Dear Christian friends:

As you can see we have another Easter today. Our Easter lilies are still blooming. We are again singing happy, hallelujah Easter hymns and our text is a continuation of the Easter events of last Sunday.

The happenings of the first Easter Day and evening are so wonderful and so important for us, that we want to attend to them again today and find more comfort, joy and life through Jesus who died and now is alive forevermore.

Really we ought to be as happy today as last Sunday, yes, for us every Sunday ought to be a new Easter Day. That is why the first Christians chose Sunday as their day of worship instead of Saturday: But for many who were gathered here last Sunday the joy of Easter has faded and died like some of these lilies during the past week have withered and died.

Lets keep our faith and joy alive and attend to our second Easter text. In it the Risen Savior says to us: "Peace Be Unto You". The ten disciples did not yet have peace. It was Easter evening and they were hiding behind locked doors, because they were afraid of the Jews who on Friday had crucified their leader. Although Jesus had arisen that morning and had appeared alive unto some of the women disciples, these men refused to believe that He had risen from death. Before He died Jesus had told them that He must suffer and die as the prophets wrote and on the third day rise.

But they failed to understand the need of His dying and so also could not understand or believe that He had risen and was alive. Jesus must die because God asked Him to die for us to pay for our sins and for everyone's sin. This He could do and this He did do perfectly because He is the holy Son of God. The disciples, like us, failed to see the need for Jesus' death on the cross, because we don't want to believe or confess that we are such bad sinners. So quickly Jesus comes to us as He came to these disciples, shows Himself alive and says, peace to us and then shows us the nail holes in His hands and the spear gash in His side. Yes, we are very bad sinners, yes, God's holy Son did die to pay for our sins, but don't fear or go away to hide from Him. He loves you anyway, and comes to you and says, "Peace be unto you!"

After Jesus said this to the ten disciples they were very happy to see the Lord. So we are happy, too. Jesus who died with our burden of sin is now alive and glorious He will never die again. He says, "I am the first and the last and the Living One; I died, and, behold, I am alive forevermore." (Revelations 1:18) On that evening He appeared to them in the room although the doors were locked. He does not have the limited body and life as He had before. It is the same body with nail holes and spear gash or scars but now it is changed and glorious. It can appear and disappear. It can go through walls and locked doors. It can ascend into the heavens without a rocket ship. It is not limited by space or time. His body is a glorious everlasting body.

He promises that our body, too, will one day be changed and glorious like His, never to die again. This should make us very glad, because our bodies do become old and ugly and finally die. Many of us are ashamed of our bodies, only the young girls are proud to where mini skirts, bikini swimming suits. But don't worry Jesus will change your body and make it new and wonderful like His.

So we have peace and joy in our crucified and now risen and living Savior Jesus. And with this peace and joy He gives us new life and new work. Jesus said to them, "Peace to you, as the Father sent Me, so I send you." Then He breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they're not forgiven." Now Jesus breathes His Spirit into us and we become alive, alive with life that never dies. Alive with love and mercy and kindness and patience so we can tell one another: "I forgive you. Peace! Don't be afraid! Have courage. Hope in God! Jesus gives us His Spirit so we can be alive in our families, here in our church, where we work and play. We must daily remember that Jesus who died is now alive and that we are alive like Him. By baptism we have been joined with Him in His death and joined with Him in His resurrection. We now should be dead to sin but alive to God. We no more serve sin but serve God our wonderful Father in heaven.

"Peace be unto You!" Jesus is sending you and His Spirit and life are in you. You will do His work.

Amen