It's Spread By Breath! (a sermon for April 19, 2020)

Before I begin this week's sermon, I want to take a minute to thank everyone for their financial contributions, whether being mailed or made online, to continue to support our congregation, our staff and our mission.

As I hope we learned as children, “The church is not a building; the church is not a steeple; the church is not a resting place; the church is a people. I am the church! You are the church! We are the church together! All who follow Jesus, all around the world! Yes, we're the church together!”

Thank you again for your ongoing support!

And now, today’s message, literally made possible by you!

Over the last several weeks, I’ve shared how the events that we’ve been going through have enabled us to hear scripture in new ways. Certain passages that, once upon a time, we might not even have noticed, suddenly leap off the page because of what we’ve been experiencing!

This, by the way, is exactly why the Bible is so special to us; so sacred. Words written long ago and far away can suddenly be heard by us as the voice of God speaking to us right here and right now! Which is miraculous!

The most recent example of this miracle was the text we read last Sunday on Easter (a text repeated as the first verse of today’s gospel reading.) What in other years may have been heard as a small detail—that the disciples were gathered together in a locked and barricaded room out of fear when the risen Lord Jesus suddenly appeared to them—this year spoke volumes to us!

While we are now sequestered in our homes, that so-called “small detail” proclaims to us—right here and right now—that the risen Lord Jesus also comes to us in the power of the resurrection behind our closed, fearful doors! What happened long ago and far away to others on that first Easter now happens to us!

And what does the risen Lord Jesus break into our worlds to say to us right here and right now?

“Peace,” Jesus says. “Peace be to you.”

Wow! I don’t know about you but I really needed to hear that last week in that most-usual of Easters.

But that was last week! I wonder what God might say to us this week, one week later?

We don’t have to guess and we don’t have to wonder! Scripture again speaks to us in the here and now!

“A week later,” scripture says, describing today; one week after Jesus’ resurrection, “his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas [who, we were told had been missing the week before] “was with them.”

And, then, listen to this, describing today!

“Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

I guess “peace” is a message that Jesus feels is necessary to repeat multiple times to people who cower behind closed doors!

But there’s something else that happened on Easter Sunday that wasn’t included in last Sunday’s reading but we did read today. Something really important!

Did you notice the title of today’s message? It’s called It’s Spread by Breath!” And yes, sadly, that could be describing the Coronavirus, Covid-19.

After all, that’s the reason why we’re still barricaded in our homes! It’s why it’s now essential that, whenever we make our few excursions out of homes and into places with others—places like pharmacies, grocery stores, and gas stations—we need to be wearing masks! (You are wearing masks when you go out amongst others, aren’t you?)

Because it’s spread by breath! Yes, it can also be spread by touch; by touching a surface containing the virus (which is why we need to wash—and keep washing—our hands! (You’re doing that, too, aren’t you?)

But it’s because the Coronavirus can be spread by breathing—and, since we could thus be carrying and spreading the virus without even knowing it—that’s keeping us in our homes, worshipping virtually instead of live and in person.

But that isn’t the only thing that’s spread by breath! Listen again to this portion of today’s gospel reading.

This is describing what Jesus does on Easter evening after showing himself to his disciples while they are still barricaded together behind closed doors and declaring “peace” to them.

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.”

But then he said this! “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this,” scripture says, “he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Did you get that? It’s spread by breath!

Peace isn’t something merely verbal; merely spoken. On Easter, Jesus literally shares—he gives them—the gift of peace by breathing on them … and then asking them to pass it on and along to others. It’s spread by breath!

One of the most interesting aspects of each and every Easter story in the Bible is that Jesus not only appears to his disciples to prove to them what has happened. He also commissions them—giving them a mission to share and spread the good news.

Jesus first gives his followers the gift of peace by breathing on them, as we’ve already shown. But then he commissions them, saying, “If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

The Coronavirus that is spread by breath brings fear, death, and isolation. While we all still need to respect its power and protect ourselves and others by continuing to shelter in place, Jesus still comes to us, again and again, in the power of the resurrection; a power that is not held back by closed doors or hindered by isolation.

Jesus comes to us to breathe peace on us. But then he commissions us to share and spread this good news.

I wonder how you might share this good news? I wonder how you might fulfill this commission?

Is there a phone call you could make? A video call you could try? Or, perhaps even best, is there a good, old fashioned letter you might write to someone in isolation?

As scary and powerful as the Coronavirus is, I want you to realize that the power of Jesus’ resurrection is even more powerful! Jesus comes into our lives—even inside our closed doors—to breathe peace on and over us.

But he doesn’t give this gift only for ourselves. Jesus now commissions us to share that powerful good news to others.

Peace be with you. For Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia and amen.