​5th Sunday of Easter – B                                                                          LSB #’s 835:1-4, 595, 837
Text – Acts 8:26
 
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise & go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”  This is a desert place. 
 
FROM JERUSALEM TO GAZA
 
 
Here we are on the 5th Sunday of Easter, almost 2000 years after God sent Philip to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza,  & both places are still in the news!    Of course, the news today isn’t nearly as good as that which the Ethiopian eunuch took with him to his home country.   At that time, Ethiopia was the end of the known world. 
At Jesus’ ascension into heaven, He made this promise to His followers in Acts 1:8, “You shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, & in all Judea & Samaria, & to the end of the earth.”    Philip began in Jerusalem & only had to travel to Gaza in order to reach the end of the earth through the Ethiopian convert. 
When Jesus returns from heaven, Matthew 24 tells us, “And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet blast, & they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”  (24:31 NASB) 
The Holy Spirit sends out the followers of Christ to witness of God’s love, even to the ends of the earth.   Then, He calls, gathers, enlightens & sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, to bring us to our heavenly home on the day of the final resurrection.   That is our Lord’s promise as we observe & endure the injustice & tribulation of life in this sinful world. 
After multiple thousands of years of fighting, it is tempting to question, “What on earth is God doing in the Middle East?”   And since God is in charge of all of history, past, present & future, today, we find ourselves questioning, “What is God doing right now on our college campuses?  What is He doing with those faculty & administrative leaders?  What is He doing with the protestors & the billions of dollars our universities burn through each year?”  Because we don’t have a clue what’s going on, the following question does, at the very least, hover in the subconscious area of our mind, “Can God be trusted?”   That is a case of faith & unbelief confronting each other. 
Faith trusts in God even when we have no clue what’s going on.   Unbelief rejects God often because the unbeliever cannot understand what God is doing & doesn’t trust Him to be working things out to a good end.   The context, as the 8th chapter of Acts begins, is the stoning to death of Stephen & the subsequent dispersal of Gentile Christians from Jerusalem:
“And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, & they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea & Samaria, except the apostles…  But Saul was ravaging the church, & entering house after house, he dragged off men & women & committed them to prison.”  (8:1 & 3 ESV) 
You could imagine that people were questioning, “What is God doing?  Can He be trusted?”   Yet, those Christians who were scattered went about preaching the word:
“Philip went down to the city of Samaria & proclaimed to them the Christ.  And the crowds with one accord paid attention to what was being said by Philip, when they heard him & saw the signs that he did.  For unclean spirits, crying out with a loud voice, came out of many who had them, & many who were paralyzed or lame were healed.”  (Acts 8:5-7 ESV) 
Acts 8:8 tells us, “So there was much joy in that city.”   Once Philip returns to Jerusalem, an angel of the Lord sends him on the road from there to Gaza.   In one chapter of the book of Acts, we already see the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise that His followers would, “…be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, & in all Judea & Samaria, & to the end of the earth.”  (Acts 1:8 ESV) 
That fulfillment was triggered by Stephen being stoned to death & the subsequent
dispersal of Gentile Christians from Jerusalem.    There’s no doubt that while those things were occurring, people questioned, “What can God be doing by allowing this?”   Only later, could they see what God did.   With all that’s going on in our world, Christians today certainly question as well, “What on earth is God doing?  How can anything good come of this?” 
The Lord fulfilled His promise to spread the Good News in Jerusalem & to the end of the earth in the days of Philip & the early Church.   But that wasn’t the end of it.   Christ is still fulfilling that promise through us, in our locality & to the end of our earth.   In our time, that’s going a lot farther than to Ethiopia by chariot, even if we do not yet see the results. 
You may not have an angel of the Lord telling you exactly where to go, or how to get there, but the Holy Spirit is working through you to call, gather, enlighten & sanctify the whole Christian Church on earth.  Children in our school are there to be called.  Neighbors, family & co-workers are there to be called.  God is working through you personally & your offerings. 
Especially those of us over the age of 50, today’s world is a far cry from the one in which we grew up.  The structure of the society of our youth has collapsed from within & without, by indifference & by design.  It’s difficult to imagine where the youth of today will be in 20 years, but we do know that Yahweh will still be saving people through His Church. 
It’s difficult to imagine what will become of the Jerusalem & Gaza in 20 years, but we do know that Christ has been saving people there since long before Jerusalem & Gaza existed.  The Holy Spirit used these words from the prophet Isaiah, written 800 years earlier, to call, gather, enlighten & sanctify the Ethiopian eunuch:
“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter    & like a lamb before its shearer is silent,    so he opens not his mouth.    In his humiliation justice was denied him.      Who can describe his generation?   For his life is taken away from the earth.”  (Isaiah 53:7b-8 LXX)    Isaiah was prophesying about the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world.  And by the time of Philip & the eunuch, Jesus of Nazareth had fulfilled that prophesy.  God has been reconciled to His creation through the price that Jesus paid for our rebellion.   Justice has been restored.  That is good news that crushes the only other solution which is that we pay for our own sins. 
 When we want revenge on someone who’s hurt us, Jesus suffered that revenge for them.  For all the sins you & I have committed, & because of all the people we have ever hurt or offended, Jesus suffered revenge for us.   Philip announced that Good News to the eunuch because an angel of the Lord knew of the eunuch’s need & sent Philip to him. 
God knows all of our specific needs for every moment of our lives.  He also knows the needs of all the people around us.   As the opening verse of today’s opening hymn put it, “Therefore I send My children, their witness I will use.”  (LSB 835:1) 
No matter what is going on in Jerusalem & Gaza, no matter what is happening on our campuses or in our culture, by the power of the Holy Spirit, the Word of the Lord continues to go forth, even to the end of the earth.  In that each of us will rejoice.  Amen. 
 
