Joseph’s brothers had to come to Egypt to beg for food.  They appeared before Joseph, but they did not recognize him as their brother.  When he revealed to them who he was, they trembled in fear and begged his forgiveness.  Joseph said in essence, “Fear not.  For what you intended for evil, God intended for good.”  Joseph forgave them, and they essentially lived happily ever after.  Joseph had gone from riches, to rags, to riches again…and in Joseph’s mind, it was all God’s doing.

  That’s what kingdom living looks like, and that’s how we live beyond the law of reciprocity.  We trust that God – in spite of the odds – can somehow turn that which is evil into good.  Why?  Because our new kingdom narrative assures us that the kingdom of God…is never in trouble.  Amen.

 

04-21-2013 Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Brian K. Jensen

 

R. B. N. S.

  Once upon a time, there were three ministers who were gathered together for coffee.  Much to their chagrin, they discovered that they all suffered from the very same problem.  They all had bats in their belfries…bats in the belfries of their churches, that is.  The first minister said, “I tried shooting the bats with a B.B. gun, but those bats were so quick, I just couldn’t hit them.   All I accomplished was to put a few holes in my stained glass windows.  My bats are still there.”

  The second minister said, “I tried trapping the bats alive.  Then I drove five miles out into the country before I let them go.  And wouldn’t you know it?  Those doggone bats beat me back to the church!  My bats are still there, as well.” 

  The third minister said, “I used to have bats in the belfry of my church too, but not anymore.”  The other ministers said, “How on earth did you get rid of them?”  The third minister said, “It was really quite simple.  I baptized them, I confirmed them…and I haven’t seen them since!” 

  Although we may wish it were not so, sadly…that story reveals a great deal of truth.  Out of a typical confirmation class, only about a third of them will remain active in the church throughout their high school years, and even fewer will remain active in the church throughout adulthood.  We live in a changing world; one that would appear to prioritize its relationship with God less and less all the time.

  The Pew Forum on Religion recently conducted a survey of faith in America today that seems to back that theory up.  What they discovered is that one-fifth of the general public – and one-third of adults under the age of thirty – are religiously unaffiliated today.   In other words, they have no part of the institutional church.   That number represents the highest percentage in the history of the survey.

  Yet lest we think the news is all bad, consider this.  In a recent book entitled, God Is Alive and Well: The Future of Religion in America, editor-in-chief Frank Newport makes the case that religion is as alive and well in America today as it has ever been.  In fact, Gallup Poll research projects that religion may become even more significant in the years that lie ahead.  Newport writes, and I quote, “We may even be on the cusp of a religious renaissance.” 

  While the research appears to be conflicting, here’s what seems to be happening.  Religion as we have known it for the last one hundred years may in fact be dying, but this death is not the result of the rise of outspoken atheists like Richard Dawkins or Christopher Hitchens.  The Pew Forum research indicates that those who identify themselves as “atheists” or “agnostics” have grown by less than five percent over the course of last ten years.  On the other hand, the religiously unaffiliated – those whom we refer to these days as the “nones” (that’s n-o-n-e-s, not n-u-n-s) – the “nones” have risen by twenty percent.  Although the Gallup poll projects a rise in religious interest, it notes also that: “Increasingly, Americans do not have a religious identity, or they identify with broad religious labels…rather than with specific denominations.” 

  We live in an era called post-modernism where people are open to various forms of spirituality.  These forms tend not to resemble organized religion.  The Pew Forum research found that many of the forty-six million unaffiliated adults are in some way religious or spiritual.  Two-thirds of them indicate that they do believe in God.  They refer to themselves as what we call S.B.N.R.  S.B.N.R., of course, is an acronym that means: Spiritual…But Not Religious.

  We are seeing a sharp rise in people who are religiously unaffiliated, while also seeing a sharp rise in interest in God.  Thus, when we ask the question: “Is faith in God dead or alive?” perhaps the answer is, “Yes.”  Yes, faith in God as we have known it may be dying, but faith in God in general is still very much alive.  Thus, the solution to our problem is not contemporary music in worship or the gospel of prosperity…far from it.  Worship as entertainment is not the answer.

