Peace Be With You
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For April 18, 2021:
Peace Be With You
by Pastor Katy Stenta
Luke 24:36b-48, Psalm 4
In the News
What is peace? The disciples, who are holed up in a room together, in the wake of the violence of Good Friday, are definitely seeking peace. But in the absence of peace, they instead grope for a sense of security. We humans often do that — mistake security or “feeling safe” with being at peace. A good example of this is how the head of the NRA, Wayne LaPierre, discloses that he can only feel “safe” from liberal anti-gun advocates when he secures himself in a rich friend’s yacht. For many owning a gun or promising to beat people up (i.e. violence) is the only way they feel secure — or like they will uphold the peace. Point in case is this Facebook post about how to love and keep our family safe, which talks about ensuring your kids safety by doing laundry and teaching them to wash their hands, instead of owning a gun. Peace means that you are complete, fulfilled, safely able to be your full self.
How can we find peace? The isolation from coronavirus led to a huge downtrend in mass shootings and also helped to prevent flu and other diseases from spreading. Some kids who struggled in school due to bullying — those who are a bullied due to being a minority student, or have a learning difference like ADD — have found they are more successfully able to do school from the relative safety of their homes. These are all places where individuals feel more secure and safe, but do not necessarily have peace. They cannot fully partake in relationships and be their full selves. True peace, shalom, would be being able to go places — including school — without having to worry about being in danger of a mass shooting. True peace would be to be able to go to school and know that one is safe from bullying, and that one could have the flexibility one needs if ADD is making it hard to sit still or concentrate.
Is it any wonder then, that the first words Jesus says to his scared and uncertain disciples is “peace be with you”? Is this not what we are all longing for in the aftermath of the pandemic?
Are these not the deep questions we are asking ourselves? How can we attain safety, security and give room for creativity at this time? How can we provide better schooling? How can we make work and school accessible from home? How can we stop the mass shootings? How can we work for the safety and security of people of color who are the most affected by the pandemic — i.e. how do we address the pandemic within the pandemic? As we muddle through this pandemic we are aware that people have varying needs in their lives right now. How can we be a fulfilled, fully connected and fully supportive culture? Can we create solutions that are not just one-size-fits-all, but instead create a system of peace, even as we acknowledge and work with the wounds and scars that are going to exist even into the after times? Can we find shalom and be fulfilled with our full, only human, selves? Probably not without God’s help, but it is a goal worth working toward.
In the Scripture
Jesus returns not as a spectral or mighty being, but as a human body, with the same bodily functions as before, and — thanks to Thomas we know — with scars. Jesus is still touchable, even after resurrection. Jesus is still painfully human, even after resurrection. Our hope for the kingdom and for peace is that, somehow we will still be us, but us in companionship with one another; in such a way that peace can happen. This is part of the fulfillment and wholeness of shalom. Our hunger for all kind of things will cease because we will be completely filled with all that we need.
Luke has a very embodied Christ. Unlike the phantasm of Mark, Luke emphasizes Christ as one who lives as a touchable human. The longing for healing is fulfilled with Jesus’s presence and touch. In Luke 5:12-16 Jesus touches the untouchable, the leper, to heal him. In Luke 7:14 he resurrects the widow’s son. In Luke 8:45 he is touched by the woman with the flow of blood, and unwittingly heals her. Touch is important — for humanity, healing, and hope.
How much is our prayer like Psalm 4? Was this not the wish of the disciples after the death of their teacher and Christ? “O Lord, make me lie down in safety.” The psalmist goes so as far as to demand the presence of God, so that peace can be attained. One cannot be fulfilled and have shalom/peace if one is still hungering for relationships. Relationship is at the root of peace. How sorely have we missed relationship in the last year? How will our mental and physical health be affected by this? In isolation wards, right now, those who wish comfort as they are alone or dying are giving gloves filled with warm water to comfort them. They are called “the Hand of God” in the hospital. We long for the healing touch of relationship. We miss each other, and we bear the wounds of our isolation.
How much of physical gatherings are about seeing one another and acknowledging that we are still ourselves, and yet carrying wounds and scars like Christ. It is not any wonder that when we see one another in pain, one good way to offer comfort is to hug — because, we are physical beings. When Christ offers us peace, he offers us not only physical safety, but also the peace of good and supportive relationships. Jesus is, after all, the Prince of Peace, peace embodied in the meager human form. Thus his very touch is healing. I imagine as soon as Jesus returns, everyone will want to hug him or shake his hand.
Sermon: Eat Something
More and more it seems that presence, touch and eating together is the path to embodied wholeness and peace. How much more are we able to recognize others after we have shared a meal with one another? Luke emphasizes not only hospitality but the need to eat with Jesus to recognize him. This article discusses why eating together is so important for a company. How much do we miss church, and how much more do we miss coffee hours, potlucks and our meals together? Food is good — eating alone is hard. It is tough to cook for yourself, or even just your family over and over again.
But to be present with God, to see God’s face — as it says in Psalm 4:6-7 — “Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!” for then there will be “gladness in my heart more than when their grain and wine abound.”
To have Jesus eat with his disciples is more than just showing he is not a ghost. It shows presence, his humanity and his relational nature. We are in bodies that hunger: we hunger for presence, for healing, for touches and for food. When Jesus reappears, I always picture him arriving among the disciples and the most hospitable among them saying, “We long for your company, you must be starving. Stay with us, and eat something, eat, eat.” I think it happens both on the road to Emmaus (which occurs in the RCL next week though chronologically happens prior to today’s passage), and again when he reappears — never mind that he just ate. I picture the sharing of food to be fairly casual, and yet all the more meaningful. After all, the original communion was the blessing of common elements.
I wonder if healing together, if finding peace together, post-pandemic, can be achieved by following the blueprint found in the resurrection, which is walking together, touching each other, being open about our wounds and scars, and eating together. Jesus promises to give us what we hope for the most — Shalom — to be totally fulfilled in every way, to be at peace. Because I would love for the most common greeting in our post-pandemic world to be “Peace be with you.”
SECOND THOUGHTS
From Salsa to Secretary
by Mary Austin
1 John 3:1-7
No one who bought a jar of salsa from Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, back in the days when she was selling it out of her car to make ends meet, would have imagined her as a future cabinet secretary. Haaland is a famously hard worker. “Four days after graduating college at age 33, she gave birth to her only child, daughter Somáh, who is now an activist in her own right supporting Native and LGBTQ causes. The single mother struggled financially, bunking with friends when money ran short.” Her professional work and personal strength continued to unfold until, “in her 40s and 50s, self-realization: personal passions such as cooking and long-distance running mixed with increasingly important political roles that led to Congress, where she was likely among a few lawmakers still paying off up to $50,000 in student loan debt.” Haaland has said that she understands the lives of working Americans better than most of her peers in the cabinet, having lived paycheck to paycheck most of her adult life.
