A Legacy of Peace: A Sermon for the 2nd Sunday of Easter
Today’s Gospel lesson is one of the true gems in all of scripture, so much so that it is assigned to the 2nd Sunday of Easter all three years in our lectionary cycle. It is one that we simply cannot skip. Yet the irony is that the 2nd Sunday of Easter is unofficially known as “Low Sunday” because it is one of the lowest-attended services of the year. And that is a shame, because I think that today’s gospel lesson is essential for us to hear and live. Just as we say that we shouldn’t celebrate Easter Sunday without Good Friday, I think that Easter Sunday without the 2nd Sunday of Easter is just as incomplete.
Once the initial reports of the empty tomb begin to settle in, we, like the disciples, are left with the question, “Now what?” Much attention has been paid to Thomas’ doubt in this story, but we must not skip over the primary emotion that is expressed from the outset – fear. The disciples are in the upper room, behind locked doors, because they are afraid. They are afraid that they might be the next victims of crucifixion. The news of Jesus’ resurrection had been delivered to them, but the implications of that news had not yet sunk in. So they were afraid.
In the midst of their fear, confusion, and doubt, Jesus appeared to them. And the first words out of his mouth were, “Peace be with you.” And just in case they missed it due to the shock of seeing him in the flesh, Jesus said it again, “Peace be with you.” When he made his first appearance to his disciples as a group, Jesus’ first priority was to bring them the peace that passes all understanding.
Imagine that. A little more than 48 hours after dying a horrifically violent, unjust death, Jesus came bearing peace. And to add to it, his disciples – his closest companions - abandoned him at his most vulnerable moment. Yet Jesus wasn’t angry. He wasn’t angry with the Jewish authorities, the Roman authorities, Judas, or his own best friends – all of whom played a part in his undeserved death. Jesus didn’t rise from the dead seeking revenge or retribution. He rose from the dead to bring his peace to the world. He rose from the dead to show us that God’s peace conquers sin, death, evil, and hate.
We may not be afraid for our lives in the same manner that the disciples were. But we still, in many ways, are bound by fear. Our society is marked by fear and anxiety. Perhaps the greatest gift that the Church can offer to the world today is the gift of peace in Christ.
Jesus didn’t bring his peace to the fearful, anxious disciples so that they would feel good and sleep well. The second gift Jesus brought to them during that first appearance was the gift of the Holy Spirit. In nearly 50 days, we will celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. But the first Pentecost happened on the evening of the resurrection in that upper room when Jesus breathed his Holy Spirit on his disciples with the commission to go out into the world and bring peace to others through the forgiveness of their sins.
Let that sink in for a second. The primary mission of the disciples was to go in peace to love and serve the Lord by forgiving people! Their mission wasn’t to exact revenge on those who had killed Jesus. Their primary mission wasn’t even to convince people of the truth of the resurrection. Their first charge was to go in peace and forgive others.
It’s too bad that Thomas’ natural, well-founded doubt overshadows the first part of this story. Perhaps Jesus knew that the best way for people to hear and believe the Good News of his resurrection would be if the conversation was grounded in peace and forgiveness. Jesus knew that fear and anxiety would always be prevalent, no matter the era. And the best way for we as Christians to respond to our own fear and anxiety, as well as that of others, is through peace and forgiveness, not righteous anger. Through our baptisms, we have been anointed by God’s Holy Spirit to be bearers of peace and forgiveness, just as those first disciples were. We have been grafted into a legacy that dates back to the evening of the resurrection in that upper room. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, let us, as a community here at Christ the King, claim that legacy in all that we say and all that we do.