2nd Sunday of Easter

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

I've been in the ministry for a little bit. In the ministry, you meet lots of people coming and going. Here for flight school, there for more flight school. Here for spring break or break or vacation, home is elsewhere. And then there are those who show up and have genuine interest, whether for years, months, or weeks, and then leave. Where did they go? Why? And while each person is unique and certainly has individual circumstances, I'm asking about the person who's left the church altogether. What happened? When I have had the opportunity of making contact with such people, I've never yet heard someone say, because I'm a sinner who's neglected the third commandment, I decided to ignore God's word. I looked down on God's word, didn't care for it, didn't really like the gathering of his people, didn't see the point, didn't cherish it. I have yet to hear somebody not blame myself or the church, you. Yeah. I've yet to hear somebody boldly confess I had better things to do. The closest thing I hear is to that is this. I just kind of stopped going. More often, other things get blamed. Work. I had to make money and pay bills. I went off to college, and you know, college. We got a new pastor, and I just didn't connect with him or the church. The kids got into sports. All praise, bail sports, right? Yeah. Life got busy. It just got busy. It got away from us, right? We didn't have the time. Last week, the Easter vigil started in darkness, and the light of Christ alone shone. Lengthy scriptures told the story of our creation and selection as God's redeemed people. In this service, we all remembered our baptism into Christ. Baptized into his death and resurrection, our sins buried dead with Christ, sealed, dark tomb, right? But Christ is that light that shines still, and he's raised us to new life. And his light spread to us all. Today, we're a bunch of quasimotos. Too bad we don't have that sign for quasimotogenity Sunday. But we're more like quasimotogenities. So we're not French hunchbacks. I don't think anybody's a hunchback here today. But these Latin words name this Sunday, quasimodogenity. At least in the book, that's the particular Sunday when that particular baby gets left on that particular church's doorsteps. Thus the name Quasimodo. But read the book, right? It's a good one. These Latin words, name the Sunday, mean quasimotogenity, like newborn infants. That's what it means. Like. As newborn infants. That's the genity part. We've been born of God, newborn infants. In Christ, we've overcome the world. And the victory by which we overcome the world is our faith. Belief that Jesus is the Son of God. Little infants, little baptized ones, oh, we need the spiritual milk. Little infants need nurture. They need the care of God's word and sacrament in the church. They can't just be left to exposure in the world. We can't be abandoned in this world and think that we'll be okay. That's not how it goes for a newborn infant that's just cast aside into the forest. You shouldn't go it alone, whether you admit that it's willfully or you blame somebody else, maybe even me. I can't isolate myself, go off on my own, go off the church grid, and become some random Christian survivalist. The reading from St. John has a host of caution signs and warnings for us. I mean, let's run through them. It was Easter evening. The angel had said, Don't be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen. See, go tell the disciples that he's going before you to Galilee. There you will see him. Why do you seek the living among the dead? Remember how he told you that he'd be crucified and rise on the third day. Why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking? Don't be afraid. Go tell my brothers. Like newborn babes, fresh off of Easter, we're still riding the Alleluia high. Death, Shmeth! Where's your victory? Where's your sting? But newborns need nurture, care, and protection in this world. Saint Mark records the women leaving the tomb after being told, Don't be afraid. Afraid. And when Mary Magdalene did report that she'd seen the Lord alive, the disciples wouldn't believe it. It seemed to them an idle tale. Later on that evening, these disciples who were told, Don't be afraid, go to Galilee, I'll see you there. These disciples were still in Jerusalem with the doors locked for fear of the Jews. God had said, Don't be afraid, but they were very afraid. Afraid of the Jews that might ramp this up into a vindictive killing spree against any disciple of Jesus. And perhaps they were afraid that it just might in fact be true, that the one whom they abandoned and denied and let die in the most horrible of fashions a crucifixion, in fact, that one has come back and is risen. Would he return to judge them? If so, they're toast. These newborns needed help. And where was Thomas that first Easter evening? Scripture is strangely silent. John 20 tells us that the disciples had at least gathered together, but Thomas neglects the gathering altogether. Doesn't need it. Maybe he's got a game to watch. I don't know. Was he simply running an errand, busy with things to do? Oh, the world has such busyness, doesn't it? Got to take care of things. Did he have work that evening? He had to pay the bills? Has he just simply moved on? Jesus didn't work out. We thought he might be the one. We sang the Hosanna's, we laid down the palm branches, but here Rome is still victorious, and Jesus is in the tomb. So I guess it's time to go figure out things on my own. Was the world tugging on Thomas? Was