The future is mysterious even to us — or, perhaps, especially to us. “What we will be has not been revealed,” the writer of 1 John tells us, proclaiming our future hope, which is anchored in the reality that “we are God’s children now.” Even as it grows out of the present, the future has a mind of its own, and people end up in surprising places. God is at work in ways that we don’t see immediately.
When she ran for lieutenant governor, a race she lost, “Haaland received an email from a college student who was inspired by seeing a Native American woman aiming for high office. The student, Paulene Abeyta, asked how she could help. Haaland replied immediately. “She told me, ‘You can run for office, too,’ So I did,” said Abeyta, who went on to win a school board seat. She is now a third-year law student at the University of Arizona and president of the National Native American Law School Students Association. “There’s tons of us she’s inspired, she’s awakened,” said Abeyta, who is Navajo.”
“What we will be has not yet been revealed,” and we don’t yet see the plans of God unfolding. The plans of God grow out of our current moment, and are bigger than what we glimpse.
When Attorney General Merrick Garland and his wife, Lynn, were married in 1987, he was almost an afterthought in the wedding announcement. The bulk of it is about the bride and her family, and their family accomplishments. The groom and his parents merited only eight lines. In 2016, when then-President Obama nominated Garland to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to schedule a vote on the nomination, and it seemed that Garland would be a historical footnote. In the meanwhile, Garland continued to serve on the US Court of Appeals. Every week, out of sight, he tutored a student at JO Wilson Elementary School. “For nearly 22 years, a teacher at JO Wilson Elementary has picked a second grader to work with the judge. "I think that's the longest we've ever had anyone just stick to it," said Charlene Wilburn, a second-grade teacher, in a video released by the White House, when President Obama nominated him to the Supreme Court in 2016. Garland stays with the child at least until they go off to middle school. "This is an opportunity to affect a child's life," said Garland in the White House video. "This is an enormous opportunity to watch someone go from being a hesitant reader to a good reader." The judge has recruited dozens of other people at the courthouse to help tutor too.”
“What we will be has not yet been revealed,” even to ourselves.
Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh makes no secret of the fact that he is a recovering alcoholic. No doubt there have been many people in recovery who serve the government at all levels. Very few are as forthright as Walsh, who introduced himself at the 2016 Democratic National Convention by saying, “My name is Marty Walsh, and I’m an alcoholic.” Once, that might have been a career-killer. Now, as columnist Ana Marie Cox notes, “When someone is lost to the disease of addiction — and there are so many ways you get lost — the thing you too often hear is, “What a waste.” When we get sober, we get to share our gifts, and we want to share them; but if we are public about our story, we’re limited by the expectations others have of someone who admits to living one day at a time. When I think of the people who have hesitated to enter politics or limited their ambitions because they know they can’t promise to be sober forever … what a waste. Walsh’s elevation to the Cabinet is meaningful because he’s in recovery and because the Biden administration is allowing him to be lot of other things (a union leader, the son of immigrants, a two-term mayor) in addition to being an alcoholic.”
Or, as columnist Ana Marie Cox adds, noting that she also is on a journey of sobriety, “To say “I’m an alcoholic” after more than 20 years sober — as Walsh does — is admission that, for you, the work of recovery is never done.”
The work of becoming what God has in mind for us is a partnership between God and us, a mysterious path of growth using our talents and effort, plus God’s movement forward. We move toward the future with purposes we hardly see, rooted in our identity as God’s children. We need not fear the future, for we will be then what we are now — God’s beloved people.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Tom Willadsen:
Psalm 4
A psalm for the falsely accused
Today’s psalm was probably intended to be used in a temple worship setting, a dialogue led by one who is falsely accused of some wrong.
A helpful breakdown of the speakers would be
v. 1 worshiper addresses God;
vv. 2-3 worshiper addresses his opponents/accusers;
vv. 4-5 priest addresses both the worshiper and his opponents; and
vv. 6-8 worshiper expresses confidence in God’s justice.
* * *
Psalm 4
Sleep…perchance to incubate
There was a practice in the ancient world called incubation in which people would sleep in a holy place to receive dreams and perhaps revelations while sleeping. In some cases a priest or other official would watch the sleeper seeking a sign of guilt or innocence.
The psalm concludes with the implication that one can sleep restfully when one’s conscience is clear.
So preacher, here’s a potential quip for this Sunday: You always sleep restfully, not only is your conscience clear, but if you suffer from insomnia you can just start preaching one of your sermons to yourself — they have been proven to be soporific!
* * *
1 John 3:1-7
Being and doing
The first three verses of today’s epistle reading are about who we are: children of God. An early Presbyterian baptismal liturgy quotes 1 John 3:7 at the time of presenting the baptized one to the congregation: “See what love God has for us; he calls us his children, and we are!” It may be the most moving sentence in the rite.
The next four (or so) verses are about what we are supposed to do. Grammatically, the sentence in Greek does not end at the end of verse 7.
The tension between doing and being is nicely phrased by one of the mid-20th century’s most respected singer/theologians: Frank Sinatra. “Do…be…do…be…do.”
* * *
Luke 24:36b-48
Déjà vu, all over again
If this passage sounds a lot like the one that immediately precedes it, you’re paying attention. Several central elements are repeated:
Jesus appears to his followers;
They do not recognize him;
Jesus chastises them for doubting;
He shares food with them;
He interprets scripture to them; and
His followers are filled with joy.
It is significant that Jesus eats with them and shows them his wounds. The resurrection is bodily, not the eternal life of a soul that is separable from the body. Ghosts don’t eat. The notion that Jesus only appeared to have a body, and only appeared to be resurrected is called Docetism; it’s been considered a heresy for a long, long time. Don’t be a heretic; Christ is risen, he is risen in body (and indeed).
* * * * * *
From team member Dean Feldmeyer:
1 John 3:1-7
Still evolving
John, in his first epistle, says that “what we will be has not yet been revealed.” Perhaps that is because we are still evolving. One example of this continuing evolution in humans is the ability to drink milk as adults.
