John 20:19-31
Second Sunday of Easter
15 April 2007
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
You might remember a series of popular movies a few years ago. They were called “Home Alone.” If you’re not familiar with the series, the entire premise was that in the hustle and bustle of a large, extended family getting ready to go on vacation at Christmas time, a young boy, played by Macaulay Calkin, gets lets behind at home while the rest of the family boards an airplane. When it’s finally realized that this young boy is nowhere to be found, the “12-year-old Jesus in the Temple” conversation takes place: “Well, we thought he was with you.” “Well, we thought he was with you.” Meanwhile, the young lead character, figuring that he would be on his own for the two week period of vacation, fends off would-be home robbers by creating a whole bunch of very creative deterrents.
While there are many potential jumping-off points for sermon starters in that series of movies, the one that best applies to our three Scripture lessons this morning is the title itself: “Home Alone,” except we must add a question mark behind the title, “Home Alone?”
That’s where we find the early disciples of Jesus on the night of that first Resurrection Day. After a long, emotionally draining, confusing day, they were hidden out in someone’s home, doors locked, windows barred, figuring that after the death of Jesus and after His mysterious disappearance that very morning, they were “Home Alone.” Jesus wouldn’t let them think that for long. He walked right through those locked doors and barred windows and said, “Peace be with you.” They were not “Home Alone.” If, as Jesus had told them, the “gates of hell” could not prevail against His Church, how could some locked doors and barred windows and internal fears prevail? His peace was with them, His peace that knows no boundaries.
You will remember good old Peter, good old impulsive Peter, in the days before Jesus’ death. As Jesus tried to prepare His disciples for what was ahead for Him and for them, Peter would hear nothing of it. “Lord, I will even go to prison with You” [Luke 22:33]. Peter really had no concept at the time of what was truly ahead for Jesus, yet our first reading [Acts 5:12-32] today finds Peter’s pledge of fidelity fulfilled. He’s in jail, imprisoned this time not behind self-locked doors and windows, but this time in the slammer by explicit order of the Jewish High Priest and his cronies who were downright sick and tired of Peter and his fellow disciples always talking about Jesus. Remember what I said earlier? If, as Jesus had told them, the “gates of hell” could not prevail against His Church , how could some earthly bars of steel? One minute Peter was in jail. The next he walking around as a free man, led out of jail by an angel of the Lord. Sounds once again like the peace of Jesus was with him.
And, speaking of a time when the peace of Jesus would be necessary, imagine for a moment being St. John, leisurely enjoying a beautiful afternoon, minding his own business on the Island of Patmos, when suddenly he’s caught up into Heaven [Revelation 1:4-18] where he is shown a whole series of scary scenes involving golden lampstands and giant men with glowing feet and blazing eyes and seals being opened and bowls of wrath being poured out upon the earth. What St. John saw first hand that day continues to frighten and worry and confuse and dismay people to this very day. Yet in the midst of all that turmoil and confusion, St. John found the peace of Jesus, the same peace of Jesus that he had found many years earlier in that room behind locked doors and barred windows, the peace of Jesus that again said to him, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One. I was dead and behold I am alive for ever and ever. And I hold the keys of death and Hades.” Remember again what Jesus had earlier said – the gates of hell cannot prevail against His Church.
Now I have given you three distinct scenes where the peace of Jesus was discovered, three distinct scenes where the early followers of Jesus discovered without a doubt that, while things had changed from the time of Jesus’ three year earthly ministry, they were still not “Home Alone.” No, their problems were also His problems. Their worries were also His worries. Their cares and their concerns were also His cares and concerns. Their burdens were His to bear. “Home Alone?” Never!
I mean no disrespect when I say this, but your problems – and my problems – are so very small to Jesus. He has battled and conquered so much more. He’s been there with and for His people through so much more than any of us are going through, more than any of us will ever go through. Even though Tuesday is tax day, I don’t think any of us have government officials tracking us down, threatening to throw us into jail or to kill us. None of us sees visions of Heaven – and, when we do, we simply pop a Tums and hope it passes quickly.
When we are in the midst of turmoil in our lives, it can admittedly seem as if we have it worse than anyone else. As the old spiritual says, “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen.” When we are in the midst of turmoil in our lives, it can seem as if we are totally “Home Alone,” forgotten by those who are supposed to care about us, forgotten by those who are supposed to care for us. So often we lock ourselves into our own homes of our lives because we’re afraid. So often we allow others to imprison us because they don’t like what we’re doing or what we’re saying. So often we see those scary scenes of life, but fail to see Jesus there with us, like the three men in the fiery furnace.
So, today, my friends, I encourage you to learn a lesson from the early followers of Jesus. If you’re right now living behind locked doors, know that you are not “Home Alone.” See Jesus there with you. If you’re right now locked up by others, know that you are not “Home Alone.” See Jesus there with you. If you’re facing scary scenes of life, know that you are not “Home Alone.” Instead, hear Jesus say to you, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One. I was dead and behold I am alive for ever and ever. And I hold the keys of death and Hades.”
When you hear those words of Jesus, spoken to you personally in The Lord’s Supper – “This is My Body; this is My Blood given for you – be like Thomas and fall at His feet, proclaiming Him to have proved His deity through His death and Resurrection, proclaiming Him to be your Lord and your God, knowing with Him on your side, you will never be “Home Alone.”
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.
Pastor Christopher Schaar
Historic First Lutheran Church of Pasadena