 
 
O blessed spring, where Word & sign embrace us into Christ the Vine:  Here Christ enjoins each one to be a branch of this life-giving Tree.   Through summer heat of youthful years, uncertain faith, rebellious tears, sustained by Christ’s infusing rain, the boughs will shout for joy again.   When summer cools & youth is cold, when limbs their heavy harvest hold, then through us, warm, Christ will move with gifts of beauty, wisdom, love.    As winter comes, as winters must, we breathe our last, return to dust; still held in Christ, our souls take wing & trust the promise of the spring.  Amen.  LSB 595:1-4. 

​4th Sunday of Easter – B                                                                                 LSB #’s 740, 735, 711
Text – John 10:14
 
I am the good shepherd.  I know my own & my own know me.
 
KNOWING THE SHEPHERD
 
 
As we sung the opening hymn,  did the thought occur  that it’s a cute little song  but it’s  sort of embarrassing to sing as an adult?   “I am Jesus’ little lamb,  ever glad at heart I am;  for my Shepherd gently guides me…”  (LSB 740:1) 
In the Gospel reading from St. John,  the apostle is basically asking you this question, “Can you be Jesus’ little lamb  in your heart   & in your mind   & in your soul?”    Can you be a tender baby lamb  that loves to rest in the arms of its master?    Can you follow & respond to  the gentle guiding  of your Shepherd?     If you can  then   you know the Shepherd! 
Adults  struggle with being embarrassed.   Children do as well,  but since it tends to happen to them a lot more often,  it’s not as earth shaking  when it does.   One of the advantages of being grown up  is that we learn how to avoid embarrassment,  so when it does happen  it’s more difficult to deal with.   So, adults don’t commonly think of themselves  as a helpless lamb. 
Christian adults know better  & it’s still difficult.   Intellectually,  or spiritually,  we recognize that being Jesus’ little lamb is a good thing,  because that’s how the Word of God pictures it.   It’s our emotions  that get in the way.   Adults do not enjoy feeling helpless. 
It’s one reason of many  that nursing homes are not a popular place.   There, helplessness is on full display.  It confronts you  face to face,  if you make eye contact with the residents.  When you do,  you can literally feel their pain.  It’s the pain of being helpless & embarrassed.  When someone is comfortable with that  it’s probably because  they know the Shepherd. 
Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd.  I know my own   & my own know me.”  (John 10:14 ESV)   Do you  know the Shepherd?   Do you know  Jesus?   Sinful creatures  that we are,  we cannot know the Shepherd  in our pride,  nor  in our arrogance.   We only know Jesus  in the humility  that the Holy Spirit gives to us.   Sinful creatures that we are,  we know that humility the greatest  in our weakness.    We know,  & we appreciate, the Shepherd  the most  when we are helpless.  Being a Christian in this broken world  offers plenty of opportunities for weakness. 
And weakness  is not a fun  place to be.  In Christ  we have amazing joy,  but that delight is not centered in this world.  Because of what mankind did to God’s first creation,  The Lamb of God had to die  in order to fulfill His being  as our Shepherd.   That was,   is   & always shall be the plan of Yahweh  to rescue us  from what we have done.   
Jesus is the Shepherd of all humanity.   Trusting in Him  is eternal life.   Whether people connect the dots,   or not,   something about Jesus as Shepherd resonates with human beings.   Psalm 23 is probably  The  most common  Scripture lesson  at funerals.  That reveals, at the very least,   a subconscious longing for human beings  to rest in the arms of their Creator. 
God uses the weaknesses  in our lives  to nudge us  toward surrendering to Him.   That’s one of the ways in which ‘my Shepherd gently guides me,’ as the author of the hymn put it.  That surrendering is a constant & ongoing part of our sanctification.  The Holy Spirit is always & ever working   to point us to Jesus as the good Shepherd:
