If you ask someone in Metaline what they are doing on the weekend and they say they need to go to town, it means go to Spokane. I do so enjoy being with you here in “town.” For churches that follow a liturgical calendar, Easter doesn’t officially end until Pentecost, May 28^th. The scripture passage I will talk about is very much an Easter one. However, before I talk about the scripture I would like to give the scripture a chance to talk to you. I will do that via Lectio Divina.

Lectio divina is a contemplative practice with its Christian roots in the Benedictine tradition. It combines slow, conscious reading of a biblical or sacred text with contemplation and silent prayer. It is meant to promote communication with God and a deeper knowledge of Christ in our lives today.

During Lectio Divina we put aside thoughts of studying the text. This is not the time to consider the historical or theological meanings of what we are reading. We read with a willingness to enter into the text in a felt sense. The purpose of this practice is to hear, in silence, the word of God, in this moment. What, through this reading, is God saying to me right now? What do I hear that helps me know what it means to walk the Christ path today?

Step 1: I will read the text out loud. As you listen, see if there is one word or phrase that you’re drawn to? After I have read we will have 2 minutes of silence.

John 20: 19-23

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

[2 minutes of silence.]

Step 2: If you haven’t received a word yet, it’s okay. Keep listening as it may come later. As I read the text again

What do you feel? 

What are your emotions? 

What specific situation in your life today relates?

John 20: 19-23

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

[2 minutes of silence.]

Step 3: To hear God, you need to turn off the critic or cynic in your mind that questions whether you’re really hearing God. When God speaks, it’s usually in thoughts and feelings that come into your mind.

John 20: 19-23

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

In Jesus’s name we pray. Anyone like to share anything?

“The doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews.” Jesus broke through the disciples locked door of fear. “Do not be afraid “appears 70 times in the bible. I found this in an article by John Whitehead an American journalist:

“America is in the midst of an epidemic of historic proportions. This plague on our nation — one that has been spreading like wildfire — is a potent mix of fear coupled with unhealthy doses of paranoia and intolerance. Everywhere you turn, those on both the left and the right wings are fomenting distrust and division. You can’t escape it. We’re being fed a constant diet of fear: fear of terrorists, fear of illegal immigrants, fear of people who are too religious, fear of people who are not religious enough, fear of Muslims, fear of extremists, fear of the government, fear of those who fear the government. The list goes on and on. Fear makes people stupid. Confound them, distract them with mindless news chatter and entertainment, pit them against one another by turning minor disagreements into major skirmishes, and tie them up in knots over matters lacking in national significance. Most importantly, divide the people into factions, persuade them to see each other as the enemy and keep them screaming at each other so that they drown out all other sounds. In this way, they will never reach consensus about anything and will be too distracted to notice the police state closing in on them until the final crushing curtain falls. This is how free people enslave themselves and allow tyrants to prevail.”

I feel helpless to do anything about it. The problem is too big and too entrenched. It is systemic evil, what Paul refers to as the powers and principalities. Fear works. Fear sells. Fortunately Jesus never said, “Thou shalt fix it.” These verses help: 2 Tim 1:7 “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love and of a sound mind” and I John 4:18 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” Rohr said, “The best criticism of the bad is the practice of the better.” We all need to refuse to be sucked in by the whirlpool of fear that surrounds us. People are drawn to calm people that radiate peace. Let us be those people, small islands of refuge in a storm of crap.

Christ’s first words to the disciples were “Peace be with you. “ That is not what I would have said. I would have said, “Where were you? When I needed you the most you scattered. If you would have even just been watching from afar and I would have seen you it would have eased my sense of abandonment. Did the three years we spent together mean nothing? You argued about who would be on my right and who would be on my left. Was that what it was about, getting a position of power and influence in what you thought would be my kingdom? Did anything I taught you sink in? How could I ever trust you again? You are such a disappointment. Your sense of shame and guilt will haunt you the rest of your lives.”

That is not what Christ said. Christ said, “Peace be with you.” By peace Christ is saying, “Be with me in a state of relational wholeness and well- being in which love, not hostility reigns.” No condemnation. No accusation. No sense of retribution. No “get down on your knees and beg for forgiveness.” Not even an, “I think you owe me an apology.” They received forgiveness without even asking for it. To hammer it home Christ says it again, “Peace be with you.” How in the literal name of Heaven do some Christians morph the resurrected Jesus into a Christ that is a mighty king on a throne of judgement full of harshness and condemnation?

Genesis 2:7 says, “Yahweh God shaped man from the soil of the ground and blew the breath of life into his nostrils, and man became a living being.” and in the selection from John’s gospel Christ breathes on them and says, ‘Receive the holy Spirit.” Something very profound is happening. Christ is giving them the grace to let their old selves fall away and live in a new way. What might that look like? The rest of the verse gives us one example of living in a new way: “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

I have two older sisters. My oldest sister Mary Lynne is 6 years older than me. I recall that when I was maybe 10, Mary Lynne said something to me that I found very hurtful. My response was to not talk to her. At one point she told me she was very sorry, and would I please talk to her. Aha! I realized that I had power over her and I doubled down. Hold the grudge. Give the cold shoulder. Play the victim. The silent treatment. Retain the hurt. Refuse to give forgiveness. We have all done it. Christ is saying don’t do that. Do what I just did. He freely released them from any sense of guilt, shame and remorse. Total unconditional restoration. We are called to do the same. We can’t do it on our own but through the ever present breath of the Holy Spirit, the Light within, we can. Never hold someone in bondage to a wrong they committed. Free them.

I am often struck with this thought, “What is this wonderful mystery of love through which we live, move and have our being?” The universe is a safe place. God has our backs. We are tightly held in an all-encompassing unconditional embrace of love.

Thank you.

QUERIES

Is there someone you need to forgive?

Has someone you deeply offended ever released and restored you?

This message was given to Spokane Friends Meeting by John Kinney during Sunday worship on May 14, 2023.