Episode 6 Down From Heaven

The conversation explores the significance of Pentecost and the transformation it brings. It delves into the fear and locked doors that hinder us, the transformative power of Christ's presence, and the reception of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost is about moving from fear to faith, from hiding to witness, and from simply believing in the resurrection to living as resurrection people in the world today.

Transcript

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I've noticed something about my son. When he was working in the prison service, he had developed a habit. And now, whenever he leaves somewhere, he checks the door. Then he checks it again, and sometimes he checks it one more time just to be make sure, absolutely certain that the door is locked. Now, before we laugh too much, it makes perfect sense. In a prison, doors matter. Locks matter. Security matters. If a door is left unlocked when it should be locked, there can be serious consequences. People's safety depends upon it. His job depended upon it. Now of course, many of us have our own version of this. Have you ever locked the front door, walked halfway down the path, and then suddenly wondered, did I actually lock it? So you go back to check. Sometimes twice, even maybe, sometimes three times. There is something reassuring about a locked door. It makes us feel secure. It keeps danger out. It creates a barrier between us and whatever might threaten us. And that's exactly where we find the disciples in today's reading. Now John tells us that it's the evening of Easter Day. The resurrection has happened, but the disciples are not celebrating. They are not singing hymns. They are not telling the world that Jesus is alive. Instead, they are gathered together behind locked doors. The door is not locked against thieves, it's locked against strangers. It's locked because they are afraid. They have seen Jesus arrested, they have watched him crucified. They now know the authorities who wanted Jesus dead are still out there, and they are wondering whether they might be next. Fear has driven them indoors. Fear has locked the door. And if we are honest, we understand exactly how they feel, because fear still has a way of locking doors. Not necessarily physical doors, but emotional and spiritual ones. Fear says stay where it is safe. Perhaps we know those voices ourselves. Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of illness, fear of growing old, and fear of what the future may hold. Sometimes fear of change and fear of loss. So we may sit on church on a Sunday morning looking calm and confident, but many of us carry locked doors within our hearts. And that's why this passage is such good news. Because Jesus comes to people behind locked doors. Now notice that the disciples do not go looking for him. They're not courageously searching the streets, they are not climbing mountains in prayer, they are hiding. Yet Jesus comes to them. The doors are locked, but they cannot keep him out. The risen Christ simply stands among them. Now I love that detail because it reminds us that no barrier is too strong for God. The things that imprison us do not imprison him. The things that frighten us do not frighten him. The things that seem impossible to us are not impossible to him. And what does Jesus say? Not where were you when I was arrested or why did you abandon me? Or you should have had more faith. Instead his first words are peace be with you. Those words are repeated twice in that short passage. Peace be with you. Because Jesus gives them a mission before he gives them a task. Before he sends them into the world, he gives them peace. And that is often how God works. We want answers. He offers his presence. We want certainty, but he offers peace. We want all our problems solved immediately, and he offers himself. And sometimes that is enough. Many years ago, a parent in a busy shopping centre experienced every parent's nightmare. They glanced away for just a moment and the little child had disappeared. Panic set in immediately. They searched frantically through the crowds, calling the child's name. Every second felt like an R. Then suddenly they spotted the child standing safely near a shop entrance. Nothing else mattered. The shopping lists didn't matter, the crowds didn't matter, the noise didn't matter. The moment they saw their child, peace returned. The situation changed because the one they loved was present. And that is something of what happens here. The disciples have not suddenly solved all their problems. The Romans are still there. The authorities are still there. The risks remain, but Jesus is present, and his presence changes everything. And then comes this remarkable moment. Jesus breathes on them and says, Receive the Holy Spirit. It's a quiet moment, maybe easy to overlook, but it's hugely important. And in many ways it's a preview of Pentecost. When we think about the Holy Spirit, we usually think about Acts chapter two. That mighty wind, the flames of fire, the crowds gathering, Peter preaching, three thousand people being baptized. But before the dramatic scenes of Pentecost, there is this gentle moment in an upper room. Before the wind comes, the breath, before the crowd comes, the encounter. Before the public witness comes the private blessing, Jesus breathes on them. And it reminds us of Genesis when God breathed life into Adam. It reminds us that resurrection is not simply about Jesus coming back to life. God is creating something new, a new people, a new community, a new creation, empowered by the Spirit of God. And notice again who receives this gift. Not spiritual superheroes, not fearless saints, not perfect disciples. These are frightened people behind locked doors. Now Peter, who denied Jesus, the others who ran away, people who are full of doubts and questions, and yet Jesus gives them his spirit. And that should encourage every one of us. Because sometimes we think God can only use confident people, the people who always know what to say, the people who never struggle, the people who appear to have everything together. But the first recipients of the Holy Spirit were frightened disciples hiding in a locked room. God meets people exactly where they are. And then, of course, if we fast forward to the few weeks into Acts, we see what happens next. The disciples who hid behind locked doors are suddenly standing in public streets. The disciples who are paralyzed by fear are speaking boldly about Jesus. The disciples who wanted nobody to notice them are now proclaiming the gospel to thousands. What changed? The Holy Spirit. The same spirit breathed upon them by Jesus now fills them with courage and power. Fear gives a way to faith, hiding gives way to witness, and locked doors give way to open streets. The Spirit transforms them, and the Spirit still transforms people today. Perhaps not with tongues of fire, perhaps not with dramatic miracles, but through quiet courage, through unexpected strength, through peace in difficult circumstances, through faith when we thought we had none left? The Spirit still opens doors. So perhaps the question for us this week is simple. What locks door are we hiding behind? What fear keeps us from fully trusting God? What anxiety keeps us from stepping forward? And what hurt keeps us from moving on? What doubts keep us from believing that God can still use us? Because the risen Christ still comes to people behind locked doors, he still speaks words of peace, he still breathes his spirit upon his people, and he still sends ordinary men and women into the world to share his love. My son checks doors because his job depended on it. The disciples lock doors because they thought their survival depended on it. But each Easter it teaches us that no lock can keep Jesus out. And Pentecost teaches us that no fear can prevent God's Spirit from working through us. So may we hear again the words of Jesus. Peace be with you, and may we receive the gift of his spirit, this Pentecost, so that we too may mood from locked doors to open streets, from fear to faith, from hiding to witness, and from simply believing the resurrection happened to living as resurrection people in our world today. Amen.