“He makes me lie down in green pastures.  He leads me beside still waters.  He restores my soul.  He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.  Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod & your staff,  they comfort me.”  (Psalm 23:2-4 ESV) 
All other shepherds have failed & will continue to fail.   That doesn’t mean  we should never lean on friends & family for support & encouragement,  but it does mean that only Jesus will always be with us in this life,  & only Jesus can get us  into heaven.  For those of us who’ve been followers of Jesus  a long time,  we’ve grown comfortable with the idea that Jesus knows us.  We follow Him because we believe that He is good,  even when difficult things come into our lives.  Not everyone  is there  in their spiritual life. 
Jesus knows our every thought, even those we try to bury.  He knows our every word, the ones our filter catches before they’re spoken aloud, the ones we look over our shoulder before we speak, the ones we dare speak  only at a whisper.  Jesus knows our every action.  He knows what we spend our money on & what that says about the true  treasure of our heart. 
When Jesus says, “I know my own,” that can be scary.  To be fully known by God is to be exposed & vulnerable.   The good news  is that God loves us & sent His Son to die for us  precisely because He does know you & me.  He knows us in all our sins & He knows our desperate need to be saved from ourselves. 
Since Jesus already knows our sins,  there’s no reason to be afraid & looking over our shoulder before we speak.  Nothing we do can change God’s opinion of us.  We can’t get any worse  than we already are.  The eternal Son of God had to suffer hell  in order to pay for what you & I have done.  And He did so willingly  for the joy of heaven that was set before Him. 
Yahweh knows the threats we face,  within & without.  He knows the brokenness of our condition.  He knows the evil Foe who threatens to devour us.  He knows not only our guilt, but especially our helplessness.  We are like little lambs who have no chance of fending off a wolf.  Where our sinful heart at times will kick someone when they’re down,  Jesus has compassion. 
The Good Shepherd realizes that unless He reveals Himself to us,  we could never find Him – not in this world of total brokenness in which we live.  He didn’t laugh at our futile attempts to find a god worthy of our service & devotion.  Instead, Jesus came to us as a helpless baby child.  He came to rescue us in a position of weakness in order to understand our fears.  One of the greatest fears,  for Christian parents,  is that their children may wander from the true faith.  During His ministry on earth, Jesus had plenty of opportunity to experience that with His own disciples & other followers.  Fears like those  leave us helpless,  because we cannot control the heart,  the mind  or the soul  of other human beings. 
In those fears,  & in that helplessness,  Jesus calls us to turn to Him  in our own heart, mind & soul,  like little baby lambs.   The Good Shepherd calls us to entrust to Him the fate of all God’s children & sheep,  even when we think of them as our own.  We can give our anxieties over to the Great & Good Shepherd of the sheep.  We are wholly inadequate to save anyone.  
Whenever sin overtakes you,  use that as a reminder to know Jesus as the Good Shepherd & to return to Him.  Let Him be your shepherd in your heart   & in your mind   & in your soul.  Find rest in His loving arms, & do not be ashamed that you are so helpless & lost without Him.  “The good shepherd has laid down his life for the sheep.”  (John 10:11b ESV) 
Another shepherd once wrote, in Psalm 95, “For He is our God, & we are the people of His pasture, & the sheep of His hand.”  (95:7a ESV)  Today, we hear the voice of our Shepherd in the words of Absolution,  in the words of Holy Scripture & in the words of Benediction.  We are the little lambs of the Good Shepherd & He is risen from the dead  to love us  forever.  Amen. 
 
