St. Paul's Church, Newburyport, MA

This, the third Sunday after Easter, was Good Shepherd Sunday, and our service was led by young people.  Tristan Horan preached.

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Truly our fellowship is with our Creator and with Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. May our joy be made complete by him, in him, and through him. Amen (1 John 1:3-4)

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In this Easter season in the past couple of weeks here at St. Paul’s we’ve had the sacrament of baptism in our hearts, minds, and souls. Lois was baptized at the vigil, and spoke her own baptismal promises. Baby Rylen received it last Sunday. His parents and godparents spoke his promises for him.

Rylen’s parents and godparents made some promises of their own. Martha asked them

• Will you be responsible for seeing that Rylen is brought up in the Christian faith and life? and
• Will you by your prayers and witness help this child to grow into the full stature of Christ?

They, all four of them, answered “I will, with God’s help.”

And the rest of us promised, with the help of God, to do all in our power to support Rylen, and Lois also, in their lives in Christ.

Those are big and powerful promises – “responsible”, “prayers and witness,” “all in our power.” If you asked your lawyer, “should I make these promises?” she would probably say, “No way! There’s no limit or cancellation clause.” Those aren’t simple contract promises, they’re real covenants. They are unlimited in their scope. They bring to mind the words of Jeremiah:

“But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Jer 31:33 NRSV)

It’s good for all of us who made those awesome promises that the LORD our God has filled our hearts with that living law of love. It’s good for all of us that baptism is a sacrament – an outward sign of inward grace. It’s good that baptism isn’t some kind of business deal, but a sign that God loves us and is proud of us, no matter what happens.

A decade and a half ago, or so, nine members of our congregation had their parents and godparents speak those same promises for them. And the people around them promised to do all in their power to support those nine in their lives in Christ.

Yesterday, they spoke for themselves. They spoke their own promises, and took personal responsibility for them. They were confirmed along with eighty or so other people from other congregations. It was a privilege to witness that event, and to get a chance to renew my own promise to do all in my power to support them in their lives in Christ.

To their parents and godparents, we the congregation say “well done! Big promises, made and kept!” Speaking for myself to you, this congregation nurturing and supporting them with your prayers, examples, and unconditional love, I say “thank you.”

At confirmation our young people repeated the vows made for them when they were baptized. (p 304 of BCP). I wonder, what was going through the minds of our confirmands as they spoke those promises? They could have been blabbing away saying some prayer-book words by rote. Or, maybe they were agreeing to certain propositions of faith, and promising to behave certain ways, so they can be members of the in-group. Maybe they thought they were getting their tickets punched so they can get into heaven, and never mind the out-group folks.

At a recent funeral a member of a nearby church pointed to the crowd of mourners and quietly said to me, “it’s too bad so many of these people haven’t accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior, so they’re going to hell.” A lot – a whole lot – of people in our world understand Christianity that way: they think it’s a bunch of mumbo-jumbo we have to say and do that somehow earns us pie in the sky by and by when we die, and the devil take the rest.

It’s no wonder various churches are losing members when so many people think that’s what the church, and the life of faith, is about. People are getting disgusted and leaving. I confess this decline of Christ’s church makes me anxious. The church’s mission is to bear witness to the world that God loves each person, and God is proud of each person, no matter what.

How are we, the universal church, doing at this mission of love? Every congregation I’ve been a part of—this one and others—has many people who have lost, or nearly lost, loved ones to addiction, or anger, or war, or some other manifestation of evil. I lie awake at night chewing over those cases, thinking shoulda, woulda, coulda. If only we, the universal church, coulda let go of our mumbo-jumbo and our ingroups, and shown forth God’s love to those people when they needed it, maybe they would still be among us. If only. If only. It hurts to think about it.

Now let me be clear: we’ve lost those people; they’re lost to us but not to God. God still loves them, and is still proud of them. God still yearns for their healing and wholeness, just as we do. But we need them, just as we need all of us, just as we need you ninety confirmands of yesterday, to bear witness of Christ’s love to the world. This decline of the church makes it hard to carry out our mission, so it’s bad for the life of the world.

There’s good news. Martha and I can tell you this: for our young people their confirmation is not all about ticket-punching for pie in the sky. To them the baptismal promises are not mumbo-jumbo. During their classes with Martha and at their confirmation retreat our folks spent a lot of time thinking through what these promises mean to their lives. God is present in their lives, and they do recognize the face of Christ in the people they meet. I recognize Christ’s face when I meet them.

Still, there a kernel of truth in the old riddle: Q. how do you get rid of squirrels in the church attic? A. Confirm them; they’ll leave. I know you confirmands lead highly scheduled lives. I know your downtime is precious, and a lot of it is on Sunday mornings. That’s a simple reality.