The ability to digest calorie-dense dairy products was once an incredibly useful survival trait for humans trying to survive in cold climates. All mammals and most humans stop producing lactase, the enzyme that breaks down the milk sugar called lactose, after they are weaned. That’s why about 75% of all humans experience some degree of lactose intolerance.
But about 7,500 years ago a mutation appeared in some humans living in eastern Europe that allowed them to digest milk into adulthood so they could have the nutrients necessary to survive in the cold climate.
* * *
1 John 3:1-7
Still evolving 2.0
Need another example of our continued evolution? How about disease resistance?
Evolution favors those with traits that keep them from dying before they’re old enough to have children. One of the biggest of such traits is resistance to common diseases.
The most-studied disease we've been outrunning lately is malaria. Turns out there’s a specific gene that, if you have one copy, will protect your red blood cells from invasion by the malaria parasite. But watch out! Two copies will distort red blood cells into a cycle shape that blocks their passage through blood vessels.
There are also more than a hundred slightly different genes that cause a shortage of a protein involved in breaking down red blood cells. That makes it harder for the malaria parasite to sneak into a red blood cell. Another type of mutation that's been spreading lately blocks malaria parasites from hanging out in the placenta.
And it's not just malaria — evolution has helped spread adaptations that protect against leprosy, tuberculosis, and cholera in certain populations as well. Some scientists have suggested that living in cities helps this process along.
* * *
Acts 3:12-19
Why go to church?
What do you do when you don’t know what to do? In the lead-up to this lesson from Acts, we learn that when Peter and John aren’t sure what to do, they go to church. Hey, it couldn’t hurt, right?
Here, courtesy of the Catholic diocese of Saginaw, Michigan, are five surprising health benefits of church attendance:
* * *
Luke 24:36b-48
Speak of him and he appears
The gospel lesson begins with the phrase, “While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them…” The “this” they were talking about was the appearance of Jesus to the two individuals who were talking about Jesus as they walked on the road to Emmaus.
Something there? Could it be that talking about Jesus sometimes leads to an experience of his presence in our lives?
As Christians, we are called to talk to others about the presence of Jesus in our lives. It’s called witnessing. But many of us are reluctant or shy about doing so. We don’t want to come across as pushy or like religious nuts, right? But here are some things to help you feel easier about making your personal witness.
* * *
Psalm 4
A plea answered
Depression and suicidal ideation aren't uncommon among medical students, according to a 2016 meta-analysis in JAMA. It found that depressive symptom prevalence was 27.2%. Of those who screened positive for depression, only 15.7% sought psychiatric help. And 11.1% of the students surveyed acknowledged thoughts of suicide.
Efforts to destigmatize mental health problems and to encourage medical students to seek help may be working, however, as are efforts to train medical school staff to recognize symptoms of depression and suicidal ideation. Christopher Veal, now a fourth-year student at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, is one of the reasons these efforts are starting to take hold.
About two years ago, he was a second-year medical student and he had just failed a necessary remediation course because he had failed his final musculoskeletal exam by one point. The dean had just spoken what is often the death knell on medical students’ aspirations: "Are you sure you really want to become a doctor?"
Feeling as though he had failed himself, his family, and every other black student who hoped to become a doctor, he was seriously considering suicide. He even had a plan. He would drive his car into pole so it looked like an accident on an icy road. But, as it were, a voice told him to call a close physician friend whose own son, once Veal's best friend, had died by suicide two years earlier, shocking everyone. She would understand. She had helped Veal generously with his medical school tuition as well.
On the phone with Veal for a very long time, she convinced him to take a "time out" to get himself together, take some medical school courses, and get some therapy. He did, and it saved him. Veal was back in medical school six months later.
In February of 2020 Christopher Veal published an invited commentary on his experience in Academic Medicine. He credits his mentor, whom he called, and Doctor Richard Page, the new dean of Larner Medical School for hearing his plea and responding with grace and understanding.
* * * * * *
WORSHIP
by George Reed
Call to Worship:
One: Answer us when we call, O God of our right!
All: Be gracious to us, and hear our prayer.
One: Know that God has set apart the faithful for a heritage.
All: God hears when we call to the Most High.
One: Let the light of your face shine on us, O God!”
All: For you alone, O God, make us lie down in safety.
OR
One: God calls us to come and bring our pains and our hurts.
All: But we are ashamed of our failures and their scars.
One: God desires to heal us and make us whole.
All: Will God remove all our scars and blemishes.
One: God will change them into signs of healing and wholeness.
All: We bring all we are to God for healing.
Hymns and Songs:
God of the Sparrow, God of the Whale
UMH: 122
PH: 272
NCH: 32
CH: 70
ELW: 740
W&P: 29
All Creatures of Our God and King
UMH: 62
H82: 400
PH: 455
AAHH: 147
NNBH: 33
NCH: 17
CH: 22
LBW: 527
ELW: 835
W&P: 23
AMEC: 50
STLT: 203
Renew: 47
Dear Lord and Father of Mankind
UMH: 358
H82: 652/653
PH: 345
NCH: 502
CH: 594
LBW: 506
W&P: 470
AMEC: 344
From All That Dwell Below the Skies
UMH: 101
H82: 380
PH: 229
NCH: 27
CH: 49
LBW: 550
AMEC: 69
STLT: 381
God of Many Names
UMH: 105
CH: 13
W&P: 58
STLT: 198
All Things Bright and Beautiful
UMH: 147
H82: 405
PH: 267
NCH: 31
CH: 61
W&P: 30
AMEC: 434
God, Who Stretched the Spangled Heavens
UMH: 150
H82: 580
PH: 268
NCH: 556
CH: 651
LBW: 463
ELW: 771
W&P: 644
Hope of the World
UMH: 178
H82: 472
PH: 360
NCH: 46
CH: 538
LBW: 493
W&P: 404
He Lives
UMH: 310
AAHH: 275
NNBH: 119
CH: 226
W&P: 302
In Christ There Is No East or West
UMH: 548
H82: 529
PH: 439/440
AAHH: 398/399
NNBH: 299
NCH: 394/395
CH: 687
LBW: 259
ELW: 650
W&P: 600/603
AMEC: 557
Unity
CCB: 59
Our God Reigns
CCB: 33
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is present in all creation:
Grant us the faith to trust you to be with us
even in the worst times of our lives;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are never absent from us. As you hovered over the waters of chaos at creation, you still remain with us. Even when things are hurtful and bring pain, you are there to bring healing. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially the ways we look at what is wrong and ignore what is good.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have created a wonderful world and given us each other so that we might share your goodness. Yet we have chosen to hurt one another and hoard the goodness for ourselves. We have forgotten who we are and in whose image we were created. Forgive us and renew your Spirit within us that we might truly be your children. Amen.