 
 
Have no fear,  little flock;  have no fear,  little flock,  for the Father has chosen to give you the Kingdom;  have no fear,  little flock!    Have good cheer,  little flock;  have good cheer,  little flock,  for the Father will keep you  in His love forever;  have good cheer, little flock.  Amen.  LSB 735:1-2.  

​3rd Sunday of Easter – B                                                                                LSB #’s 476, 672, 491
Text – 1 John 3:2
 
Beloved, we are God’s children now, & what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him as He is. 
 
BEING LIKE CHRIST
 
 
An old man going a lone highway,   Came, at the evening cold & gray,    To a chasm vast & deep & wide.  Through which was flowing a sullen tide     The old man crossed in the twilight dim,  The sullen stream had no fear for him;   But he turned when safe  on the other side   And built a bridge to span the tide. 
“Old man,” said a fellow pilgrim near,  “You are wasting your strength with building here;   Your journey will end with the ending day,   You never again  will pass this way;   You’ve crossed the chasm, deep & wide,     Why build this bridge  at evening tide?” 
The builder lifted his old gray head;   “Good friend, in the path I have come,” he said,   “There followed after me to-day   A youth whose feet must pass this way.    This chasm that has been as naught to me   To that fair-haired youth may a pitfall be;     He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;    Good friend,   I am building this bridge for him!”[1]  
That poem is titled The Bridge Builder, & it’s earliest known printing was in 1898.  The author, Ms. Dromgoole, wrote over 7,500 poems,   5,000 essays   & published thirteen books.  Even as someone who has written well over 1000 sermons in my years of ministry, her work is an amazing accomplishment.  And, in my opinion, the poem speaks to the heart of God’s love. 
John’s 1st epistle highlights the love of God at 4:8 where he writes, “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”  (ESV)   As we continue our celebration of the Easter season, Good Friday is still only 16 days ago.  Before the sun set that evening, our Lord came to His chasm deep & wide.   He too crossed in the twilight dim, & the sullen stream also had no fear for Him.   And in the death & resurrection of Jesus Christ He also was turning, when safe on the other side, to build a bridge that would span the tide.   God knows that you & I   must also cross that chasm deep & wide. 
As John recorded in his Gospel: “…for an hour is coming  when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice & come out,   those who have done good to the resurrection of life,   & those who have done evil to the resurrection  of judgment.”  (5:28-29 ESV)   Our heavenly Father knew that not a one of us could cross that chasm of our own accord. 
So He sent His only Son to build a bridge.   Our sinful nature, if it has resigned itself to being religious, always defaults to the belief that you & I must do something   to earn God’s reward.   Our sinful nature wants to take some credit for gaining eternal life.    And arrogant Christians cannot believe that God would just give salvation away with no strings attached. 
Slogans like ‘What Would Jesus Do’ sound well-meaning enough – until Satan gets ahold of them & twist them into words of condemnation because we have not done what Jesus would do.   If we devoted our entire lives to doing what Jesus would do, we could not accomplish even one thing, because Jesus does everything 100% perfectly, 100%   of the time. 
The Great I Am has no slack standards for sinners.  He is eternally holy & therefore He cannot fail to render justice, at all times & in all places.   The only solution for offering salvation to all sinners, was to sacrifice something holy in payment for our sins.   Then, we could be offered a 2nd chance.   For that reason, the Triune God sent the Son to build a bridge. 
The chasm that was as naught to Jesus to us most certainly a pitfall would be.  So Jesus built that bridge for you & for me.   In John’s day, he wrote his 1st epistle letter to the house churches in what is now, roughly the Muslim nation of Turkey.  John aimed that letter at false teachers who were promoting themselves as an elite type of Christian.  They would have been the equivalent of the arrogant Christians of our day who claim that you have to do something, at least make some kind of decision or commitment, in order to really follow Jesus.  That is how a person goes about being like Christ.  That’s the kind of mindset St. John was speaking against. 
