The Rev. Robert P. Travis
Easter 2 Sermon – 7:45am, 9am and 11:15am Church of the Ascension, Knoxville TN
RCL year b 4/12/2015 Final Sermon at AscensionSermon Text:
If you’ve ever received an email from me
These past seven years,
You notice that I almost always sign off with the word “Peace.”
It is a reminder of that peace we share here with each other, but it is more than that.
I think the message of peace is at the heart of the gospel,
And I see it today in Jesus’ resurrection appearances.
He greets the disciples “Peace be with you.”
One could look at it as a response to the fear
That we hear the disciples were under just a few days
After Jesus’ crucifixion, and it is that,
But it is more than that as well.
For even the next week, this week,
after his first appearance to them,
Jesus still says “Peace be with you.”
Whenever we come to a period of uncertainty,
Or what we think is uncertainty,
because really, if we think about it,
each day we do not really know what is going to happen,
but we can’t go around with no idea all the time,
So we build constructs of certainty in our minds
that let us believe we know what will happen.
But whenever we come to a period where those constructs reach their limit, and we really don’t know what will happen, it seems that the natural human response is fear and anxiety.
And Jesus coming and saying “Peace be with you,”
Is more than just a suggestion, it is a blessing that accomplishes what it asks.
I have noticed that need for Peace here at Ascension
For a while, as we struggled together
Uncertain about what the changes would bring,
After a long period of what we perceive as stability.
There has been a lot of anxiety, at times so thick
You could cut it with a knife.
There has been a lot of anxiety for me and my family as well, as we wondered what would be next.
But all the time, I have been reassured that Jesus is among us,
Saying “peace be with you.”
And His peace has been present, powerfully here,
As important decisions were made,
And life continued, and we celebrated the sacraments
And the seasons of the church year as we always have.
His Peace has guided the processes that we were all under.
And it was his Peace, that I noticed most clearly,
When I was discerning whether this call to Rhode Island
Was what God wanted for me and my family.
It was as if Jesus said to me,
“Peace be with you.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”
Interestingly, this second Sunday after Easter,
Was my first Sunday being sent to Madagascar last year,
and now it is my departure Sunday,
Being sent from you this year.
So clearly this message today spoke to me,
As I prepared to speak on my last Sunday with you.
I hope Jesus speaks to you in it as well.
Of course we all think of this story,
As the story of Doubting Thomas,
Which has become sort of a pejorative name.
But I think Thomas has gotten a bad rap over the years, because if anything,
He represents us better as a follower of Jesus,
Than if he had said in those unlikely circumstances,
Something that might have seemed more faithful.
I mean, who wouldn’t say to friends “I don’t believe you
Unless I experience it for myself.”
And isn’t that what we have been telling friends
ever since then?
Come experience the risen Jesus for yourself!
I don’t think I’ve ever met someone who said,
“I’m so glad they told me Jesus is risen,
I have not experienced Him myself, but it’s enough
To know that others have.”
The hopeful message about this story is less about Thomas’
Doubt, and more about Jesus’ willingness
to meet Thomas’ faith needs.
Notice that Thomas tells his friends what he needs to see
In order to believe that Jesus has appeared to his friends.
But he doesn’t need to say it again
When Jesus returns.
Jesus knows Thomas’ need,
And he responds by immediately inviting Thomas
To see and touch his wounds.
His loving response to Thomas, exactly what Thomas needs,
Moves Thomas to make that huge statement of faith
That Jesus is his Lord and God.
We all need to experience Jesus,
In a way that we can understand, which may be different
From the way others need to see Him.
A story in my family about this kind of faith,
That I heard a lot as a child,
Was that my mom’s best friend,
Who we called Aunt Joanna,
When she was struggling to believe in a risen Jesus.
Went out into the smoky mountains,
And prayed “Jesus, if you’re really alive,
Show yourself to me in a way that I can understand.”
I don’t know how He showed himself to her,
But she did experience Him in a way that she could understand, and it lead to a life of deep faith even
Through tremendous struggles.
Like Thomas, many of us have our doubts about the transitions we are experiencing.
We want to see how God will show up in the new clergy
Coming to be with us.
And the good news is, He will show up,
In exactly the way we need Him to show up.
You all will see the risen Lord Jesus in the good things
That God has in store for the future of this church.
I will not be there to see it, but I believe it will be good.
It has been a huge honor and privilege to serve Jesus
Among you these past seven years.
He has shown up among us over and over again,
And will continue to do so.
I hope you know that I will miss you all so much,
That you have been a blessing in my life,
and the life of my family.
I will hold you in my heart,
and pray for you whenever you come to mind.
I hope you will do the same for me, and my family.
For I know in the prayers of the faithful,
Jesus is present, and we will need your prayers,
And His living presence for the rest of our lives.
“Peace be with you.”