Calvary Presbyterian Church
The Rev. Debra May Cerra
April 19, 2009

Psalms 133:1-3 (NRSV)
How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes. 3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore.

John 20:19-31 (NRSV)
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." 24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe." 26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." 27 Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." 28 Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" 29 Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." 30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 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.

“Peace Be With You”

Have you ever had a nightmare? There have been several times in my life when I awakened from one with a start. I remember that my heart was pounding, my knees were shaking, and my hands were clammy. Even after I turned on the light and realized that it was all a dream, I was afraid. I didn’t want to go back to sleep. I didn’t want the fear of the nightmare to continue.
Fear is a very strong emotion. The dictionary describes fear as “an unpleasant feeling of anxiety or apprehension caused by the presence of anticipation of danger.” Fear is real and fear can be powerful.
Think about our Gospel reading from John. Here we find the disciples of Jesus locked in a room for fear of the Jews. These disciples had just spent an incredible week together. They had been part of the Palm Sunday parade as Jesus rode into Jerusalem. They had shared the Passover meal with Jesus – the last supper that they had with Him. They were there in the garden when Jesus was arrested. They heard the shouts of “crucify him” coming from the crowds. They watched as Jesus was beaten and mocked and listened as Pilate condemned Jesus to death. The disciples followed as Jesus carried his cross to Golgatha. They watched as the soldiers nailed him to the tree. They stood in the shadow of the cross as the skies darkened. They witnessed Jesus’ cry of “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” and then heard him sigh, “It is finished,” as he gave up his spirit.
The disciples stood at a distance when Joseph of Arimathea ask for his body and laid him in a new tomb. Simon Peter and John witnessed the empty tomb and had told the others. The disciples heard Mary say, “I have seen the Lord” and listened as she told them the things he had said to her in the garden. Now, on the evening of that same day, they were sequestered in a locked room
It is probable that the disciples had returned to the upper room where the Last Supper had been held. But this time the atmosphere was not one of ritual but of terror. “They knew the envenomed bitterness of the Jews who had compassed the death of Jesus, and they were afraid that their turn would come next. So they were meeting in terror, listening fearfully for every step on the stair and for every knock at the door, lest the emissaries of the Sanhedrin should come to arrest them too.” Is it any wonder that the disciples were afraid? I would venture to guess that they might have felt as if they were living a nightmare.
It was in that room where “Jesus came and stood among them.” Jesus did not enter by the door or the window. He just showed up, putting more alarm in the hearts and minds of the disciples. The Gospel of Luke explains that the disciples “were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost.” (Luke 24: 37)
            The first words Jesus spoke to his disciples, “Peace be with you,” was something that the disciples were not experiencing right then. Jesus’ everyday eastern greeting of peace meant far more than "may you be saved from alarm." Though the usual meaning of this common greeting was "May God give you every good thing,"  Jesus’ message was more complex than that. He was offering a peace that would permeate the lives of the disciples.
            To prove who he was and dispel their fear, Jesus showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced that Jesus was with them. Then Jesus said again, “Peace be with you.” (21) Now Jesus’ words subdued their fear and brought them comfort.
Thinking about comfort, have you ever been to a restaurant that touts “comfort food” on their menu. Meals like pot roast and gravy or meatloaf and mashed potatoes or fried chicken and French fries are served. I guess it’s supposed to make us think we’re back in grandma’s kitchen and everything is fine.
Sometimes I invent my own comfort food – dark chocolate candy and potato chips or coffee and chocolate chip cookies or ice cream and hot fudge syrup (notice a pattern forming?)! Yes, chocolate may relieve my stress and bring me peace for a bit but then I obsess over the calories I consumed and any peace I had gained goes out the window.
From beginning to end, the life and ministry of Jesus revolved around the message of peace. The prophet Isaiah spoke of Jesus as one who would come as the “Prince of peace.” (Isa. 9:6) At his birth, the angels shouted words of praise saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among whom those He favors.” (Luke 2:14) Now we read that Jesus came to his disciples with the words “Peace be with you.”
In both the Old and New Testaments “peace” refers to order, harmony, and spiritual well-being. That was Jesus’ offering to the disciples – a life directed by an orderly plan; a call embraced by a harmonious promise; and a faith based on spiritual well-being. Friends, Jesus extends the same offer to us: “Peace be with you.”
So, how do we find this peace that Jesus offers? How do we rid ourselves of all the worry, fear, resentment, and stress that the world hands us and move into a state of peace which allows us to live a life as God wants? How do we gain the order, the harmony, and the spiritual well-being that comes through Jesus?
            There is an answer. Jesus tells us how to find peace. He says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (22)
            The Holy Spirit is the key to finding Christ’s peace. The Holy Spirit is our Holy “comfort food,” so to speak. The Holy Spirit feeds our soul, empowers us for ministry, and imparts Christ’s peace in our lives.
            Think about this: the same disciples who were hunkered down in a locked room, fearful that the Jews might be out kill them, are the same ones who boldly spoke of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. What happened? What changed? Jesus breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit.” (22)
            The point of receiving the Holy Spirit was not to give the disciples a “spiritual experience.” Nor was it to set them apart from the other followers – like a “holier-than-thou” club. The point of receiving the Holy Spirit was so they could do what Jesus had been doing. “As the father has sent me, so I’m sending you,” Jesus said. (21) When Jesus breathed on the disciples, they were filled with the Holy Spirit and empowered them to do ministry.       
            In our baptism liturgy, we are told that those who are baptized receive the Holy Spirit. But then we think we’re done with the Spirit. In fact, we really don’t want to think about the Holy Spirit, or talk about the Holy Spirit at all. We typically associate the Holy Spirit with the violent wind of Acts 2 at Pentecost where the disciple began to speak in other languages. We don’t want any of that Pentecostal stuff. We don’t want to talk in tongues and become holy rollers.
            Instead, we think that our Christian lives must be about working hard to do all the things that the New Testament tells us to do. That’s a daunting and overwhelming task. May times we feel defeated even before we begin any form of ministry.
But that’s not what Jesus tells us. All the things we are called to do as Christian, all those things that the New Testament commands us to do, are suppose to be done by the power of the Holy Spirit living in us and filling us moment by moment.
It is through the Holy Spirit that we overcome our fears. It is the Holy Spirit that allows us to love as Jesus loves and to forgive as Jesus forgives. It is that same Spirit that helps us make a difference in God’s Kingdom. It is through the Holy Spirit that we know God’s peace.
Christianity offers what no other religion does – hope in the future. When Jesus passed through the doors and spoke to the disciples, He gave them a glorious future. Jesus said, "As the Father sent me so I am sending you." Then he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Jesus gave the disciples a part in a mission that really mattered. Jesus commanded them to go – into all the world – teaching and preaching the good news to every creature. And they had success beyond anyone’s expectations.
What Jesus did for the disciples, he’ll do for us. The risen Christ is still speaking words of peace. He’s alive and well, and His words are living and active. We don’t have to live in fear. Jesus will help us overcome our past, deal with our present, and believe in the future. He offers us a life directed by an orderly plan; a call embraced by a harmonious promise; and a faith based on spiritual well-being. We just have to be willing to accept the greatest comfort food of all, the Holy Spirit.
Are you interested? Do you want to receive the Holy Spirit into your life? Do you want to know the difference that resurrection peace can make? It’s yours for the asking. Simply open the door of your heart, and say Yes to Jesus and He will breathe new life into you – the new life of the Holy Spirit.
Amen and amen.