One: God is our loving parent who desires only good for us. Receive God’s grace and share it liberally with others.
Prayers of the People
Glory and praise to you, O God, creator of all that is holy and good. Glorious are you in your abundant goodness to all your creatures.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have created a wonderful world and given us each other so that we might share your goodness. Yet we have chosen to hurt one another and hoard the goodness for ourselves. We have forgotten who we are and in whose image we were created. Forgive us and renew your Spirit within us that we might truly be your children.
We give you thanks for all the goodness of your creation. We thank you for its beauty and its abundance. We thank you for the wonders of human love and companionship. You have blessed us in countless ways.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another in our need. There are those who are hurting and struggling to make sense out of their lives. There are many who are caught in patterns of self-destruction and defeat. There are those who have lost their way and do not know where to turn. We know that you desire wholeness and healing for all your children. As you seek their good, help us to be part of your loving presence in this world.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Sometimes when we get hurt there is a scar. That scar is a sign that God made our bodies so that they would heal. God always desires good for us. Even when things do not go well, God is there to help make things better.
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CHILDREN'S SERMON
Don't Be Afraid, It's Jesus!
by Chris Keating
Luke 24:36b-48
As you prepare for this week's children's time, read Luke 24 in its entirety to gain a grasp of the context for this week's text. Immerse yourself in Luke's stories of the resurrection as it unfolds. As you become familiar with Luke's telling of the Easter narrative, begin focusing on Luke 24:36-48. Allow yourself to wonder about the disciple's state of minds. Imagine what it is like to be "startled and terrified," and then consider the many ways children experience fear.
Jesus brings the disciples the assurance of God's peace, including the greatest of all assurances that God has overcome the powers of death. The risen Lord offers the disciples the gift of peace and the assurance that they no longer need to be afraid.
Jesus' appearance to the disciples in Luke 24:36-48 offers a chance to explore the ways we offer each other the signs of peace. For many congregations, this practice has been put on hold or shelved completely. Use this story to help children identify ways they can share messages of peace.
Christians have greeted each other with signs of peace (hugs, handshakes, even kisses!) since the earliest days of the church. Because of the pandemic, we may avoid close contact, but we still can greet each other with reminders of God's love and peace.
As the children gather, ask them if they have ever experienced someone good-naturedly sneaking up them and surprising them. This is not quite the same as being really scared. There are also times when we do get scared. In those times, it is very good to know that someone who cares about us is close and will help us feel safe.
Our family dog does not like thunder and lighting, which can be a bit of a problem in the midwest during the spring and summer. As soon as he hears thunder, he wants to crawl up next to one of us. He does not bark or cry, but he does want to be close to us. I think the disciples were experiencing similar feelings. They had heard mixed reports about what happened to Jesus. The women named Mary had seen an empty tomb, and so had Peter. Then their friends who had been walking toward Emmaus told them that Jesus had appeared to them. Invite the children to imagine how complicated the disciples might have been feeling — perhaps excited, sad, and scared all at the same time.
They're feeling this way when Jesus suddenly appears. Jesus appears! Now they are really scared — they think they've seen a ghost! But just then Jesus says, "Peace be with you." He offers them peace. And, guess what? He says this without shaking hands! (He does ask them for fish, which might sound funny to kids on Sunday morning!) They do not need to be afraid — it's Jesus and not a ghost. He reminds them that even in the scariest of moments, he will be with them. And he sends us out to share that gift of peace with the world.
Have the children lead the congregation in saying "Peace be with you," and the response, "And also with you." You might even have someone teach this phrase in sign language, or perhaps try trading elbow bumps, waving, bowing toward each other, or simply placing your hand on your heart. (See this web page for some creative expressions.)
Close with a prayer thanking God for bringing us peace in our world and lives, and asking for God's help in sharing these signs of peace with others.
* * * * * * * * * * * * *
The Immediate Word, April 18, 2021 issue.
Copyright 2021 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
- Peace Be With You by Katy Stenta — Can we create solutions that are not just one-size-fits-all, but instead create a system of peace, as we work with the wounds and scars that are going to exist into the future?
- Second Thoughts: From Salsa to Secretary by Mary Austin — We move toward the future with purposes we hardly see, rooted in our identity as God’s children.
- Sermon illustrations by Tom Willadsen and Dean Feldmeyer.
- Worship resources by George Reed.
- Children's sermon: Don't Be Afraid, It's Jesus! by Chris Keating — Jesus teaches us how to pass the peace — even without touching!
Peace Be With Youby Pastor Katy Stenta
Luke 24:36b-48, Psalm 4
In the News
What is peace? The disciples, who are holed up in a room together, in the wake of the violence of Good Friday, are definitely seeking peace. But in the absence of peace, they instead grope for a sense of security. We humans often do that — mistake security or “feeling safe” with being at peace. A good example of this is how the head of the NRA, Wayne LaPierre, discloses that he can only feel “safe” from liberal anti-gun advocates when he secures himself in a rich friend’s yacht. For many owning a gun or promising to beat people up (i.e. violence) is the only way they feel secure — or like they will uphold the peace. Point in case is this Facebook post about how to love and keep our family safe, which talks about ensuring your kids safety by doing laundry and teaching them to wash their hands, instead of owning a gun. Peace means that you are complete, fulfilled, safely able to be your full self.
How can we find peace? The isolation from coronavirus led to a huge downtrend in mass shootings and also helped to prevent flu and other diseases from spreading. Some kids who struggled in school due to bullying — those who are a bullied due to being a minority student, or have a learning difference like ADD — have found they are more successfully able to do school from the relative safety of their homes. These are all places where individuals feel more secure and safe, but do not necessarily have peace. They cannot fully partake in relationships and be their full selves. True peace, shalom, would be being able to go places — including school — without having to worry about being in danger of a mass shooting. True peace would be to be able to go to school and know that one is safe from bullying, and that one could have the flexibility one needs if ADD is making it hard to sit still or concentrate.
Is it any wonder then, that the first words Jesus says to his scared and uncertain disciples is “peace be with you”? Is this not what we are all longing for in the aftermath of the pandemic?
