A sermon preached the Second Sunday of Easter

April 7, 2002, at Concord Covenant Church in Concord, NH

Text: John 20:19-31

The Rev. Beth Ernest

"My Lord and My God!"

Why do we do what we do on Sunday mornings? Why do we get up when the rest of the world is either sleeping, or reading the Times while drinking a leisurely cup of coffee, or watching cartoons? Why do we convince the family to get dressed, perhaps suffer the rebuff of spouse or child, and herd ourselves into the car? Why do drive anywhere from 5 to 30 miles, pull into the parking lot, come sit in these chairs and "be" here? Why o we do that?

While we are here we listen to the sacred story as told in scripture, we hear some words that hopefully help make that story more understandable and more applicable to our daily lives, we talk to other people who value what is contained in scripture, we pray to the God we find in scripture, we sing words that both confirm our faith and teach us what we believe, and once a month, as today, we share the sacrament, as we are told to do in scripture. Why do these things?

The gospel of John gives us a clue. John’s gospel, perhaps more than any of the other gospels, invites us to hear the story, accept the story, and live the story. Time and again, John has told how Jesus performed many signs and miracles—water into wine, various healings, the feeding of the five thousand, walking on water, the raising of Lazarus, and others. Jesus makes it clear throughout that the reason he does these signs is to show who he is—the Light of the World, the Bread of the World, the Good Shepherd; the Resurrection and the Life; the Way, the Truth and the Life. He makes it clear that upon witnessing these signs, one has only two responses—one may accept who Jesus is, or reject who Jesus is.

In today’s reading which is almost at the very end of John’s gospel, the whole purpose of the book is tied together with a bow and placed in our laps. This great gift comes after the greatest sign of all—the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The sign is witnessed and affirmed by Mary, Peter, and John at the tomb, and is now affirmed by the rest of the disciples, and even by Thomas, who had to see to believe. Now, almost at the end of the book the author writes:

"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." (Jn 20:30-31)

Why do we do what we do on Sunday morning? Why do we place ourselves in positions on the Sabbath and throughout the week where we can interact with the sacred story of Jesus Christ? "…so that (we) may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing (we) may have life in his name."

It’s about having life; being alive in a way that is more than just being a physical body that breathes, eats, moves, thinks, and eventually dies and decays. What we do here, what we learn here, what we share here, is about an abundant life in this world and eternal life for the next that the Christian does not believe is possible without belief in the story of Jesus Christ as told in scripture.

So remember that next time you fight with your kids or fight with your folks, or look at the clock as you wonder, hmmm….should I sleep a bit longer…it’s about LIFE and having "life IN HIS NAME!" That’s something to get up for! That’s something to drive a ways for! That’s something to share with other people and share with your family. LIFE!

When Thomas came to the room where the disciples were, he was still in "death" mode. To him, Jesus was dead. Thomas knew what crucifixion meant. He knew the results of that cruel punishment—always one died. Nobody survives crucifixion. He knew Jesus had been buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. He knew where the cemetery lay. I think when the other disciples start telling him that Jesus is alive, that Thomas is not only doubtful, he is furious. I imagine him livid. `How dare they jest in Jesus’ name? How dare they take the name of our beloved, dead, master and make jokes? Alive, how dare they? Have they all gone balmy? Have we now all lost our dreams and our future and our minds?’ Don’t you think this was how Thomas might have reacted?

We know that when Jesus came to the disciples in their locked room, he offered them peace and breathed the Holy Spirit on them. In fact, this is sometimes called the Pentecost of John. In John’s gospel, the Holy Spirit doesn’t wait until Pentecost to arrive, as it does in the famous story in Acts, chapter 2. Jesus had told the disciples earlier that he would send them the Holy Spirit, and now he does! He breathes it right on them! And when the Holy Spirit enters people, there is joy! There is excitement, there is a sense that one must move, must do, must tell! So one week later, Thomas comes upon these disciples who are not only insisting Jesus is alive, but are, no doubt, whooping up a spiritual storm from their encounter with Jesus. Notice that they have been emboldened by Jesus—the room is no longer locked for fear of the Jews, the door is closed, but they don’t appear to be fearful anymore.

It is here, in the midst of the gathered believers that Thomas hears the news, unbelieving though he is. And it is here, in the gathered body of believers, that Jesus appears and reveals himself to Thomas. It is her that Thomas sees the marks of Jesus’ suffering and is told, "Do not doubt but believe (Jn 20:27b)." It is in the community of believers that Thomas answers the question that is so often asked in John’s gospel, namely, "Who is Jesus?" Thomas is clear: he says, "My Lord and my God." Thomas has made his decision. He has witnessed the living Christ, he has faith in him, and he receives life in his name. In fact, Thomas, first of any in scripture, calls Jesus, "my GOD," so strong is his belief.

One of the most important functions of the church is to be that body of believers into which unbelievers may come, hear the good news—sometimes as strange as it may seem—and be convinced of the truth of it. It is in the church that the marks of Jesus’ suffering are transformed to marks of victory. The purpose of the church is to serve "our Lord and our God" and to help others come to acknowledge that Jesus Christ is "their Lord and their God." When the church no longer functions as that place where the living Christ is offered to those who need life, than something has indeed been lost in our mission.

In John’s gospel, we can’t be a resurrection people unless we are also a people empowered by the Holy Spirit to be the church, which is to tell the story of who Christ is and to share the life that comes in Jesus Christ’s name.

That’s why he came. To give us life.

That’s why we’re here—to receive and share that life.

Concord Covenant can and should plan new programs, expand present opportunities for growth and study and prayer and fellowship. We should aim for exciting, yet edifying worship. The Council has come up with some excellent strategic plans which target various areas of our ministry—ministry to singles, children, families, expanded mission opportunities, small groups, fellowship, and more. We should implement as many of these ideas as possible as they are all worthwhile goals. But more than anything else we do, we should be praying up a storm, asking that the Holy Spirit will be breathed all over us, that we, too, might be the church Jesus Christ wants us to be—a community that offers Jesus Christ and offers life in his name. Why? That all may see and confess who he is, "my Lord and my God."

Because that is why we do what we do.