2nd Sunday of Easter
John 20:19-31
"Does Easter make A Difference?"
19 ¶ On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, "Peace be with you."
20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you."
22 And 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; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."
24 Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, 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 in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, and place my hand in his side, I will not believe."
26 ¶ Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but 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; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing."
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 believe."
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.RSV
Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the risen Christ.
A pastor tells the following in the Augsburg Sermon Book for the year 1985: "I’ve never seen such a crowd in church, the woman exclaimed’. I didn’t know her, but apparently she was impressed by the number of people here for Easter worship. Then, as she was shaking my hand an-’ moving toward the front door, she added, "Do you suppose it will make any difference?"
I held on to her hand so she couldn’t get away, "What do you mean?" I said ’’Will what make a difference?"
"Easter," she shot back. "Will Easter make any difference for all these people, or will life tomorrow be the same as it was yesterday?"
That lady’s question is truly a profound question. "Will Easter make any difference for all these people, or will life tomorrow be the same as it was yesterday Will Easter make any difference in your life? Has this week been guy different for you because of the Easter event last Sunday?
Easter is truly a religious holiday. Oh, sure we have the Easter bunny and the tradition of buying new clothes, but in the final analysis Easter has not been commercialized, it is truly a religious event and has this religious event made any difference in your life?
One person who found that Easter does make a difference is the brother of Thomas, his twin.
Listen:
Dear Thomas,
After so many years, I am glad that I can finally write this letter to you. I was not sure that it would be possible. I am more skeptical than even you, and I was not sure how I would ever be able to believe in this Jesus of Nazareth you followed. He was crucified and that was the end of it as far as I was concerned. Yes, you had some hallucination I thought. Hanging around with those twelve, it was no wonder you’d begin to lose your mind. But it was clear that you at least were serious about it when you left for India. I pray that this letter will reach you so that you can share my joy. Your dedication to proclaiming Jesus was always inspiring to me, even if I thought it was wrong-headed and unbelievable.
But let me tell you what happened to me.
As I’d written you, we had to leave Galilee to live in Jerusalem. There was no more living for us there, so we left to find a better circumstance in the city. Here in Jerusalem a tailor can make more money, but expenses are greater. Whether we will come out ahead, I am not yet sure. We found some rooms to rent, Naomi and me and the children. Of course, we were very nervous, even frightened, about leaving our homes and families to live in this crowded, busy place. We did have contact with cousin Micah, but he lived some distance away from our new home in the city.
As it turned out, our neighbors are wonderful people. Stephanus and Miriam welcomed us warmly when we arrived and made sure that we were provided for even the very first day we moved in. Naomi was sick within the week of our arrival and Miriam made extra trips to the well for our water. I could well expect our friends to treat us so, but we were strangers to these people. We were afraid that we’d left this neighborliness behind in Galilee.
Not long after this we received word that Naomi’s mother died, and so we had to go back to Galilee to take care of some business and to visit and mourn with her family. We did not look forward to the long trip, and our donkey had a sore hoof and was unable to make the journey. When Stephanus learned of our situation he immediately offered us the use of his donkey and cart, so that the children could ride and we could make better time. This generosity was difficult to accept, but I could tell his sincerity in the peaceful look in his eyes as he encouraged me to make use of his donkey and cart.
Although Miriam and Stephanus are always busy, they never seem hurried. They always have time to listen and to talk, or to lend a hand. So over the course of a month or so we became quite friendly. I finally had to ask Stephanus how it was that he is so peaceful and joyful. I don’t mean that he’s a joker or unfeeling. I was touched by the way he carried himself, the way he responded to situations with a clear sense of fairness and confidence. He was sober, but not boring. He had a genuine interest in me. At first, of course, that is simply flattering, but then I began to appreciate that he cared for me simply for who I am, not who I might become or what I might do for him. As you know, Thomas, that is rare.
So I asked him what was behind his way in the world. He did not answer me right away, but he went deep into himself. Then he said to me, "You have asked the most serious question. I cannot give you the answer all at once in a way that will make much sense to you. But it was not always this way with me. I was run out of my hometown because of the evil things I did. I was truly a lost soul. You might say that I was dead, but now, thank God, I am alive. I was introduced to a group of people whom I would like you to meet. We get together each week after the sabbath is over and we pray together, perhaps you would like to join us, and bring your family, the women pray with us as well."
