Easter 2 - April 3, 2016 - God Blesses Doubters

I’m struck today by a particular line in our Gospel reading, where it describes the disciples meeting, after they’ve experienced the empty tomb and after Mary has seen the risen Christ in person, in a house that is “locked for fear.” I never quite noticed this before, I think because I’m always focused on Thomas and his doubt, but it occurred to me that Thomas was not the only one who doubted. All of the disciples seemed to be having their doubts, despite the proof of the empty tomb and Mary’s encounter in the garden––that’s why they were in a house with locked doors, afraid. They were afraid because they did not yet trust what Jesus had said to them. Jesus had told them that they would go where he was going, he said, “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also.” He told them, and so, to be blunt, the disciples––who had a legitimate fear that they might be crucified like Jesus––should not have been afraid, even if they were about to die. Jesus told them, “In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live.” They already had seen the miracles of healing and life that Jesus had worked while he was alive, they had already seen the power of God in raising Jesus from the dead––they ought not to have been hiding in a house with the doors “locked for fear.”

But they were. They doubted. They doubted the power of God in the face of death. Those very first disciples––Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved and James––and even, of course, dear Thomas - they all doubted the promise of God’s new life for them.

But don’t we all? We all doubt the promise of resurrection. We all hide in our houses and lock the doors for fear. When faced with a big decision, one that requires us to risk our future, more often than not we retreat and hide in a safe place and lock the doors against intruders. We hesitate. We decide what to do based on our fear and our doubt. We say, like Thomas, unless I see the undeniable and irrefutable proof of resurrection with my own eyes, I will not believe. Unless I see proof that things are going to turn out well, I will not act. I will not risk. I will not unlock the doors and go out into the world and leave this old life behind.

And yes, I’m talking about the decision coming up for this congregation about whether or not to sell this building. But I’m also talking about every decision we have to make in our lives that carries with it a life-altering change. It might be a decision to retire or change careers. It might be a decision to sell a house and move to a new place. It might be a decision to undergo a particular medical procedure, or a decision to stop treatment for a particular life-long illness. It might be a decision to end a relationship, or to begin a new one. Regardless of the decision, when faced with something so monumental, our initial reaction is to retreat to a safe place, lock the doors, and do nothing. 

Our comes from doubt and fear. Fear of death, certainly, but particularly when it comes to this church, fear of making the wrong decision. I will be honest with you - I am afraid that we will make the wrong decision. I am afraid that we will decide to sell, and that things won’t work out the way everyone hopes, and that ten years from now we’ll drive through Bridgeland and this building will be gone. I’m afraid that when I die and stand face-to-face with God, God will say, “Why did you let them make that decision? You, above all, were supposed to have faith that I would bring new life and yet you were too afraid to keep going until I brought it! What kind of Christian were you?” I am afraid of that.

But I’m also afraid of the opposite decision––that we will decide to not sell and to just keep going and hope for a miracle, and that the congregation will die one by one until there are only a handful of very elderly seniors here on Sunday morning and we will look around us and wish we had done something sooner. I’m afraid that when I die and stand face-to-face with God, God will say, “Why did you let them make that decision? You, above all, were supposed to have faith that I would bring new life and yet you were too afraid to die! What kind of Christian were you?” I am afraid of that.

And, along with the fear of making the wrong decision, is the guilt that maybe we are not trusting God enough. Maybe we are not living the Easter life enough. Maybe we do not have enough faith and trust and belief in the resurrection and in the glory and power of God. Maybe we are just like the disciples and just like Thomas and maybe we doubt too much and just don’t have enough faith. Maybe we’ve locked our doors for fear.

Well, as the kids say these days, “Duh!” Of course we don’t have enough faith! Of course we doubt! Of course we are afraid! In the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” In other words, God’s blessings are on those who do not doubt. God’s blessings are on those who have faith and believe in the new life that Christ brings. Blessed are they because God has blessed them. We have to be clear on the order here: they’re not blessed because they believe. They believe because God has blessed them. God has given them the power to believe and the power to have faith. Faith and belief and trust are not things that come naturally to us. Doubt and fear come naturally––that we doubt and are afraid is normal. It’s just what humans do. Doubt and fear are signs that we are human. God must bless us in order for us to have faith and trust. God must bless us in order for us to unlock the doors and go out and risk everything. God must bless us in order for us to be willing to die.

