Sermon: “Receive”
Rev. Barry W. Szymanski, J.D.
Minister of Pastoral Care
First Congregational Church of Wauwatosa
14 October 2012

SCRIPTURE
John 20:19-22

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 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.’

SERMON

What I want to share with you this morning are the first words of Jesus when he met with his followers on the evening on the day of his resurrection.

These are all of the words of Jesus, which were written down: ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’ There are only three short sentences. That is just 18 words. But those words said by the resurrected Christ are rich with significance.

If I could summarize each sentence, it would be: The first is ‘Peace’. The second is ‘Send’. The last is ‘Receive’.

What happened on that evening? Picture the people who followed Jesus. Earlier on that day Peter and John and Mary Magdalene told them that Jesus was, somehow, alive!

The last times they saw Jesus he was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane; then he was arrested. Beaten. On a cross. Then lifeless. The man they adored and followed and placed their hopes in, was dead. Whatever future plans they had -- were dashed. Their hopes,
whatever those hopes were, were crushed. They sensed that the authorities were coming to arrest them also. They felt that their own deaths were imminent. So they locked themselves in that house and they remained there in fear.

They also remembered how they had each deserted Jesus: they did not go to the foot of the cross when their friend died. And Peter had even denied Jesus. That is when Jesus came to them. The man they lived with for years was among them again. He was not dead. He stood in the middle of them. He was not up in front on a podium. He was central to their lives.

Then they must have thought about what Jesus would say to them. Would he condemn them for deserting him? Would he disapprove of them for not being with him as he was dying on the cross? Would he criticize them for locking the door and hiding from the authorities? Would he censure them for their unbelief?

Then Jesus spoke, and his words were solace to them: Peace! Peace be with you! Visualize the reaction of the disciples. Jesus was in the center of their group, and his message was reconciliation and unity. What is Jesus’ message to us? That is the purpose of scripture – the living written word of God; for scripture deliberately has many levels of understanding. There is the level of what is written. There is the level of God’s disclosure of who He is – how God reveals himself to us. There is the level of what God wants us to hear – or learn from what was said, or from what occurred. There is the level of what God wants us to grasp as eternal truths – and statements we are to carry with us. There is divine wisdom.

So when it is recorded that Jesus said ‘Peace’, he means Peace to us also. For we are in the same shoes, or can I say sandals? – as the disciples in that room. Are we as happy as those disciples were to know that Jesus was resurrected and is alive? Do we realize that the divine Jesus remains in our midst especially through the Holy Spirit? Are we sometimes embarrassed that we have not stood by Jesus?

That when it was time to walk with him, we did not. That when it was time to stand up for Jesus and what he taught, we did not. So when Jesus tells us, that he wants ‘Peace’ between us, are we comforted? When Jesus says that he is bringing ‘Peace’ to our hearts, are we consoled? When Jesus says that his ‘Peace’ reconciles us to him, are we glad? And when Jesus tells us that his suffering and death, and now his resurrection has brought us into unity with him, are we given true and real hope? For now, we can be at peace.

The prophet Isaiah painted a picture of what peace looks like— we can imagine the scene: [11.6] “The wolf shall live with the lamb, . . . and a little child shall lead them.” We know peace as calm within our soul; as quiet within our hearts; as serenity of mind. In our relationships with others, we know peace as harmony. The total opposite of peace is war.

We also have experienced confrontations with others. And, even within our own selves, we experience conflict. The apostle Paul, in his instructive letter to the Romans [7.23] wrote that he sees within himself: ‘ . . . another law at war with the law of [his] mind, making [him] captive to the law of sin that dwells in [himself].’

There are struggles within us often described as a battle between good and evil. Recently Sue and I went to see a play downtown, “Avenue Q.” In that play there were two puppets – called the “Bad Idea Bears” which, as you can guess, tried to suggest unwise choices to the other characters on stage. The “Bad Idea Bears” was a clever way for the playwright to introduce the idea of temptation into a contemporary play.

