Easter 2 April 12, 2026 with The Rev. Mawethu Ncaca

I speak to you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Please be seated.

Well, in case you are gonna miss what I'm gonna say, I'll let you know my point right now.

And then if you want to go to sleep, you can go to sleep.

My main point for this sermon is that fear creates confusion, competition, and conflict.

Fear creates confusion, competition, and conflict.

But the peace of the reason Christ creates collaboration, communion, and sharation.

My friends, this Easter tie, I want us to reflect on this truth: that the way of love drives out fear and makes room for peace.

So when we hear the Easter story, we often rush past Good Friday too quickly.

But Good Friday, but Good Friday was traumatic.

Jesus was tortured, humiliated, and killed publicly.

That kind of violence was meant to do more than just kill Jesus.

It was meant to terrify his followers.

It was meant to scatter them.

It was meant to make them afraid.

And so when we arrived at John 20, we should not be surprised that the disciples are behind locked doors.

Jesus tells the John tells us plainly that they were there for fear.

Fear had shut the doors.

Fear had shut down their courage.

Fear had shut down their imagination.

And fear still does that to us.

Fear creates confusion.

It creates competition.

It creates conflict.

Fear makes people to compare themselves to one another.

You remember John and Peter?

They were outrunning each other.

As someone who runs, I know how that feels.

Like if I beat you, I will let you know.

So imagine Peter and John.

They had that conversation.

I was first, then you.

So this peace is real peace.

It is shalom, wholeness, restoration, and healed relationships.

It is the peace Jesus promised in John 14, 27, when he said, Peace I live with you.

My peace I give it to you.

Do not, do not let your hearts be troubled.

And do not let them be afraid.

The reason Christ stands before them as a wounded Savior.

That means resurrection does not erase suffering.

It transforms it.

It changes it.

Jesus' wounds are not hidden.

They become signs of love.

That matters to us, church.

That matters to us.

Because the church is a wounded body.

We are people with scars.

We are people who are craving.

We are people with questions.

Where is God?

What is He doing?

Why is it taking so long?

Yet we belong to a raising Lord who says, in the midst of all that, peace be with you.

And once that peace is spoken, everything begins to change.

Accept the peace.

Fear had locked the doors.

But peace opens them.

Fear had isolated the disciples.

But peace forms them into community.

Fear had them hide.

But peace, stand them on mission.

Jesus said, as the Father has sent me, so I send you.

In other words, peace is not just a feeling.

Peace is what makes mission possible.

Fear makes people to compete.

I've said that.

But peace, peace helps us, helps people to see what we need to collaborate on.

The mission.

We are sent by God.

We are people of God.

Fear says, oh, protect yourself, protect yourself.

That's what fear says.

Oh, no, no, friends, no, no.

Peace says, receive the spirit, receive the spirit.

Fear says, there is not enough.

This is only for me.

No, no, don't believe that lie.

Peace says Christ is enough.

There's enough for all of us.

There's abundance in this world.

And then there's Thomas.

I don't know what to do with him.

Thomas was not there the first time.

He missed the moment.

And that maybe that's another form of fear.

The fear of missing out.

The fear that everyone else got the blessing you did not get.

But when Jesus comes again, he does not exclude Thomas.

He does not shame Thomas.

He offers Thomas what?

The same gift of peace.

That is good news for us.

Because peace makes room even for those who are always late, who are always doubtful, who find themselves craving.

Peace does not divide us to say, oh, you have more faith.

No, no, no.

Peace does not divide us and say, oh, there's insiders and outsiders.

No, no.

Peace gathers everyone.

I mean everyone.

When I say everyone, I mean everyone.

As Episcopalians, that's who we are.

We know this liturgically too.

You're gonna say it soon.

Every Sunday.

We pass peace.

That is not just like, oh, how are you?

It's not a great thing.

It's more than that.

It is a holy, holy practice.

It is the bridge between hearing from God's word and coming to God's table.

It is a way of saying, in Christ, we seek wholeness with God and with one another.

If you have a problem with me, please let me know before I leave here.

That's what we're doing.

As a prayer book says on Monday, Thursday, peace is my last gift to you.

My own peace, I now live with you.

I give you a new commandment.

Love one another as I loved you.

Peace and love belong together.

That is the way of love.

So in this Easter season, the question is simple.

Will fear rule us?

I hope you will respond in saying, no, fear will not rule us.

Peace, peace will form us.

Will we live by confusion?

Will we live by competition?

We will live by conflict.

Or we will receive the peace of Christ and become people of collaboration, communion, and teamwork.

Because this is the message of Easter.

Fear locks doors, but peace opens those doors.

Fear divides.

No, no, no.

Peace gathers us, it brings us together.

Fear competes, but peace collaborates.

So may the risen Christ enter every locked room in our lives, every lock room in our lives.

May He meet us in our fear.

May He breathe his spirit upon us.

May His word become our way.