April 3, 2005

John 20:19-31

Real Readiness

     Are you ready for tomorrow?  Are you ready for the Big Day?  You know, the largest readiness drill in U.S. history!  It’s called “Top Off” because there will be a lot of Top Officials here for the “mock terrorist attack”.  The Big Wheels are rolling into little old New London to spend millions of tax dollars in the next couple days.  I wonder if we can talk them into leaving a few here at First Church?  Probably not.

     It’s been interesting to watch the local paper over the past couple weeks as the event has been getting closer.  At first, we were assured the drill would have no impact on the town and that we could go about our business as usual.  I’ve been hoping they’re right about that because I begin several days of vacation tomorrow and I don’t want to have to spend my time chasing Navy Seals out the flowerbeds or HumVees out of the driveway!  But I don’t know, the other day a headline read, “New London Braces for Mock Terror Attack”.  Braces?  Uh-oh.

     Well, we’ll just have to see what tomorrow brings.  Chances are, it will affect the town more than some said it would and not as much as others think it might.

     There has been some controversy around this event as some believe it is really all about scaring the American public into giving in to a right-wing political agenda.  Others think this is a whole lot of to-do about nothing and that this drill is necessary so we can be ready for the next terror attack on our country.  There’s probably something to be said for both positions.  Emergency services need to have drills so they can prepare for catastrophes that hopefully never come.  And yes, there is always a propaganda factor when there’s high-level politics involved.  Personally, I’m glad there is some controversy…it helps keep everybody in the conversation and helps provide some balance.

     This drill is supposed to be about being ready for a terrorist attack, having everything in place – people, resources, technology.  It is about going through the motions, trying things out, setting things up so that everything that could go wrong has been thought through and a plan is established.  We are going to see our national response, our national readiness for when the bad guys come.

     But I can’t help but think maybe there’s something missing, no matter how many millions of dollars are going to be spent here in the next couple of days.  With all this talk about readiness, I hear precious little about figuring out why we have enemies in the first place.  If we really want to be ready for the future, doesn’t it make sense to not only build defense and response mechanisms, but bridges of understanding and reconciliation, too?  How about putting the same kind of effort into exploring and resolving the systemic issues that make people want to lash out at each other in the first place?  Shouldn’t we get ready for the future by making peace today?

     We share the story of “Doubting Thomas” every year right after Easter and the focus is usually on wrestling with our doubts even while Jesus meets us with incredible grace.  This is an important theme, but I want to go in a slightly different direction this morning by taking a closer look specifically at what the risen Savior has to say here.  At Christ’s transfiguration, God said, “This is my beloved Son, listen to him.”  Now that he is risen from the dead, victorious over sin and death, it’s probably an especially good time to pay attention.  In this passage about Thomas, Jesus said something he didn’t want the disciples to forget, so he repeated himself and said it three times: “Peace be with you”.

     The times were violent.  Jesus died a violent death.  Real or imagined, there were bad guys at the door, so the door was locked.  The disciples lived in fear that they would be attacked.  But Jesus said, “Peace be with you.”  He didn’t say, “Get even with the bad guys” or “Settle the score” or “Build a wall to protect yourselves.”  He said, “Peace be with you.” 

      He could grant them peace of mind and heart by being there for them and showing them in resurrected form that sin and death are not the end.  But by saying “Peace be with you” it seems he meant more than that.  He was talking about peace as purpose, of being about God’s work in the world, sharing amazing grace, forgiveness, compassion, reconciliation, healing.  He was talking about unlocking the door and going out into the world with the Good News.

    Peace being with us means peace in our being.  It means being about making peace in all we do.  “Peace be with you” is a wonderful blessing.  It is a great challenge, too.

     We will break bread together this morning just as we did on Easter Day and remind one another that Easter continues still.  We will reconcile with God and each other at this table as we taste Christ’s peace.  Forgiven, made new, we are blessed with peace of mind and heart and sent forth to do Christ’s will.  As we gather at this table, commune together and then go out into the world, may Christ’s peace be with us.

     Get ready for tomorrow, for the future.  Peace be with you.