Resurrection Stories: The Turn Around John 20:19-21 04/11/10

Resurrection Stories: The Turn Around John 20:19-21 04/11/10

19On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. 21Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."

I am all over the place today on this passage-
3 parts - The disciples are hiding, Jesus appears, they are sent
this is a great turn around for them
Bad news to good news

the disciples are hiding
Fear - fear of the Jews - i have been tough on them
Pain - they had just witnessed a sham of a trial of their beloved friend
They just witnessed his murder.
They are in deep grief.
I know nothing of such pain.

We do know fear and pain - three sources fear - pain
Outside source - others
Act of God$ - hurricane
Self-inflicted
Sense that God acted in your life - it was painful - different, points you back to him
Not punitive

Jesus appears
No crying in baseball? No pouting in the kingdom
Peace be with you
What does peace mean?
Most Americans have not idea.

Let's skip ahead
They are sent
To Jerusalem, Samaria to the uttermost parts of the earth
they give their lives
They are transformed - it is a huge turn around

They are sent, We are sent
We Christians love to claim bible passages - not this kind
Don't you just love it? - we are sent
My Pastor harps on this all the time.
It is annoying

We never get the sent part without the peace part
We are not ready to hear God's directions until we have the peace

Lets come back to the peace...

What is peace? Shalom
Peace not = absence of wars
in Hebrew peace, shalom, means fullness, means having everything you need to be wholly and happily yourself.

This inner sensations that God loves us

How do we find it?
No one else tells me that I am ok
No outside force tells me that I am ok; parent, teacher, spouse
It comes from within

The role of external forces - The role of internal forces

Dali Lama on the Chinese - genocide, culturcide vs Tibetans
"They have taken everything from us; should I let them take my mind as well?"

It can be helpful to have someone to lean on
Frederick Buechner speaks of his grandmother as that rock upon whom he could lean. "she was, a bit of a banister to hold on to as I, myself, prepare to climb the dark stair." She was a person in whom the love of God was very evident.

Peace is found when we stop wanting everything
the 2 monks
There were two monks who lived together for forty years and never argued. Not even once.
On day, one said to the other
Don't you think it's time we had an argument, at least once?
The other monk said, fine, let's start. What shall we argue about?
How about this piece of bread, said the first monk.
Okay, fine. Let's argue about the bread. How will we do it? Said the second.
The first said, this bread is mine. It belongs to me.
The second said, well, if it is, then take it.

Peace is found when we get out schedule under control
this is why most Americans including Christians do not know peace

It is hard to contemplate the Cross of Christ when the adrenalin is flowing, and the ears are ringing with the jarring sounds of home and work.

Stop the unrelenting schedule in your brain
Stop it. Cut back on activities. Get some air into your life, your soul.
Reduce the external forces - make room for the internal forces

Prayer. That holy connection with God does not even happen until we make some room for silence in our lives.
Change the schedule. Make room for the soul.

We know we have peace when we trust God
I visited with someone a few months back that was suddenly going in for a serious procedure. They told me that on the bed on the way to this moment of truth, they only felt a trust in God.

Side bar - Heaven
It's not in this passage
Really? Where did he come from
Up and down - vs the 5th dimension - Hebrews - the cloud of witnesses
Sensing the presence of God around us

Side bar - Forgiveness
What would you expect his posture to be?
What does he give them?
They didn't even have to ask
It is the posture of God
How do we treat one another?
Give them the beat down, or welcome them in spite of

Confirmation Sunday
It is a one time thing
Was this the only time the disciples would need to be reminded?

The ongoing nature of change/conversion
Peace be wit you - peace be with you

Conversion - change - the turn around...
Do you want to experience a turn around?
Do the things that make for peace
Spend some time with the prince of peace.