The Second Sunday of Easter: Sermon and Service Recording
2024 Easter 2
Acts 4:32-35 1 John 1:1-2:2 John 20:19-31
The Impact
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen.
In this second Sunday of Easter, we see the impact of Christ’s cross and resurrection. In particular we learn of the impact of the Apostles teaching and preaching upon those who hear them. The Apostles are compelled to believe when they encounter the risen Lord. Those who hear the Apostles are led into faith that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ.
When Jesus appeared to the disciples in the locked room in the early evening of Sunday, he spoke to them and showed them his wounds. They heard. They saw. My assumption is that at least one of the disciples had to actually touch Jesus too. Then, to further underscore the point, Jesus breathes on them. Illusions don’t breath. The dead do not breath. But, the living do. Yes, it is me! The impossible has occurred. Jesus, once dead and laid in a tomb, is alive. And, not only that he gives them the mandate to proclaim the Good News. He breathes on them the breath of God, the Holy Spirit. He sends them forth into their ministry. Forgive them. Jesus has appeased the Father’s wrath toward us through his sacrifice on the cross. Jesus has won for us forgiveness. He says to the disciples, go out, speak the good news of heaven and forgive them.
In the Nicene Creed, we confess that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. This is one of the Bible passages that support that statement in the creed. When Jesus breathes on them, they receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is sent by the Father. The Holy Spirit is sent by Jesus. Jesus continues to do the will of the Father.
In case we were thinking about something else as the Gospel is proclaimed, we get a repeat of what happened two Mondays later, on the eighth day. Thomas receives the invitation of a lifetime. Thomas not only hears Jesus. Sees Jesus, but we know that Jesus invites him to touch him and feel his wounds. In our imagination, we see Jesus taking Thomas’ hand and placing his fingers on his hand and on his side.
Just hearing it read to us and contemplating it now, can give us goosebumps. Can you imagine what it must have been like for Thomas to be preaching and he slips into the first person. “I did not believe my sisters and brothers when they said that Jesus appeared to them. I refused. It was too much. So heartbroken by his death was I. Then, eight days later, he came again. One minute he’s not there, next minute he’s there. He quoted my protests back to me verbatim. He took my hand. He made me touch him where the nails and the spear pierced him. I couldn’t help myself. I blurted out, ‘My Lord and my God.’”
That is one story that will not get old with the re-telling.
Jesus’ resurrection had a tremendous impact on his Apostles. And, when the Day of Pentecost comes, they are energized men, ready to go forth into the world to announce the Good News of God’s redemption through the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The ones who ran away when the soldiers came, now stand up to be counted and heard. The ones who watched Jesus’ crucifixion from a far distance, stand before the crowds and speak with courage. They are changed because of Jesus’ resurrection.
The power of John’s first letter lies in his stating that he was there. We are going to read and listen to what he says because he is an eyewitness. John heard. John saw. John touched the risen Lord. He heard, saw, and touched the eternal Son of God. You bet we are going to be impacted by what he has to say. The Holy Spirit works faith in us. Our faith moves us to do that which we might not do otherwise.
In the first reading from Acts chapter 4, we hear the impact that the Apostles preaching and teaching had on those first converts.
First, “they are of one heart and soul.” How large of a group is this? Luke gives us some numbers. After Peter gave his sermon on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2, we are told in verse 41, “So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” In Acts 4:4, after Peter’s sermon in Solomon’s Portico, Luke says, “But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.” This is just the men, so the men alone are the population of Rensselaer or Monticello. Women and children are also being baptized and received into the church too. I don’t think this includes the 500 brothers that Paul refers to in 1 Corinthians 15.
Most of us are aware of how difficult it is to get consensus of “heart and soul” with 50 or 100 people of wildly divergent opinion. That there would be consensus or agreement with 5500 men, and double that with the women, is truly astounding, especially when we consider the choices that many of them made.
Second, “no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.” The impact of the Good News of Jesus Christ is such that there is a major re-evaluation of the few or many possessions that people had. The freedom that Christ brings is the freedom to share one’s possessions for the benefit of the community. No longer mine, but ours. No longer just for me and my immediate neighbors, but for all of us, for the glorification of Christ the Lord.
Third, “for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.” For those of us who are property owners, we know that is an enormous impact. What does land and house ownership mean? It means the same thing to us as it did to those in the first century. Stability, a significant monetary investment that we can see, live on and in, and can liquidate quickly if we need to. We also will bear in mind that that land and house, because it is owned, can also be passed on to the next generation for a place to live and to generate income.
Just think about that for a moment. That first generation of believers was so taken by, so impacted by, the Gospel of Jesus Christ that they gave away their security and future for the sake of Christ and the betterment of the community that gathers around the cross.
That is truly breath taking.
That particular response to the Gospel, did not persist in quite that form for the whole church in the following years. The Holy Spirit led the church into a wide variety of different responses to the Gospel in the decades and centuries that followed.
The church is now 2000 years removed from our Lord’s resurrection and the original round of Apostolic preaching. Yet, we still benefit from both. The New Testament is written by Apostles and Evangelists. The Holy Spirit works through their words, even still, to create and strengthen faith in Jesus Christ as our Redeemer. We have several of Jesus’ sermon recorded in the Gospels. We also have sermons of the Apostles and Evangelists recorded in the New Testament. The first Christian sermon people heard was from Peter on the day of Pentecost. It is widely suspected that the letter of 1 Peter is really a sermon that was adjusted into an epistle. Much of the letter to the Hebrews sounds like a sermon.
God’s Word impacts us always. At the heart of God’s Word is the proclamation that Jesus Christ is crucified and risen for you so that your sins are forgiven and that you may spend eternity with God and the church. 2000 years on the Holy Spirit continues to call, gather, enlighten, and sanctify the Church to gather around the cross of Christ. And, the Holy Spirit continues to lead the Church into sacrificial giving for the sake of the proclamation of the Good News of Christ.
I look forward to seeing what God has in mind for us.
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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