Holding On & Letting Go

Lockdown • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

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In today's reading Jesus returns to his disciples who are locked down in fear of retribution in the wake of Jesus' crucifixion. As we live in lockdown, how is Jesus sharing his peace with us? What does it mean for Jesus to breathe the Holy Spirit into us? What does it mean for us to forgive, or not forgive?

Notes

Transcript

Intro

continuing online service thru April

John & Val

The song is “Christ is Alive” which is well known to many of our congregation. The words are in CH4 No. 422 and Alleluia Aotearoa No. 15.

We chose this hymn because it’s a great contemporary expression of our Easter faith. Also both the NZ poet (Shirley Murray and composer (Jillian Bray) have died recently this year.

We will leave you to introduce the song, we have just gone straight into the music, which is played on one of the 3 harmoniums in our house. This C19th instrument, I rescued from the storeroom of a rural North Canterbury Anglican church around 1980 and restored it as a birthday present for Val. It has always been popular with our grandchildren

Hymn: Christ is Alive

Disciples in lockdown

different sort of lockdown, but living in fear with conflicting information coming at them left, right and centre.

The longer our lockdown goes on, the more we too can become agitated and upset.

Reading - Grant & Steph

Showed them his hands & his side - this is Jesus, real and in the flesh. They are filled with Joy

Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 36: John (Second Edition) Jesus Appears to the Disciples (20:19–23)

“Joy is the basic mood of Easter”

Sandwiched between the same greeting, repeated twice - tranquility. Still waters. Assurance.

Q. 1. Why does Jesus repeat his greeting “Peace be with you”?

In the context of peace that we receive joy.

Peace is teh gift God gives us in times of trouble. It is as we seek his peace that we receive joy. Joy is the basic mood of Easter. If you are struggling to find joy, how can you seek his peace?

Two directions of peace - first inwards. He gives us his peace. Second outwards. He gives us His peace to share with others. “as the Father sent me, I am sending you.”

Living & sharing God’s love.

As he offers his peace, Jesus breathes on them, and offers them the gift of the Holy Spirit

It is when we are at our most vulnreable, at our weakest, at our most afraid, that God drwas near to us.

Ruarch

Breath of God

Q. 2. What would it mean for Jesus to breathe on us today?

Inspired

Breathed into

Like the lights switch on.

Road Trip

I’m not special because I’m a minister. God’s Spirit breathes in all of us.

As you go about your day today, I invite you to reflect on those times in your life that Jesus has breathed on you, and to open your hearts and invite him to breathe on you once more.

Empowered to be sent.

Again, something we misconstrue.

We are sent as ourselves, not as a superhero who is good at everything. We are sent with peace and we are inspired with love. It’s not just the Billy Grahams of this world who Jesus breathes on, it is you and it is me. Just as we are. Just who we are.

You are given his peace. share it as you go.

Hardest part of this reading is the last part. IT sounds discordant to me.

A wise person once said, where scripture rubs you the wrong way, dig, because there you’ll find gold.

do not forgive / retain. Hold on to. Grasp.

Q. 3. Why does Jesus say that if we do not forgive someone, they are not forgiven?

Mantle of authority.

As well as empowerment, there is also responsibility.

When I was around 17-18 my parents gave me a key to our Ford Laser hatchback. There was empowerment there - I could borrow my car and stretch my world with my friends in exactly the way that we can’t at the moment. There was also responsibility. This important thing was entrusted to me, and I needed to take good care of it.

As we are empowered to live and sahre God’s love in the world, the same is true of us.

The temptation is to grasp on to the wrongs that people have done, against ourselves, against others, even against God.

Jesus empowers us to do so, but I belive that there si also a warning implicit here: we can do much good, but we can also do much harm.

What will our attitude be? Will we be like Jesus who forgives the sins of all who come to him, or will we retain them? Grasp on to them. Prevent them from letting god & letting God breathe on them and into them too?

This is particularly significant in our bubbles as we are locked in our upper rooms together.

Will peace be with us? Or bitterness and unforgiveness?

Jesus leads us beside still waters, will we stop to drink? Jesus leads us to green pastures, are we able to rest?