Slow off the mark
by Maria Rudolph
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Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you’ (John 20:21).
Read John 20:19–31
Are you a bit slow off the mark sometimes? How about our LCANZ? There are plenty of opinions on why it takes the church so long to face large financial deficits, a major pastor shortage, and the dwindling numbers in congregational membership. Facing realities is one step, and then adapting to these realities by adjusting your modus operandi is another.
Praise be to God that we are in good company in being slow off the mark. Easter Sunday morning, two of the disciples had a running match to the tomb and believed in the resurrection. Easter Sunday evening, we find the disciples huddled together with the doors locked in fear. Amazingly, the resurrected Jesus stood among them and declared his peace over them. Shortly before his crucifixion, he had told them, ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid’ (John 14:27). Here they were, hiding and afraid. Jesus meets them right where they are, breathes on them to receive the Holy Spirit and even grants them the authority to forgive or retain sins.
This encounter could have changed their course of action. Yet the disciples are slow off the mark. Instead of going forth in confidence as Jesus sends them out, we find them, one week later, still huddled together behind locked doors. Jesus’ words, ‘Stop doubting and believe’ (John 20:27), are not just directed at the disciple Thomas. They are directed for of us. Let’s ask the Holy Spirit to help us not just know the peace of God and the hope we have in Jesus but also adjust our living and acting according to it. We need not hide and fear in the face of the big issues faced by our LCANZ or what we face in our private lives. We carry the peace of Jesus in us. We carry his death in us through our baptism and thus also his resurrection (Romans 6:4). God does not rely on us to be quick off the mark – God is simply always with us, always working in and through us. God invites us daily to accept and embrace the peace and hope he gives us, so we can face each day with confidence in his grace and care.
Loving God, I can be slow off the mark when it comes to putting my actions where my words of faith are. Help me understand and trust in the peace and hope you give me and what that means for my everyday life. I want to believe; help my unbelief. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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