Second Sunday of Easter - Video of Divine Service and Sermon Text

 Video of Divine Service at St. Luke, Rensselaer

Second Sunday of Easter    

Acts 5:29-42  
1 Peter 1:3-9  
John 20:19-31

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.

For a number of years, I followed the TV series NCIS. Some of you may be familiar with the show. I don’t know quite when it happened but the leader of the group, Jethro Gibbs, began to administer slaps to the back of the head to his team members when they said or did foolish things. In my recollection, the one team member who received the slap to the back of the head most often was Tony. Tony was indeed the one character in the show that consistently provided comedic relief in the midst of intense investigations and life or death situations. 

As I talk about this, I should be clear that this is a fictitious television show and such behavior amongst real life co-workers, family, or friends, should neither be encouraged or tolerated. Only on a TV show, a work of fiction, would such belittling and humiliating behavior promote the famed devotion amongst the team that led them to care for each other and work together so closely and to save one another’s lives show after show. 

Having said that, wouldn’t Thomas have been an ideal candidate for the proverbial slap upside the head from Jesus when He appeared before the eleven apostles eight days after His resurrection? The Resurrected Jesus clearly heard Thomas refuse to trust the testimony of his fellow Apostles, his band of brothers, that they had seen the Lord Jesus on the evening of the resurrection. 

Instead of the slap upside the back side of his head, Jesus directs Thomas to do exactly what he needed to do in order to believe his fellow Apostles. “Look, see, touch, believe.” 

To Thomas’ credit, he is the first in the gospels to confess with his lips that Jesus is “My Lord and my God.” 

Thomas did not get what he deserved that day for the sin of his disbelief. When Jesus appeared to the eleven, Thomas and the other Apostles were met with a salutation of grace: “Peace be with you.” Then, without anger, scorn, or ridicule, Jesus addresses Thomas. Directing him to confirm with his own eyes and tactile senses that Jesus is not a figment of anyone’s imagination, nor is Jesus an image produced by a collective psychotic break with reality, nor is Jesus a phantasm. Jesus is the risen Christ. He is alive, breathing, talking, and bearing the marks of his suffering, crucifixion, and the soldier’s confirmation that Jesus was indeed dead after such a short time on the cross.  

Thomas is blessed to have this experience with Jesus. In his grief, his obstinate refusal to receive the proclamation of His brothers and his demand of a personal showing did not prevent Thomas from receiving Jesus’ kindness and mercy. Thomas does not receive what he deserves for his disbelief. He does not receive what he deserves for the insult that he hurled at his brothers when he heard from them that they saw the risen Lord Jesus. Shouldn’t he have at least given his brothers the benefit of the doubt when they testified to him that they saw the risen Jesus? Yes, he should have. But didn’t. Jesus is, and has always been, about mercy and forgiveness. Jesus’ resurrection appearance coupled with his generosity toward Thomas, is yet another sign that the Jesus that is before them is indeed the Jesus who preached the Sermon on the Mount and healed so many of the sick. 

Thomas is blessed because he sees Jesus. So are the Jews and Gentiles that the apostle Peter writes to. Jesus was crucified and risen in AD 33. Peter wrote his first letter about AD 67. In that span of 34 years, the Holy Spirit propelled the Apostles beyond Jerusalem into the Gentile communities and the Jewish diaspora to proclaim Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of their sins. The Holy Spirit worked through the preached Word to create faith to receive God’s Good News of the Christ.

The Christians that Peter writes to did not have the luxury of personal, one on one contact with Jesus. They are the ones that Jesus speaks of: “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” They rely on what we have to rely on. They rely on the testimony of others. Then and now, the Holy Spirit uses the Word expressed in those testimonies to create faith. Hebrews 11:1 says, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” The conviction is strong. It is not always easy to be a Christian. The reading from Acts testifies to this. So does the letter from the Apostle Peter. People faced ridicule, family relationships were curtailed, friendships ended, business arrangements are threatened, then there is the harassment or persecution of the Empire because Christians refused to bow down to or acknowledge the pagan gods or the divinity of the Roman emperor. Discipleship requires commitment, discipline, and focus. You keep and confess the faith given to you through Holy Baptism because you know that it is true. His love, his forgiveness, his promises, will live on long after the world passes away. You hold firm because God’s mercy is your foundation in life.

The Apostle Peter says, “Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” 

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia!