{"id":2045,"date":"2026-05-17T07:36:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T11:36:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.firstreflection.org\/?p=2045"},"modified":"2026-05-17T07:38:43","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T11:38:43","slug":"never-too-late","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.firstreflection.org\/index.php\/2026\/05\/17\/never-too-late\/","title":{"rendered":"Never Too Late"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A Sermon for the Salem United Church of Christ of Harrisburg, PA<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

by Rev. James Eaton, Interim Pastor \u00a92026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Second Sunday in Easter\/Year A \u2022 April 12, 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

John 20:19-32<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When I was in college, and later seminary, a lot of my life was dominated by deadlines to write papers. I had a bad habit of putting off doing these until right before the deadline, so they were often late. My favorite professor was Dennis Duling, a New Testament scholar who taught my last class in seminary. I turned the final paper in a day late as usual; when I got it back, there was a big \u2018A\u2019 on the front and a note: \u201cI\u2019m not taking the usual points off for your usual lateness. You are about to learn there is no way to hand a sermon in late.\u201d He was right and for most of my life, I\u2019ve lived with the fact that on Sunday morning there is an absolute deadline. These days it\u2019s 10:30 AM on Sunday. That\u2019s it, no matter what else is going on, I have to be ready to walk in here, look out at all of you and say with conviction, \u201cThe peace of the Lord be with you.\u201d There\u2019s no excuse, no matter what else is going on, for being late. It\u2019s not just me, either. Jacquelyn\u2019s work as a flight attendant demands absolute timeliness. If she isn\u2019t ready for a flight, the flight can\u2019t leave. So it\u2019s a very serious matter. She deals with it by being an hour early at the airport; I deal with it by going off to my office about five minutes early. How do you deal with staying on time? I ask because today\u2019s gospel is the story of a man who was late for the most important moment in his life. Today we\u2019re listening to the story of Thomas and the disciples and how Easter came to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s so much to hear before we get to Thomas. Just imagine the disciples\u2019 situation. For perhaps three years or so, they\u2019ve left their lives and followed Jesus, cared for him, accepted his care for them. He lifted them up in hope of a coming kingdom. Even when they were worried about the journey to Jerusalem, they followed along. They must have been amazed at the crowds entering the city. They must have wondered seeing him in the Temple, trashing the money changers. And they must have been scared when suddenly the soldiers appeared at Gethsemene and arrested Jesus, took him away roughly. They saw he\u2019d been beaten, they saw the blood from the crown of thorns and they saw him gasping out his last breaths on the cross. They saw the death of Jesus; they felt the death of hope. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now they\u2019re together and they\u2019ve locked the door, the text says \u201cin fear of the Jews\u201d. This has nothing to do with Jews as a people; they\u2019re afraid of the same authorities who arrested Jesus and sent him to the Romans, the only ones with the authority to execute him. They\u2019re gathered for the funeral luncheon. The woman have told them a crazy story about seeing the Lord and an empty tomb, but they didn\u2019t believe them. They believe in common sense: dead people stay dead. All you can do is grieve and get back to normal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So there they are: you know how these things go, quiet conversations, food, no one eating much, people hovering around the family. Here there is the locked door; here is certainly the memory of their last supper a few days ago, perhaps a happy seder. Suddenly, Jesus appears. He walks through the door. I always wonder: does that make any noise? Does the door creak when he passes through it? There he is: alive. Wow. Did they all go silent? Did they drop plates they were holding? Imagine if you\u2019d just taken a big bite of something, do you swallow? \u201cPeace be with you,\u201d he says. Shalom aleicham: the common every Friday greeting of shabby, what someone says at the beginning of the service. Yet so much more here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He shows them his wounds. Isn\u2019t that how we all connect? A long time ago, Jacquelyn gave me the most important advice I\u2019ve ever gotten about sermons; \u201cDon\u2019t be the hero of your own story.\u201d When I want to illustrate something for you, I deliberately show the times I failed, times I got it wrong. I want you to see my wounds because we are all wounded and when we see each other\u2019s wounds, we know each other. They see his wounds: they know it\u2019s him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t miss this part of the story running on to hear about Thomas, we\u2019ll get to Thomas but stay here and see this. Jesus walks through a door, Jesus is alive, and he comes and the first thing he says is, \u201c\u201dPeace be with you.\u201d I think today a lot of us are locked up in rooms for fear. We are careful talking about our politics, our religion, because it\u2019s easy to give offense. So we lock up the doors but listen here: Jesus walks through doors. Jesus goes where everyone is excluded. Jesus comes even when we\u2019re hopeless and sad and this is what he as to say first: \u201cPeace be with you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s not all, though. He goes on to say that he\u2019s sending them; he\u2019s sending us. And he\u2019s sending us just like the Father sent him. This is what it means to be the Body of Christ, that we are sent just like him, and our job is to forgive sins. In other words, to give peace to others, just as he gives it to us. You know, the church picked up on the last part, \u201c\u2026if you don\u2019t forgive sins they are retained,\u201d and used it as a fund raising tool. The only way to get forgiven is to come to us! But that\u2019s not the gospel, that\u2019s not the command; the command is to go out and forgive sins. The command is to go out and be Jesus to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ll talk more about this another time but I want to get on to Thomas. Remember Thomas? This is a story about Thomas. So the story is the whole group gathers a week after the crucifixion. Maybe they\u2019re celebrating shabbat, maybe they\u2019re just grieving. They\u2019re scared of the authorities; they lock the door. But Jesus walks right in, says Peace be to you and then gives them a mission. But Thomas was late; Thomas wasn\u2019t there. So a week later when he does show up, they all tell him, \u201cWe have seen the Lord!\u201d Thomas pouts. Maybe he looks around, sees this group he\u2019s spent so much time with, sees that nothing has changed. They\u2019re still the same folks, the door is still locked. Thomas doesn\u2019t believe them about seeing the Lord. Why would he? They aren\u2019t out forgiving, they aren\u2019t out being Jesus. They\u2019re still in a locked room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So once again Jesus walks through the door, once again Jesus says, \u201cShalom alchem\u2014peace be unto you\u201d. Once again he shows his wounds. Thomas touches them. And finally, Thomas says, what we all say finally: \u201cMy Lord and my God.\u201d Thomas believes; Thomas receives the Spirit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We had a fine service last Sunday celebrating Jesus\u2019 resurrection. Caleb and Joe and Carmen provided wonderful music. We got to sing those old familiar hymns, \u201cChrist the Lord is Risen Today\u201d, and a newer one, \u201cPass It On\u201d. We heard the story, we listened to God\u2019s Word. Now, what\u2019s different? What did we do this week to show someone we know the love of God in Jesus Christ? Think for a minute: what did you do to show someone Jesus?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a hard question, isn\u2019t it? The simple humility of Jesus doesn\u2019t match the angry moment in which we\u2019re living. Many of you know we have a boat down in Baltimore. A few days ago, I was down there, staying overnight. There\u2019s wifi in the lounge, I had a sermon to write, so I was there in the lounge, working away, alone and a guy came in and sat down, turned on the TV. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now all of us at the marina have boats in common, so there\u2019s always something to talk about. But that night President Trump was speaking about the war he had started in Iran and he put that on. There was this long uncomfortable time while we watched silently, both of us afraid to say anything, to comment; we all know how angry conversations about politics can get. Finally, he said something not too off base, I replied, and we both relaxed and realized we were on the same side and then the conversation flowed. But we had to make sure we were ok first. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s common today, I think. I didn\u2019t show off Jesus that night. I just found a comfortable conversation. How do we move beyond those? We start with compassion. I have a favorite flight attendant story that doesn\u2019t involve Jacquelyn, my personal flight attendant. It\u2019s about a plane that lands late in Salt Lake City one night. You can imagine the situation: everyone\u2019s tired, everyone just wants off the plane, arrangements have been disrupted, people are anxious. As the plane was rolling toward the gate, one of the flight attendants got on the PA. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The flight attendant asked passengers to raise their hand if they were ending their journey in Salt Lake City, the flight\u2019s destination. After most of the hands in the cabin went up, he continued.\u201cNow, everyone who has their hands up: Imagine the anxiety you\u2019d feel if you had to catch another flight tonight and weren\u2019t sure you\u2019d make it. Put your hands down. And now, those connecting to Palm Springs, and Denver, raise yours!\u201d \u201cEveryone, look around,\u201d the flight attendant requested. \u201cThese are the people who\u2019ll be sprinting off the plane tonight as soon as we land. Look at them, and imagine this was you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The flight attendant then implored everyone in the cabin who didn\u2019t have a connecting flight to stay seated and give the other passengers space to get out as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we all play our part, they can make it,\u201d the flight attendant said. \u201cThank you so much for your consideration and help. Every one of those guys appreciates you for it.\u201dThe energy in the cabin completely shifted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone suddenly shared the same mission,\u201d \u201cWe all knew who the people were that needed to hustle now. And we were all in it with them, feeling their adrenaline in our veins.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the plane landed only connecting passengers stood up. Others helped them with their bags. Afterwards, the remaining passengers patiently got up, grabbed their things, and exited calmly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe whole plane was rooting for them,\u201d one passenger said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not much, is it? One plane, one group of people. But think how that compassion changed the moment for everyone there. Everyone landing on that plane wanted off as soon as possible; that flight attendant took their wants and transformed them into compassion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s our job every day: to be the people who turn desire into compassion, who take pride and turn it into humility, who take guilt and forgive it and turn it into a new life. Last week, and the week before, I asked you to imagine asking Jesus, \u201cWhat now?\u201d Today we have the answer: go out and be Jesus, go out and forgive, go out and show the love of God every day. People are angry because they\u2019re wounded; it\u2019s our job to be the healers, the hopers, the helpers. At the very end of that reading in John, when he\u2019s closing out the story, there\u2019s one more thing we shouldn\u2019t miss: \u201cBlessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.\u201d That\u2019s us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The women go to the tomb, find it empty, tell the disciples the Lord has risen. The disciples don\u2019t believe them. So Jesus comes to them in person to show them he\u2019s alive. Thomas doesn\u2019t believe it when they tell him, so Jesus again, says the same things, does the same thing. It\u2019s the same for us: it\u2019s never too late, Jesus just keeps coming, Jesus just keeps hoping that we will be his body, carry his Spirit, live the new life he means to give. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A Sermon for the Salem United Church of Christ of Harrisburg, PA by Rev. James Eaton, Interim Pastor \u00a92026 Second Sunday in Easter\/Year A \u2022 April 12, 2026 John 20:19-32 When I was in college, and later seminary, a lot of my life was dominated by deadlines to write papers. I had a bad habit […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[24,181],"class_list":["post-2045","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon","tag-forgiveness","tag-thomas"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstreflection.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2045","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstreflection.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstreflection.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstreflection.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstreflection.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2045"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstreflection.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2045\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2057,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstreflection.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2045\/revisions\/2057"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.firstreflection.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstreflection.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.firstreflection.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}