Peter began to speak to the crowd. He told them about Jesus' death and resurrection. "They put him to death by hanging him on a tree," he told them. "God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead."

Today we too will be witnesses who eat and drink with Jesus the Christ after he rose from the dead. For today will we share in the Lord's supper.

When Jesus first took the bread and broke it for his disciples he said to them, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." Much of what happens in communion is about remembering. The Jewish understanding of remembering is different from our understanding. To the ancient Jews, remembering is calling something from the past into the present. It is more than a memory, it is real and present. In sharing communion we are calling into the present Jesus who walked on the earth 2000 years ago. The resurrection is now. Jesus is alive now. In the Lord's supper, Jesus lives.

While the bread is a reminder of Jesus himself, the cup is a reminder of the new covenant. Christ's blood of the new covenant is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. The cup reminds us, calls into the present the forgiveness that God gives us through the resurrection. Liberation from the guilt of our sins did not happen once (when Christ rose 2000 years ago), it happens every time we share in the cup of salvation. The new covenant is now. The forgiveness of sins is now. In the Lord's supper, we are forgiven now.

Lastly, Jesus says that he will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that great and glorious day when he drinks with us in God's kingdom. The wine reminds us that we will see Jesus in heaven. The cup brings into the present God's heavenly banquet of peace and love and justice. In the cup, the Kingdom of Heaven is now. Peace and love and justice are now and we are witness to them as we share this meal.

Thanks be to God who makes the past the present, who gives us the grace of the Lord's Supper. Thanks be to God who moves the reality of Jesus Christ's resurrection from the year 29 AD to 1999. Thanks be to God who invites us into the presence of the living Christ, who invites us into a life of forgiveness and who invites us to a heavenly banquet where we are all loved and at peace. Amen.

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The group of men had gathered in the evening in a safe place. They were afraid. Earlier that day, Mary had run into the house, laughing, crying telling them the wonderful news. She told them that Jesus was alive. It hadn't quite sunk in yet, they were still afraid. Mary had been so excited, but it just didn't seem real. Besides what were they supposed to do now? The Jewish authorities were still very much a threat. Were they supposed to risk life and limb to go out and tell people that Mary had seen the risen Lord? What if it wasn't true?

And so they hid. They were too afraid to go outside. Everyone hid, except for Thomas. Thomas was the only one who was brave enough to go outside. He went to get food, to run errands, to find out what the authorities were up to, to hear what people where saying. While the rest of the group hid behind locked doors, Thomas was running around town.

The doors were locked. And then, he appeared to the group. Jesus came and stood among them and wished them peace. "Peace be with you," he said.

The rest of the group had seen him. They saw and believed. To the disciples faith was seeing and believing. But brave Thomas was away and did not see and believe. For all he knew they could have just been caught up in a pipe dream. Thomas, cool-headed, clear-thinking Thomas asks the rest of the group to think. "Are you all sure of what you saw?" Thomas says to the group. "Maybe it was a figment of your imagination or a ghost? Was it really the risen Lord?"

"Unless I see the mark of the nails and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe that Jesus is risen from the dead."

For Thomas, like the rest of the disciples, faith is seeing and believing.

Today, in St. Paul, four young women declared their faith. They have declared what they believe about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit and they have made promises to work in the church. For the first generation of disciples, faith is seeing and believing.

This story marks a turning point in what faith is. While faith to the disciples is seeing and believing, Jesus blesses those of us who believe without seeing. "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe"

Today we can all here that message for us who believe, we can hear that message for the four young women who have stood here today and said, "I believe."

When young people are confirmed, what can often happen is that Confirmation becomes graduation out of the church. Sometimes this happens because there are no programs for young people and the special needs of youth. Confirmation may become a graduation out of the church because youth enter into a different stage of their faith, where the church no longer speaks to them.

In his book Faith is a Verb, author Kenneth Stokes argues that there are various stages of faith development as one grows and matures. In this theory, there are six stages of faith, stage six being the most mature. On this confirmation Sunday and this "doubting Thomas Sunday", I thought it appropriate to present the stages of faith development.

