I Have Faith and Now I See
Krista’s Reflection for 2d Sunday after Easter – April 16, 2023 Acts 2:14a, 22–32
John 20:19–31
Psalm 16
1 Peter 1:3–9
Introduction to the Scriptures: John, Acts and Psalm 13 It is still Easter. The night of the first day of the week. The same day Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, and then Peter and John, discovered the empty tomb.
Now they have all come back to a locked room where they are hiding out from the Jewish and Roman authorities.
They must have felt shocked, uncertain, and even afraid. Just as they are debating the events of the day, Jesus appears to them and says, “Peace be with you,” three times. I’m sure the disciples were feeling anything but peace. The Jewish and Roman authorities had just crucified their Lord.
They had threatened violence to anyone associated to this trouble-maker Jesus, their supposed messiah.
Some messiah, they ridiculed – their King was crucified, dead and buried. The last thing Rome or the Jewish religious leaders wanted was a revolution. Or rumours of a risen Messiah. They would squelch this Jesus movement as quickly as it started and kill all those who spoke out in the name of Jesus.
Seven weeks later, Peter will speak out and preach to a great crowd in Jerusalem. His testimony is so powerful that thousands more will believe, even those who persecuted Christ.
What happened to cause this great shift in the disciples? From fearfully hiding, to fearlessly preaching the good news that Christ is risen?
These testimonies, taken from the Gospel of John, of Luke and the 1st letter of Peter, were written down, copied, and read aloud so the early Christian communities and non-believers, would believe – despite persecution.
As we listen to these testimonies, how can our faith be
strengthened and renewed? How can we share the good news and be at peace despite the rumblings of conflict, pandemic, and war?
Sermon
PEACE BE WITH YOU.
I have often wondered why Jesus constantly says, “Be at peace. Do not worry. My peace I give to you.”
Like the early disciples, we too worry and fear when our lives are threatened or in danger. We or our ancestors may have faced persecution, war, or conflict.
How can we have peace when the world is often the opposite of peace?
STORY: The Diary of Ann Frank
Ann Frank, a young Jewish girl from Amsterdam, must have wondered this too, as she hid out with her family and four fugitives behind a bookcase in her father’s office building.
Ann was given a journal for her 13th birthday and began writing all her thoughts and experiences.
She too experienced the dangers of persecution, as she clung to a simple faith or belief in the goodness of life – here she writes almost prophetically:
“It’s a wonder I haven’t abandoned all my ideals,” they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart… I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquility will return once more.1
Ann spoke of peace. Yet we may wonder how could she encourage peace when all she faced was death and persecution?
It is a great mystery of faith.
1 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-anne-franks-diary changed-the-world-180957215/
She wrote her entries in the form of letters to several imaginary friends, perhaps knowing people would read it in the future – capturing the truth of the holocaust from a young girl’s perspective. Testimonies are very powerful.
Ann teaches us that without belief in a greater good, it is hard to have peace.
Her insights build up our faith that despite evil, we too can have peace.
SCRIPTURES
The testimonies of John and Peter we heard this morning teach us the same thing.
The disciples went through a terrible ordeal. Their messiah was killed on a cross, died and was buried. They were mourning his death and they were afraid of persecution.
Yet Jesus told them what would happen before his crucifixion, and encouraged them saying,
“Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, give I to you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful” (14:27).
When We Doubt or Fear
We may wonder what is so wrong with being afraid? Or troubled? Or doubtful like Thomas?
Surely, the disciples had every right to be afraid and troubled. Thomas had every right to think they were crazy – he knew Jesus died. No one expected him to live.
And we may wonder when we read the New Testament today – is the resurrection really true? Did Jesus really rise from the dead? But if you listen to these testimonies, including the doubts and fear of the apostles, be encouraged. Because God gives good news to humans who are not perfect.
It’s OK to experience doubt or fear or want proof. As long as we are willing to open our eyes and see the truth and believe. Even those who persecuted Christ finally believed, as we will learn at Pentecost.
Jesus wants us to have faith. But he knows the disciples and WE need reassurance.
Jesus increases their faith. This brings them peace. And courage to face the challenges ahead.
His greeting of peace is not a casual remark, or a pleasantry said in passing.
He says it three times – so we will ALL pay attention: PEACE BE WITH YOU.
DESPITE your fear
DESPITE your challenges
DESPITE your doubts
PEACE BE WITH YOU.
Faith is the Answer to Fear
So why is peace so important, why is Jesus making such a strong point of it?
Think about it this way.
The opposite of fear is……. FAITH.
But how do we get faith?
Faith is a gift from God.
It doesn’t make sense.
That is why Jesus appears to them several times, so they will believe.
He blows the Holy Spirit on them so they will be courageous and go preach the good news.
It is not easy. That is why we need faith.
Faith is the great elixir to fear.
It is also what Ann Frank demonstrates in her diary despite persecution and even death in a concentration camp. Her bold spirit cries out from the pages – the thoughts that leap across time and tell us the good news: life will be renewed.
Faith is the answer to fear.
That is why God gives it to us.
Jesus gives the disciples more faith, which leads them to have peace in the face of danger. The Holy Spirit gives them the power to forgive their enemies (or not) and speak truth to power.
We know from Acts of the Apostles that seven weeks later, Peter preaches in Jerusalem, the most dangerous place for him and the other disciples to be.
Peter confronts those in authority who crucified Jesus. The Jewish elders who turned Jesus over to Pontius Pilate.
He doesn’t do this to condemn them.
He does this to convert them.
His faith is so powerful, his words so clear, they are forced to accept his words and receive Christ right then and there. Over 3000 more people converted to Christ that day. (But that is the story of Pentecost – which we will hear more about in a few more weeks, at the end of our Easter journey).
STORY: Ann Frank conclusion.
Ann Frank also forgave and believed in the goodness of human beings despite the evil surrounding her. She was preaching the good news, as a Jewish girl, teaching people to have faith and peace, despite what lay ahead. Ann died of typhus in a concentration camp at the age of 15. Her father was the only one in her family to survive. Yet, her words still live today, giving hope and teaching peace to millions.
QUESTION:
If the disciples lost their faith, if they stayed in the locked room, and protected themselves, where would we be now?
Instead, we know that the disciples were transformed by Christ’s visit. Despite persecution, they went on and shared the good news across Judea, and to the ends of the earth, just as Christ promised.
Closing
These are the final days of Christ’s ministry on earth. Soon he will ascend to God and the disciples will be on their own.
These passages are intended to encourage us, to strengthen our faith when we face challenges, when our faith is weak (like Thomas). The gift of this Gospel:
Even though the authorities and powers that be will continue to persecute Christians or Jews for hundreds and even thousands of years… DESPITE persecution,
The early disciples taught faith.
They preached peace.
They shared the gospel.
And most importantly for us – they wrote it down.
It says at the very end of John’s gospel:
“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.” (14:27).
Without these oral and written testimonies, we would not know Christ. We would not have Easter. We would not know life and resurrection.
But we do have these testimonies.
Christ did appear to his disciples. proving the resurrection. They did have more faith, and peace in the face of persecution. And they did show tremendous courage to speak truth to power, and share the good news.
And finally, God did all this:
1. So we would have faith and believe.
2. So we would know Christ’s peace.
3. so we would have courage to share the good news . So let’s share the peace of Christ
PEACE BE WITH YOU
And let’s share the good news of the resurrection:
CHRIST IS RISEN!
CHRIST IS RISEN!
HALLELUJAH!
HALLELUJAH!
Amen.