He spoke against that mindset because it destroyed the comfort & the peace of Christ’s good news.  From the cross Jesus said, “It is finished!” & by that Jesus meant the work of our salvation.  The gift of eternal life is already ours.   Now, all that we can do is to lose it, but even that the Holy Spirit strives to prevent us from doing. 
Being like Christ is a gift that we receive in Baptism & through hearing the Word of God.  Both means are miracles, worked by the Holy Spirit, to our eternal benefit.   John writes this epistle letter for the purpose of encouraging the followers of Jesus even in the midst of the false teaching that was apparently rampant in their day. 
Living in our time, we have an idea of what that’s like.  Independence & freedom have taken on religious status in our country, but it’s no longer just freedom from being ruled by an earthly king.   Americans are increasingly declaring their freedom from the heavenly King.  Being in God’s house, or accepting His wisdom are being rejected as colonial & racist. 
In Africa, where colonialism & racism have done massive damage, millions of people have been flocking to the King of kings.  Many of their churches are ashamed of their American counterparts who have declared their freedom from God’s teaching.  Americans are rejecting their Creator in favor of themselves & their own arrogant self-understanding. 
Rather than getting angry, God knew this was coming for our nation, as for all the others that have left Him throughout history.   Thus the 3rd stanza of The Bridge Builder appropriately speaks to us today: “The builder lifted his old gray head;   ‘Good friend, in the path I have come,’ he said,   ‘There followed after me to-day   A youth whose feet must pass this way.    This chasm that has been  as naught to me   To that fair-haired youth  may a pitfall be;     He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;    Good friend,   I am building this bridge  for him!’”   
God is love, & His greatest longing is to restore the relationship that mankind had with Him in the Garden of Eden.  Being like Christ is not our project & it is not for today.   It is in heaven that God’s children will be like Christ, & making us like Him is the work of the Holy Spirit.   Jesus built the bridge to heaven & the Holy Spirit is striving to bring us there. 
Yes, the world does reject its Maker in favor of itself & its arrogant self-understanding.  As a result, it does not comprehend or tolerate the children of the heavenly Father.  That is a sad & difficult contrast to the wonder of being the children of God by grace, & we live that out contrast daily under the shadow of the Cross. 
God’s promise is that the glory of heaven will make all our time here worthwhile.   The glory of heaven, & being like Christ, are teachings that motivate & strengthen us for the journey.  And just as the women found the stone rolled away from the tomb on Easter morning, Christ has already built the bridge for us to cross over death & arrive at our own resurrection. 
For much of our lives, while healthy or young, words like those are very abstract & seemingly distant.   When death is near, the words of God take on a far more concrete reality.  One day, we shall be like Christ, we shall be love, we shall be pure & true & patient.  We long for that time when we shall be like Christ, the devil, the world, & our flesh completely gone.  
In this life we must be on our constant guard against letting our sinful flesh rule us.  We must be on constant guard not to let our emotions get away with us, even good emotions.  In John’s 1st epistle, our eyes are drawn out from behind the shadow of the Cross, & this perishing world, to the light of the promise of eternal life – the joys of Heaven.  “Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst.  The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat.  For the Lamb at the center of the Throne will be their shepherd; He will lead them to springs of living water.  And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”  (Revelation 11:16-17)   Then, we will be like Christ – forever!  Amen. 
 
 
Jerusalem the golden, with milk & honey blest – the promise of salvation, the place of peace & rest – we know not, oh, we know not what joys await us there:  the radiancy of glory, the bliss beyond compare!       Around the throne of David, the saints, from care released, raise loud their songs of triumph to celebrate the feast.   They sing to Christ their leader, Who conquered in the fight, Who won for them forever their gleaming robes of white.       O sweet & blessed country, the home of God’s elect!   O sweet & blessed country that faithful hearts expect!   In mercy, Jesus, bring us to that eternal rest with You & God the Father & Spirt, ever blest.  Amen.  LSB 672:1, 3-4.