Now, I as go through these stages, I trust that you won't feel judged in any way, that you are somehow better or worse than someone in a different stage. I hope this for several reasons. First, mature does not mean better, in the same way my 90 year old Grandfather is more mature than my 2 year old niece, but not in any way better. Also, we can cycle through the stages, not necessarily linearly, and we all have a bit of all the stages in us. Lastly, each stage is affirmed Biblically as a good and safe place to be.

The first stage can be described as a child-like faith. Primarily it is a reflection of parental faith, where fantasy, imagination, and powerful images play an important role. It is a faith understood through family experience. It is an important kind of faith, even for adults. Jesus says, "Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it."

The second stage is a literalist stage. The authority of Biblical narratives and religious tradition are likely to be important at this stage. There is a simplicity and security and for some it is a basis for a lifetime of deep conviction and commitment, while for others it is a starting point for new explorations of faith.

Much of what happens in Sunday School, besides play and crafts, is information sharing and learning. In the Catholic Church, people learn the rosary. In protestant churches, we memorize Bible verses, and in both many learn the Lord's prayer. These are important pieces of knowledge that people can rely on in times of spiritual need.

Alice was very sick in the hospital. She was suffering with altziemers and parionia. As she neared death she was less and less functional. Near the end, the only thing she could remember, the only thing she could do, was to sing hymn she had learned in Sunday School - hymns like "Jesus loves me" and "Amazing Grace." Singing those old hymns where the only thing that seemed to calm her and bring her comfort. Her family was grateful that she had learned those old hymns so many years ago.

In the third stage of faith development the emphasis is on those creeds, doctrines, and traditions that are the expected norms for membership in a particular group. People value community because they are around others with the same beliefs. The group confirms the person's faith. Not surprisingly, this results in churches being formed, like the United Church, where people can find some common faith identity. This is an important stage because people gather in community, form a church and support a minister.

This is also the stage that most members of confirmation classes are in. In confirmation class it was important that the girls be around people their own age, that they had a sense of belonging. Often churches fail young people in this stage because they are too old to be in regular Sunday School learning what stage 2 children learn, and they are too young to be upstairs in worship where they are bored with the service. For youth in stage 3 it is more important to be among their friends then to be in a church with solid theological rationale.

Stage four can be described as the critic. Parents can be shocked and upset at this stage when their teenager comes to the dinner table and says "Mom, I don't know if I believe in God anymore!"

Parents may react in a variety of ways. According to Strokes, parents should rejoice when their teenagers no longer want to go to church because it means that they are growing and maturing in their faith.

Stage 4 involves doubting, struggling with new concepts, and even sometimes rejecting traditional assumptions. It is not a comfortable stage, and one does not usually stay in this stage for a long period of time. Struggles in this stage can often lead back into stage two or stage three or even completely out of any direct dealing with faith issues.

And so we return to the story of Thomas. "Doubting Thomas" often gets a bad wrap for not having faith. But of course, he has faith, he is in stage 4 of his faith development. And he doesn't stay there for very long. According to the non-cannonical writing, "Acts of Thomas," (that is one of the ancient writings that did not become part of the Bible) Thomas's mission work carries him as far as India. In India, it is written that he was martyred, and in India Thomas came to be revered as a patron saint of the Christian Church.

Stage four, while difficult to watch and go through, is an important and necessary step for maturing faith.

In stage 5, the experiences from stages 1-4 are integrated into an understanding of faith that is unique. This faith is no longer an expression of parents, church, books, or peers, but is clearly one's own. In stage 5, one can understand various perspectives and there is tolerance for people not showing stage 5 understanding. Although person's faith is truly his/her own, his/her theology or morality may be very traditional. What is important is that the faith has come to this point through individual decision, and not the pressures of others.

