"The Present and Coming Lord"

Revelation 1:4-8

Two disciples are walking down the road, away from Jerusalem, away from events that still hold them in their grip - the death and reported resurrection of Jesus - and as they walk, and as they talk, discussing what has happened, they are joined by a third, a stranger, who will, as they listen to him teach, and break bread with him, be revealed to them as the risen Jesus. On the Lord's Day, as they share in Word and Sacrament, the crucified and risen Jesus is revealed to them.

On the Lord's Day, the disciples meet in the Upper Room, fearful, anxious, and afraid. Until suddenly Jesus appears among them, and comforts them with the thrice-pronounced blessing: "Peace be with you." And they recognize him, and rejoice in his presence.

On the Lord's Day, one week later, a missing disciple, one who has not yet experienced Jesus' presence - who has not experienced the resurrection - touches the scars of Jesus - and finding himself in the crucified and risen presence, cries, "My Lord and my God!" His doubts are erased, as Jesus reveals himself - not only to him, but to those who are yet to come: "Blessed," he says: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."

And yet again: On the Lord's Day, some years later, John receives a vision. Again, one like the Son of Man is revealed to him: "Him whom they have pierced." The crucified and risen Jesus reveals himself to John in judgment and in hope, on the Lord's Day.

We have just celebrated Easter. On our own road, we have talked about his death, we have contemplated its meaning, we have discussed the possibility of his resurrection, we meet in our "Upper Room," and pause to break bread. We have heard the testimony of the empty grave and of those who witnessed his resurrected presence.

The question today is, "Where will Easter end for us?" With the grave open, with the disciples huddled in the Upper Room, with Thomas absent, with the two heading home from Jerusalem - Is this the point where we stop, is this trip as far as our faith will go - will we leave the question of Jesus' resurrection at the tomb, will we beg the question of his real presence with us now, of the hope of his coming again - will we leave these questions unanswered? Will we leave them in the Upper Room, or along on the road? Will we become Christians at last, or will we be left with simply an empty tomb, wondering, and full of doubts?

That is the question our Gospel lesson asks us today. Thomas, not among the others when Jesus reveals himself, is left, as it were, still in Saturday. He has heard of the empty grave, but has not yet experienced the risen Christ. That is also the question facing John's church as well, as they face persecution - is this Christ of the empty grave still walking among us? Is he the Lord of history? Is this crucified and risen One the present and coming Lord of Lords?

The difference between a church that is alive and a church that is not, is not what kind of worship service they use, or the level of their activity, or the quality of the pastor's sermons. The difference between a Christian whose faith is alive and one whose faith is not, has nothing to do with whether they are conservative or liberal, whether they believe in the inerrancy of scripture and a seven-day creation or not. The difference between a living faith and a living church, or a dead faith and a dead church is, always has been, and always will be just this - do we believe that Jesus was raised from the dead, that he is alive among us, and is coming again? Do we live in that hope, and in that faith?

A physicist, a member of the Dutch underground, who came out of the concentration camps after the Nazi era, was asked: What was the most important book of the Bible to you during that time?" "Revelation," he said, not hesitating for a moment. "Revelation proclaims that dark as times may become, the ultimate victory belongs to Christ. Hang on to him. Hang on to him. We did." That is the message that saw Nelson Mendela through the dark days when he was in prison in South Africa. It is the hope in which millions of persecuted Christians live, and which gives the faith of these Christians a life, a sparkle, a joy that puts our comfortable religion to shame. Living side-by-side with those who suffer without that hope, the message that Christ walks with us, and is coming again in power, is powerful and appealing.