[1] Father: An Anthology of Verse (EP Dutton & Company, 1931)  

​2nd Sunday of Easter – B                                                                         LSB #’s 420:1-3, 704, 475
Text – John 20:30-31
 
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, & that by believing you may have life in His name.
 
LIFE IN HIS NAME
 
 
When writing sermons on this Gospel text,  preachers often  focus on the standout feature – commonly referred to as  Doubting Thomas.   Some preachers claim that Thomas got a bad rap,  because all  the disciples had doubted originally.   Other preachers distinguish Thomas from the rest  because he stated that he would not believe,  unless he could see…
The events surrounding the unbelief of Thomas,  & his return to faith in Jesus,  make for a compelling lesson  on how  following Jesus  is not a simple  nor a constant & linear  process.  Instead,  it’s full of highs & lows,  mountaintops  & valleys,   moments of exhilaration  & moments of despair. 
Our sinful nature  is a powerful force  in our daily lives,  constantly corrupting even our best  intentions.  When we desire to grow in our ability to trust Jesus,  it’s not something we do on our own.  There is no plan or program  guaranteed to protect you from temptation or struggle.  Our sinful nature must die  & that will always be a painful experience. 
It was the sinful nature of Thomas speaking  when he said, “Unless I see in His hands  the mark of the nails,  & place my finger into the mark of the nails,  & place my hand into His side,  I will never  believe.”  (John 20:25b ESV)   You & I  can take a cue from Thomas  when we find ourselves making demands  of God. 
As that attitude overtakes us  the time is ripe  to stop,  to look  & to listen.   In those moments,  God is asking us to see things  not as you or I want them to be,  but as they truly are  in His Kingdom.  Jesus actually was risen from the dead,  but  Thomas did not  want to believe it  unless he saw evidence & proof.    What Thomas did not understand  is that God’s Son  is life itself.   The first verses of the Gospel of John,  written long after this event,  clearly make that point concerning  Jesus: “In the beginning  was the Word,  & the Word was with God,   & the Word  was God…  In Him  was life,  & the life  was the light of men.”  (John 1:1 & 4 ESV) 
Then, as John is bringing his Gospel to a close, he reiterates the point, “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples,  which are not written in this book;   but these are written  so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,  the Son of God,  & that by believing   you may have life  in His name.”  (John 20:30-31 ESV) 
Our sinful nature is a powerful force  for death.   John wants you to know  that believing in Jesus as the anointed Son of God  guarantees  that you are  actually  alive.   As Jesus stated, “I have said these things to you,  that in me  you may have peace.   In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart; I have overcome the world.”  (John 16:33 ESV) 
John also wrote in 1:5, “The light shines in the darkness, & the darkness has not overcome it.”  We need to hear words of assurance & comfort  because the darkness often seems to be winning,  in the world around us,  & also in our heart  within.  Looking at the world & our heart  brings fear.   What will come of us,  of our children & grandchildren  if this continues? 
Jesus calls us  to look at Him rather than  the world.  Our risen Savior calls us  to look at Him  rather than our own heart.  St. John calls us to look at the signs & the miracles he wrote in his Gospel so that we, “…may believe that Jesus is the Christ,  the Son of God,  & that by believing  [we] may have life  in His name.”  (John 20:31 ESV) 
Fear sucks the life out of us.  Jesus is inviting the disciples  & us  to extend the same peace He spoke  when He entered into their fear behind those locked doors.    Do you see forgiveness needed in your life,  in your community,  in your congregation,  in your workplace,  in the world?   What would it look like  for you to be a bearer of that forgiveness?   How might you be called by the Holy Spirit  to embody the peace that Jesus brings,  not only for yourself,  but for the people that God brings into your life?   All of us  are doubting people in this sinful world,  & chiefly,  what people are doubting  is that God could love them. 
And because we have doubts  about God’s love for us,  we live in fear   & we live   in death.   Jesus came that [we]  may have life  & have it abundantly.  (John 10:10b ESV)   Those are great sounding words,  & in heaven we will experience that fully.   However,  you know  from your own experience  that living just isn’t  all sunshine & roses in the here & now. 