Lastly, is stage six of faith development. This is when faith is more than beliefs or even a way of life, but is one of total commitment to the ongoing, guiding presence of God. In this stage actions are in complete unison with the Holy Spirit. This is what happens to the disciples after they see and believe. After they come out from hiding behind the locked doors, the disciples will risk life and limb to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. In the coming weeks, we will enter into the Pentecost season and we will see the cowardly disciples become strong, brave men of faith who are willing to speak before the same authorities who killed Jesus. This is because they have been given the Holy Spirit, they have experienced the Risen Christ and they have accepted the call to true discipleship. They are in sync with the work of the Holy Spirit.

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Our text today is one of the wonderful stories of scripture. Two people are walking towards Emmaus when a stranger walks alongside them. They do not know that this stranger is Jesus. They talk about what has taken place, about Jesus' crucifixion, about the hope they had once had. Jesus explains scripture to them as they walk, and winds up sharing a meal with them. It is when he breaks the bread that the two recognize that it is Jesus.

There are various bodily movements and actions and descriptions in this story. Jesus' resurrection changed everything--because of Easter, all things are new. This morning, we are going to look at the various actions described in this story and the changes they represented--both for those two travelers on the road to Emmaus, and for us.

Two people leave Jerusalem, downcast and despondent over the death of Jesus, and walk towards Emmaus. One is a man named Cleopas, but we are not told who the other was. It may have been a friend, it may have been his wife, we really don't know. Some commentators have pointed out that the other person well may have been a woman--in that day, if a man and woman were together, chances are only the man would be mentioned by name. At any rate, as these two walk the road, a stranger joins them. It is Jesus, but they do not recognize him. The passage tells us "their eyes were kept from recognizing him." How were their eyes kept from recognizing him?

We do not really know for sure what kept them from seeing Jesus. But they did not recognize him. They talked with him, visited with him, heard him discuss the scriptures, and they were so impressed with this stranger that they invited him to stay with them for the night. As they shared the meal together, Jesus broke the bread, and it was then that they recognized Jesus. He was made known in the breaking of the bread.

This is significant for a lot of reasons. It says something about the Lord's Supper, that just as the bread is broken, Jesus' body is broken, and we see Jesus more clearly as we come to the Table.

There is more to this story. This story also tells us that the disciples saw Jesus in the midst of a very common, ordinary experience--sharing a meal. What can be more basic than that?

It was not in a flash of lightning that they saw him. It was not after a spectacular miracle, and it was not during a stirring sermon. It was just the two of them and Jesus, sharing a meal.

When do we see Jesus? When are our eyes opened to Jesus in our midst? It may be that we can see Jesus in the common, simple, everyday activities of life. Like when we share a meal. When Jesus said, "as often as you do this, do this in remembrance of me," He likely was not talking strictly of the communion meal. When we sit down and have a taco and a Pepsi, do we remember Jesus? When you have a Big Mac or steak and potato, do we remember Jesus? Do we call Jesus in the present. Is the presence of Christ with us in the meal?

God's love is so often made real to us in simple acts.

There once was a little boy who decided he wanted to find God. He knew it would probably be a long trip, so he decided to pack a lunch - four packs of Twinkies and two cans of root beer.

He set out on his journey and went a few blocks until he came to a park. On one of the benches sat an old woman looking at the pigeons.

The little boy sat down beside her and watched the pigeons too. When he grew hungry, he pulled out some Twinkies. As he ate, he noticed the woman watching him, so he offered her one. She accepted it gratefully and smiled at him. He thought she had he most beautiful smile in the world. Wanting to see it again, he opened a can of root beer and offered her the other. Once again she smiled that beautiful smile.

For a long time the two sat on that part bench eating Twinkies, drinking root beer, smiling at each other, and watching the pigeons. Neither said a word. Finally the little boy realized that it was getting late and he needed to go home. He started to leave, took a few steps, turned back and gave the woman a big hug. Her smile was brighter than ever before.

