“The One Who Offers Peace is the One Who has been through the Most”
John 20:19-31
Last Thursday, I woke to the news that, in the past 4 weeks 22 million people have lost their jobs.
At the same time, The American Psychiatric Association has come out with a new poll which states that nearly half of all Americans are anxious about the possibility of getting the coronavirus, and more than a third of Americans say the coronavirus is having a serious impact on their mental health and most people feel that the coronavirus is having a serious impact on their day-to-day lives.
Most adults are concerned that the pandemic will have a serious impact on their finances and almost half of us are worried about running out of food, medicine, and supplies.
That’s a lot of anxiety.
That’s a lot of fear.
If you are feeling this way this morning, know that you are not alone.
Add to all this the recent tornado damage in Chattanooga and much of the South…
…and we’ve got a pretty crazy situation going on.
Our Gospel Lesson for this morning begins with fear.
On the very day of the joyous new life of Resurrection, the disciples huddle in a bolted room, afraid of the authorities.
And their fears are realistic.
The collusion between the religious leaders and Roman Empire has destroyed Jesus, and they have every reason to expect that they too are on the list of the usual suspects.
And so, their doors are shut, but fear and locked doors are no barrier for the Resurrected Christ, Whose body has already overcome all human obstacles.
John tells us that “Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’
After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side.
The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.”
Could it be that in showing His wounds to the disciples, Jesus is not only showing them that He is the same person they saw hanging on the Cross a few days ago, but also that His wounds prove to them that Jesus has overcome the very worst the world can do to Him or anyone else for that matter.
Evil is no match for Jesus Christ.
Death is no match for Jesus.
The devil is no match for Jesus.
Therefore, what have we got to fear?
When Mary Ellen was little, I used to tell her I was the strongest person in the world.
I didn’t tell her this because it was true nor did I tell her this to impress her.
I told her this in order to calm her fears.
For instance, if, before she went to bed she said something like, “Daddy, I’m afraid of robbers breaking in to our house tonight.”
My response would be: “I’m the strongest man in the world, I’d just kick them out the door.
You have nothing to worry about—nothing to fear.”
And it worked.
She believed me during her very early years when those kinds of fears are especially disruptive.
Well, in a very real way, Jesus IS the “Strongest Man in the World.”
All the powers and authorities…not even death itself can keep Him down.
What have we got to fear?
In Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book,” Mowgli, the man cub, asks the animals what the most feared thing is in the jungle.
He’s told that when two animals meet on a narrow path that one of the animals must step aside and let the other animal pass.
The animal that steps aside for no one would then be the most feared.
Mowgli wants to know what kind of animal that is.
One tells him it’s an elephant.
Another tells him it’s a lion.
Finally the wise old owl exclaims: “The most feared thing in the jungle is death.
It steps aside for no one.”
Well, my friends: welcome to the jungle.
We live in scary times.
The anxiety level, the fear level is pretty high right now.
Jesus said to the first disciples, “Peace be with you.”
Jesus says to us, “Peace be with you.”
What kind of peace is Jesus offering?
What does He mean?
And who wouldn’t want peace?
Isn’t that what most sane individuals desire most?
We all need peace, do we not?
First of all, there is some danger around the word “peace.”
We must avoid making the mistake of assuming that Jesus is talking about the absence of conflict, the presence of quiet and rest, everyone agreeing and getting along.
That may happen in the world to come, but not in this world.
I mean think about it, Jesus says, “Peace be with you!”
And then He says, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
And with that, “He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’”
In other words, Jesus’ intention is to send His disciples out on the same mission that ended up getting Him killed.
The peace Jesus offers has nothing to do with sitting on the couch and eating Bon-Bons.
It’s not about being able to afford the most expensive house or luxury car.
It has nothing to do with “cutting ourselves off from the world.”
It’s not a prosperity gospel.
It doesn’t mean that tornados can’t knock down our homes or that the financial fallout from the coronavirus won’t touch us.
In fact, it is the exact opposite.
It calls us to go into the world to love and minister to others without fear even though it might threaten our comfort, our bank accounts, our stuff.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer put it bluntly: “When Christ calls a person, He calls the person to come and die.”
But it is in dying to the old ways—the ways of the world, that we find Resurrection, Real Life and True Peace!!!
The other day, while getting bags ready for the food pantry I was having a conversation with a big strong formerly military guy named Jim West.
Jim is a great guy and a fairly new Christian.