Still, I confess that I’d like to get down on my knees and beg you to stay engaged with the church. I’m rejoicing at the privilege of laying hands on you and feeling the presence of the Holy Spirit in each of you. At the same time I want to shout out, you’re not squirrels, you’re young adults, stick around, don’t leave. You’re beloved daughters and sons of God and of this church community. I want to shout out, we need you, and you need us. The path of faith is best when shared with a community of people you love. We do need your company on that path, and you need ours.

I want to shout out, God needs you. But then I must get a grip, and chill out, and remember, God already has you, and you have God. God has all of us, and we all have God, no matter what happens.

Today’s gospel reading describes Jesus’s friends as startled, terrified, frightened, and questioning.

[While the disciples were telling how they had seen Jesus risen from the dead on the way to Emmaus,] Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence. (Luke 24:36b-42 NRSV)

It’s no secret that the whole world today is like that: startled, terrified, frightened and questioning. Into this messed-up world comes the risen Jesus saying, “peace be with you,” and “do you have something to eat?” Those are simple words – no mumbo-jumbo there. The church has been around for a couple of thousand years, as a safe place go to ask for something to eat, or to ask for a word of peace, no questions asked. It’s also a safe place to go to offer somebody a word of peace, or something to eat. As you young people go about your life journeys please remember that the community of faith is with you, no matter what happens to you or to us. And please remember what’s at stake in the strength of this community: the peace and healing of the whole world.

These things I say to you in the name of the +risen Christ. Hallelujah. Amen.

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Ms. Terry Rooney, Preacher

Imagine-

Imagine that you are one of the followers of Jesus – the man crucified a just few days ago –

That you and your closest friends are huddled upstairs in someone’s extra room, on some dusty side-street; fearful of any commotion outside that could be Roman soldiers looking for his followers

Jumping at every clang or echo of the morning’s bustle out on the street – flinching at every group of voices drifting upward as they pass by- hating yourself for being so scared

Maybe you can’t help checking the lock on the door a few times – or pacing some – or even trying get a quick glimpse out the window to assess the traffic on the street below.

Your stomachs may be growling because there wasn’t any time to get any food to last a few days of hiding out – and sleep has been nearly impossible when you are holding your breath and trying to keep one eye open all night

There’s no way to know what might happen next – given the brutality and horror of these last few days – no way of knowing what Pilate’s troops are capable of doing to those who were his closest friends

Imagine – for a few minutes what that room might have felt like – in the long hours before Jesus returned to them

What questions might they have been asking of themselves – ‘how did it all come down to this? What about the families we left behind – If he was supposed to be the savior we had waited for –then how could he have been so cruelly and publicly executed?

Perhaps they are losing hold of what Jesus tried so many times to tell them about his return? Maybe their confidence that he was in fact the Christ, was beginning to fade as their uncertainty gave way to a collective, maybe unspoken fear

Imagine–

the full weight of all their doubts and worries growing heavier and heavier as the moments and hours dragged on

Until finally, he appeared before them

—–

The scene that John describes for us this morning, includes not only the famous (iconic) encounter with Thomas and his freely voiced doubts, but a vivid description of Jesus’ first act after he is risen which I would argue is one of pure forgiveness and compassion.  There is also once again the imagery of God’s breath as the impetus for creation- something we heard about several times in our readings at the Great Vigil and there is the gift of the Holy Spirit.

In this account Jesus has left the tomb and after his brief first encounter with a fearless Mary – he goes in search of his other disciples – the few who knew him best – who had the most intimate knowledge of him and his teachings –only to find them now holed up in a tomb of their own

There is no fanfare awaiting him, no jubilant welcoming committee

Given the events of the past few days, Jesus knows they will be in hiding from the authorities and so he seeks them out – he comes to them, to the upper room where they have taken cover under tables, behind a locked door

He has returned to those who failed him – to those who slept while he prayed in the garden, to those who denied him in the square– the ones who ran away, who hide even now as he first appears before them- doubters all

I think if we stop and look at it for a minute – I think that his very appearance among them is an act of forgiveness. By seeking them out, bringing the greeting of Peace – and showing them his wounds – even giving them a few minutes to realize what and whom they are seeing before them seems to me an unstinting act of mercy for their fragile hearts and battered faith

And then -with his breath he bestows upon them the advocate – the Holy Spirit – just as he had promised

This breath mirrors his father’s in Genesis –the breath of the first creation -that brought the universe into being – that gave life to adam and eve;

And – it recalls as well of the prophesying breath that Ezekiel uses to bring life to the dry bones in the desert

And in this first encounter with his disciples, in the very first hours after he has risen from the dead -with his breath, Jesus literally brings the Spirit into the frightened disciples, initiating the new covenant he spoke of at the last supper the one that will be written on our hearts –to love one another, neighbor and enemy alike

And when he says “receive the Holy Spirit” – he follows that gift immediately with a sentence that endows them/us with something else –something very important – he says “Whatever sins you forgive, will be forgiven and whatever sins you retain will be retained”

