This Was the Way - A homily for the 3rd Sunday of Easter

Third Sunday of Easter - Year A
This Was the Way
Rev. James A. Wickersham

The two disciples were talking about everything that had happened. That is how the Gospel begins. Two of the Lord’s disciples are leaving Jerusalem, going back to where they came from, trying to make sense of it all.

And what are they talking about? Jesus, the one they hoped in, was crucified. And they say it plainly: we were hoping. You can hear the disappointment. You can hear the confusion. There is a sense that something went wrong. And if we are honest, we would have felt the same way. Many people do feel that way when they look at Holy Thursday and Good Friday. It can seem like something went wrong.

Peace Be With You - A homily for the 2nd Sunday of Easter

 

Second Sunday of Easter
Peace Be With You
Rev. James A. Wickersham

There is a moment in the Gospel today that is easy to miss if we move too quickly. The doors are locked. The apostles are inside. And they are afraid. This is where we find them after everything that happened—after the arrest, the scourging, the crucifixion. After they ran. After Peter denied. After almost all of them disappeared. None of them gave a strong showing. And this is where the risen Lord comes.

He does not wait for them to get their act together. He does not stand outside and demand an explanation. He does not send word ahead to see if they are ready. He comes into the room they have locked, stands in their midst, and says, “Peace be with you.” This is where it changes. Because the story of the apostles is not a story of men who got it right the first time. It is a story of men who failed, who scattered, who were afraid—and who still waited for the Lord to come back to them. And he did.