  Harvey Cox is a professor at the Harvard Divinity School and the author of a book called, The Future of Faith.  In it, he makes the point that our society is undergoing a major transformation regarding human experience of the divine.  Cox believes we are moving from an era we might call, “The Age of Belief” to an era we might call, “The Age of the Spirit.”  The Age of Belief was characterized by an emphasis on creeds and doctrines; it was an era where like-minded people gathered on Sunday mornings with others who shared similar beliefs.  The Age of the Spirit is a little bit different.  The Age of the Spirit is characterized as non-dogmatic, non-institutional, and non-hierarchical.  These people are likely to be far less ordered – yet perhaps a bit more open – to the movement of God’s Holy Spirit.

  Here’s how I would describe it if I were to attempt to put this theory into my own words.  In days gone by, people wanted to know all about God.  Today it seems as though people want to know God.  Again, in days gone by, people wanted to know all about God.  Today it seems as though people want to know God.  Do you see the dramatic difference?

  Let me try to explain how we got into this predicament in the first place.  The Age of Enlightenment, or the Age of Reason, began in the 17^th century in Europe.  Closely tied to the Age of Enlightenment was the Scientific Revolution.  Science and its discoveries overturned many traditional beliefs, and introduced new perspectives on nature and humanity’s place in the grand scheme of things.  Thus, when it came to religion, the Bible was demythologized.  The Bible became a textbook to be studied, examined and understood…as opposed to a gift from God that studied, examined and understood us. 

  In short, the mystery of the Bible was summarily removed.  As Max Weber once put it in a lecture at Munich University, “If you want to be part of the modern world, grow up and bear the burden of disenchantment.”  For many, many years, people have done just that.  The highest praise given to a modern person was that he or she was rational or scientific.  The deepest insult given to a modern person was that he or she was, “spiritual…but of no earthly good.”

  Christians – in particular, mainline Protestant Christians – quickly became products of the Age of Enlightenment.  They worked hard to harmonize faith with this era by making it a rational and scientific enterprise.  Christianity, during the period of the Age of Belief, emphasized the rational “truths” of the faith.  Moreover, many Christian scholars worked hard to make Christianity a scientifically valid system of belief.  By the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, much of the mystery of faith was gone.  And in the process we became what we might call: R.B.N.S.  R.B.N.S. is an acronym that I made up for this sermon.  It means: Religious…But Not Spiritual.

  Today we suffer from what a seminary professor by the name of Cheryl Johns calls: E.D.D.  E.D.D. stands for Enchantment Deficit Disorder.  Symptoms of Enchantment Deficit Disorder include a loss of a sense of wonder, and a skepticism of anything that smacks of the supernatural or the miraculous.  Enchantment Deficit Disorder has left a generation of young people searching for the wondrous, for the miraculous, for the holy, and for the spiritual.

  The Spiritual But Not Religious can be characterized as being open and hungry for personal spiritual experiences.  In short, they long for enchantment.  Consider the popularity of books and movies like: The Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter, or the Twilight series.  I think they reveal how deep their hunger for enchantment really is.  Why else would an otherwise sophisticated, modern-day person read about hobbits and witches and vampires and werewolves?  People long for the places where the veil between this world and the world of the Spirit becomes transparent.

  A lot of people asked me recently if I was going to watch that T.V. show on the history of the Bible.  I said, “No, I don’t like those T.V. shows on the Bible.  They tend to demythologize or disenchant.  My philosophy is: ‘Never destroy a person’s ideology unless you can replace it with a better one.’”  What do I mean by destroying ideologies?

  There is a long-running T.V. show called, Ancient Mysteries of the Bible.  In a show about the Exodus, they tried to present archaeological evidence that suggested that Moses led the Hebrew people across the Reed Sea, not the Red Sea.  The Reed Sea was a much shallower lake to the north that – due to certain wind currents – frequently parted on its own.  In short, they were trying to explain away some of the mystery or enchantment of the Bible.  And all they managed to accomplish was to shatter a lot of people’s ideologies.  What does that accomplish?

  Now listen to this.  Further archaeological study reveals that the Red Sea is very deep, but there is a shelf that splits it that is not nearly so deep.  What’s more, archaeologists have now found evidence of ancient Egyptian chariot wheels and spears and armor on that shelf.  How do you suppose that got there?  Archaeological study initially shattered our ideology.  Yet further archaeological study suggests that our ideology may have been right all along.

  Now don’t get me wrong.  I am not advocating the cessation of archaeological research.  Nor am I blessing the realm of the Spiritual But Not Religious.  In my humble opinion, the Spiritual But Not Religious tend to turn to God only when they want something from him.  What I am advocating is that we learn to move beyond the realm of the Religious But Not Spiritual.  We need to learn to be open to wonder.  We need to learn to be open to enchantment.  We need to learn to be open to the movement of the Holy Spirit of God. 

