Sermons on “Faith”
Easter 2: Everything Praise the Lord! April 28, 2019
The Second Sunday of Easter is always the Sunday of Thomas “the twin,” sometimes called “doubting Thomas” – which I think is unfair to Thomas. It is also the Sunday when we recall that Jesus says, “Peace be with you.” Jesus tells his disciples, not once, not twice, but three times, “Peace be with you.” The last time they were together, Jesus told his disciples that, regardless of what they were threatened with in this world, they would share in his peace. But saying it had not made it so.
Today, this Second Sunday in Easter, we find ourselves again in John’s Gospel where we are told that the disciples are gathered in a room late on Easter Sunday, and the mood is bleak. Every plan and hope for the future rested with Jesus, and now he is dead. There are incredible stories of a resurrection, but the disciples remain unconvinced. How can it be?
Then, without warning, Jesus appears in their midst. “Peace be with you,” he says, and he shows them his hands… Where do you find yourself in this story?