Two disciples were walking along the Road to Emmaus, when they experienced the risen Lord, who came to them, as it were, in Word and Sacrament. As he opened the scriptures to them, they later reflected, "Did not our hearts burn within us?" And as he broke the bread, they recognized his real presence - that he was actually with them. This all happened, while the rest of the disciples were under siege, meeting in the Upper Room, with the door closed, fearing for their lives. Later that day, we are told, Jesus also appeared to the others, except to Thomas, who was not present. And they also were filled with hope and joy - except Thomas. For him, Holy Saturday - the day in which Jesus is in the grave - lasts an extra week. It is not the open grave that wins him over, but the living presence of Jesus - the crucified and risen One. The One who says, "Put your fingers here in my hands and your hand in my side, and do not be faithless, but believing." As with the twelve, as with the two on the road, Thomas comes to faith when Jesus, crucified and risen, comes and reveals himself to him.

In John's time, the church was also under siege. Christians were being persecuted by the empire. They had to put a pinch of incense on the altar, and proclaim, "Caesar is Lord." Many did. Some felt that it was just doing a civic duty. Others, though they felt it was wrong, didn't think it was right to leave their spouses without comfort, and their kids without a parent, over a matter of a little incense. All of them were afraid, just as the disciples were, when they hid in the Upper Room. So Jesus appeared and spoke again to these Christians, through John, with words of peace, to assure them that he is in control. He is present among them, he says, and he is the coming King of Kings. History is in his hand. Even death has no power over them.

In the light of Jesus' resurrection, his living presence, and his coming again, every other claim over our life fades to nothing. That is what the victory of the resurrection is all about. If Jesus is alive and with us - if he is a living reality - if his presence is real - then nothing else is really important. What others think is not important. What others do is not important. Everything is relativized by his presence. If our life is in his hands, if history is in his hands, if even death is relativized by him - then there is no more reason to fear. The greatest weapon the powers of this world have over us have been stripped from them. That is Jesus' message to the disciples, and John's message to the church.

And that is where today's Gospel message and the message of John speak to us, today. We do not live under the Roman emperors, or under the Nazis, or under apartheid, or any of those things. Yet we do live in fear - People are always anxious, always fearful - fearful of getting old and dying; fearful of not having a roof over our head; fearful of what may happen in the future; fearful of what others may think of us. Fearful of ... you fill in the blanks. We are anxious and afraid of so many things. And so our faith is weak and our lives inconsistent.

But if we believe that the Lord of Lords is actually walking with us, that he is truly present with us - right here, right now, on this Lord's Day - today - if we believe he is the Lord of history - the present and coming One, who holds all things in the palm of his hand - we shed these fears - they lose their power over us - we become an unstoppable power, we begin to live out the presence of the kingdom, we become a "foretaste of the feast to come," the feast of God's life and presence among his people, the feast of truth and justice and righteousness. "Neither life, nor death, nor principalities, nor powers, nor any height or depth, nor angels, nor anything in the created order, can separate us from His love," Paul says. John, in his little letter, says it another way: "Perfect love casts out all fear." He's not talking about our love - our love is always imperfect. He's talking about Jesus' love. His love casts out our fear, it stills our anxious hearts and brings peace to them, and creates life out of death, it brings victory from the cross.

On the Lord's Day, the two disciples were on the Road to Emmaus, when the crucified and risen Lord joined them, sharing the Word of promise with them, so that, recognizing his presence in the Word, they later commented, "Did not our hearts burn within us as he shared the Word?" On the Lord's Day, the two disciples recognized that he was really present with them, in the breaking of the bread. And they left, and witnessed to the others, and were forever changed by that experience. On the Lord's Day, Thomas placed his finger in Jesus' wounded hand and side, and proclaimed, "My Lord and my God!" He recognized that Jesus was really present with him, and was forever changed.

What of us? Will we recognize his presence here? Will we leave changed? We who have heard the Word of promise, who have gathered at the table this Lord's Day? Will we be changed, as we receive and recognize the crucified and risen Lord? Will our fears be overcome? Will we become powerful witnesses of the Lord's resurrection? Will we be overcome by hope?

Jesus Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Let us live in the hope of the resurrection, and in the presence of the present and coming Lord.