forgiveness.

here is my sermon from this past sunday. apparently it was a good one. i preached the doubting thomas story without actually talking about doubting thomas. i was quite proud of myself.

March 30, 2008
Second Sunday of Easter
John 20:19-31

Peace Be With You.

Jesus says, “Peace be with you.” to the disciples three times during this story. This story takes place during the two weeks between the resurrection and Jesus’ final appearance at Galilee. This is a familiar tale. We have heard the tale of Doubting Thomas so often we could probably recite it without a Bible in front of us. But, today let’s look at what is happening around Thomas. Let’s look at all the details that are in the tale that make the story of Thomas whole.

First, the disciples are shut up in a room. They are still fearful of the Jewish leadership. They are fearful that they too might be crucified. You see, crucifixion was political death. A form of capitol punishment reserved for the most dangerous of political prisoners. Another detail we lose sight of is that the cross and all it represented was considered shameful at first. It was considered an embarrassment that Jesus, this man that claimed to be the messiah, the anointed one, was killed. It does not matter that he was resurrected. For the first disciples it was confusing and shameful that their leader had been captured and been killed in such a disgraceful way.

So imagine the heartache of grief compounded by the embarrassment of Jesus death. I wonder if Senator Obama had similar feelings about his pastor. That struggle of having your spiritual leader publicly shamed. Wondering how to feel. Wondering what to do next. Wondering what this means.

Up the intensity of the experience. That is perhaps what the disciples were feeling in the closed room. Now enters Christ. And Christ says, “Peace be with you!” Just those words. Just his presence. And the disciples rejoiced. From pain and suffering to rejoicing! From fear to joy!

That is what the disciples received in that moment. They began to recover from their time of shame and grief. But then something new happened. Christ breathed on them. He breathed the Holy Spirit on them. This sounds much like the creation story. God breathed over the earth. God breathed spirit on the earth. Then creation began. Now Christ is breathing on the disciples and they become apostles. They become ones that are sent. Apostle comes from the verb that means to send. They are the ones that are sent by God.

This is a little part we miss when we focus on Thomas: “Jesus said to them again, peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

This statement by Christ is referred to as the office of the keys. There is a tradition that Saint Peter was given the keys to heaven and the only one given permission to forgive sins. But, if we look closely at this passage we realize that Jesus was speaking to EVERYONE in the room! Everyone was given the authority to forgive and retain sins. There was not one person set aside for such a task, but the whole community was given the glorious task of forgiving.

Now let me tell you about another tradition that used to be active in many communities. The passing of the peace used to occur IMMEDIATELY after the confession and absolution. Yup. Think about it. You were expected to not only confess and be forgiven in an intellectual way, but you were supposed to live out that peace within the community. As a part of the worship service the space was made to live into the absolution. Live into the forgiveness. Live into the Lord’s Prayer when we say, “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.”

The passing of the peace can still serve this purpose. We still do it after absolution, but now it waits until you have heard a little more preaching and are about to give your offering.

So. Christ says, “Peace be with you.” He then tells the disciples they can forgive anyone their sins. Do you know my dear ones, that you can forgive anyone their sins? Do you know you have that office? You have that permission and commission from Christ to joyously forgive the sins of your neighbors? Think about that a little.

Now think about what it can mean when you say, “Peace be with you.” It is the peace that comes from God. Not us. It is the forgiveness that comes from God, not from us. It is the wholeness that comes from God, not us. It is the healing that comes from God. Not us.

This is why we do it week after week. We need help keeping peace. We need to be reminded that our peace does not last long, but God’s peace and reign is eternal. I encourage you to seek out those in your lives that you struggle to say, “peace be with you” to. Try it out. See what happens. Maybe God’s peace will take root in surprising ways. And rejoice that Christ gave you the ability to forgive. It is a wonderful gift.