___

Now, this story has some memorable characters in it who could easily overtake the story – in fact, all too often we might think this passage is just about showing up poor Thomas as an arrogant dunce who is insolent enough to say aloud that he wants visual proof that Jesus has risen before he will believe—– but that is not all that this passage is about

Or we may have over the years heard that this is a passage comes down to only one thing – that it’s about the absolute centrality of belief in Jesus – a blind belief in his divinity, in the salvation achieved through his death and resurrection. That only through believing will you have life in his name as the last line says –

But that I think, is only part of the story- if we stop there I think we would be missing out on some of the most significant of Jesus’ words in the whole of the NT –and missing one of the most important gifts that Jesus leaves us with

Hear the power in this line – “If you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven them, if you retain the sins of any they are retained” – it is really quite incredible on several counts

First – above all else the thing I find so wonderful about this gift that Jesus makes to us in the very first hours of his newly covenanted creation- is that he shares it with us – saying the power to absolve – to be merciful rests not with God alone – he never says – ‘I am the decider – absolution is mine alone and I’ll decide who is to be forgiven and who isn’t.’

No- he says this is part of our agency in him – the power to forgive one another is an integral part of our humanity – it is part of the baptism we share with Jesus and we must struggle on our own to employ its awesome and generous power between ourselves as we struggle to live up to the discipleship he calls us to

Second– receiving the Holy Spirit and the power to forgive come hand in hand – it is with these gifts – both of them that we are sent forth – into a world without the physical presence of Jesus, into a world where the Kingdom of God will be realized through the agency of the faithful

In this passage Jesus reveals he power he has placed in our hands- the power to forgive and to reconcile –or not

Quite simply –both extending and needing forgiveness is part of being sent – sent forward as his followers to practice all that he has taught us about living out that new covenant, about loving one another, about caring for the stranger, the prisoner, yes even our adversaries

Third – in the declaration that Jesus makes – he assumes that forgiveness will be absolutely necessary. Implicit in this gift from Jesus is his knowledge that our common life going forward will be fraught with challenges, with interpersonal hurts and pain- some of great – even unspeakable magnitude.

Still, bound as we may be in our effort to follow his teachings– this will be will be a very human and therefore frail enterprise. No one among us will escape the need to be forgiven – not those we most admire or revere, not those closest to us – not even the Church itself

It also assumes that both extending forgiveness and receiving it will be crucial to building community and moving forward.  Along the way, the Holy Spirit will teach us what to say when we find it hardest to find the words- like when we need to voice a hurt or admit our own fault. Still, having this power doesn’t mean it will always be easy- in fact, we will need help sometimes. It may take months or even years. And there will even be times when the only way we may be able to forgive or to accept an apology will be with the help of others holding us up.

The final thing  that strikes me about this gift from the risen Christ –is that he places it in our hands. Jesus doesn’t give any instructions here on whom or how often to forgive – he leaves that up to us. But when he says that ‘what we do not forgive will be retained’ he lets us know that a decision not to forgive means something significant– and will have its own consequences. The idea that there may be a cost associated with not extending forgiveness for a wrong can be found across major world religions  – Buddhists believe that what we cannot forgive – what we have not released, we instead end up building a separate identity around – and that it is that pain that will be reborn and continue to suffer

Archbishop Desmond Tutu reminds us that ‘forgiving and being reconciled are not about pretending that things are other than they are. It is not about patting on the back and turning a blind eye to the wrong.’ Indeed it is an infinitely risky business, because true reconciliation exposes the pain… reveals the truth’ he says.

Forgiveness may mean abandoning your right to pay back the perpetrator in his own coin, but it is a loss he is convinced that will liberate the sufferer.

Indeed, Tutu says that to forgive is actually the best form of self interest since anger, resentment and revenge are corrosive of the summuum bonum – that greatest good, communal harmony that enhances the humanity and personhood of all in the community.

It is that humanity and personhood that I think Jesus envisions when he sends us forth in the company of the Holy Spirit – armed with the power both to forgive and to accept forgiveness, and warned about the costs of retaining another’s sins. His sharing this gift with his followers changes the equation of our covenant with God–rather than emphasizing our constant hope for or dependence upon divine mercy- the new covenant with its requirement for unconditional love asserts that this is about how we treat one another – it about what takes place in the space between us – where all of life’s hurts, joys, losses and celebrations happen

The act of forgiveness is at its heart a declaration of our faith in the future of our common bonds, faith in our ties to one another; in making a new beginning with Christ.

Alleluia -He has returned to us, seeking us out as he did his disciples, bringing us his Peace, anointing us with the Holy Spirit, and sending us forth with the power of forgiveness.

So –are we called—

Perhaps we will need first to forgive ourselves for not being able to love as unconditionally as Jesus – but let us pray for the strength to forgive when we can, to accept apologies when we can and ask the Holy Spirit for help with all the rest

Amen