We are enticed in many ways. There is the competition for time, for power, for money. We are drawn to selfishness versus giving of ourselves to others. We are attracted to disobeying even the simple commandments. Yet Jesus stands in the midst of our hearts and souls, and continually invites us to look to him and accept His Peace.

Now, there must have been a lot of other conversation that night between Jesus and his friends. Eventually Jesus then told them, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” That is quite an order! That directive is Jesus command to us also. That is Jesus mandate to us also. Before we follow any directive given to us by another person we have questions.

The first logical question is who is this person who is giving me an order? And what right does he have to tell me anything? What credentials does he have? Before you and I answer those questions, let’s look at how the disciples could have answered those questions: They knew Jesus for at least three years or more.

And now the resurrected Jesus stood in front of them! They thought they knew who he was. But now they clearly understood his credentials. They unmistakably realized that he had the right to give them the command! What about us? This is 2012 and we have the same questions of any authority!

Our first logical question is who is this person who is giving me an order? And what right does he have to tell me anything? What authority does he have?

This first question of who is Jesus is major! Is Jesus a historical person? Is he divine? Is he the resurrected Christ? Even, regardless of who he is, what right does he have to tell me anything?

This is not just a series of questions here this morning for the members of this church. These are the questions asked of every person in the world. Who is God to give me an order? What right does God have to tell me anything?

The apostle Paul, [1Corinthians 15:20], confirmed his belief in the risen Christ when he wrote to the Corinthians: “ . . . in fact Christ has been raised from the dead. . .”

As Christians we believe as those disciples did, and as Paul did. Therefore we shall move forward as we believe that Jesus was sent by the Father, and he sends us. What an invitation! Or is it a command! You and I are sent. When we read the Gospel, and if even partially comprehend what Jesus tried to teach, then we are summoned to work to bring about the Kingdom of God on this earth.

At first hearing it almost sounds simple. Your and my task is to bring God’s world to those around us and make it real. How can we do this? That is the question the disciples in that room must have asked Jesus – and if they didn’t, Jesus already had the answer. They needed strength. They needed God’s grace. That is when Jesus BREATHED on them.

In the Book of Genesis [2:7], it states that: “The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.” Later, the great prophet, Ezekiel, wrote [Ezek. 37:4-6] that God said: “Thus says the Lord God . . . I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. . . .; and you shall know that I am the Lord.’

We return to today’s Gospel passage: Jesus “. . .breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’” And they did. We know they did by reading the Acts of the Apostles.

And we know of them because you and I are the living legacy of those disciples. As they received the Holy Spirit, we also receive the Spirit of God. We need God’s strength also. There is no possible way for us to bring faith to another person – that is God’s grace.

But we are the hands and feet of Jesus; we are the ears and mouth of Jesus. As Jesus told us, ‘What you do for the least of my family, you do to me.’ [Matthew 25:40]

We can only do our best. If we do that, we are obeying Jesus’ command to be sent out. We must pray. We pray that Jesus breathe life into us so that we be spiritually alive! We pray for God’s grace. Yet, we are not in this alone – for we are members of the church -- Jesus told us that he is the vine, and we are the branches. We receive our nourishment from him. That is the importance of prayer.

The words of Jesus are simple: Peace, Send, Receive.

Let us pray,

Lord, Jesus, you give us the gift of peace, the gift of oneness with you, the gift of reconciliation with you, our Lord. Lord, you want to stand in our midst, not off to the side. You desire to be central in our lives. And you are sending us to work for your Father’s Kingdom. You brought life out of death – you shone light where there is darkness. And we know we cannot fulfill your command without you. Yet you commission us in your work! Lord, your great miraculous resurrection compels us to fulfill the great mission, which you have commanded. We cannot do what you will unless we have strength from you. Therefore, Lord, breathe your Spirit on us. Give us the gift of your Holy Spirit. Give us life, so we may be your hands, and your feet, and speak for you, to help those who need help, for we all need your help, and may we bring your divine life and light to those in darkness. Lord, we pray for your loving grace, so that we may be willing to follow your command, and walk with you. Give us the strength to take the path of the disciples who have gone before us in serving you. Amen.