Week Four

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.

Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

-John 20:19-22

This gospel story from John 20 begins in a place of fear, but it moves to a place of sending. This is a post-resurrection encounter with Jesus which offers us a narrative that acknowledges the reality of danger in the world, but it is a story that ultimately speaks of peace, faithful risk-taking, and transformation in the presence of Jesus Christ. In our text, the disciples are locked in a room out of fear. They have witnessed the execution of Jesus, and they are terrified that they might be next. If the Jewish leaders and the Roman empire could so easily kill the Messiah, the One who had embodied the very Love and Power of Almighty God – they could easily wipe out the disciples. So the disciples do what so many of us do when we feel anxious or threatened – they turn inwards and they lock the doors. They try to stay safe by keeping only to themselves.

In the midst of their fear, when the disciples have shut out the world, Jesus appears and offers them shalom – the peace that passes all human understanding. Jesus says to them “as the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Jesus is sending them into the world, so all people may know the good news of God’s transformative love. He is sending them today, not when they are braver, not when they have it all together, not when they are more comfortable. Jesus sends the disciples as they are: broken, vulnerable, scared out of their minds. He sends them with the breath of the Holy Spirit to share God’s love and God’s peace with the world.

Our prayer for this week is that we may be ambassadors of God’s shalom in the midst of a world that is hurting. Just as Jesus sent the disciples, he also sends us. We pray that the GCF Global Gathering may be a time of nourishment and connection, so everyone who participates virtually and in person may be sent out as a witness to God’s peace.