Are these not the deep questions we are asking ourselves? How can we attain safety, security and give room for creativity at this time? How can we provide better schooling? How can we make work and school accessible from home? How can we stop the mass shootings? How can we work for the safety and security of people of color who are the most affected by the pandemic — i.e. how do we address the pandemic within the pandemic? As we muddle through this pandemic we are aware that people have varying needs in their lives right now. How can we be a fulfilled, fully connected and fully supportive culture? Can we create solutions that are not just one-size-fits-all, but instead create a system of peace, even as we acknowledge and work with the wounds and scars that are going to exist even into the after times? Can we find shalom and be fulfilled with our full, only human, selves? Probably not without God’s help, but it is a goal worth working toward.
In the Scripture
Jesus returns not as a spectral or mighty being, but as a human body, with the same bodily functions as before, and — thanks to Thomas we know — with scars. Jesus is still touchable, even after resurrection. Jesus is still painfully human, even after resurrection. Our hope for the kingdom and for peace is that, somehow we will still be us, but us in companionship with one another; in such a way that peace can happen. This is part of the fulfillment and wholeness of shalom. Our hunger for all kind of things will cease because we will be completely filled with all that we need.
Luke has a very embodied Christ. Unlike the phantasm of Mark, Luke emphasizes Christ as one who lives as a touchable human. The longing for healing is fulfilled with Jesus’s presence and touch. In Luke 5:12-16 Jesus touches the untouchable, the leper, to heal him. In Luke 7:14 he resurrects the widow’s son. In Luke 8:45 he is touched by the woman with the flow of blood, and unwittingly heals her. Touch is important — for humanity, healing, and hope.
How much is our prayer like Psalm 4? Was this not the wish of the disciples after the death of their teacher and Christ? “O Lord, make me lie down in safety.” The psalmist goes so as far as to demand the presence of God, so that peace can be attained. One cannot be fulfilled and have shalom/peace if one is still hungering for relationships. Relationship is at the root of peace. How sorely have we missed relationship in the last year? How will our mental and physical health be affected by this? In isolation wards, right now, those who wish comfort as they are alone or dying are giving gloves filled with warm water to comfort them. They are called “the Hand of God” in the hospital. We long for the healing touch of relationship. We miss each other, and we bear the wounds of our isolation.
How much of physical gatherings are about seeing one another and acknowledging that we are still ourselves, and yet carrying wounds and scars like Christ. It is not any wonder that when we see one another in pain, one good way to offer comfort is to hug — because, we are physical beings. When Christ offers us peace, he offers us not only physical safety, but also the peace of good and supportive relationships. Jesus is, after all, the Prince of Peace, peace embodied in the meager human form. Thus his very touch is healing. I imagine as soon as Jesus returns, everyone will want to hug him or shake his hand.
Sermon: Eat Something
More and more it seems that presence, touch and eating together is the path to embodied wholeness and peace. How much more are we able to recognize others after we have shared a meal with one another? Luke emphasizes not only hospitality but the need to eat with Jesus to recognize him. This article discusses why eating together is so important for a company. How much do we miss church, and how much more do we miss coffee hours, potlucks and our meals together? Food is good — eating alone is hard. It is tough to cook for yourself, or even just your family over and over again.
But to be present with God, to see God’s face — as it says in Psalm 4:6-7 — “Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord!” for then there will be “gladness in my heart more than when their grain and wine abound.”
To have Jesus eat with his disciples is more than just showing he is not a ghost. It shows presence, his humanity and his relational nature. We are in bodies that hunger: we hunger for presence, for healing, for touches and for food. When Jesus reappears, I always picture him arriving among the disciples and the most hospitable among them saying, “We long for your company, you must be starving. Stay with us, and eat something, eat, eat.” I think it happens both on the road to Emmaus (which occurs in the RCL next week though chronologically happens prior to today’s passage), and again when he reappears — never mind that he just ate. I picture the sharing of food to be fairly casual, and yet all the more meaningful. After all, the original communion was the blessing of common elements.
I wonder if healing together, if finding peace together, post-pandemic, can be achieved by following the blueprint found in the resurrection, which is walking together, touching each other, being open about our wounds and scars, and eating together. Jesus promises to give us what we hope for the most — Shalom — to be totally fulfilled in every way, to be at peace. Because I would love for the most common greeting in our post-pandemic world to be “Peace be with you.”
SECOND THOUGHTSFrom Salsa to Secretary
by Mary Austin
1 John 3:1-7
No one who bought a jar of salsa from Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, back in the days when she was selling it out of her car to make ends meet, would have imagined her as a future cabinet secretary. Haaland is a famously hard worker. “Four days after graduating college at age 33, she gave birth to her only child, daughter Somáh, who is now an activist in her own right supporting Native and LGBTQ causes. The single mother struggled financially, bunking with friends when money ran short.” Her professional work and personal strength continued to unfold until, “in her 40s and 50s, self-realization: personal passions such as cooking and long-distance running mixed with increasingly important political roles that led to Congress, where she was likely among a few lawmakers still paying off up to $50,000 in student loan debt.” Haaland has said that she understands the lives of working Americans better than most of her peers in the cabinet, having lived paycheck to paycheck most of her adult life.
The future is mysterious even to us — or, perhaps, especially to us. “What we will be has not been revealed,” the writer of 1 John tells us, proclaiming our future hope, which is anchored in the reality that “we are God’s children now.” Even as it grows out of the present, the future has a mind of its own, and people end up in surprising places. God is at work in ways that we don’t see immediately.
When she ran for lieutenant governor, a race she lost, “Haaland received an email from a college student who was inspired by seeing a Native American woman aiming for high office. The student, Paulene Abeyta, asked how she could help. Haaland replied immediately. “She told me, ‘You can run for office, too,’ So I did,” said Abeyta, who went on to win a school board seat. She is now a third-year law student at the University of Arizona and president of the National Native American Law School Students Association. “There’s tons of us she’s inspired, she’s awakened,” said Abeyta, who is Navajo.”
“What we will be has not yet been revealed,” and we don’t yet see the plans of God unfolding. The plans of God grow out of our current moment, and are bigger than what we glimpse.
When Attorney General Merrick Garland and his wife, Lynn, were married in 1987, he was almost an afterthought in the wedding announcement. The bulk of it is about the bride and her family, and their family accomplishments. The groom and his parents merited only eight lines. In 2016, when then-President Obama nominated Garland to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to schedule a vote on the nomination, and it seemed that Garland would be a historical footnote. In the meanwhile, Garland continued to serve on the US Court of Appeals. Every week, out of sight, he tutored a student at JO Wilson Elementary School. “For nearly 22 years, a teacher at JO Wilson Elementary has picked a second grader to work with the judge. "I think that's the longest we've ever had anyone just stick to it," said Charlene Wilburn, a second-grade teacher, in a video released by the White House, when President Obama nominated him to the Supreme Court in 2016. Garland stays with the child at least until they go off to middle school. "This is an opportunity to affect a child's life," said Garland in the White House video. "This is an enormous opportunity to watch someone go from being a hesitant reader to a good reader." The judge has recruited dozens of other people at the courthouse to help tutor too.”
