John 20,19-23, 2026<\/p>\n
Spirit of God, at Pentecost you created new understanding among Jesus\u2019 gathered
\ndisciples, filling them with your Spirit to witness to your love in ways all those who
\nwere gathered could hear and understand. On Healing and Reconciliation Sunday,
\nthis Pentecost Day, we ask to be filled with your Spirit again, that we may be
\ntransformed by new understanding of your love and of what is required of us,
\nthrough the breath of your Word. Breathe your energy and understanding into
\nthe work of healing and reconciliation to which we are called, and enliven us to
\nact faithfully in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.<\/p>\n
Today we are considering the story of Jesus appearing to the disciples and the
\ngiving of the gift of the Spirit
\nThis story of the giving of the Spirt is a quieter and more intimate telling than the
\none we usually hear at this time of year
\nWhen we speak of the gift of the Holy Spirit, we usually think of the story in Acts
\nOf the day that the Spirit of God came upon the followers of Jesus who were
\ngathered in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost
\nIt is the story of a dramatic giving of the Spirit in tongues of fire and rushing wind
\nIt is adventurous and exciting
\nIn John\u2019s telling of the giving of the Holy Spirit the Spirit is given in a quieter way
\nWe are told that on the evening of the first day of the week that the disciples
\nwere in a house where the doors were locked
\nWhen I read this story I usually have the mental image of the 11 remaining
\ndisciples of the 12 disciples that Jesus had chosen<\/p>\n
2<\/p>\n
Those who study the scriptures extensively say there is no reason to believe that
\nthe gathering of disciples was only the eleven
\nThe group of disciples may well have included others who had chosen to become
\ndisciples of Jesus
\nRegardless of who was in that group of disciples, or how many there were, we
\nknow that the disciples feared those who were on the other side of the doors of
\nthe house
\nAnd as the gathered there, afraid because Jesus had been put to death by the
\nauthorities
\nJesus came and stood among them
\nHis first words were \u201cPeace be with you\u201d
\nMany commentators make a lot of these words
\nIf Jesus begins by giving peace, he must know that state in which the disciples find
\nthemselves
\nThey are not feeling peace
\nThe are afraid
\nTheir loved leader and teacher had been publicly executed
\nThey are afraid for their own safety
\nThey may be unsure of who they can trust
\nThis is day two after Jesus\u2019 death, and they are locked up in a house, but they
\nmust know they can not stay here for a long time
\nThey have families to care for, jobs that need to be done, they need to grow food
\nor buy it, they need to pay taxes and support the work of the synagogue or
\ntemple<\/p>\n
3<\/p>\n
Hiding in a house may work for a day or two, but they all know that they will have
\nto face the outside world soon
\nAs well as all the fears and worries about material things, and about the reaction
\nof the community authorities, these disciples would be facing the sadness that
\ncame as their hopes that Jesus would be the one to redeem Israel were shattered
\nThese disciples had followed Jesus because of the message he had preached, they
\nsaw that he healed the sick that the blind had their sight restored, and so they
\nhad hope
\nBut on the sixth day of the previous week, they had seen Jesus die on a cross
\nJesus had then been taken down and laid in a tomb
\nAnd here it was the first day of a new week, and their hopes were as dashed on
\nthis first day as they had been the day before
\nWhat might it have been like to be there with those early disciples?
\nTo feel as if there was little reason the have hope?
\nTo fear the authorities of the community?
\nTo wonder if it would be safe to return to your occupation?
\nAnd then in the midst of that fear and worry to have Jesus appears and say
\n\u201cPeace be with you.\u201d
\nAnd when you hear those words you know that you are not alone
\nYou may remember other times that Jesus spoke of peace
\nWhen he said \u201cPeace to you.\u201d and then he reminded you and the others followers
\nthat Jesus gives peace not \u201cas the world gives\u201d (14:27); [but] he gives peace that
\nprovides solace in the face of persecution, a promise of new possibilities, and
\nconfidence in his ability to overcome \u201cthe world\u201d (16:33). (Matt Skinner. Working
\nPreacher 2020)<\/p>\n
4<\/p>\n
When Jesus appeared in that locked house he witnessed the grief and fear of the
\ndisciples, and he twice speaks to them the words \u201cPeace be with you.\u201d These
\nwords harken back to an earlier scene in the Gospel, where Jesus tells the
\ndisciples that God will give them \u201canother Advocate,\u201d the \u201cSpirit of truth\u201d
\n(14:16\u201317, 26), and says, \u201cPeace I leave with you; my peace I give to you\u201d (14:27).
