Second Sunday of Easter – April 12, 2026

Hallelujah, Christ is risen. Grace to you and peace from God our Father,

from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

On the evening of that first Easter, the disciples were hiding behind locked doors.

Why? They were afraid of the Jewish leaders. They thought if they did that,

if they crucified Jesus, that they might do the same thing to themselves.

They were afraid of death. They were filled with fear.

And that's why they were hiding.

What do you fear? Do you fear the hostility of an unbelieving world?

Are you afraid to speak the truth in love?

Do you worry about money? Do you fear the loss of health or the uncertainty of the future?

Do you fear death itself?

And this is precisely there into that fear that Jesus comes.

The doors were locked and the disciples were hiding.

And all of a sudden, Jesus appears among them. It's a miracle.

He's not a ghost, but he is flesh and blood alive forever.

The evidence of his resurrection is before their eyes. They see his pierced

hands and his pierced side.

And he said to them, peace be with you.

Now, he didn't rebuke them for their lack of faith.

He didn't condemn them because they ran away from him in the Garden of Gethsemane.

He didn't accuse Peter of denying him three times there in the courtyard.

He didn't say, I have completed, I have now completed half of your salvation.

You must complete the other half. Instead, Jesus speaks words of peace.

He says, peace be with you.

Now, this is not some casual greeting like, hello, I'm here.

Glad to be back again. No.

The peace that Christ speaks is real.

It's concrete. It comes from the Prince of Peace.

His words actually give what they say.

And when Jesus says, peace be with you, he actually delivers peace.

This is a peace that the world cannot give. This is the forgiveness of sins.

It's words of absolution.

It is the declaration that there is now harmony between God and man.

There is, by nature, a divide between God and us. God is holy, and we are sinners.

And we cannot reconcile ourselves to him. We cannot bridge the gap.

We cannot fix what's broken. Why?

Because we have a sinful nature.

We cannot establish peace with God on our own.

And this is why the Father sent his only begotten Son to come into our world,

came to do what we cannot do.

The prophet Isaiah says this about Jesus.

He was wounded for our transgressions.

He was bruised for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was

upon him And by his stripes, we are healed.

So in order for Jesus to bring us peace, he must suffer and die upon the cross.

So there on Good Friday, Jesus was offered as the perfect sacrifice,

shedding his blood, blood that of a lamb.

And for us and for our salvation, he appeased the wrath of God. by means of the cross.

There was a chasm then between God and man, yet Jesus bridged the gap.

He reconciled the Father with us poor sinners.

He brought peace between God and man, and Jesus did what we cannot do.

Therefore, since peace was won on Good Friday, Jesus now proclaims that peace

on Easter and today and every Sunday. It is delivered to you in the gospel and the sacraments.

On Good Friday, Jesus atoned for your sins, but on Easter, peace is now proclaimed.

A peace that the world can never give. A peace between God and man.

A peace that declares that your sins are forgiven.

On Good Friday, Jesus suffered the wrath of God, but on Easter,

there is now the proclamation of forgiveness.

On Good Friday, death had to take place because of sin, and on Easter,

Jesus had to rise from the dead because that sacrifice on Good Friday was sufficient.

On Good Friday, Jesus was delivered up for our trespasses, but on Easter,

he rose for our justification.

You are not guilty. You are reconciled to God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The peace and forgiveness are given to you freely by God's grace and not by works.

It's because of the cross that God is gracious and merciful to us poor sinners. You are justified.

Your sins are forgiven. The warfare is ended. Your iniquity is pardoned.

Now, this precious gospel transforms you. It changes you for the better.

It turns your fear into faith, your sorrow into gladness, your tears into joy.

Christ is your light and your salvation. He is your strength.

And faith hears this wonderful news and says, Amen.

It says, Thank you. Faith trusts in Christ.

It holds on to Christ alone, and through faith, you benefit from the cross and the resurrection.

Unbelief, however, says no thank you.

Where there is saving faith in Christ, there is also good works, love for the neighbor.