“What we will be has not yet been revealed,” even to ourselves.
Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh makes no secret of the fact that he is a recovering alcoholic. No doubt there have been many people in recovery who serve the government at all levels. Very few are as forthright as Walsh, who introduced himself at the 2016 Democratic National Convention by saying, “My name is Marty Walsh, and I’m an alcoholic.” Once, that might have been a career-killer. Now, as columnist Ana Marie Cox notes, “When someone is lost to the disease of addiction — and there are so many ways you get lost — the thing you too often hear is, “What a waste.” When we get sober, we get to share our gifts, and we want to share them; but if we are public about our story, we’re limited by the expectations others have of someone who admits to living one day at a time. When I think of the people who have hesitated to enter politics or limited their ambitions because they know they can’t promise to be sober forever … what a waste. Walsh’s elevation to the Cabinet is meaningful because he’s in recovery and because the Biden administration is allowing him to be lot of other things (a union leader, the son of immigrants, a two-term mayor) in addition to being an alcoholic.”
Or, as columnist Ana Marie Cox adds, noting that she also is on a journey of sobriety, “To say “I’m an alcoholic” after more than 20 years sober — as Walsh does — is admission that, for you, the work of recovery is never done.”
The work of becoming what God has in mind for us is a partnership between God and us, a mysterious path of growth using our talents and effort, plus God’s movement forward. We move toward the future with purposes we hardly see, rooted in our identity as God’s children. We need not fear the future, for we will be then what we are now — God’s beloved people.
ILLUSTRATIONS
From team member Tom Willadsen:Psalm 4
A psalm for the falsely accused
Today’s psalm was probably intended to be used in a temple worship setting, a dialogue led by one who is falsely accused of some wrong.
A helpful breakdown of the speakers would be
v. 1 worshiper addresses God;
vv. 2-3 worshiper addresses his opponents/accusers;
vv. 4-5 priest addresses both the worshiper and his opponents; and
vv. 6-8 worshiper expresses confidence in God’s justice.
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Psalm 4
Sleep…perchance to incubate
There was a practice in the ancient world called incubation in which people would sleep in a holy place to receive dreams and perhaps revelations while sleeping. In some cases a priest or other official would watch the sleeper seeking a sign of guilt or innocence.
The psalm concludes with the implication that one can sleep restfully when one’s conscience is clear.
So preacher, here’s a potential quip for this Sunday: You always sleep restfully, not only is your conscience clear, but if you suffer from insomnia you can just start preaching one of your sermons to yourself — they have been proven to be soporific!
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1 John 3:1-7
Being and doing
The first three verses of today’s epistle reading are about who we are: children of God. An early Presbyterian baptismal liturgy quotes 1 John 3:7 at the time of presenting the baptized one to the congregation: “See what love God has for us; he calls us his children, and we are!” It may be the most moving sentence in the rite.
The next four (or so) verses are about what we are supposed to do. Grammatically, the sentence in Greek does not end at the end of verse 7.
The tension between doing and being is nicely phrased by one of the mid-20th century’s most respected singer/theologians: Frank Sinatra. “Do…be…do…be…do.”
* * *
Luke 24:36b-48
Déjà vu, all over again
If this passage sounds a lot like the one that immediately precedes it, you’re paying attention. Several central elements are repeated:
Jesus appears to his followers;
They do not recognize him;
Jesus chastises them for doubting;
He shares food with them;
He interprets scripture to them; and
His followers are filled with joy.
It is significant that Jesus eats with them and shows them his wounds. The resurrection is bodily, not the eternal life of a soul that is separable from the body. Ghosts don’t eat. The notion that Jesus only appeared to have a body, and only appeared to be resurrected is called Docetism; it’s been considered a heresy for a long, long time. Don’t be a heretic; Christ is risen, he is risen in body (and indeed).
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From team member Dean Feldmeyer:1 John 3:1-7
Still evolving
John, in his first epistle, says that “what we will be has not yet been revealed.” Perhaps that is because we are still evolving. One example of this continuing evolution in humans is the ability to drink milk as adults.
The ability to digest calorie-dense dairy products was once an incredibly useful survival trait for humans trying to survive in cold climates. All mammals and most humans stop producing lactase, the enzyme that breaks down the milk sugar called lactose, after they are weaned. That’s why about 75% of all humans experience some degree of lactose intolerance.
But about 7,500 years ago a mutation appeared in some humans living in eastern Europe that allowed them to digest milk into adulthood so they could have the nutrients necessary to survive in the cold climate.
* * *
1 John 3:1-7
Still evolving 2.0
Need another example of our continued evolution? How about disease resistance?
Evolution favors those with traits that keep them from dying before they’re old enough to have children. One of the biggest of such traits is resistance to common diseases.
The most-studied disease we've been outrunning lately is malaria. Turns out there’s a specific gene that, if you have one copy, will protect your red blood cells from invasion by the malaria parasite. But watch out! Two copies will distort red blood cells into a cycle shape that blocks their passage through blood vessels.
There are also more than a hundred slightly different genes that cause a shortage of a protein involved in breaking down red blood cells. That makes it harder for the malaria parasite to sneak into a red blood cell. Another type of mutation that's been spreading lately blocks malaria parasites from hanging out in the placenta.
And it's not just malaria — evolution has helped spread adaptations that protect against leprosy, tuberculosis, and cholera in certain populations as well. Some scientists have suggested that living in cities helps this process along.
* * *
Acts 3:12-19
Why go to church?
What do you do when you don’t know what to do? In the lead-up to this lesson from Acts, we learn that when Peter and John aren’t sure what to do, they go to church. Hey, it couldn’t hurt, right?
Here, courtesy of the Catholic diocese of Saginaw, Michigan, are five surprising health benefits of church attendance:
- Better sleep
Yeah, yeah, insert joke about my sermons, here. But the fact is, studies show an association between better sleep and church attendance. According to the study authors: “More religious adults in particular tend to exhibit healthier sleep outcomes than their less religious counterparts.” - Less risk for depression and suicide
With all of the recent news concerning the suicide of high-profile celebrities and sky-rocketing depression and suicide rates overall, it is certainly worth looking into factors that may help protect against depression and suicide risk. High up on that list of factors is church attendance.