he going solo? He wasn't with the disciples. Thomas wasn't there when Jesus stood at the door, knocking that night, kindly and gently asking, please, please, would you let me come in? Is there room for me in your heart? If you're a little confused, I didn't read that either. That's not how it went. None of that. None of the sentimental, soft, glowing painting whatsoever. Jesus stands at the door and knocks. None of it. Instead, the disciples are there, afraid of the Jews, afraid of Jesus. Doors are locked, and bam, Jesus comes in, stood among them. The Lord Jesus is divine and human. In his very body, he was more than able to be in their midst behind locked doors. Christ Jesus was there, not as a floating phantasm, and not simply as true God, but as true God and true man. There's only one Jesus. When Jesus appeared, he didn't say angrily, Where were you, jerks? As he showed them his hands with holes in them, his side where the spear pierced, Jesus said, Peace be with you. Jesus showed them the marks of the crucifixion. Yes, it's really him. And yes, there's really peace. He had really reconciled them and you by his atoning sacrifice. To sinners trapped in fear, not only those sinners that night, but to you. Trapped in this slavery to sin and death, Jesus appeared to deliver the benefits of his sacrifice. Jesus spoke peace, and there was peace. He spoke words of sending and ordaining and gave to his disciples words of absolution and forgiveness. Christ had forgiven them their sins, and so they were to go and do likewise to all scared and sorrowful sinners. Thomas had neglected meeting altogether. He wasn't there when Jesus was present. Others had told him what had happened when Jesus was present. They shared with him the word, what had happened. But these words seemed to him an idle tale still. They said they'd seen the Lord, but Thomas says, no. I don't believe you. No, you didn't. You've been tricked, deceived, lied to, and you're lying to me, and I won't believe you. I have to sense this for myself. Now hear me, you disciples, you Christians, you Jesus, unless I see in his hands the nail marks and place my finger into them and place my hand into his side, I will never believe. There are plenty of people out there that claim that God should make it easier to believe. The creatures have demands for their creator. It's blasphemous, sure. But that's just what sinners do. They blaspheme all the time. We have no promise that God will grant them their wish or give them visions. God, you have to do this or else. We have God's word. They should read about Thomas and believe. Now finally, we're at the spot in the reading when the timestamps line up with where we are this week. Eight days later, I suppose it's not evening though, his disciples were inside again, doors locked. Why? Why the doors locked again? The first time they were locked, it was for fear of the Jews. Does the same fear remain? Perhaps Thomas' doubt has infected the other disciples, who had already seen the Lord even. This time Thomas was with them. If ever we'd expect Jesus to chastise, reprimand, take old Thomas out to the woodshed, this was it. Jesus appeared again, both body and soul and divinity. He said, Peace be with you. 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 disbelieve, but believe. The week prior, Easter evening, the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord, when he showed them his hands and his side, and when he sent them out with words of forgiveness. Their first mission to Thomas. Well, that had seemed pretty unsuccessful. They had preached Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of sins. Who wouldn't say yea to that? Well, Thomas didn't. So Jesus appeared to Thomas and preached the sermon and was present with his very own scarred body. Jesus said this, don't disbelieve, but believe. And at this Thomas confessed, My Lord and my God. It's like when dry bones heard the word of the Lord. Can these bones live? Yes, with the word of God they can. They can be living and breathing once again. Can unbelievers believe? Can babies believe? Can dead sinners believe and become alive? Can sinners like you believe? Yes. For faith is God's gift to you, worked by his miraculous, eternal life-imparting word. We need no sign. We need no grand worldly wisdom or philosophy. God's word has been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. You dry bones, you dead sinners, would have life in Christ's name. So, little quasimotos, little newborn babes, keep coming back. Doubts will creep in. Conversations, shows, movies, books, YouTube videos in this world, well, they have ways of pulling you away. Maybe it's gradual, maybe it's instantaneous. The nurture and nutrition that creates and sustains faith is here as God's people gather around word and sacrament. And it's not going to happen via AI, virtual, or live streamed. It's God's living and active word, sent by God, by God's called ones, for God's called children, his gathered guests. Jesus said to Thomas, Don't disbelieve, but believe. And so it was. As we hear the word of forgiveness, so it is. Our sins are forgiven. And even if the doors were locked, Christ is present, true God and true man, fully present through his word, and through his word in with and under bread and wine, in his very body and blood. So peace be with you, for the Lord is with you always, right where he's promised to be, to take away your sins, to bring you eternal life, and to keep your trust in him. Here the Lord is with you, and you're with him. It's right where God's children need to be. Amen.