Sermon for the 3rd Sunday of Easter

Jesus said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?...You are witnesses of these things"(Luke 24:38, 48)

For 3 Sundays now we have been witnesses of the Resurrection. In the Sundays to come, we will shift to Gospel readings that speak of Jesus not being with us in body, but with us in spirit. Last week, we heard in John’s Gospel how the disciples were so afraid of the Jews and the Romans, that they wouldn’t even venture out beyond their locked door. Even when Mary Magdalene told them, “I have seen the Lord,” they stayed behind their locked door.

Today, in Luke’s account of that momentous day, they have heard from Cleopas and his companion, “We have seen Jesus! He walked with us, yet we did not recognize him. Only when he broke bread before our eyes were they opened and we saw him, risen.” The disciples have heard from Peter, “Even though I denied him three times, he appeared even to me!” And yet there they still were, in a closed room.

So now Jesus himself stands among them and says, “Peace be with you.” And the disciples? Are they ready to believe and rejoice? Are they ready to go and spread the Good News? No, “They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost.”

And so Jesus says to them, “Why do doubts arise in your hearts?” When some doubted his power to forgive sins and heal a lame man, he said, “Why do doubts arise in your hearts.” When others sought to accuse him for healing on the Sabbath day, Jesus knew the doubts in their hearts. As Jesus appears to his followers and offers them peace, he also warns them not to be like his enemies, full of doubt.

We must not doubt the power of the Risen Christ to make us his "outward and visible signs," as our mission statement says. And as we shine out beyond these doors in the world around us, we must also be prepared for doubt, opposition and resistance. But we must trust that when we open the doors of our hearts to let Christ shine through you and me, that nothing can stop us.

This is the last Sunday where we are given the privilege of witnessing the Resurrection. Next week will be Good Shepherd Sunday, and after that we will begin preparing the gift of the Holy Spirit.

But today we are witnesses of Resurrection. Why should doubts arise in our hearts?