Prayer: We gather around your Word, dear Lord, speak to us, touch our hearts to a greater meaning and inspire us to continue to be loving witnesses to your work here on earth. Amen.

Hear the word from the gospel of John in chapter 20, verses 19-31
(read John 20: 19-31)

The Word of God for the people of God

(Take a deep breath)

        Here we are... a week after Easter. Flowers are gone, the choir seems smaller, the Lord's Table is empty, no clowns for a drama, people are wearing their church clothes and not all "fancied up" in beautiful pastels or suits and ties, and the attendance to worship seems smaller. What is different? Is there a memo that goes around and says that Easter and Christmas are the only good times to come to church, so churches try their best on those two occasions to show any visitors that come on those days that this is church? That this is how we do worship? Look at how good the worship can be? Or are these two days in the Christian calendar a time when we want to show our worth to God and put on a great big, show for God, and then go back to doing worship in another way for the rest of the year? I am not saying what we do on Easter and Christmas for worship is bad, but why is it different?

        Or what about this...it was a year ago when some people were out digging in an excavation site in Israel and some archeologists stumble across a small box. They begin to read the Aramaic Hebrew on it and find words like Joshua, Jacob, and Joseph on them. Here in this little burial sarcophagus from the first century once held the remains of a man named Jacob, son of Joseph, brother of Joshua. People loose their breaths, they have found something important! To have these common names in this order had to be rare. They do their research and make the claim that they had the sarcophagus of James, the son of Joseph, the brother of Jesus. The name at the end gets everyone's attention. They made a claim to have found a little bit of Jesus. Look, archeology has found Jesus!! Come and see. Don't miss out on seeing Jesus. There are other examples like a face cloth and burial garments that are said to be of the image of Jesus. In a church in Bethlehem and one in Rome, they both claim to have the actual manger crib that held baby Jesus when he was born. Boy, how we get crazy when someone can prove to us that Jesus was real.

        So, that context gets me to our reading for today. I have heard many sermons on this selected reading and now I will throw my hat into the ring and offer this sermon. Because of what I have just pointed out to us all makes me feel that Thomas gets a bum deal in this story. First, Thomas misses out on an awesome experience. Doors are locked. Everyone has received the news that the tomb was empty! Now the disciples are hiding out trying to figure out what to do. Then in comes Jesus. Holy Cow!! Who in this room would have loved to be there in that room? Seeing all of them in a room and then one of them says "Jesus Christ", and some one else saying "Blasphemer, how dare you use the Lord's name in vain" and the other one responding back, "No, it is really Jesus Christ".

        People scurrying around, tidying up the place, others making themselves look presentable, washing their faces, straightening up the tunic, I mean come on, what would you do if Jesus walked in right now? Isn't it in some degree what we do with Easter and Christmas? We try to look our best and be at our best to put on the best darn worship experience for God? Don't you want people talking for days afterwards saying, "Wow, I am glad I didn't miss that." But Thomas did.

        The others were overjoyed and when they saw Thomas I am sure they had an indescribable energy about them when they started talking about seeing Jesus. How would you talk if you physically saw Jesus? How would you explain it to someone whom missed seeing Jesus at Norcross? Especially if it was a member who regularly comes and had to be out of town that weekend?

        Now flip the table, how would you respond if you were Thomas and you were hearing about it? Wouldn't you be a little ticked? Wouldn't you want to have the same experience that the others had? Judging by all of the hoopla that goes on when there is the slightest mention on anything belonging to Jesus or anything with Jesus in the title, I think there are a lot of Thomas's out there who would want to be in that room and actually see the risen Lord. How much stronger would your faith be if you saw the risen Lord? I know I would be a little more passionate, a little more controversial, a little more convinced that I am right and speaking truth, so listen to me. I mean it worked for all of the disciples, because they did not keep in a little room and stay scared. They got out and preached with conviction.

        In the Acts passage, we see the disciples on trial in Jerusalem. It is a few months after the first Easter and there is Peter and the others preaching in the temple, boldly telling the story of the risen Lord and what that means for everyone. This is the same temple that had the veil torn in two, the same temple that had its tables tossed by Jesus. In come the temple police, probably some of the same policemen who gathered up Jesus in the Garden, and brought them in front of the Council. We could speculate that some of the same people who condemned Jesus are on this council. This setting probably looked familiar to some of the disciples, especially Peter. For it was Peter who denied Jesus when Jesus was on trial in front of a council and Peter wept bitterly for doing it. This time however, he stood boldly in front of the council and proclaimed the Good News.

        Isn't that what we are called to do? To be bold and confident and to bring the Good News to all that He is Risen (Wait for response of He is risen indeed...repeat if necessary). Are we not like the disciples and keep to ourselves and stay in a little room where we know where it is safe to be a believer? Is it bold for us to put up a sign out front and hope people come in the front door because our building looks nice, our people are friendly, and we got a nice young pastor to lead us? Do we really bring Good News to all? Or do we just bring the Good News to each other, over and over again. What will it take to get us out of the chairs and go meet our neighbors in the apartments next door? To go bring the Good News to the high schools that are across the street. To bring the Good News to community of Norcross. Are we waiting for the Second Coming? Once again waiting to see Jesus coming with the clouds, every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. Do we have to hear Jesus proclaim "I am the Alpha and the Omega." Even Paul had to have Jesus strike him blind before he would accept the Good News. All of these believers who did see a risen Lord, and yet is it not Jesus who said "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet come to believe?"

        In the movie Field of Dreams, baseball players from the past show up on this baseball field near Dyersville, Iowa, and get to play baseball for the love of the game and to come to grips with the business unfinished in their lives. They meet the builder of the baseball field, and ask, " Is this heaven?" To which the builder says " No, this is Iowa." They seem a little disappointed, but they all figure out what it is that has to be finished, then walk into the cornfield and disappear, maybe going to Heaven.

        I bring up this story to make my final statement. We are here and we have been given an awesome opportunity. God has unfinished business here on earth and has invited us to be a part of the plan. We are just like the disciples. We have got the news that the tomb is empty. We got the news in our little safe house. Now, what do we do with it? Are we going to show how good believers we are and are we going to boldly go and be led by the Spirit and proclaim the Good News to all that surround us? Are we going to be excited witnesses to the Word that our God lives amongst us and is constantly making all things new? Are we going to be witnesses to everyone that we come into contact with and telling them what it means to be a believer? Showing them what it means to be a believer? People may ask us, "Is this Heaven?" To which we can say, " No, not yet. But there are glimpses of heaven all around us."

        Will we be bold? Will we be confident that the Spirit is leading us to bring the Good News to all that are around us? Time will tell. If we wait until we see Christ coming with the clouds, then we will have missed our opportunity to believe and have not seen. So I say...take the energy of Easter... take the message of Easter and proclaim to all and say, "He is risen. He is risen indeed." Amen.

Note: Check with Matt and Aaron and Laura on the possibility of going outside for offering, closing hymn, benediction, and sending hymn. If there is a possibility to do so, then mention that to the congregation. Yes to answer. Announce to congregation that "when we sing "I Love to Tell the Story", that we will be singing it through once and then process outside by the bell. Then finish the service there."
[This happened as described.]

Benediction [outside, by the bell]: We gather as a cloud of witnesses to the living God, now depart as witnesses to the risen Lord and proclaim the Good News to all who hear and be comforted by the one who lights your path, the one who walks with you on your journey of faith, the one who fills your heart with joy, now and forever. Amen