Archaeologists have been busy
in recent years in Peebles. When a building was demolished in the Bridgegate,
they had a chance to do some investigation of the site. And one of the things
they discovered was the old centre of the burgh, the Tolbooth, built about 1560
or 1570. What did they find ? They discovered solid,
deep foundations on the ground floor there were two rooms, and up above on the
first floor, they worked out that there would have been council chambers and
other offices, with a stair on the outside of the building. The ground floor
rooms were used as a shop – from the pieces of leather found, the
archaeologists tell us that probably a leatherworker was using them. Ground floor rooms,
and an upper room. And solid foundations.
An upper room in
And in this upper room there
are too solid, deep foundations. Strange to be speaking about foundations here,
since this upper room is not even standing on the ground, but there are, all
the same, foundations here. Foundations here – deep and abiding foundations.
The foundation of the Church ! the
very foundation of the Church ! The living foundation, as Paul says, is here.
However, when in John’s gospel
we are shown the disciples – and what we see looks nothing like a solid foundation.
The disciples are in the Upper Room, yes, but behind locked doors. Not only
were the doors locked – the disciples themselves were men locked up, locked into fear –
real fear. After the crucifixion of Jesus, they found themselves now at the
heart of a hostile city. With the Jewish authorities looking for them.
Then Jesus, the risen Lord
Jesus came and stood among them. And
said those sublime and holy words – Peace
be with you ! here are the disciples,
locked in fear, afraid. and the word of the risen Jesus to them was Peace be with you….If your situation
this morning is like that of the disciples that night – fearful, fearful of
what might happen, dreading what might
happen, - then here is the word of the risen Jesus for you Peace be with you ! Peace be with you ! His Peace instead of your fear.
Now, here are the foundations of the Church. The foundations on which we ourselves stand. The living foundation of the Church, built on Jesus Christ, Who sends us out, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
‘The Church is built on Jesus Christ, Who sends us out, in the power of
the Holy Spirit.’
First: The Church is built on Jesus Christ
The gospel of John reveals to
us something deep and profound and glorious about Jesus.
Jesus, as we see Him in the
Upper Room is the One who is risen, and Jesus who came and stood among the
disciples, and showed them the marks on His hands and in His side is the One who was crucified. He who stands risen in the midst of the
disciples is the One who has the marks of the cross,
and the wound of that terrible spear in His side still upon Him. This is the
One on whom the Church is founded. The One who was crucified but is now Risen. At the cross, you see, the authorities, the world
itself considered that it had obliterated the Holy One of God, removed His life
and His name from the face of the earth and here, at the cross, the victory of
evil, the hostility of human beings to the living, loving God seemed final and
certain.
But the Word of the Gospel – Jesus, risen from the dead, came and stood among the disciples, and showed them the marks on His hands and in His side. The victory is His.
And in this victory is the
foundation of the Church. In this world
you will have trouble. But take heart ! I have
overcome the world. Though threatened, on every side, often overwhelmed, it
sometimes seems – the Church has victory in Him. In the words of Paul, Jesus was crucified in weakness, yet He
lives by Gods power: we are weak in Him, yet by God’s power we live. By God’s
power we live………
Second: Jesus sends us out
The great thinker, Karl Barth
once collected a great pile of books. All of them were from the great period of
the Reformation, about 4 centuries ago. All of them were the declarations of
all the new Churches in
Which is strange, for these are astonishing words. Why are they astonishing ? Well, remember the disciples as they were in the Upper Room, behind locked doors. And remember the gospel tells us, not only were the doors locked – the disciples themselves were men locked in fear, afraid, at the heart of a hostile city doors locked for fear of the Jewish authorities.
The word of Jesus to them, the
astonishing word of Jesus is - “ As the Father has
sent me, I am sending you”. He sends
them out into that very same city, beyond those locked doors. The disciples, hours before, had shut
themselves in behind locked doors. Jesus Christ comes and stands among them,
the crucified and risen One, and sends them out – as He has been sent, by the
Father. The locks are undone, the doors opened, and in
the disciples go out, in the hours ahead, the days and the years to come to
their lives end they go out. Locked
doors and hiding from the world are not part of the foundation of the Church.
Then what is ? The second foundation of the Church is
in that going out, in speaking of Jesus at the heart. Proclaiming
Jesus as the life, and the hope of the world. Knowing
before we do go that He has already overcome the world.
Third: In the power of the Holy Spirit.
Then, Jesus, He breathed on them and said
‘Receive the Holy Spirit’.
Just as God breathed life into
Adam ! and Adam became a
living being, came to life, moved. Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit, breathes
life into the Church , breathes the Spirit who is the
source of life. This is, new creation.
As the Church, The Spirit
lifts us draws us into in the wonderful life of the Father and the Son. And as
the Church, when we are dry, the Spirit is living water for us, when wearied,
new strength, when dead. Life. When
fearful and weak, the power to go out into the world around us.
The Church is built on Jesus Christ, Who sends us out, in the power of
the Holy Spirit.
It is impossible to
exaggerate, William Temple once wrote, the greatness of this ……..
Yet when the Church of
Scotland sends out a call for the whole Church to go out, to tell others the
good news of Jesus How
inadequate we seem ! in the face of all the
complexities, the indifference, the power of the world around us.
Yet look at the disciples,
hiding behind locked doors, fearful of the city round about them, the world
round about. How like them the Church so often seems today. But look again at
what happened when
Jesus comes and stands among them. His word is As the Father sent me so I send you….. and
they went in the power of the Spirit.
So – the question that John’s
gospel puts to us this morning is: what
of ourselves……… ? Jesus Christ, crucified and risen is here and among us. His word is As the Father sent me so I send you….. and
He blesses us with the gift of the Spirit.
Knowing that there are so many, hungry, thirsty, seeking life beyond our doors ? Where would we begin ? Praying for labourers for the harvest ? yes – but beyond that I do not know.
But the words of this old hymn come back to me…….. often….
O breath of life come sweeping through us,
revive your Church with life and power
O breath of life, come cleanse renew us,
and fit your Church to meet this hour.
Revive us Lord is zeal abating ?
while harvest fields are vast and white ?
Revive us Lord the world is waiting,
equip your Church to spread the light.
AMEN.