When he arrived home, his mother noticed that he was happy, but strangely quiet. "What did you do today?" she asked. "Oh, I had lunch in the park with God," he said. Before his mother could reply he added, "You know, she has the most beautiful smile in the world."

Meanwhile, the woman left the park and returned home. Her son noticed something different about her. "What did you do to day, Mom?" he asked. "Oh, I ate Twinkie and drank root beer in the park with God." And before her son could say anything at all, she added, "You know, God is a lot younger than I had imagined."

The two travelers shared a meal with Jesus, and their eyes were opened. In this story, we also find listening ears. Jesus joined the two on the road and he listened. They told him all about what had happened that week, about how this man named Jesus had been arrested and killed and how he had given them such hope but now it was gone. Of course, Jesus knew better than they did what had happened that last week. Yet he listens. He hears their hurt, their pain, their loss. He is patient with them. Jesus did not force himself on them, and Jesus does not force himself on us.

In the same way Jesus listen to us. He is patient. He listens, he walks with us, he takes initiative and desires a relationship with us but does not force himself.

And then, there were proclaiming lips. By this, I do not mean the same thing as "running at the mouth." The discussion is more purposeful here. There was a lot of talking going on, of course, talk about important things, matters of life and death, and some of that talk had to do with the Bible. As they walked, Jesus explained the scriptures to them. He started with Moses and went through the prophets, explaining the teaching about the Messiah. No doubt these were people who had heard all of this before. No doubt they knew the Bible. Yet Jesus explained it to them.

We need to hear the Word of God again and again. Sometimes we don't get it. Sometimes we forget it. Sometimes we need to be reminded. Sometimes we need to be encouraged by words we already know.

This passage also speaks of burning hearts. After the meal with Jesus, the two remembered what had happened on the road and said, "were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?"

When they said that their hearts were burning, this is not the same as heartburn. This was not the result of too many spicy burritos. A better way to think of this might be to say that their hearts were warmed.

As Jesus explained the scriptures and the two understood God's salvation in Christ, their hearts were warmed. Their hearts were set on fire. That is what Easter can do for us. Believing that Jesus died for us and that he rose again, believing that not even death can separate us from the love of God, believing that we have eternal life in Christ, our hearts are warmed. In the passage, this morning, the disciples hearts were warmed and then they see Jesus. It requires faith to see Jesus.

Look to whom Jesus appeared: Mary, Peter, to the disciples - to those who had faith. He did not appear to Pilate, or the Pharisees or Herod. He appeared to those whose hearts had been warmed--to those who had faith.

And then, Easter faith makes for moving feet. Now remember, it was evening. They had walked the seven miles or so to Emmaus and sat down for a meal. It was time to think about settling in for the night. But when their eyes were opened and they saw Jesus and knew he was alive, they could not keep the news to themselves. So they went to tell others. Walking in the dark seven miles to Jerusalem after a long, exhausting day, it didn't matter.

This is the reaction we are invited to have to Easter. We go and tell. We share the good news. We can't keep it to ourselves.

How might we share the good news? How do we go and tell? We can take a cue from Jesus. He joined the travelers on the road, taking the initiative. He went to where they were. He listened to them first, and then he shared with them. He explained the truth of God's word. But he never forced himself on them, and they invited Jesus to the meal.

Easter brings a change in us. Opened eyes, listening ears, proclaiming lips, burning hearts, moving feet. The life God gives in Jesus Christ fills us with joy and hope, and it is a joy and a hope that we cannot contain. We have to share it with others. Let us go forth from here with open eyes and warm hearts, to share the good news that Jesus is alive! Amen.

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"So, again Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."

Jesus is the gate for the sheep. Jesus provides escape from the perils of sin. Jesus provides freedom and spiritual food, and a sense of inner peace. Jesus is the gate. And we are the sheep. When we go through Jesus' gate, we enter green pastures.

Has anyone here ever farmed sheep? What are sheep like? What is their behavior like?

Many of us may not like being called sheep because sheep are stupid, have little responsibility and are dependent on the shepherd. They can't think for themselves. Sheep are wayward, and they wander off.

