Sunday Sermon - 4/23/17 by the Rev. Kathleen M. Sturges

John 20:19-31

Welcome to the Second Sunday of Easter!  I want to highlight to you that this is the second Sunday OF Easter, not AFTER Easter because Easter is not a day, but a season.  And that seems only fair.  We in the Church didn’t just spend 40 days of Lent only to get one day of Easter in return.  And for those with a bit of a competitive spirit, take heart, Easter beats Lent by 10 days. 

So here we are - the 8th day of Easter.  Flowers from last week are wilting fast, the ears, at the very minimum, are off the chocolate bunnies, the “alleluias” that we were denied during Lent now roll off our tongues with a little less oomph.  It’s been a week now since Easter day and life feels pretty much back to normal.  And I must say, Church of Our Saviour does Easter day well (a big thanks goes out to the great number of people who worked behind the scenes to make it a special day for all of us).   Doing Easter as a day is one thing, but doing Easter as a 50 day season?  Or as a way of life?   That’s a bit trickier.

We are not the only ones who struggle.  As we hear in our gospel reading from John today, Jesus’s disciples don’t exactly know what to do with Easter as a way of life either.  It’s Sunday evening and John records that Mary Magdalene, upon returning from the empty tomb, announced, “I have seen the Lord!”  Ok, so now what?  They clearly have no idea so they hunker down.  Together they gather in a house and lock the doors because they are afraid.  And it’s not just the doors of that particular house that are locked, but their lives at this point are pretty locked down as well.   

And it is into this locked down, fearful place that Jesus comes.  Jesus comes, stands among them, offers them God’s peace, and breathes on them saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”  But notice that God’s spirit isn’t something that is forced rather it’s something Jesus offers to be received.  So how does one do that?  How did the disciples receive it?   Perhaps one way is to see how Jesus gives the Spirit in the first place - through breath.  

We don’t give much thought to our breath because we don’t need to.  The breathing process is one of those basic operations of the human body that happens automatically.  And one of the things our bodies automatically do in a state of stress, whether it be from fear or anger or anxiety, is that we stop breathing.  We hold our breath.  Then when we do get around to taking a breath it’s shallow because our muscles are tense.  Taking a full breath when stressed takes effort.  Actually, in whatever state you are in the body exerts much more effort to breathe in than to breathe out.  For in order to take in air our diaphragm contracts and goes down, then there are muscles in our chest that work to bring our rib cage up and out all in order to give our lungs the ability to receive the incoming air.  Exhaling is the easy part.  The diaphragm and chest muscles relax which pushes the air out of the body.  Now given the disciples state of stress and fear over the last few days, it probably wasn’t the easiest or most natural thing them to breathe in Jesus’s breath and receive the Holy Spirit.   

Sometimes it’s not easy for us either.  Often, when we get stressed we hunker down like the disciples and exist behind our own locked doors - places that we close off inside of us.  Like the disciples, we might be locked in by fear and anxiety or maybe by anger and resentment.  When we feel shame we certainly don’t want anyone to see.  Sorrow and loss can cause us to shut down.  If we are hurt we often seek protection and emotional shelter.  Whatever closed placed it is for you this morning, know that the Easter news is that there is no door, no lock that can shut God out.  Jesus is always entering into the locked places of our lives saying, “Peace with you” and breathing God’s Spirit of life and hope and love.

But just like our bodies have to exert some effort to make room to receive air, so too our spirits need to make some room for the breath of God, God’s Spirit to come and do her good work inside of us.  Now, God’s Holy Spirit is always with us and is here with us in this place.  But often times, like breathing, we don’t think about it.  So here’s our chance to pay attention and make room.  Jesus comes to his disciples and to us today.  He is present.  Imagine that he is breathing upon you.  So take a moment and close your eyes, if you dare, and take a deep breath.  Feel it deep within.  Receive the Holy Spirit - the breath of God.

But God’s breath, God’s Spirit, is not just for our own life and well-being, but for the life and well-being of the world.  Notice that just before Jesus breathes on his disciples he sends them out, “Just as the Father has sent me, so I send you.  Receive the Holy Spirit.”  We are to breathe in, receive and be filled with the Spirit so that we are empowered to go out into the world living and sharing the Easter good news.  Using our breath to preach in word and deed that Jesus lives!  Christ is alive!  And the God who did that, who has that kind of power is a God of love and forgiveness and joy and peace.  That is the Easter way of life that we are invited to live one day at a time, one breath at a time.  That is the Easter way of life that is able to unlock every door and set the world free.

So this Easter season let us continue to rejoice - to sing our “alleluias,” receive the Holy Spirit, and go out into the world in the power and love of our risen Lord!