Sermons

Inaugural Service Sermon
2nd Sunday of Easter Season
SERMON:April 23, 2006
Gospel Reading: John 20: 19-31

Showing The Marks
Let peace be your Hall Mark

If you examine a piece of fine silver you will find on it somewhere some marks placed there by the jeweler or manufacturer.

You will find initials or some other sign engraved on the bottom of the item or on the backside of a display object,

These markings are called hallmarks and they have that name because originally, many years ago, all items made of silver - whether pots, dishes, trays, utensils or jewelry were produced by a member of a guild or union, and at one time those guild members both met and worked in large rooms called Halls.

Hallmarks are etched or engraved into every item for two reasons, they tell you two things.

The first reason is to show that the item is actually what it appears to be;
A hallmark is a guarantee of quality and purity.

The second thing a Hallmark does is tell you where the product comes from.
In other words what Hall it comes from, and in some cases, what individual made it.

In England, hallmarks are not only composed of letters or initials, often, and especially in the case of larger items, there is normally a crest incorporated into the markings.

All this business about hallmarks started in the year 1300 when King Edward of England passed a law saying that no precious metal could be sold without a guarantee of its purity being marked on it. From 1300 to this very day the practice of hallmarking has continued in one form or another.

The reason I have gone into all this detail about hallmarks is because hallmarks can help us to understand today's scripture readings and the issues that they speak to.

In the gospel reading today we heard about the Apostle Thomas DOUBTING THOMAS as he has come to be known.

Thomas had not been with the other disciples when Jesus first appeared to them after the resurrection, and when they told him about it his first reaction was a normal one - he did not believe it.

Thomas had a healthy skepticism,

If Thomas had been an American, he would have been from Missouri, the Show Me state; a state,
Which is where most people in this world live in:
not in the physical sense, but in the spiritual sense.

Most of us, no matter what is said about how blessed it is for us to believe without seeing, really want to see first. Don’t’ we?

Like Thomas, we want some evidence before we accept as truth what other people tell us, particularly when they are telling us things that seem impossible.

Thomas would not believe until he himself saw the marks on Jesus
We know, of course, how the story of Thomas came out. Jesus followers were hiding out in a locked room, probably in fear for their lives.
Barred doors made Jesus' followers look more suspicious. At the time, trust within the Jewish community was built upon open access. Doors were never locked. Neighbor children could enter one's house at will. Jews lived private lives in the open. Anyone who locked their doors (save the rural family who lived miles from their neighbor), cut themselves off from the community.
Suddenly Jesus appeared in the locked room and greeted his followers with " Shalom." [20:19b] Shalom ("peace" in Hebrew) meant God was working in the world. When God worked, he put the world in balance. No war, no hatred, no cynicism could overcome God's providence. When God worked, he put the spirit in balance. No fear, no doubt, no lack of trust could overcome the sheer joy of God's presence. Shalom meant everything was right in God's world
Peace is more than a lack of conflict. A lull in action between two opponents only gives them a chance to regroup, to recharge for the next round. A void of violence does not lead to happiness.
True peace, on the other hand, gives us happiness, since it is built on trust. The gospel tells us how Jesus gave his followers peace because they trusted him. In spite of skepticism, he offers us the same peace
Now the first person Jesus speaks to, after he says to his disciples "Peace be with you", is Thomas. Lets talk about that for a moment;

"Put your finger here", he says to Thomas. See my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

Thomas proclaimed,” My Lord, and my God!"
For Thomas as with most of us seeing is believing.

How can we expect all the people from “Missouri” to believe that Jesus is risen from the dead and persuade them to become disciples without providing them with some evidence - some proof that it has really happened?

I know that Jesus said to Thomas after showing him the marks of his death, the marks of his love:

"Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are
those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Jesus was not suggesting that there are no blessings for
those who believe only after seeing, he was only suggesting that doubt can get in the way of our experiencing those blessings.

There is an old tradition in the Church that says that some of the Saints have shown the stigmata,
- that their hands and sides sometimes have bled and looked as if they were pierced by a sharp object, even though no such object has come near them;
- that marks would occasionally appear on their heads as if thorns had been pushed down upon them.

It is a mystical tradition - this one of the stigmata,
- something beyond what we normally experience or witness, but it is a tradition that points us in the right direction for it states that there is something we can show to convince the world of our genuineness, that there is a hallmark that they can look for that proves that someone has fellowship with God and with Christ Jesus his Son.

Quite simply that hallmark is a life that resembles his, a life of light, and of truth, and of faith.

But the most notable part of the hallmark of Christ that we bear when we are truly in Him and He in us - is our love for each other and our desire in that love to be in fellowship with one another and work together in harmony despite all worldly differences that may exist between us. Why does the Christian walk lead through forgiveness to peace? How have you experienced that road?

How can you offer the peace of Christ to others in your daily life?

What will your Hall Mark in life be?