And God does. God does bless us, by sending us Jesus Christ, who bestows on us the Holy Spirit. God blessed the disciples by sending Jesus to them, who sought them out and found them behind those locked doors, came to them when they were hiding away, and, even when they were filled with doubt and fear, said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” God blessed Thomas, doubting Thomas who wouldn’t believe a word of anything, by sending Jesus to him, who said, “Peace be with you. Do not doubt but believe.” God responds to our doubt by sending us Jesus Christ, who gives us the Holy Spirit, who gives us our faith. We learned as much when we were in confirmation and memorized Luther’s Small Catechism. In the explanation to the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed, “I believe in the Holy Spirit,” Luther writes, “I believe that by my own understanding or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him, but instead the Holy Spirit has called me through the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, made me holy and kept me in the true faith.” Faith and belief are not natural to us––we are not born with them, we do not work for them or earn them or try hard for them. Faith and belief comes to us only through the Holy Spirit––we have faith and belief only because God wishes us to and only because God blesses us with them.

God blesses us with faith, and even more, God blesses us with the Holy Spirit so that we can trust that God is with us no matter what decisions we make in our lives. Jesus came to those doubting disciples and he said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” And then he said, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” In other words, God gives you the Holy Spirit so that you might make the best decision you can and then God works with whatever you decide to do. (Of course, if we follow the story of the disciples in Acts, we’ll find that the Holy Spirit leads them out of their locked houses, and into the streets, and across the world, and even to death, which says something to us...) In the end, though, God turns all things to good, regardless of what decision we make, and never ceases to call us always towards new life. 

We all have doubts, and fear that comes from those doubts, along with a hefty dose of guilt because we doubt and are afraid. We doubt that God has a future for us, we doubt that God will give us new life after death. This is normal. This is why God blesses us with the Holy Spirit, to give us faith, to bless us so that we will believe without seeing. God sends the Holy Spirit to empower you to make decisions, and to trust that God is with you in those decisions. And so, blessed by the Holy Spirit, do not make decisions that allow us to hide, with the doors “locked for fear,” fear of the wrong decision and fear of death, but rather make decisions––big ones and little ones––trusting in God’s promise of new life, trusting in the resurrection and Easter, and trusting that, no matter what, God is with you. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Easter Sunday - God Raises the Curtain on a New Act Three!

I have been talking this week about the story of our lives, a story that is also the story of Jesus, and I talked about these stories as having three acts - in Act One, we build up ourselves and our lives, growing and accomplishing new things. In Act Two, we are confronted with the inevitability of death. Our progress halts, our dreams disappear, the things we have worked so hard for come to naught, life turns to death. We can’t avoid it, we can’t go around it, we can’t hide from it or run from it. When death comes, whether it is the death of a cherished dream, the death of a secure financial future, the death of a marriage or a friendship, or even the death of health or a life of independent living, there is nothing we can do but succumb to it. We’ve all experienced this. Every story has an Act Two - a Good Friday.

But we are here this morning because we hope, we believe, we trust, and still need to hear the reminder that there is more. And thank God, there is. The curtain fell on Good Friday, on the scene of Jesus’ body in the tomb, unquestionably dead. But the curtain rises again this morning, just as the sun does in the East. There is more to the story! God has written a third act, one in which, as inevitable as death is, it is not the end. Death is not the end of Jesus’ story. Death is not the end of our story. New life is. The story of our lives is life––death––new life.

This is the story of Jesus. If we looked at only part of his story, it would be amazing, but taken together, it is more brilliant than the sun. In his life, this man who was God-with-us entered into the human condition, opening himself to others, making himself vulnerable to them in love, taking on their pains and their misery. He proclaimed love and forgiveness when hatred and vengeance were easier, he reminded those he encountered that God loved them more than they could imagine, and that they, too could love others. This was the first part of Jesus’ story, and the first part of ours. Taking part in life, establishing relationships, being vulnerable to others, growing in body, mind, and spirit.

Then there is the next part of Jesus’ story, and of ours, when all of that comes to an end, either through betrayal or negligence, and it closes in death. And we die, just as Jesus did. Really, physically, literally, Jesus did die. There is no question of that, although the early life of the church had doubters who couldn’t accept the reality of Jesus’ death - they thought instead that he only appeared to die, or that it wasn’t really him on the cross. But it really was Jesus and he really did die. Which, on its own, is also remarkable, that this person who told everyone to choose the path of love over hate, and the lives of others over his own, actually did what he said. He walked the talk, his death was consistent with his life, he didn’t back down at the last minute.

But there is even more, because, finally, we have his resurrection - the act that makes sense of everything that came before it. Jesus’ story did not end with death - the tomb was empty on Sunday morning. He was no longer there, in the place where the dead remained. Death was not the end of him. His story continues even now, because in God the story has no end. 

The significance of the story of Jesus goes beyond just being a good tale. It lies in the fact that his story is our story. His Act Three is our Act Three. As Paul writes in our reading from 1 Corinthians today, “In fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. ... All will be made alive in Christ.” New life is ours, as well. God did not leave Jesus in the tomb, and God does not leave us in our tombs, either.

