Acts 2:14a
Acts 2:36–41
Psalm 116:1–4
Psalm 116:12–19
1Peter 1:17–23
John 20:19–31
I have secrets and do not care to share them. I have had secrets that I dare not share at the time. Some secrets we have may be related to self-perception. Some related to others perception of us. Some are grounded in real fact, while others are not. In our secrets, we have fears, real and imagined.
God does know our secrets, the real, the imagined, the things we have done, not done ,what others do to us and what we do to others. Do I, do we do what we are suppose to do, what God intends us to do? Do our secrets hold us in fear, fear that makes us hide and not be as God intends us to be? Do our secrets hamper us or is it what we have done or not done hamper us?
Last week’s reading had Mary encountering Jesus outside of the tomb, risen and alive! She leaves and announces to the disciples what she has seen and heard. Later that evening, we find the disciples hiding, locked away in a house. They all have a secret; they are disciples of Jesus, the Christ, the one that was crucified upon a cross. Is their fear warranted? Mary had come to them, told them what she saw, what she heard from Jesus. What Jesus had told them has come true yet they still were hidden away in fear.
So, my question to you all is, who is Jesus’ death and resurrection for? Yes, you, me, everyone both past, present and future. You really cannot get much more inclusive that that! This means that Jesus died for the disciples, the ones that followed him while he walked on earth, the ones that Mary spoke with after the resurrection, the same ones locked away in hiding.
Jesus loves all of us, just as we are. This does not mean He does not want more for us, but that he comes to us, where we are. He does not wait until we make it to a particular point in faith, a particular faith walk or anything else to happen first. Jesus, God with us, comes to us to be with us, now. Jesus appears to the disciples, in a house with a locked door, the disciples of fear and unbelief. He gives His love to them. He give them peace, “Peace be with you”. He could have just as easily scolded them but he comes to them, where they are and loves them with peace, just as He comes to us and loves us in peace through the sending of the Spirit to be with each of us, in all our hidden fears, our inabilities and abilities.
Jesus gave the disciples a command, He sends them out with the Spirit to forgive and retain sins. This is done through the spreading of the Gospel. Jesus did not ask them, “Hey, do you think you are up to it?” No, He sends them, He sends us out, as His disciples to spread the Good News.
Thomas in this reading is no more a doubter than any of the disciples locked away in the house. Thomas gets to see the hands and side of Jesus; just the same way as the other disciples did that first evening. In fact, Thomas sees this a week later, in the house where the other disciples are still hiding out. When Thomas sees Jesus, he declares something that the others are not recorded as saying. He fully declares Jesus to be Lord and God. He breaks Jewish tradition of a singular understanding of God and acknowledges that Jesus is God too.
Where are you hiding? What fears are stopping you or what fears and secrets are your excuse for not responding to God. Peace is with you. The Spirit has been sent; we know this because Jesus has told us. The peace of the Spirit is with you where you are. Blessed we are, those of the post Easter, post Easter by over 2,000 years. Blessed we are for we have heard the Word and have believed. Blessed we are to believe without seeing. The love of God, the Peace of our Lord and God, Jesus the Christ be with us. It is in this, Jesus comes to us and we can do all things in Christ alone.
It has been said, “God is Love”.
It has also been said, “Love conquers fear”.
Amen