\nIt\u2019s easy to imagine that \u201cpeace be with you\u201d was a familiar and comforting
\nrefrain that the disciples received from the lips of Jesus many times when they
\nneeded it most, as he spoke words of peace into hearts gripped by fear.
\n(Cody J Sanders. Working Preacher, 2026)<\/p>\n
After Jesus gives the comforting message, peace be with you, he shows the
\ndisciples his hands and his side.
\nJesus meets the fear of the disciples by laying bare the marks that death has
\ncarved into his body. The one who was dead now lives, but the signs of death are
\nnot erased. \u201cHe showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced
\nwhen they saw the Lord\u201d (20:20).
\nIn this singular verse is the Gospel encapsulated: Christ has died, Christ is risen,
\nChrist will come again. In this moment of witnessing death unambiguous and
\nresurrection life unmistakable, Jesus comes again to them.
\nIn their grief, he gathers with them. Into their fear, he speaks words of peace. In
\nhis body, he gives them a glimpse of resurrection life in the living body of one
\ncrucified.
\nCody J Sanders. Working Preacher, 2026)<\/p>\n
5<\/p>\n
With very few words and one gesture Jesus is able to touch the hearts and spirits
\nof the disciples who had been hiding in fear, and to give them reason for hope
\nand joy
\nWe are told the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord
\nThe disciples went from fear that kept them hidden to a state of rejoicing
\nWe assume they were expressing and feeling great joy, happiness or celebration
\nThe disciples were no longer motivated by terror, but by joy in the presence of
\nthe risen Jesus
\nThe amazing truth that had been made known to them was so deep and real that
\nthey are no longer controlled by fear
\nNow that the disciples are no longer controlled by fear Jesus again says peace be
\nwith you, this time he goes on to say \u201cAs the Father has sent me, so send I you\u201d
\nThose disciples, and we disciples who are here today, are sent just as Jesus was
\nsent
\nWe see that the Father sent Jesus to minister to the lost people of the earth and
\nthat Jesus responded with complete obedience
\nJesus sent those early disciples, and Jesus sends us as the Father sent him
\nWe as the disciples of Jesus are to follow his example, to go in complete
\nobedience and to follow his example
\nJesus talked to people who were lonely and ill
\nHe healed the sick and spent time with the overlooked
\nHe also talked to those who were powerful, who were educated, who were
\nRoman citizens, even those who disagreed with him
\nJesus brought the gospel to everyone who needed it
\nIn the same way we are to bring the gospel to our world<\/p>\n
6<\/p>\n
Jesus then breathed on the disciples and they received the Holy Spirit
\nTo some of us that act of breathing on the disciples is evocative of the Spirit of
\nGod breathing life into creation in Genesis
\nRecalling the moment when God breathed life into the original earth person in
\nGenesis 2:7 (cf. Ezekiel 37:9), Jesus breathes the Spirit of life into (not merely
\n\u201con\u201d) his followers in John 20:22. A new creation is afoot. This creation does not
\nreplace \u201cthe world.\u201d It engages\u00a0it.
\n(Matt Skinner. Working Preacher. 2020)<\/p>\n
The act of Jesus breathing the Spirit upon the disciples reminds us of creation, and
\nit is also a commissioning
\nOne writer that I read this week suggested that the quiet giving of the spirit in
\nJohn\u2019s gospel was closer to his experience than the story in Acts
\nHe was baptized as a baby, and the spirt came upon him like a heaven descended
\ndove
\nThe Spirit has come to him in more times in his life
\nOften the presence of the Spirit is in a quiet way
\nIt is reminiscent of the hymn like the murmur of the dove\u2019s song
\nLike the murmur of the dove\u2019s song, \u2026 come Holy Spirit come
\nAnd then goes on to say
\nWith the healing of division, with the ceaseless voice of prayer,
\nWith the power to love and witness,
\nWith the peace beyond compare
\nCome Holy Spirit, come<\/p>\n
7<\/p>\n
God enables us to act in his name, and to share the gospel by the breath of the
\nSpirit given to believers
\nThis can motivate us to ask, why if God sends the Spirit do we experience the
\nSpirit so little?
\nIt may be because we miss the Spirit
\nThat is to say, the Spirit is present, but we are preoccupied with other things and
\nmiss what God is giving<\/p>\n
There is an ancient tale that tells of a young monk coming to the abbot of his
\norder for spiritual direction. The young man asks his superior:\u00a0\u201cWhere shall I look
\nfor peace?\u201d
\n\u201cHere,\u201d the abbot said.
\n\u201cWhen will it happen?\u201d
\n\u201cIt is happening right now,\u201d the abbot said.
\n\u201cThey why don\u2019t I experience it?\u201d
\n\u201cBecause you do not look,\u201d the abbot said.
