Download locked doors

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Last Sunday we celebrated God’s rolling
away the stone. The seal of death was broken
and Mary Magdalene saw Jesus alive. That
night, despite Mary’s good news, the disciples
were fearful and hid behind locked doors.
This fear continued for a week as they
continued to keep themselves hidden behind
those fortified doors.
It is not just about the disciples, however.
I suspect many of us know something about
“locked doors”.
Even though we celebrated
Easter last Sunday and we left hopeful,
maybe some of us had our spirits deadened
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by the circumstances and news we had to
face when we got home.
God opens the “tomb” and offers new life
but time after time we find ourselves
choosing to “lock our doors.”
God opens the
“tombs” and declares we are sacred human
beings with the capacity to love and be loved,
yet we have a way of “locking” ourselves out
of that life-changing truth.
The “locked doors” of our lives are not so
much about what is going on around us, but
what is happening within us: fear, anger,
guilt, hurt, grief, and the refusal to change
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our perspective. There are a hundreds of
different “locks” on the “doors” of our life but
they are always “locked” from the inside.
I believe this is what Thomas was
struggling with when he said, “Unless I see
the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my
finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in
his side, I will not believe.” It earned him the
name Doubting Thomas. Jesus, however,
never blames Thomas of doubting.
Rather, Jesus, says, “Do not be
unbelieving, but believing.” He could just
have easily said that to the other disciples.
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After all, one week after seeing Jesus’ hands
and side, they are still in the house behind
locked doors.
Thomas’ unbelief is not in his question. He
did not ask to see more than the other
disciples saw a week earlier. His unbelief, and
theirs, is in being stuck in the house with the
doors locked.
Belief in Jesus’ resurrection is not a
question of whether or not we believe that
Jesus actually rose from the dead. It is not
about evidence or proof. It is not about
getting the right answer.
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Belief is more about how we live and how
we sense the presence of the Spirit that is in
us and all around us. As one astute teacher
describes, “Resurrection is not just an event
or an idea. It is a way of being and living. It is
the lens through which we see the world,
each other, and ourselves.”
Living a resurrected life, however, is
difficult. For most of us it is a process,
something we grow into overtime. So, if we
went home last week and we sensed nothing
has happened because of Easter, be patient!
God is not done with us yet!
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Living a resurrected life does not undo our
past, fix our problems, or change the
circumstances of our lives. It changes us,
offers a way through our problems, and
creates a future. Christ’s resurrected life
inspires us with his Spirit, invites us to
“unlock the doors”, and let the resources of
the Spirit do its thing with us.
Again, I have to wonder, one week after
Easter, is our life different? Where are we
living? How are we living? Are we free and
open to see and be loved? Or do we fret,
worry and see our lives from a material point
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of view? In other words, do we feel “locked
away behind closed doors”? Or are we alive
in, with and through Christ, our risen Lord?
So, what do we believe about Jesus’
resurrection? Do we ever doubt that it
happened? Resurrected people know that
faith and life are messy. It is okay to have
doubts. It is okay to ask really hard
questions! Resurrected people do not have to
settle for easy answers. They trust that what
God believes about them is more important
than what they believe about God.
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They believe there are events and
situations that are difficult to fully understand
or explain, yet they can celebrate the mystery
of God! And even when they do not feel
God’s presence, they are comforted in
knowing that God sees and touches them.
We pray—Loving God, risen Christ, and
blowing Holy Spirit: we are like your disciples:
prone to doubt, full of fears, unsure of how to
live, really live, as resurrection people. Come
to us, this week and every week; grant us
your presence and your peace; and grant us
the lasting Light of real faith. Amen!