Spiritual Pacifiers

There has been a lot of talk throughout the ages as to the best way to bring about world peace. Some folks believe pre-emptive strikes and using the threat of nuclear annihilation are the ways to go. Of course, what many of the "nuke’em all" camp seems to forget is when WE nuke THEM, it tends to destroy the planet in the process. "Yeah! We’ll show you! You don’t play by OUR rules, we’ll destroy civilization as we know it! That’ll show you!"

Of course, on the other end of the spectrum, we have the John Lennon Fan Club singing, "All we are saying, is give peace a chance," while terrorism is on the increase. So what DO you do?
I submit to you today my proposal for the best way to achieve world peace. I submit to you today---the binky! Or boo, or pacy, or whatever you called this amazing peacekeeper when you were a child.

Some of you laugh. Some of you are probably in shock. But if you have ever raised or otherwise cared for an infant, you KNOW the power of the binky! And since I personally feel that war is the result of the ultimate in childish, immature, and selfish behavior, a binky might be just the ticket we’ve been looking for all these years.

No, none of us can really doubt the calming effects of a pacifer. Not only does it give the child using it a sense of security, it also gives the adults around the child a sense of peace and quiet.

Then the day comes when its time to lose the pacifer. And oh, what a traumatic time that can be for anyone within hearing distance of the child being weaned from his or her "best friend." But everyone eventually realizes that it is in the child’s best interest for he or she to move on to the next level of maturity, and that means losing the binky. Amazingly enough, everyone always seems to survive this growth process in one piece—a little frayed around the edges, maybe—but OK nonetheless.

You may be surprised to learn that there are things called "spiritual binkys", too. Spiritual binkys are those things we cling to (whether they are healthy or not) that make us feel secure, peaceful, and calm in our spiritual lives.

Actually, spiritual binkys are not a new phenomenon. Take the twelve apostles—well, now eleven as of today’s Gospel reading--for example. We can look at this reading and pick up a few examples from them.

First, in today’s reading, the apostles are hiding in fear for their lives. They have either seen, or been told about, the empty tomb, but as scripture last week told us, they still didn’t quite understand what was going on.

To be fair, they probably had every reason to be afraid. They were Jesus’ main entourage just days earlier. No doubt the religious leaders had picked up on that bit of information. While those leaders may have thought Jesus was the big problem, no doubt they would be looking for the apostles, as well. After all, if one crucifixion is good, just think of the message they could send with eleven more!

The apostles were basically paralyzed with fear; so they tried hiding behind closed doors.
Believe it or not, safe space can actually become a spiritual pacifier. Week after week, people who feel persecuted, beat up, and just plain worn out make their way to churches all over the world. Behind those closed doors, many of these people find safe spaces where they can be loved, affirmed, and refreshed—and that is wonderful! It is my prayer that you find our church a safe place where you feel loved, affirmed, and refreshed by the Holy Spirit, as well.

But just as the time comes to lose the pacifier, the time also comes for us to leave these four walls. We can’t live here. This isn’t a monastery, and it isn’t a convent. The church IS a place of spiritual rest and refreshment. But it is also a place of training where we do NOT sit paralyzed with fear, afraid to leave for fear of what people may say or do when should they just happen to find out we are Christians. The church of the living God is NOT just another closet where we hide in fear! Amen?

Besides, Jesus isn’t going to let us do that for very long, anyway. That is, IF we are open to receiving the power of the Holy Spirit. Scripture today tells us that even though the windows and doors of the place where the disciples were hiding were locked, Jesus STILL came and stood among them!

The symbolism here is very powerful. The locked doors and windows could very well indicate that the disciples really weren’t expecting Jesus to show up; and even if he did, they may have been afraid of what he would do to them since they had deserted Jesus at his darkest hour.
Let me ask us all a question this morning. Do we REALLY expect Jesus to show up here on Sunday mornings? Do we REALLY expect Jesus to show up in our day to day lives? Or, are we more like the apostles in today’s reading? Not really expecting Jesus, and maybe actually afraid for him to show up because we don’t know how he is going to respond to how we’ve been living our lives.

I don’t know about you, but I also really think it is a shame today when Jesus basically has to break into some churches because their doors and windows are locked in fear. Windows and doors that are locked in fear of change, fear of welcoming ALL people, fear of challenging "the way it’s always been done around here." Doors and windows locked in fear by a few people who are afraid of losing their spiritual pacifiers of power, prestige, and—dare I say it—history.
However, the good news is Jesus DOES show up! Like the apostles, it is probably going to freak us out when He does walk through those locked doors of our lives AND our churches, too—ESPECIALLY if we aren’t expecting him.

But we have no reason to fear when Jesus breaks into our lives. Scripture today tells us that Jesus said to the disciples, "Peace be with you, as the Father has sent me, so I am sending you."
Now Jesus had every reason to be disappointed and angry with this group of men he had loved, cared for, and taught over the past three years. But yet he brings greetings of peace.

Jesus Christ does the same thing in our lives. If you had told me ten years ago that one day I would be pastoring a church in Corpus Christi, Texas, I would probably have laughed at you. You see, I wasn’t living exactly what you would call a "pastoral" kind of life at that time.
But as Christ had—and still has—plans for me, so Christ has plans for YOU. Jesus brings greetings of peace, yes; but Jesus also presents us with a job to do. Remember, Jesus told the apostles, …"so I am sending you…"

Sending us? Sending us where? EVERYWHERE, folks! We are called to leave this place and proclaim God’s life-changing love for ALL people to our families, to our friends, to our co-workers…everyone who will listen!

How do we do that? We get the answer from scripture today. Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit upon the disciples. God equips us through the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives to go out and make disciples of all nations.

You may still be thinking, "OK, the Holy Spirit helps me out. Great! Still HOW do I make disciples of all nations? How do I make Jesus REAL for others?"

We make Jesus real for others—those whom we may call "Doubting Thomas or Doubting Teresa"-- through the examples of our lives. We show the nail prints of Christ’s hands to others when we put our hands to work to help those who are less fortunate than us.

We show the wound in Jesus’ side to others when we bend and stretch ourselves to not only look at, but also to ACTUALLY TRY new ways of doing ministry in this changing world. Jesus Christ demonstrated a radical new way of discipleship, service, and relating to one another in the culture in which he lived. If we call ourselves Christian, I ask you, "Can WE really afford to do anything less?"

As God sent Jesus, so Jesus sends us. Scary thought? You bet it is! But when we are afraid, let us take comfort from these words of Christ: "Remember I am with you ALWAYS, even until the end of the age."

It’s a promise we can all count on. Amen?