Peace Be With You.

By Julie Carew, Lay Preacher

In our Gospel reading from this week, the time covered is the 8 days immediately following Jesus’s Resurrection, and a lot has happened, a lot of which we don’t know. We do know that Jesus has made several appearances in his resurrected body. And we know that at least some of the disciples are hiding out behind locked doors for fear of what will happen to them. 
The Gospels tell of the encounters people have with the resurrected Jesus. First, in John, we read about Mary. She had been present at the crucifixion, had observed the sabbath and at “first light” on the day after that- meaning that at the first opportunity she had she went to find him. She arrived and saw that something was not right; the stone closing Jesus’s tomb had been rolled away. When Jesus appeared to her, she didn’t recognize him until he called her by name. What a beautiful moment that must have been! I imagine her so focused on trying to figure out what is happening, clearly distraught, maybe with her head in her hands and then Jesus says her name and she truly feels and sees who is there with her. 
Let’s reflect on that for a moment. 
Have you ever heard Jesus call your name? Has Jesus ever spoken to you in a way that helped you to recognize him? Maybe it wasn’t in an audible voice, but have you ever felt like he was communicating with you in a way so specific to who you are and what you needed at that moment, that you couldn’t help but recognize him? 
Luke’s gospel tells us of the disciples on the road to Emmaus who walked together talking about all that had happened. Seeking Jesus too, in a different way; they were recounting the events,
discussing it all, looking for answers. Jesus joined them, coming alongside them, walking and talking with them. But they didn’t recognize him. They finally see who is with them when he breaks bread with them. In doing something familiar with them, something they equate especially with him, they are able to identify him and also take in the things he said during their discussion along the road. 
Has anything like this ever happened to you? You’re going through a struggle, trying to make sense of things that seem senseless and the Spirit of God comes alongside you, maybe through a friend, or through something you read or learn, maybe just within your own pondering, opening your eyes to how God may be moving, may be working and pulling it all together. Maybe it’s identifying something that happens as something only God could have done, you recognize Jesus’s hands, Jesus’s character in something that happens and you are reminded that you haven’t been journeying alone. 
In a third encounter Jesus has, as we see in John 20, our Gospel reading for today, Jesus is seeking out his disciples who are hiding in fear. Jesus goes right to them, showing them his wounds, speaking truth to them directly, bringing them peace, explaining the next steps in their greater purpose and breathing into them new life and energy with which to take those steps. 
This account is especially powerful in times when we feel afraid and overwhelmed and not sure where to go next. Jesus doesn’t reprimand them for being afraid, he goes to them, meeting them as they are and gives them encouragement, purpose and power. 
At this point, Jesus has appeared to Mary, the disciples on the road to Emmaus and now to this group of disciples. In each case, there wasn’t an immediate recognition, it took something
(different in each case) for them to recognize him. Mary saw who he was after he spoke her name. The disciples walking on the road recognized him after he broke bread with them. The disciples locked away from the outside recognized him when they saw his wounds. It seems like he really met each of them individually and made sure that they saw who he was in the way they needed to see. 
And now, starting in verse 26, here we are, a week out from the resurrection, and we don’t know much else about what has happened in that week in between. What have the disciples been up to? We know Jesus commissioned the disciples, what are they waiting for? Also, we don’t know why Thomas wasn’t there when Jesus came to the disciples, though we did learn of his interactions with them as they shared with him what happened. 
Have you ever been envious of someone else’s experience with God? Have you heard a story of someone’s incredible encounter with God and thought, if that had happened to me, surely I would have more faith or trust in God? I can think of several times in my life in which someone shared a story with me, the kind of story that gave me goosebumps, that illustrated God’s love 
and care for them in exactly the way they needed it. I think it’s pretty understandable in that moment to be thinking, I could really use some of that too! 
I’m sure you’ve heard Thomas called “Doubting Thomas”, but I don’t know if that’s really fair. Thomas was bold in stating exactly what he thought he needed to believe. In fact, in Eastern Christianity, Thomas’s doubt is not the focus, but this story is instead referred to as “the Believing of Thomas”.
Early Church Father and Archbishop of Constantinople, Saint John Chrysostom is quoted as saying1, 
“Thomas, being once weaker in faith than the other apostles, toiled through the grace of God more bravely, more zealously and tirelessly than them all, so that he went preaching over nearly all the earth, not fearing to proclaim the Word of God...” 
So, when Jesus returns to the room where the disciples are hiding out, this time, Thomas is ready to see him. Jesus offers his wounds for Thomas to touch, offering him exactly what he said he needed, without questioning. We don’t hear that Thomas even touched the wounds but that he called out, identifying Jesus as “my Lord and my God”. 
When we look at this encounter, I wonder, where are we in our experience with Jesus? Have we seen and believed? Have we heard Jesus’ commission to share the truth and love with those around us? 
If not, how do we need to see Jesus? What do we need to trust that this story is true, that Jesus did return to set us free? 
Jesus says, 
“Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe”. 
When we step back a bit, it seems a little puzzling that Jesus makes this statement at this point. It could be seen as a reprimand, a “you can do better”, but I don’t think he is really speaking to any of those with him as all of those with him HAVE seen and are believing because of it. Jesus 
1“Holy, Glorious Apostle Thomas” from The Orthodox Church in America
is speaking directly to the believers who will come later, including us. Jesus is leaving space for the rest of us, acknowledging that these few have seen and known him directly, but many, many others will follow. 
John is good about telling us throughout the Gospel story why he is telling us what he’s telling us, and here he says, 
“ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.” 
So, given these stories, these personal encounters and what we can learn from them, let’s take a few moments to reflect on a time during which we needed Jesus to show up for us in a personal way. Maybe it was at the beginning of your faith journey, and that’s part of what brought you to where you are now. Maybe it was in something that made your faith your own after being brought up in a faithful family. Maybe it was in making a big life decision in which you really needed some guidance. Maybe it was a surprise encounter in what otherwise seemed like an ordinary day in your life. When we can reflect on when Jesus showed up for each of us individually, we may be encouraged to ask him to do so again, or to do so for someone we love and care about who really needs to experience God’s presence right now. 
We’re one week out from Easter now, and I wonder, what felt real and present to you last week? Was it a time of wholehearted celebration for you? Was it a time of loneliness, not being with someone you would have liked to celebrate with? Was it a time of wondering what happens now?
And where is it sitting with you now- does the celebration of Jesus’s Resurrection, of Jesus’s conquering of death, still feel real and present to you? 
What do you need from Jesus? And will you ask him for what you need? Do you need Jesus to meet you in your grief, in your doubt, in your distance? And are you looking for him? 
May we seek Jesus and recognize him when he shows up- whether it be in a quiet moment alone, through a friend, through a stranger, through seeking to learn more about him. May Jesus give us peace, God’s peace that passes all understanding, as we go forward after Easter, and may we be filled with God’s spirit, that she would guide us as we seek to share that peace into the world. 
Amen.

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