Everybody can tell a story or two about being locked out or locked in somewhere. Some people have more stories to tell than others. Over the course of over four decades I have accumulated an above-average count of lock and key stories. I have left keys in locked vehicles, to be retrieved by the experts from Triple A. I have left house keys on the kitchen table, the door firmly shut. One year, your pastor was spotted running around in Lederhosen on Oktoberfest, desperately looking for his church office keys. My office was locked. Don’t we have any duplicates somewhere? “Well, we used to…” One of my favorite stories occurred when I was a child, coming home from school, trying to open the house door. The key was old or maybe I had too much strength. In any case, as I turned it, it broke, leaving the tip stuck in the key hole. Now I was afraid – afraid of the reaction of my father. “You guys break everything!” was one of his favorite lines. I think I have since repeated those words to my own children a few times… But the difference is, in those days kids were still occasionally afraid of their parents. I remember hiding behind a big oak tree in the wood next to the house, waiting for my parents to show up. It took my dad all of one minute to retrieve the piece with pliers. In hindsight, what silly things sometimes cause unreasonable fear, both in adults and kids!
The Sunday after Easter takes us each year into a room full of frightened adults. The fear was palpable and well founded. These young men, had just witnessed a violent scene: the execution of their leader. A psychologist of our days might say that they were traumatized. They had quite literally locked themselves into a tight space. To this day Christian minority communities around the world experience similar things. The high holidays, Christmas, Palm Sunday, Easter are favored times for vicious terror attacks on defenseless worshippers with maximal public scare effect. Coptic Christians in Egypt, Pentecostals in Pakistan, Episcopal believers in Northern Nigeria, they all know times when it might be wise to stay home.
In comparison, we enjoy a great measure of freedom in our country. There are no locked rooms full of fearful people, right? There are very few attacks on churches on our shores. But wait a moment! Why then are so many people suffering from anxiety and phobias in the US? How is it possible that so many people get psychologically locked up – frozen in fear? I can relate to some limited extent and perhaps you can too. In the last three weeks, my wife and I have watched our middle son suffering a major health set back. He has been in bed, has complained of all kinds of aches and pains, has been unable to go to school, has hardly been able to stand up and get up. As a parent you try to help, you try to find help, you get diagnoses, you explore different options, and in all of that, you are a little bit scared. What if he doesn’t get better? Most fears begin with those two words: “What if?” Now, I am convinced he will get better, but the fear factor, it is always real.
Gordon Lathrop, a Lutheran liturgical scholar who at our seminary in Philadelphia for many years, once said, “You don’t have to knock very hard on any door in your parish to find some sort of agony behind that door.” I have been in ministry for about 20 years now and I can attest to the truth of that statement. I think I started out somewhat naïve, believing that, well some people are dealing with big problems, but assuming in youthful ignorance that the rest of us are pretty much fine, dandy, honkey dory… I was naive! This is not to say that black clouds hang over everybody’s home. No, but it is amazing to recognize the things people deal with and truly, you don’t have to knock very hard or ask for very long to find out!
We know young adults locked in low self-esteem or destruction.
We know people hit hard by devastating, chronic or even terminal disease.
We know folks who have survived but are still scarred by emotional trauma.
We know of people who have attempted suicide.
To all of them, to all of us, this Easter story bears a message. First of all, don’t assume that you are the only one. If you feel isolated in your situation, the isolation is almost always deceiving! The room that Jesus entered on that day was full of people who were locked in the same fear. Secondly, there are no walls thick enough to block the Risen Christ’s entry into the inner sanctum of our fears, to keep him out of the safe rooms and bunkers we create in our souls to lock ourselves in. And third, he has come not just to visit us, but to liberate us. He has some gifts to share. (And it’s not Easter eggs…)
The first gift he brings is peace. Three times in this passage, he says, “Peace be with you.” “Schalom chaverim!” An ordinary greeting. An extraordinary greeting. Jesus offers peace three times and his presence brings peace. My personal hope is that whenever you come to worship here in this sanctuary, no matter how locked up you might feel in whatever matters are weighing on your mind, you feel the peace of Christ descending upon you.
The second gift he brings is purpose. “I send you into the world. The word “send” stems from Greek “apostello,” the root of the word “apostle”. “As my Father has sent me so I send you.” Sent us to do what? To help, to heal, to comfort, to share, to bind up souls that are hurting, to rebuild houses that have been destroyed. A sense of purpose is a powerful medicine against the paralysis of fear! My personal hope is that everybody in our church gets involved in some activity of mission and charity, not because of the people who will benefit from it, but because you will benefit from it.
The third gift is power. Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” Sometimes you wonder: where does people’s resiliency come from? It comes from that same source that can break through our inner walls, that speaks God’s presence into us, the Holy Spirit.
“Knock on any door in your community, and you’ll find some kind of agony.” We are encouraged to knock and ask and listen and empathize and help. Just like Jesus, we have gifts to share. Today, on the Second Sunday of this Easter season, we are toning down the big Alleluias. But we are not toning down our faith in the risen Christ. He is the one who brings peace into the world and peace to our souls. He is the one who unlocks the doors of our souls. He is the one who brings us purpose and empowers us to serve. And if you pay attention, he will speak to you, “Shalom! Peace be with you!” Amen.