Our society values strength, independence and self-suffiency. Our heros are strong, independent men like Billy Bishop and John Wayne. We vote in conservative governments who will make the government less involved in our lives. We want to pay fewer taxes and have fewer people on welfare. We think that everyone should take care of themselves and we have little tolerance for people who can't stand up on their own two feet.

Why would anyone want to be a sheep? We don't want to be sheep. If anything we want to be the shepherd. We want to be the one leading the pack - at least leading our own lives. We want to at least be making decisions for ourselves, standing on our own two, independent feet.

When we have this attitude, when we don't want to be shepherded, what happens when things get tough and we are not able to stand on our own two feet?

There is a silly, children's song, "I just want to be a sheep."…P "So, again Jesus said to them, "Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."

Jesus is the gate for the sheep. Jesus provides escape from the perils of sin. Jesus provides freedom and spiritual food, and a sense of inner peace. Jesus is the gate. And we are the sheep. When we go through Jesus' gate, we enter green pastures.

Has anyone here ever farmed sheep? What are sheep like? What is their behavior like?

Many of us may not like being called sheep because sheep are stupid, have little responsibility and are dependent on the shepherd. They can't think for themselves. Sheep are wayward, and they wander off.

Our society values strength, independence and self-suffiency. Our heros are strong, independent men like Billy Bishop and John Wayne. We vote in conservative governments who will make the government less involved in our lives. We want to pay fewer taxes and have fewer people on welfare. We think that everyone should take care of themselves and we have little tolerance for people who can't stand up on their own two feet.

Why would anyone want to be a sheep? We don't want to be sheep. If anything we want to be the shepherd. We want to be the one leading the pack - at least leading our own lives. We want to at least be making decisions for ourselves, standing on our own two, independent feet.

When we have this attitude, when we don't want to be shepherded, what happens when things get tough and we are not able to stand on our own two feet?

There is a silly, children's song, "I just want to be a sheep."…

Why would anyone want to be a sheep? Now, after listening to this week's news and the massacre in Littleton, Col., I just want to be a sheep.

When I read in the newspapers about two teenagers who launched the rampage against their own high school last Tuesday, planned the massacre for more than I year, I wish we were all sheep. We I read of the children who terrified and will now be physically and emotional scared from such a horrific event, I just want to be a sheep. When I read that SWAT team members who fought in Vietnam, broke down and cried at the sight of the children who were gunned down, I just want to be a sheep.

I wish for everyone to be a sheep. A sheep who is innoscent, co-operative and dependent on a good shepherd. And I pray that the students of that high school will recover their lost innoscence and can find their way back to being cooperative, simple sheep who are dependent on Jesus, the good shepherd, the gate.

When we don't want to be sheep, when we don't want to go through Jesus gate to green pasture, when we want to be independent, what happens when what happens when things get tough and we are not able to stand on our own two feet?

Lee Moore is a minister in the United States. He tells of a time when he was working as an intern. He worked with a man who had shingles. He was covered with sores on his back and belly. The timing could not have been worse. He had just begun a new job, and his healthcare benefits did not begin for another month. He had not accumulated any sick leave, but could not return to work. The medication cost $140 for a three-day supply. The family struggled to have good on the table.

The congregation to which this family belonged wanted to help, but didn't want to embarrass the family. During the offering, the pastor prayed, thanking God for health and blessings. He stopped in the middle f the prayer, took the four offering plates that we had just used and dumped the offering onto one plate.

"We have a need," he said. Slowly and carefully, he explained the situation. Someone from the congregation approached him and warned him that the man's wife was in the congregation and might feel embarrassed. "I know," he continued. "But she is our sister and Christ, and she and her husband are hurting." The plates were passed again and the congregation offered more than $300,

Was the woman embarrassed by this act of love?

At the conclusion of the service, she walked up to the pastor, hugged him, and said, "Thank-you, Thank-you. Thank-you."

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