As a forgiven sinner, you freely love and serve one another.

You help those in need. You are faithful in your various vocations,

a spouse, a student, a worker.

You reflect the light of Christ through your life toward others.

And so, dearly beloved, there is no reason to hide from God.

There is no reason to run away from him. Instead, confess your sin and receive

the forgiveness of sins.

Jesus is the one you need. He's not your enemy. Satan is.

Jesus, then, at this point, says to his apostles, As a father has sent me, I am sending you.

This was their ordination day. They are now called apostles, which means sent ones.

They are sent by Jesus to speak peace and forgiveness in his stead and by his

command. And here Jesus has established the office of the holy ministry.

The apostles and the pastors that follow them represent Christ.

They are his ambassadors. They are standing in his stead.

They speak on his behalf. They are God's co-workers. They are servants of Christ

and stewards of the gospel and sacraments.

Christ is a good shepherd. but pastors are the under-shepherd.

The ministry belongs to Christ, and pastors serve within it.

What are pastors to do?

In the Holy Gospel for today, Jesus tells them to forgive sins.

He says, if or when you forgive the sins of anyone,

they are forgiven and

so when you confess your sin and you hear

the absolution the forgiveness of sins spoken by the minister of christ it is

real this forgiveness is that is spoken to you is valid and certain even in

heaven as if christ were standing here speaking those very words.

Jesus then adds to that that whoever sins you retain,

they are retained.

In other words, the unrepentant are not to be forgiven as long as they do not repent.

And this also is valid and certain even in the eyes of God there in heaven.

What else did the pastors do? Elsewhere in scriptures, we learn that they are

to baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

They are to teach the word of God, the whole counsel of God.

They are also to preach repentance and the forgiveness of sins,

in other words, law and gospel.

And they are to administer the Lord's Supper. They are also to visit the sick and the dying.

They are to speak the truth in love. They are to care for the flock that is entrusted to them.

Jesus works through the pastor for the sake of his people.

He uses a pastor's mouth to preach and teach, to absolve, to correct,

to console, and to comfort.

He uses the pastor's hands to baptize, to administer the Lord's Supper,

and also to give a benediction.

The ministry is not about the man. That's why pastors wear vestments to hide the man.

The focus is always on Christ.

Jesus is not visible with us, but he is present in the water and the word,

in the word that's preached and in the bread and wine that's given to us this morning.

At one time, the disciples were hiding behind locked doors for fear of the Jews.

But it was after Pentecost in particular, we learned that the apostles feared no evil.

When the Jewish leaders told the apostles not to preach and teach in the name

of Jesus, they did it anyways.

They said, we must obey God rather than men.

They were bold in the proclamation of the gospel to all nations.

And they even were willing to suffer martyrdom for the sake of the gospel.

And the same is true for you. You are not called to hide.

You are called to become light in a dark world. Your life then bears witness

to the resurrected Jesus.

When someone asks you about the peace that you have, you can tell them.

You can speak of the forgiveness won by Jesus' death and resurrection.

You can also invite them to church saying, come and see, come and hear about

God's love for you in Christ Jesus.

And so, dearly beloved, we are gathered here on a Sunday, the first day of the week.

The risen Lord is among us. You hear his word. You receive his forgiveness.

You are given and fed the gospel.

And Christ's peace was once put on your head in baptism.

It is being put into your ears in preaching and in the word,

and it will be put into your mouth.

After the bread and wine are consecrated, the pastor will hold the cup and the

wafer and say, The peace of the Lord be with you always.

Giving you his body and blood for the forgiveness of all your sins.

We don't see Jesus' wounds, but we receive a gift, his gift from the altar.

This peace is a peace that only God can give, and it strengthens you,

it sustains you, and it comforts you on your journey to heaven.

Christ's victory is your victory, and his life is your life.

And more than that, it prepares you for your last day.

When you will walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

you will, when you will walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

you will fear no evil, because Christ is with you.

He is open heaven for you and all who believe.

Peace be with you amen we stand.