Where you experience the end of something, God promises something new. Not the same that you had before, to be sure - that is just the old life renewed, that is not new life. God offers something new, something better, and so,

• If you are experiencing the death of a relationship, take heart. God is going to offer you something new in place of it. It might not be another relationship in its place - it might be a new life where you are on your own, but it will be from God, and it will fill you with light. Remember the story of Jacob and Esau, the twins born to Rebekah and Isaac? Jacob took advantage of Esau and played a mean trick on him and took his birthright, and then his blessing from their father, and Esau was so outraged he wanted to kill Jacob. Because of the hurt they caused one another, their relationship died and Jacob fled his home forever. But God brought Jacob to the land of Laban where he met Rachel, whom he loved dearly, and who bore him Joseph, who went on to save the land of Egypt and Jacob’s family from famine. If the relationship between Jacob and his brother had not come to such a bitter end, Jacob would never have fled his home, never have met Rachel, and never have fathered Joseph, who brought life to so many people. When Jacob was going through the death of his relationship with is brother, God was bringing new life to not only Jacob but to a whole country of people. After a relationship has died, God brings new life.
• If you are experiencing the loss of a home - the end of your time there with all of the wonderful moments and memories, take heart that God is preparing a new home for you. It will be unfamiliar at first, but God is already waiting there for you with love and light and new memories to be made. When Abraham and Sara were called to leave their home in Ur behind, to say goodbye to all of the family and friends they had ever known, God brought them to a new home in Israel, where he and Sara had Isaac, the son of their old age, new life for them, where they created a family that became the chosen people Israel, from whom Jesus came and created a new family of brothers and sisters in Christ, beyond what Abraham and Sara could possibly have imagined when they left their home in Ur. After we lose our homes, God brings new life.
• If you are experiencing the loss of health - mobility, or memory, or strength - take heart that God is bringing new life here, too. To live more in the moment, to do nothing but experience the air and the light and the sounds of the day as they come to you minute by minute - this is a death to those who have spent their lives doing and accomplishing and being busy, but it is also a gift of grace from God - a new life of sabbath rest that many in the world yearn for, a chance to be still and hear the voice of God. Think of Job, who lost all of his children, and his home, and his health, whose friends turned on him and blamed him for his own misery, who wished he had been born dead, who said, “I loathe my life.” But as he sat in darkness, everything gone from him, God spoke to Job. Who hasn’t yearned to hear the voice of God - direct and unmistakable? Job, who experienced the loss of everything that made him who he was, received new life in the moment that God’s voice spoke to him - the same voice that at Creation said, “Light” and there was light - a voice Job would not have heard if he had been as busy living his life as he was before. After our good health is lost, God brings new life.
• If you are experiencing the death of a dream or a long-held expectation of how something should turn out, take heart that as that dream dies, God is waiting to offer you something new. A new dream, or a new reality that you couldn’t possibly have imagined or expected. And if you are experiencing the loss of happiness, or even a loss of faith, do not despair. If you are struggling through depression, let me tell you from experience that God turns this loss and death into new life, too. You may be in your own dark tomb, but God will raise you just as God raised Jesus, and you will find that light and life is more brilliant than you ever experienced before, and your capacity to share in the pain of others is made deeper, so that you might be with others in their own tombs and walk with them into the new life that God offers them, too. After the sun has gone down, God brings new life.

Many forces in our lives will try to convince us that death is the end. That we will not make it through the loss of our .... whatever it is we face losing. We are told, or we tell ourselves, that we can’t handle it, that we don’t know how to get through it, that it’s too much. That our stories have only two acts - life, and death. But those are lies. Not because we’re strong, or because there’s no such thing as death, or because God will magically rescue us and make everything the way it used to be. It doesn’t work that way. The truth is two-fold - we will not make it through. We will die. We will go through Good Friday. These are true. But the second half of that truth is that God is walking with us through to the other side, where God will offer us new life, as we have been promised. As inevitable as death is, so, too, is the new life that follows. God, who raised Jesus Christ from death will raise us too, and our new life will be as glorious as his. This is the story of Easter.

The story of our lives is the story of Jesus. The story of Jesus is the story of our lives, individually, and as a community, and as the world. From Palm Sunday and the triumph of achieving new things, to Holy Week and the betrayal and abandonment of all that supports us, to Good Friday and death, to Holy Saturday and the existence after loss that can’t truly be called life. We all know this story - we live it every day. And now we come to the end of the story, which isn’t really an end - to the part that God has written - to the cross that is bare, to the tomb that is empty, to Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, raised from the dead, to Easter and new life for all of God’s children. The curtain fell on Good Friday, Act Two, the day of death, but God raises it again, nevermore to fall, the beginning of our Act Three that has no ending because it is written by the God of life, in the name of Christ, who never fails to bring new life after death, who is our joy, and our life, and our hope! Thanks be to God! Amen!