During our conversation, I said: “Volunteering for the food pantry is something you never have to feel guilty about or bad about doing.”
Jim quipped, “And for some of us, that’s a really big change from what we are used to feeling.”
Christian faith in action brings us peace—Jesus’ kind of peace; God’s peace.
Back in John Chapter 14:27 Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Again, the kind of peace Jesus offers is not about living the “high-life” with the absence of troubles…
…of course, if we are honest with ourselves, that kind of peace is just smoke and mirrors anyways…
…it doesn’t really exist.
Everyone, from the richest to the poorest has troubles and hardships.
And so, the only real peace is Christ’s peace.
It can come to a person in a jail cell.
It can come to a person living on skid row.
It can come to anyone, anywhere.
It has nothing to do with circumstances.
It has nothing to do with what is going on outside of us and around us.
Rather, it is a gift from Jesus.
And for those who accept Jesus’ gift, it becomes a peace which transcends all understanding.
It is a peace, a contentment that settles deep inside.
The Apostle Paul said that he learned “the secret of how to be content in any circumstance…whether being full or hungry or whether having plenty or being poor.”
And Paul didn’t learn this from taking life easy.
He learned this by taking up his cross and following Christ.
He learned it by losing his life only to find it in Jesus.
He learned it by giving himself for the sake of others, even when it cost him much.
Paul says in Philippians that this “peace of God that transcends all understanding” keeps “our hearts and minds safe in Christ Jesus.”
And isn’t that what we all need, now more than ever?
Hearts and minds that are kept safe.
So, I’d like to ask you an honest question this morning.
And I want you to think about it, and be honest about it with yourself and with God.
Do you feel as if your heart and mind is safe?
Or are you like one-third of Americans who say the coronavirus is having a serious impact on their mental health?
Do you feel like you are going crazy behind the locked doors of your life?
Are you depressed?
Are you anxious?
Again, if so, you are far from being alone.
The good news is that “fearfully locked doors” and hearts, cannot keep out God’s grace.
Doors of fear can’t prevent the Risen Christ coming to you and me and offering us the free gift of God’s Peace.
An amazing thing happened last Thursday at the food pantry.
It was near the end of the night and we were getting ready to close up.
Then another car pulled in.
We raced up to the woman in the car—her name is Sharon--offering her food and groceries.
She said, “Are you all going to be here for a little while longer?”
We were like, “Just a little while, but it won’t take a second for us to put the food in your car.”
She insisted, “I need to go to the bank first, I’ll be right back.”
So, we waited.
In a few minutes Sharon was back.
She didn’t want food.
She told us that she works at the Dry Cleaner’s across the street and she sees the cars line up every time we have the food pantry, and she feels so blessed that she doesn’t need the food—so she wanted to give.
She handed us $500.00 in cash.
Sharon went home that night with the peace of Christ.
We experience Christ’s peace when we reach out to others in need.
And even while we are isolated, we can still offer support.
Perhaps an older or disabled neighbor needs help with groceries or fulfilling a prescription?
We can always leave packages on their doorstep to avoid direct contact.
Or maybe they just need to hear a friendly, reassuring voice over the phone.
For those who have financial resources, those can be used to support our church, food pantry and other organizations reaching out to people in need.
We can also be a calming influence to friends or loved ones who are panicking during this time—helping them try and gain some perspective on the situation.
Being a positive and uplifting person in the anxious times can bring peace to others and peace to ourselves.
There are lots of ways we can put our faith into action, and thus follow Jesus’ command to receive the Holy Spirit and then allow ourselves to be sent by Christ as the Father sent Him.
And like Thomas, in our Gospel Lesson, most people still come to believe by seeing it, by experiencing the risen Christ in the flesh.
So, let’s live as a part of the Body of Christ in this world.
The Holy Spirit gives us what we need to do this, if we allow.
And above all, remember, the One Who comes and offers us peace, even in the midst of tornado damage, financial struggles, isolation, anxiety and fear is the One Who has been through the worst on the Cross and has overcome everything that the devil and evil and fear and isolation and pain and even death can deal out!
In Christ, we are protected by, literally, the strongest man in the world.
Therefore, what is there to fear?
Jesus has made a fool of death.
Christ has the victory the biggest threat the world and the devil can make.
And those who live in Christ share His victory.
That knowledge alone brings me peace; how about you?
If you haven’t done so, won’t you give your life over to Jesus Christ today?
And in doing so, accept God’s free gift of peace.