\n\u201cWhat should I look for?\u201d
\n\u201cNothing,\u201d the abbot said, \u201cJust look.\u201d
\n\u201cAt what?\u201d
\n\u201cAnything your eyes alight upon,\u201d the abbot said.
\n\u201cMust I look in a special kind of way?\u201d
\n\u201cNo,\u201d the abbot said, \u201cYou don\u2019t.\u201d
\n\u201cWhy ever not?!\u201d the monk demanded.
\n\u201cBecause to look you must be here,\u201d said the abbot, \u201cAnd you\u2019re mostly
\nsomewhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n
8<\/p>\n
(Day1. Come O Holy Spirit Come, A Pentecost Sermon. Rev Dr Russell J Levinson
\n(r.)<\/p>\n
For most of us the introduction to faith was not dramatic
\nWhen we were baptized we know God sent the Spirit because God is true to
\npromises made
\nThere was no wind or flame
\nBut there were promises made
\nOur parents were asked if they confessed their faith in God as Heavenly Father, in
\nJesus Christ as Saviour and the Holy Spirit as their sanctifier.
\nThey promised to rely on divine grace to teach the truth and duties of the
\nChristian faith, and by prayer, precept and example to bring their children up in
\nthe knowledge and love of Christ and his church.
\nIn later years we would come to make our own profession of faith and many of us
\nbrought our own children for baptism
\nThese times may have been more planned and public than the giving of the Spirit
\nwe read of in John\u2019s gospel today
\nThese occasions are alike in that they depend upon the grace and love of God
\nGod who is true to us
\nGod who guides us
\nGod who commissions us as disciples<\/p>\n
Today, take a moment and hold these questions in your heart
\nDo you believe in God as your heavenly Father, in Jesus Christ as your Saviour and
\nthe Holy Spirit as your sanctifier?<\/p>\n
9<\/p>\n
Do you promise to rely on divine grace to enable you to continue to grow in faith
\nand to serve God faithfully in your day to day life?<\/p>\n
PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING AND INTERCESSION
\nTeach response: Spirit of Power and Promise,
\nMove within us and renew our faith<\/p>\n
Wind of the Spirit, blow through us on this day of Pentecost and renew our faith.
\nRe-awaken our love for you and give us energy to serve you in Christ\u2019s
\nChurch.
\nHelp us recognize needs for ministry and mission,
\nand equip us to meet new challenges in ways we haven\u2019t dared before.
\nHelp us discern and enact the transformation needed to heal the harms
\nyour church has caused, working for truth, healing and right relations with
\nIndigenous peoples.
\nGive us strength for the tasks to which we are called,
\nboth collectively and individually,
\nand breathe through us in prayer and praise.
\nSpirit of Power and Promise,
\nMove within us and renew our faith.<\/p>\n
Wind of the Spirit, blow through us and give us understanding
\nfor the challenges facing our communities and your creation
\nin these complex times.
\nWe pray too for renewed commitment and your guidance<\/p>\n
10<\/p>\n
to work for the truth, healing, reconciliation and repentance that we are
\ncalled to do
\nfor the church\u2019s role in colonization and residential schools.
\nTransform us as disciples who give faithful witness to you and your love.
\nSpirit of Power and Promise,
\nMove within us and renew our faith.<\/p>\n
Wind of the Spirit, blow through us and bring healing
\nfor all who face pain or illness, discouragement or disappointment,
\nfor all who know sorrow, sadness or grief,
\nand for those who face pressures coping with the cost of living.
\nWe ask you to bring healing to the earth, to places of upheaval and to
\necosystems at risk.
\nSpirit of Power and Promise,
\nMove within us and renew our faith.<\/p>\n
Wind of the Spirit, blow through us and bring us the compassion we see in
\nChrist Jesus.
\nBlow through us and refresh us as your faithful followers,
\nequipped to serve the world you love in his name,
\nwarm our hearts with trust in Jesus Christ
\nand dare us to live lives of loving service in his name
\nas together we pray in his name, Amen. the words he taught us:<\/p>\n
11<\/p>\n
COMMISSIONING AND BENEDICTION
\nGo in the strength of the Spirit, to greet those we meet with understanding,
\nloving service and care. And may the God of hope fill you with all joy and
\npeace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy
\nSpirit and the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
John 20,19-23, 2026 Spirit of God, at Pentecost you created new understanding among Jesus\u2019 gathered disciples, filling them with your Spirit to witness to your love in ways all those who were gathered could hear and understand. On Healing and Reconciliation Sunday, this Pentecost Day, we ask to be filled with your Spirit again, that … Continue reading “Written Sermon for May 24th, 2026”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":37,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t