Peace be with you

From Helen 

I have often said that if I was not a priest I would be a childrens television presenter.  The reason for this is that I like imagination, I like fairy tales and I get excited by simple things.

In our house we had a particular scented candle which was very effective. One day I found another candle just like it and excitedly bought it. When I got home I informed Ian (my husband) that I had bought something amazing and exciting for the house. I proudly showed him the candle and for some reason, which I still cannot  fathom he wasn't as excited as me !!!

In the gospel reading which we have heard this morning there was something to really be excited about ! In this reading we can sense the excitement and anticipation of the disciples, who had seen Jesus, who knew that He was alive and they also knew that He would come and see them.  How exciting !

Well, lets try to imagine the excitement and anticipation of the disciples, how would you have felt on seeing Jesus? Maybe you would have thought immediately of questions such as‘What is going to happen next ? Is there going to be a new start for Jesus’ ministry? Are we going to go to the Temple and overthrow all those who killed Jesus ? Maybe we are going to watch Jesus take over the political power in the world and rule himself?’

Jesus who had been through so much with and for the very friends that he was speaking to –Jesus, who had confounded their expectations by rising up from the grave – Jesus, who was now standing amongst them and confounded them again by offering the simple words… ‘peace be with you’

Incredible, no immediate ideas for the future, no action plans to discuss! Amidst all the excitement and anticipation, the wonder of what might happen next Jesus stood and said‘peace be with you’ and the disciples could have been forgiven for thinking ‘what else do you want to say to us?’

Then Jesus unveiled the action plan by saying,‘As the Father has sent me, so I send you’.

Jesus, through his victory over death, and the gift of the Holy Spirit that would come to all his followers at Pentecost was handing over the earthly ministry to those followers – as they received the peace of Christ, so they were to share it with others…

It is the same for us as well, we are commissioned because of the events of Easter to live transformed lives, to go out from here and share the peace of Christ with others…. ‘As the Father sends me, so I send you…’  we are in on the action plan !

Amidst all the excitement and anticipation there was one disciple who hadn’t seen Jesus yet, and he was not sure what to feel.  Thomas, the disciple who I often feel sorry for because he will forever be known as doubting Thomas. But put yourself in his shoes, maybe youwouldn’t have been swept away with all the excitement and anticipation, maybe you would have wanted to step back for a moment and be sure.  Maybe, that would seem to be the most natural thing to do.

I remember being in a service once when the preacher decided to preach a long sermon about Thomas. It was a historical type of sermon, and at the end of the service a little boy who was 4 went up to the preacher looked at him very seriously and said, “Thomas is a train not a man.”

Back to the disciple Thomas, and not the tank engine.  Maybe Thomas with his doubts is perhaps the most comforting disciple for us. After all the reaction of Jesus to Thomas and his doubts reminds us in times of doubt, times of questioning, times when things don’t seem to make perfect sense, that Jesus is there waiting for us to approach him, and we can know that whatever we may have done to Jesus, or not done to him or for him, he waits with open arms to welcome us back…

Thomas is the inspiration that reminds us that the peace of Christ is a peace that is always available to us.

Just as those early disciples must have stood before the risen Jesus and wondered what comes next, so we can stand, firm in our faith, wondering what comes next, but knowing that God is with us, and assuring us of his peace…

We have been redeemed by a Saviour who offers to each one of us in all circumstances the simple words, ‘Peace be with you’, and a reminder that we have been called and commissioned by an incredible God to share that peace in all that we think and do and say…. AMEN