While we’re normally tempted to blame others,  the reality is  that our sinful nature makes it impossible for us  to appreciate  the life & the abundance  that Jesus gives to us.   Yes, there are fleeting moments of satisfaction,  but then we’re off to the races again.  And Satan doesn’t give up  just because of a sunny day  here & there. 
In fact,  the Easter season of alleluias  can seem to leave little room for our doubts,  our fears,  & our pain.  For many, the joy & happiness of Christmas & Easter clash  with their inner pain & anguish as they still struggle with the effects of sin.   Whether that’s poor health,  or bad family & economic circumstances,  we can be tempted to believe that God sees us as failures. 
That’s why the unbelief of Thomas,  John describes,  is so important  for us to hear.  Unbelief is not a hopeless situation.   Jesus’ ministry revealed  that He is able to work miracles.  Mark recorded these words of a father so we know  there is always hope, “I believe;  help my unbelief!”  (Mark 9:24 ESV)   All the disciples of Jesus struggled to believe that He was alive. 
 And our fears,  whatever they are,  cause us to struggle with believing  that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.    There are so many other things to love  in this world – so many temptations.  They look pleasing to eye,  making it difficult to grasp  that they lead to death.  To top it off,  they seldom lead to instant death,  so in those second chances that God gives to us,  perversely  we draw the conclusion that we can ‘get away’ with sin.  In essence,  our addiction to sin  is an addiction to death.   We see that play out  to the extreme  with the growing support for euthanasia.  Even the word,  which means good death,  shows the sinful nature’s addiction  to it. 
On earth,  every person you will ever meet  needs the forgiveness & peace that Jesus offers.  The faith we have in Him as our Lord & Savior  is a mystery that cannot be forced upon anyone.  All that we can do  is to invite them into the mystery with us.  It is the greatest of mysteries that believing Jesus is the Christ makes us a new creation,  yet  we still flounder in sin. 
We believe,  yet struggle daily with unbelief.  In the name of Jesus we have life,  yet  we are addicted to sin & to death.  Christ is the life  of all the living  & He is the death  of death our foe.   Through His sufferings, death & merit – we eternal life inherit.  (LSB 420:1)  Faith is a mystery that comes to us only & always  as the most precious gift that can never be earned. 
The life we have in the name of Jesus  is not just life as we commonly speak of it.  It is a distinctive kind of life that is obscured by the English language.  Three different Greek words are translated into English with our word life. 
When John, & the rest of the NT, speak of psyche or bios, those words refer to what anything possesses  simply by virtue of being a living creature.  This is the life possessed from birth to death by animals & humans, whether they be good or bad, righteous or wicked, founders of charities or perpetrators of genocide.  
On the other hand, “life” as used at the end of John 20, is spoken of with the word zoe.  This is eternal life, life given to those who are born of God; life that, in John, transforms us from merely existing to living in the abundance & eternity of God.  This life was present from the beginning & lies at the core of creation.  “In [Jesus] was zoe,  & the zoe was the light of men.”  (John 1:4)   This zoe life connects the deepest purposes of God with the ultimate purpose of John’s gospel: “…these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ … & that by believing you may have zoe in His name.”  (John 20:31 ESV) 
Zoe does not replace the life we have without it; we are still the same creatures we were before.   It does, however, bring us into the fullness of God’s grace – the new creation that comes with believing in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.   Again,  all of that is mystery  that we can enter into only  by invitation,  & God invites everyone.   Some choose  to say no. 
To have life is to be with the One  who created us  specifically  to be with Him.  Fortunately for Doubting Thomas, the moment He saw Jesus alive  he gave up his refusal to believe.  And on the heels of his confession, “My Lord & my God!”  John tells us what his whole Gospel is about:
“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written  so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, & that by believing you may have life in His name.”  (John 20:30-31)   Jesus is life, or zoe, itself, & He reassured us:
“I am the resurrection & the life.  Whoever believes in me,  though he die,  yet shall he live.”  (John 11:25 ESV)   That is life in His name.  Amen. 
 
 
Renew me,  O eternal Light,  & let my heart & soul be bright,  illumined with the light of grace  that issues from Your holy face.    Grant that I only You may love  & seek those things which are above   till I behold You face to face,  O Light eternal, through Your grace.  Amen.  LSB 704:1, 4.