I should have known when he said they gather after the sabbath has ended that they were your people, Thomas, but luckily I didn’t put it together; there are so many sects and religious fanatics around these days. So, the next week we went together with them.
How shall I describe it to you?
It was so ordinary, and yet so remarkable. There were about a dozen adults there and many children scurrying about, playing. We met at the home of one of the members. I recognized a few whom I’d seen at the market. There was quite a mixture of people. Some who were wealthy and others who were certainly poor. But they did not hold these distinctions between them. Instead each greeted each warmly. We were welcomed immediately and felt right at home. Their hospitality was remarkable, and their joy was clear.
We shared together a meal of bread and porridge. We sang psalms together and joined in prayer. Then we heard lessons from the law and the prophets and different persons shared from their lives how these affirmed that Jesus was the Christ, and that he was risen from the dead. As soon as I realized these were your people, Thomas, I became very uncomfortable. Yet I was still drawn to them. The oddness of their belief in a crucified man rising from the dead and being the son of God seemed insignificant beside the joy and love and peace that radiated from this group.
After the readings and reflections on the Scriptures were completed we sang again. Then there was silence and going around the room those who were present began to share their needs. They shared where they had gone wrong in the previous week, they confessed their sins to one another and prayed for each others’ deliverance. I was moved by the trust and tenderness that was shown in this time. They also shared their victories and how God had been active in healing them. Truly, forgiveness and acceptance and healing were present in that fellowship.
Finally, I felt that I must speak. I told them I was your brother, but explained that you had been unable to convince me that Jesus was the Christ and Lord. I told them that I was still not sure. Certainly there was a spirit about them, they had surely experienced something real to them and I had experienced something of it as well.
Stephanus answered me. "Your heart has given you a testimony. We are glad that we have been a part of it. Your head needs time to catch up with what the Spirit has told you. I am confident that the God who raised Christ from the dead is at work in you. I do not fear the outcome of God’s hand in your life. It is hard for us to accept things from our families sometimes, perhaps there is a message that Thomas could not communicate to you."
I thanked him for his words and became quiet.
A loaf of bread and a cup of wine was brought forth and one of the fellowship offered a prayer in remembrance of Christ, crucified and risen. He said that the bread was a sign of his broken body, and the wine a sign of the blood he shed on behalf of sinners like us. And as he broke the bread and all of us ate from it, I came to know in the love of these people for me and my family the love that God showed for us on that cross at Calvary. I began to know that I was not alone in a cruel and meaningless world, but that God shares in this world with me and recreated the world when he overcame even death by raising Christ from the dead.
And then the cup was offered, the cup of a new covenant, a new reconciliation with God, a new beginning. God’s forgiveness that overcomes the past was made clear to me in this group of strangers who were joined into a community of witnesses to that forgiveness. As we shared together from the cup, the power of that community revealed to me what had been revealed to you: the reality of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen. No longer did I need to be convinced, only directed and led to a deeper fellowship with these believers and a closer walk with him who leads them. Like you, I needed more than words. I needed to know the risen Christ.
Now I know. I’m sorry I couldn’t just take your word for it. There is so much more I have to tell you, and even more that I need to learn from you, for you were with him! I do not know when we may meet again, for now so many miles lie between us. But today I can honestly write that I feel closer to you than I did when we lived in the same village, and I know that we will be together when he comes again to take us home. God bless you, my brother. I pray that your work in India is going well, that you are able to introduce many to hope in the Lord. Our community will begin to send you some support to ease your burdens. Peace be with you. 1
Another came to realize that Jesus was Lord and God.
As Thomas proclaimed in our gospel lesson, Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" can we proclaim that Jesus is our Lord and Saviour? Sure we have doubts, Thomas and his twin did, but those doubts can be overcome by faith. Faith is a belief that Jesus died and rose for our salvation.
Does Easter make a difference, yes it does.
Amen
Written by Pastor Tim Zingale April 10, 2006
1 Found in a sermon by John W. McNeill