  It all begins with how we view the Bible.  Is the Bible simply a textbook to be studied, examined and understood?  Or is the Bible a gift from God that studies, examines and understands us?  Read it sometime…and be open to the mystery and the wonder and the enchantment of God revealed within its pages.  You may even find yourself becoming spiritual in the process.  Amen.

 

04-07-2013 Sermon by Rev. Larry Peters

 

JESUS APPEARS TO THE DISCIPLES

Rev. Larry Peters

April 7, 2013

 

Psalm 118:14-17

Acts 5:27-32

John 20:19-31

 

  What kind of a day is the Sunday after Easter?  The mood and the events of Holy Week have both a depth and an excitement.  There is a flurry of activities, and a wide range of emotions.  We go from the tragedy of the Crucifixion to the triumph of the Resurrection.  And then what?  A lot of people seem to be at a loss as to what to do after Easter.  The palm branches are gone.  The lilies are gone.  Some of the people who were with us last Sunday have gone.  What is the significance of Easter, and how does it affect us as the church?  We should want to find out.

  I think that Jesus wanted to find out what was going on in the church when he came to visit the disciples.  The Bible tells us that it was evening on that day.  The scripture reading today is a continuation of the events that happened on the day of the Lord’s Resurrection and leads to today, the Sunday after Easter.  Therefore, I would like to continue following the message we received last Sunday including some important points presented by Rev. Jensen.  First of all, do we genuinely believe in the Resurrection?  How has it changed us?  How has it impacted and shaped our faith?  All this is important to us because, as we heard last week, “faith in the Resurrection is what distinguishes Christianity from everything else.  The essence of the Christian faith is faith in the Resurrection.”

  We need to begin to understand just how great the importance of the Lord’s Resurrection is to us!  We need to understand the difference this makes; what the Resurrection means.  It means that everything is different now!  Everything has changed!  What kind of day is today?  It is a new day, different from days previous.  The events of this week are a change from what happened last week.  But we need to see how those events have changed us, shaped us, made a difference in who we are and what we are to become as we move forward to live each new day.

  What are the great events that have happened that distinguish the Christian faith from everything else?  Death has been conquered!  Jesus is alive!  Jesus has been given all authority!  Jesus is in charge!  How does this make a difference to us?  What does this mean?  It means that we are to rejoice in the Risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!  We give thanks that we have new life in Christ’s name!  This new life and promise enables us to live differently than before!  We have a great work to do!  We have a great story to tell!  And we need not live in fear anymore!

  But when the Risen Lord Jesus came to visit the disciples he found them behind closed, locked doors because they were afraid.  The moment Jesus was arrested, they fled.  They once were disciples of Jesus, bound together by a common leader and a common mission.  It was Jesus who called them together, Jesus who bound them together, Jesus who taught them, ate with them, walked mile after mile with them – together.  But now that Jesus was gone, the only common thing among them was fear.  Fear dominated them.

  There was much to be afraid of.  They had seen Jesus arrested, beaten, nailed to the cross and there he died.  They were afraid that the ones who did that to Jesus could do it to them as well.  Crucifixion was a particularly cruel way to put someone to death, and the point of hanging someone on the cross wasn’t just to kill the person, but to do so in a way that would intimidate everyone.  It was meant to send a signal, loud and clear.  The primary purpose of crucifixion wasn’t just to put someone to death, it was to produce fear.  The disciples got the message.

  So there they were, gathered together behind closed and locked doors.  Nothing was getting in.  Nothing was getting out.  I want you to get this point.  This was the early church.  They were without hope, and therefore unable to offer hope to anyone else.  The disciples didn’t know it yet, but they were about to get a new message.  This is the joyful, life-giving, life-changing message of the Resurrection!

  The strange thing is that the disciples had heard this message before.  When Mary Magdalene and the other women first returned from the empty tomb with the good news of the Lord’s Resurrection; “The disciples thought that what the women said was nonsense, and they did not believe them” (Luke 24:11).  And later, a report came from two disciples who said they had seen Jesus on the road to Emmaus.  The other disciples “would not believe it” (Mark 16:13).  And in Matthew’s Gospel, at the moment just before Jesus ascends into heaven, “those who gathered around Jesus saw him and worshiped him; but still some doubted” (28:17).

