Year A

John 20:19-31

The Very Rev. Denise Vaughn

The Peace of Hope

Here we are one week after the glorious celebration of Easter. The Lord is risen! And we find ourselves behind locked doors like the disciples were so many years ago. Different circumstances of course but in some ways very similar also. A few years ago, W. H. Auden wrote a poem about modern life and called it “The Age of Anxiety.” It soon became a byword for our modern times because it is so true. Ours is a world that is anxious and afraid. Yet, is this really something new? All through the ages there have been circumstances and struggles that have made us afraid and anxious. When haven’t we feared diseases that have no cure, or sickness, or not having enough money when we retire, or getting old? For the disciples that Easter evening, they were behind locked doors for fear of the Jews.

Everything had happened too fast for them. One moment the crowd is welcoming Jesus and then just a few days later, he is arrested, put on trial, and crucified on a cross. And despite what happened on Easter morning, the picture we get from John’s gospel today is of shell-shocked disciples who gather that very night in hiding to mourn the death of their leader. They had left home and family, jobs and security, to follow and devote their lives to Jesus.  They had seen him do wonders and cure the sick, raise the dead and proclaim the love of God. And now this man they loved was dead. The worst of their fears had come true. The horror of his death left them a frightened, disbelieving bunch just waiting for the dreaded knock on the door that signaled they were next.

Then suddenly, the risen Christ was with them. Not with the knocking at the door they so feared. Jesus didn’t knock. He just came in and gave them what they needed the most. He could have chastised them for their cowardly deeds, their faithlessness, and failure, instead he said, “Peace be with you.” For that was what they most needed. That’s what they lacked. They knew their failure. Their denial, cowardice, sinfulness, and he knew it also. What they needed now was to be released from their fears and set free from the guilt and anxiety that locked them in. They needed what only Christ could give them, forgiveness, new hope and a reason for living. And that’s exactly what he gave them.

In that moment, the disciples might have remembered Jesus’ words just before his death: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” Do not be afraid. How many times do we need to hear that and that was God’s message to them that night, as it still is to us today. And yet how difficult it is to live this life without fear and doubt. The disciples had been with Jesus three years, but when the anxiety of the cross came upon them, they acted as if he never existed. In Charles Dicken’s famous novel, A Tale of Two Cities, there was a man who had worked as a shoemaker in prison. After being released from prison, the injustice of his sentence was discovered and he was reinstated as a nobleman, rich and secure. However, later in life whenever he ran into problems, he would retreat to his home, go down to a little dark room in the basement and make shoes. Under stress, he reverted to his old self just as the disciples did that night. When troubles or difficulties come our way, we tend to revert to our old selves and forget God’s promises. It’s easy for us to become fearful or discouraged and lose hope.

That is why a regular habit of prayer, worship, on-line for now if possible and scripture reading is so important. By making it a regular part of our lives, we imprint on our hearts and minds, the words of Jesus so that when troubles come our way and we are surrounded by difficulties as we are now, we will not flee behind locked doors but run right back into Christ’s loving arms. We are so fortunate during this Easter season to be able to participate in two bible studies that I am aware of. Bishop Benhase will be leading us in a study of the book of Philippians starting Wednesday, April 22 at 11:00 am on line and The Good Book Club is offering a study of the book of Matthew with Vicki Garvey, a respected teacher and author, every Thursday night starting April 23 at 8:00 pm.  More details of these two bible studies are in last Monday’s Opportunities to Participate and we will send them out again tomorrow. I hope you take advantage of learning from these two great teachers.

It does seem that the disciples that first Easter night did forget the words of Jesus because they found themselves closed in behind locked doors, afraid and abandoned. More than anything else, when Jesus appeared to them behind those closed doors, he was saying to them, showing them, telling them in a way they could understand that there were no doors that could keep him out. There was no way they could ever be separated from him or ever be alone and that good news is for us today also. There is no closed door that can keep the love of God from us. The answer to any fear and to all anxiety is “Peace be with you.”  No matter how hopeless the situation may feel, Jesus says to us that with his presence in our lives, peace, forgiveness and hope is possible.

Peter’s letter today is a letter of hope and encouragement to the young church as they were facing desperate times. He reminds these Christians that through the resurrection we have been given new birth in a living hope. Jesus was not dead, but living. Despite all appearances, Jesus is alive and as long as he is alive, we live in the same resurrection hope. The people that Peter was addressing had not seen Jesus, yet they loved him. They had not seen him during the trial, his death or resurrection, yet they believed in him. That is living hope. It is a hope that cannot be extinguished by fears and anxiety. That because of Jesus, we live our lives differently, never losing hope for a better tomorrow and living today with appreciation for what it brings.

There is hope for all of us in this Age of Anxiety. There is courage when we are tempted to hide; for there is one who can enter any room and give us what we need. As Jesus breaths the Holy Spirit on us, holds out his hands to us, shows us his side and says, “Peace be with you,” we receive his peace, a peace that will calm our anxious hearts, set us free from our doubts and send us out in joy.