Peace Resurrected - Conclusion

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ John 20:19 NIVUK https://bible.com/bible/113/jhn.20.19.NIVUK

Norway was a place that was on our bucket list. So we saved up, travelled to Newcastle and got on a ship bound for the fjords. Anyone who's done that journey will tell you that it can be very choppy. Even in the summer. The crossing from Newcastle to Norway across the North Sea takes twenty-four hours, most of which was spent stumbling around from cabin to event to restaurant as if we were drunk - not that any of us had experience of what that feels like. When we arrived at our first fjord, we got out the ship. Just one problem. Our inner ear had adjusted to the movement of the ship in the waves. When we landed, it needed a while to adjust. So as soon as we stepped out onto dry land, we stumbled. As if we were drunk. Even if we were stone cold sober (honest!) and on terra firma. It must have been an amusing sight for any Norwegians passing by: all these foreign tourists stepping outside their ship and struggling with their balance. Now that's perfectly okay for a few minutes while your balance adjusts. It's not okay if the hours pass and you're still wobbling like a jelly. If that happens, then there's no doubt about it: you need medical attention. Friends, we are passing through the worst crisis the world has faced since 2 September 1945. The Vietnam War, the Falklands War, the Irish Troubles, the Cold War, both Gulf Wars, 9/11, Al Qaeda, Islamic State, North Korea... nothing can compare with this. We are living through times that will become the stuff of legends. This is the world's greatest storm for seventy-five years. It's normal that there will be wobbles. It's normal that there will be stumbles. It's normal for us to lose our balance now and then. But what's not normal is for the stumble to become how we walk through life. What's not normal is for fear, faithlessness and fretting to become our default setting. What's not at all normal is for current events to completely overshadow the greatest event in history. The disciples were a broken, dispirited group when they met behind that locked door. But at least they had the courage to meet. And so must we. We should never be alone in a time like this. We need each other. And we have the technology to be with each other without being a danger to anyone. When we gather, we must open the door and let the Risen Christ in. Let Him stand among us. Let Him show us the wounds which show that He died for us. Let Him show the scars that our sin inflicted on Him. But let Him prove to us that He is alive. Let Him show His victory over death and hell. But most of all, let Him give us His peace: the peace that comes from knowing that even our most fearful, dangerous enemy has been defeated. Let Him give us peace to calm our troubled, doubting minds and give us clarity and certainty. Let Him chase away the doubts and replace them with faith. I pity those without the Risen Christ in their lives. I don't know how they will make it through this crisis. But I pity even more those who have Him, but are still lacking His peace because the door to their heart is locked up tight. Let Him in, Christian. If you hear Him knocking, let Him in. He will give you what you need to get through this. He died to save you. He rose to show you the way to victory. Let Him in and it will be yours.