  The point here is that Thomas was not the first, nor will he be the last to express some doubt or unreadiness to believe in the Resurrection.  For these disciples, hand chosen by Jesus himself, it took the very real presence of the Risen Lord in their midst for them to believe.  This is why Jesus says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet come to believe” (John 20:29).

  In the days after Easter, when our Lord Jesus Christ has risen and ascended, it is now our job as the church to make him known to others.  For them to come to believe, we must be real in our witness to the very real and Risen Lord Jesus Christ!  In other words, unless we, by the power of God’s Holy Spirit working in and through us, are able to convince others of the reality of Jesus Christ – they will not believe. 

  It is an awesome responsibility.  And it may seem, at times, a task too much for us.  But it is for this purpose that our Lord calls us and commissions us – to be the church.  It is why he died, and why he is Risen – to cleanse us of our impurities and to make us righteous in God’s sight.  By the work of God on our behalf, we have what it takes to witness to the Risen Lord and to share this Good News with others.  And we can live in the peace of knowing that when we follow Christ, we are making a difference.

  Jesus comes to offer that peace.  Jesus came and stood among the disciples and said, “Peace be with you” (John 20:19).  I can imagine that those disciples were very startled, can’t you?  Jesus will sometimes enter our lives at a time, or a place, or in a way that we least expect.  We may have in our minds a picture of Jesus standing at the door and knocking; but in this case he comes in unannounced.  Jesus will certainly welcome our invitation to come in, but he is not dependent upon it.  Therefore, be ready at all times.  The Risen Lord has the authority to come as he chooses.  Even if one is unwilling to receive him, a friend or a family member may be praying for that person.  Be ready for Christ to enter in.  As death cannot hold him, neither can a lock in any door.  It is interesting to note here that when Jesus appears again to the disciples the following week (today) the doors were closed, but no mention of them being locked.  The proof of the Resurrection is that something changed, and evidence of all things that will be changed.  As we pointed out to us last week, “the Resurrection gives light in order for us to see who we are and what we can become.”

  The disciples who gathered together in fear were about to be changed.  Where they may have seen themselves as a poor example of the church, our Lord God saw in them what they could become.  Rev. Jensen said last week that “we tend to be so afraid of what is outside of us that we lose our inner selves.”  Jesus comes to show us that we are no longer to be held captive by fear; we are free to be all that God intends for us to be.

  Those first disciples knew what they feared most.  We also know what we fear.  Some are announced in the headlines: a faltering economy, crime and violence, wars and rumors of wars.  Other fears are more personal, more private: a bad medical report, a broken marriage, a career that crashes.  We feel fear when there’s no money to pay on the mortgage, or when our child is having trouble at school, or with some other issue.  These are but a few of our fears.

  These fears are with us.  It is not that fear is simply swept away; rather we are released from fear when something more powerful overrides it.  For example, when a soldier faces enemy fire to save another who is wounded, it is not because he does not fear for his own life – but a stronger love for his friend takes over.  Our Lord God so loves us that he willingly gave his life to save us from our sins.  Yes, the fear is there; but it no longer dominates because there is a greater work to be done.  As Rev. Jensen said last week; “Jesus was not afraid to do what needed to be done; and so we can now be unafraid to go out and do that good that we know needs to be done.”

  The birthday of the church wasn’t just at Pentecost  according to John’s Gospel.  We see it also at this moment when Jesus enters in.  He calms fears.  He gives his peace.  Jesus gives proof that he is real by showing them the wounds in his hands and side.  The disciples are changed in an instant.  They believe, and they rejoice!  Once more Jesus calls them together, binds them together with a common purpose.  He sends them forth with a mission.  At this moment his followers are transformed from disciples (ones who are taught) into apostles (ones who are sent).  Jesus breathes on them the Holy Spirit.  They receive new life!  They are commissioned and empowered to go out into the world bearing the Good News of peace and forgiveness to all people.  No more closed and locked doors.  People have to come in.  Good news has to get out.  A church is born!

  Now, in light of all this, is it possible that there can be any complacency or indifference with us the church in these days following Easter?  Really, just thing about it:

We are blessed!

We are empowered!

We are convinced, motivated, inspired, and equipped!

We go!  And we tell others about the very real way that we have come to know the very real, Risen Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!  And because we believe, our witness will be real!  Amen!