March 30 - Our New Birth into a Living Hope
John 20:19-31
If the story ended at the empty tomb on Easter morning, we wouldn’t be
here today.
On the evening of that first Easter Sunday, we find Peter and the other
disciples together in the Upper Room, behind locked doors, because they are
afraid - afraid that after Jesus’ execution, they’d be next.
Peter and the disciples were discouraged and depressed, fearful and
unbelieving. They had given up
hope. When they heard the women’s good
news – Jesus has risen – they couldn’t believe it – literally refused to
believe it.
Didn’t they remember that Jesus had told them all this would happen –
and that he would rise from the dead on the third day?
No, they couldn’t. It was more
than they could imagine. They knew
resurrection was something that happened at the last day, not now. Their minds were as closed as those locked
doors.
Can you sympathize those depressed
disciples?
Maybe you – or someone you love – has been brought
low by circumstances. One thing after
another had gone wrong – some major set-back, some really bad news – and
finally you just gave up hope.
Like the disciples, you couldn’t believe some good news, even if
someone brought it to you.
When we’ve been in a bad situation for a long time, it becomes hard to
imagine how things could be different – get better. Like those disciples, we suffer from both a
lack of faith – and a lack of imagination.
Our idea of what God can do has become too small.
The disciples were in shock, lacking both faith and imagination. Then something happened - something so
powerful and dramatic, that the disciples were transformed.
There, at their lowest, the risen Christ appeared before them.
Perhaps most amazing of all, Christ came through locked doors. The dark tomb could not hold him, nor could
the dark despair and resignation of his followers. He came back to them even through their
locked doors.
That is Easter hope. The very
first thing that the risen Christ does is to return to those fearful and
misunderstanding disciples, who had so disappointed and forsaken him. He came through the locked doors of their
hearts and minds.
I say Easter hope because we gather here today, just as those first
disciples did. Some of us haven’t been
particularly good at keeping our commitments to the Lord. Like them we misunderstand much of his
teaching. Maybe we have trouble
believing.
Perhaps the door is locked in our heart or mind. Locked by past set-backs –
locked by a feeling that my situation can’t change – locked by a lack of
imagination and little faith in the power of God.
The risen Christ can come through locked doors. There is no security system that can keep you
safe from his intrusion. He came to
those first disciples and he keeps coming back to us – keeps opening doors.
The basis of your faith is not just what you feel, or what you think,
or even what you can believe. The basis
– the foundation - is what God has done – and continues to do. Christ is not bound by our limited
imaginations or lack of understanding or even lack of faith. And He can still force open the closed doors
of our hearts.
Jesus appeared and said: “Peace be with
you”. Then, on that evening of the first Easter Sunday, Jesus creates a new
community that will embody His presence and carry on His ministry – the new
community we call the church.
He empowers the disciples to carry on His ministry
Jesus breathed on them and said to them, "Receive
the Holy Spirit. 20:22
Thus he fulfills the promise He had made to them: The Advocate, the
Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything,
and remind you of all that I have said to you. John 14:16
The Spirit will give them the power and the wisdom to speak His word –
to tell others about him and continue His teaching.
This is exactly what we saw Peter doing in our first lesson. It’s a few weeks
after Peter had told a servant girl that he didn’t know Jesus. Now the same Peter who deserted and
denied Jesus – who was fearful and unbelieving, is boldly risking
all to publicly preach about Jesus to a
crowd. Peter had been turned around and
inspired by the Spirit of the risen Christ.
Peter’s sermon ends with an offer of forgiveness. As Jesus had accepted and forgiven many, he
gives the same power to His disciples:
If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven
them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." 20:23
Now they will be ministers of His forgiveness and reconciliation within
His new community.
Christ commissions them to carry on His ministry:
"Peace be with you. As
the Father has sent me, so I send you." 20:21
He turns His ministry over to them. They and we are sent out in mission
by the risen Christ.
There is a continuity between Jesus ministry
and the work of the church.
Just as Jesus was sent by the Father, so the church is sent in mission
by the risen Christ.
Just as Jesus was the bearer of the Spirit, so now the risen Christ
bestows the Spirit on the church and its members.
Just as Jesus declared the forgiveness of sins, so the church is
entrusted with the message and the power of forgiveness.
Much of the New Testament tells the story of how the first disciples –
and then the church – did exactly what Jesus told them to do. They carried his message throughout the
ancient world, establishing new communities – gatherings of followers of Jesus called
churches.
And that mission continues right up to today, as we celebrate the
baptism of Timothy Allen. Baptism is our initiation into Christ’s new
community, the church. It is at our
baptism that God has given us a new birth into a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is
imperishable, 1 Peter 1:3
Those words “birth” and “inheritance” remind us that our new birth is
into a family – God’s family. It is
within the family of God that our faith is nurtured and sustained. It is here that we are called to new life in
Christ.
At every baptism we affirm that we are all fellow members of the body
of Christ, children of the same heavenly Father, and workers together in the
The Lord has something for each one of us to do – some way in which we
can use our gifts and talents for His purpose – in His on-going mission.
Today, Timothy Allen, child of God, is welcomed into God’s family. He is too young to profess His faith, so his
parents and sponsors will do it on his behalf.
That is simply an example of God’s grace. Our membership in God’s family and even our
salvation finally is not because we’ve worked for it, but rather is pure grace
– the free gift of God. Just as Timothy Allen can not earn God’s love – neither
can we. God loves us because He created
us and we are His children.
In love the Lord keeps calling us - coming to us. For Christ’s resurrection is not just a past
event, but a present reality. The same
Christ who passed through locked doors can force open the closed doors of our
minds. As he showed those first
disciples, His power is not limited by truncated imaginations or small
faith. There is no force on earth,
including our doubts and reservations and unfaithfulness that can separate us
from Christ.
No matter how dark the situation is, Christ can turn it
around.
No situation is hopeless. The
Lord turns crucifixions into resurrections.
The same power that enabled Jesus Christ to rise from the dead, will allow
you to rise over your problems – and find new life in Christ.
Because Jesus was raised from the dead,
we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a
future in heaven—and that future starts now!
May Christ breathe His Spirit upon you, giving you new life and new
birth into a living hope.