A 2016 study published by JAMA Psychiatry, found that, between 1996 and 2010, “women who attended any religious service once a week or more were five times less likely to commit suicide.” - More stable, happy, and sexually satisfying marriages
According to the Institute for Family Studies, couples who practice their faith through regular church attendance together tend to report significantly higher relationship quality than those couples who do not attend services together.
What’s more, attending church together seems to make for sexier marriages, too. According to the Marriage and Religion Research Institute, “Adults aged 18 to 59 in intact marriages who worshiped weekly were most likely to report enjoying intercourse ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ much with their current sexual partner, according to the National Health and Social Life Survey (1992), the most detailed analysis of sexual behavior in America.” - Longer life
According to 2016 study from JAMA Internal Medicine, women who reported attending religious services “more than once a week had a 33 percent lower risk of dying during the study period compared with those who said they never went.” Women who attended once a week also benefited from a 26 percent lower risk of mortality than their non-attending counterparts. Though the study did not examine the association between religious attendance and mortality in men, researchers concluded that “Religion and spirituality may be an underappreciated resource that physicians could explore with their patients, as appropriate.” - Lower blood pressure
A 1998 study found that “religiously active older adults tend to have lower blood pressures than those who are less active.” By “religiously active,” researchers meant those who engaged in frequent church attendance, praying, and studying the Bible. Researchers found that “among participants who both attended religious services and prayed or studied the Bible frequently, the likelihood of having a diastolic blood pressure of 90 mm Hg or higher was 40% lower than found in participants who attended religious services infrequently and prayed or studied the Bible infrequently.” Interestingly, “those who frequently watched religious TV or listened to religious radio actually had higher blood pressures.”
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Luke 24:36b-48
Speak of him and he appears
The gospel lesson begins with the phrase, “While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them…” The “this” they were talking about was the appearance of Jesus to the two individuals who were talking about Jesus as they walked on the road to Emmaus.
Something there? Could it be that talking about Jesus sometimes leads to an experience of his presence in our lives?
As Christians, we are called to talk to others about the presence of Jesus in our lives. It’s called witnessing. But many of us are reluctant or shy about doing so. We don’t want to come across as pushy or like religious nuts, right? But here are some things to help you feel easier about making your personal witness.
- Remember that the mission field is not necessarily a strange and foreign land. It is as close as the people you already know: your friends, your neighbors, your coworkers, and your family.
- One of the simplest ways of talking about Jesus is to talk about his resurrected body, the church. How has being a church member enriched your life? Talk about that.
- Often, the best witness is not when we talk about God or Jesus but when we talk about ourselves, when we tell our story to the right person or persons, in an appropriate place and time.
- We witness best and most effectively when we do so through our relationships. Talking to a perfect stranger is rarely effective or helpful. Create a relationship with people we care about allows our witness to flow naturally. Peter doesn’t just start preaching spontaneously, he does it in the context of the people’s delight in the healing of a paralytic at the temple.
- Pick your time and place carefully. Times of great grief or high emotion are often not the best time to talk to your friends about yourself and your relationship with Jesus. Better to save that conversation for a time when they are searching and have come to you for help in their search.
- Always start and practice making your witness to a friendly audience, i.e. in Sunday school, a sharing group, a Bible study group, or other church settings.
* * *
Psalm 4
A plea answered
Depression and suicidal ideation aren't uncommon among medical students, according to a 2016 meta-analysis in JAMA. It found that depressive symptom prevalence was 27.2%. Of those who screened positive for depression, only 15.7% sought psychiatric help. And 11.1% of the students surveyed acknowledged thoughts of suicide.
Efforts to destigmatize mental health problems and to encourage medical students to seek help may be working, however, as are efforts to train medical school staff to recognize symptoms of depression and suicidal ideation. Christopher Veal, now a fourth-year student at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, is one of the reasons these efforts are starting to take hold.
About two years ago, he was a second-year medical student and he had just failed a necessary remediation course because he had failed his final musculoskeletal exam by one point. The dean had just spoken what is often the death knell on medical students’ aspirations: "Are you sure you really want to become a doctor?"
Feeling as though he had failed himself, his family, and every other black student who hoped to become a doctor, he was seriously considering suicide. He even had a plan. He would drive his car into pole so it looked like an accident on an icy road. But, as it were, a voice told him to call a close physician friend whose own son, once Veal's best friend, had died by suicide two years earlier, shocking everyone. She would understand. She had helped Veal generously with his medical school tuition as well.
On the phone with Veal for a very long time, she convinced him to take a "time out" to get himself together, take some medical school courses, and get some therapy. He did, and it saved him. Veal was back in medical school six months later.
In February of 2020 Christopher Veal published an invited commentary on his experience in Academic Medicine. He credits his mentor, whom he called, and Doctor Richard Page, the new dean of Larner Medical School for hearing his plea and responding with grace and understanding.
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WORSHIPby George Reed
Call to Worship:
One: Answer us when we call, O God of our right!
All: Be gracious to us, and hear our prayer.
One: Know that God has set apart the faithful for a heritage.
All: God hears when we call to the Most High.
One: Let the light of your face shine on us, O God!”
All: For you alone, O God, make us lie down in safety.
OR
One: God calls us to come and bring our pains and our hurts.
All: But we are ashamed of our failures and their scars.
One: God desires to heal us and make us whole.
All: Will God remove all our scars and blemishes.
One: God will change them into signs of healing and wholeness.
All: We bring all we are to God for healing.
