Jesus, the resurrected one, enters a locked room and says, ‘Peace be with you’. Can you imagine the disbelief and the exhilaration of that moment for the disciples as they gather scared and thrown off completely by the circumstances that have transpired since Jesus death. Their Rabonni is not there – in fact he is nowhere to be found, he has outgrown the tomb, it has served its purpose and now – now what?

I have a bit to say about the ‘now what’ in our ‘gathered church online’ service this week. For some you might watch it live or later and for some you’ll get the message delivered to you. But for all of you I want to say…. the world the disciples found themselves in was a confusing and chaotic place – a place lacking ‘peace’ ( by that I don’t mean the absence of chaos and confusion). This situation is not so unfamiliar to us. We are faced with questions like – where is Jesus? What now? Is it possible that Jesus really has risen and has inaugurated a new way of being? Can I believe the reports of others who claim to have encountered Jesus personally? (more…)