Hymns and Songs:
God of the Sparrow, God of the Whale
UMH: 122
PH: 272
NCH: 32
CH: 70
ELW: 740
W&P: 29
All Creatures of Our God and King
UMH: 62
H82: 400
PH: 455
AAHH: 147
NNBH: 33
NCH: 17
CH: 22
LBW: 527
ELW: 835
W&P: 23
AMEC: 50
STLT: 203
Renew: 47
Dear Lord and Father of Mankind
UMH: 358
H82: 652/653
PH: 345
NCH: 502
CH: 594
LBW: 506
W&P: 470
AMEC: 344
From All That Dwell Below the Skies
UMH: 101
H82: 380
PH: 229
NCH: 27
CH: 49
LBW: 550
AMEC: 69
STLT: 381
God of Many Names
UMH: 105
CH: 13
W&P: 58
STLT: 198
All Things Bright and Beautiful
UMH: 147
H82: 405
PH: 267
NCH: 31
CH: 61
W&P: 30
AMEC: 434
God, Who Stretched the Spangled Heavens
UMH: 150
H82: 580
PH: 268
NCH: 556
CH: 651
LBW: 463
ELW: 771
W&P: 644
Hope of the World
UMH: 178
H82: 472
PH: 360
NCH: 46
CH: 538
LBW: 493
W&P: 404
He Lives
UMH: 310
AAHH: 275
NNBH: 119
CH: 226
W&P: 302
In Christ There Is No East or West
UMH: 548
H82: 529
PH: 439/440
AAHH: 398/399
NNBH: 299
NCH: 394/395
CH: 687
LBW: 259
ELW: 650
W&P: 600/603
AMEC: 557
Unity
CCB: 59
Our God Reigns
CCB: 33
Music Resources Key:
UMH: United Methodist Hymnal
H82: The Hymnal 1982
PH: Presbyterian Hymnal
AAHH: African American Heritage Hymnal
NNBH: The New National Baptist Hymnal
NCH: The New Century Hymnal
CH: Chalice Hymnal
LBW: Lutheran Book of Worship
ELW: Evangelical Lutheran Worship
W&P: Worship & Praise
AMEC: African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymnal
STLT: Singing the Living Tradition
CCB: Cokesbury Chorus Book
Renew: Renew! Songs & Hymns for Blended Worship
Prayer for the Day/Collect
O God who is present in all creation:
Grant us the faith to trust you to be with us
even in the worst times of our lives;
through Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
OR
We praise you, O God, because you are never absent from us. As you hovered over the waters of chaos at creation, you still remain with us. Even when things are hurtful and bring pain, you are there to bring healing. Amen.
Prayer of Confession
One: Let us confess to God and before one another our sins and especially the ways we look at what is wrong and ignore what is good.
All: We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have created a wonderful world and given us each other so that we might share your goodness. Yet we have chosen to hurt one another and hoard the goodness for ourselves. We have forgotten who we are and in whose image we were created. Forgive us and renew your Spirit within us that we might truly be your children. Amen.
One: God is our loving parent who desires only good for us. Receive God’s grace and share it liberally with others.
Prayers of the People
Glory and praise to you, O God, creator of all that is holy and good. Glorious are you in your abundant goodness to all your creatures.
(The following paragraph may be used if a separate prayer of confession has not been used.)
We confess to you, O God, and before one another that we have sinned. You have created a wonderful world and given us each other so that we might share your goodness. Yet we have chosen to hurt one another and hoard the goodness for ourselves. We have forgotten who we are and in whose image we were created. Forgive us and renew your Spirit within us that we might truly be your children.
We give you thanks for all the goodness of your creation. We thank you for its beauty and its abundance. We thank you for the wonders of human love and companionship. You have blessed us in countless ways.
(Other thanksgivings may be offered.)
We pray for one another in our need. There are those who are hurting and struggling to make sense out of their lives. There are many who are caught in patterns of self-destruction and defeat. There are those who have lost their way and do not know where to turn. We know that you desire wholeness and healing for all your children. As you seek their good, help us to be part of your loving presence in this world.
(Other intercessions may be offered.)
All these things we ask in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together saying:
Our Father....Amen.
(Or if the Our Father is not used at this point in the service.)
All this we ask in the name of the Blessed and Holy Trinity. Amen.
Children’s Sermon Starter
Sometimes when we get hurt there is a scar. That scar is a sign that God made our bodies so that they would heal. God always desires good for us. Even when things do not go well, God is there to help make things better.
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CHILDREN'S SERMONDon't Be Afraid, It's Jesus!
by Chris Keating
Luke 24:36b-48
As you prepare for this week's children's time, read Luke 24 in its entirety to gain a grasp of the context for this week's text. Immerse yourself in Luke's stories of the resurrection as it unfolds. As you become familiar with Luke's telling of the Easter narrative, begin focusing on Luke 24:36-48. Allow yourself to wonder about the disciple's state of minds. Imagine what it is like to be "startled and terrified," and then consider the many ways children experience fear.
Jesus brings the disciples the assurance of God's peace, including the greatest of all assurances that God has overcome the powers of death. The risen Lord offers the disciples the gift of peace and the assurance that they no longer need to be afraid.
Jesus' appearance to the disciples in Luke 24:36-48 offers a chance to explore the ways we offer each other the signs of peace. For many congregations, this practice has been put on hold or shelved completely. Use this story to help children identify ways they can share messages of peace.
Christians have greeted each other with signs of peace (hugs, handshakes, even kisses!) since the earliest days of the church. Because of the pandemic, we may avoid close contact, but we still can greet each other with reminders of God's love and peace.
As the children gather, ask them if they have ever experienced someone good-naturedly sneaking up them and surprising them. This is not quite the same as being really scared. There are also times when we do get scared. In those times, it is very good to know that someone who cares about us is close and will help us feel safe.
Our family dog does not like thunder and lighting, which can be a bit of a problem in the midwest during the spring and summer. As soon as he hears thunder, he wants to crawl up next to one of us. He does not bark or cry, but he does want to be close to us. I think the disciples were experiencing similar feelings. They had heard mixed reports about what happened to Jesus. The women named Mary had seen an empty tomb, and so had Peter. Then their friends who had been walking toward Emmaus told them that Jesus had appeared to them. Invite the children to imagine how complicated the disciples might have been feeling — perhaps excited, sad, and scared all at the same time.
They're feeling this way when Jesus suddenly appears. Jesus appears! Now they are really scared — they think they've seen a ghost! But just then Jesus says, "Peace be with you." He offers them peace. And, guess what? He says this without shaking hands! (He does ask them for fish, which might sound funny to kids on Sunday morning!) They do not need to be afraid — it's Jesus and not a ghost. He reminds them that even in the scariest of moments, he will be with them. And he sends us out to share that gift of peace with the world.
Have the children lead the congregation in saying "Peace be with you," and the response, "And also with you." You might even have someone teach this phrase in sign language, or perhaps try trading elbow bumps, waving, bowing toward each other, or simply placing your hand on your heart. (See this web page for some creative expressions.)
Close with a prayer thanking God for bringing us peace in our world and lives, and asking for God's help in sharing these signs of peace with others.
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The Immediate Word, April 18, 2021 issue.
Copyright 2021 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to The Immediate Word service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons and in worship and classroom settings only. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 5450 N. Dixie Highway, Lima, Ohio 45807.
