What is the mission of God?

     Christ is risen!  We have journeyed through the depths of Holy Week to the high of the resurrection dawn.  We have endured the darkness of death and now stand in the light of new life.  It is Easter!  And in these weeks following Easter we hear all sorts of resurrection stories.  Most of them come from John, though there are a few Luke stories, as well.  So, for the next seven weeks we will hear of life, of Christ's love for us, of hope and promise, of mission and vision.
     For my faith community, St. John Lutheran in Ely, we will also spend the next seven weeks taking a careful look at worship.  Using a resource from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America called With the Whole Church we will examine how we worship, why we worship, what we do when we worship, and the importance of worship.  As it happens, this first week examines how worship and God's mission are so intimately linked.

     Now, the second Sunday in Easter is always the story about 'Doubting Thomas.' I have always felt bad for Thomas.  Probably because I identify with those in the gospels who don’t always believe.  But this year I’ve taken a different approach to Thomas.  What if, in these verses from John, instead of focusing on the faith (or un-faith) of the disciples, instead of looking at what Jesus says or does, we look at what these verses tell us about God and God’s mission.
     In John 20 we read not only about Doubting Thomas (and the doubting disciples for that matter), but we read about God's mission for the world.  Based just on these 11 verses, God's mission and purpose are quite ambitious, and from what I see in the text, the following could all be included in God's mission and purpose:

• Giving peace (Jesus said, 'Peace be with you.' vs19)
• Sending Jesus ('As the Father has sent me...' vs 21)
• Sending us to forgive sins ('...so I send you.  If you forgive the sins of any they are forgiven.  If you retain the sins of any they are retained.' vs 21, 23)
• Giving the Holy Spirit ('he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit...' vs 22)
• Have life in the name of Jesus ('these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, and that through believing you may have life in his name.' vs 31)

As we begin to think about worship, this text is a perfect introduction.  The disciples are gathered, much like the body of Christ gathers in any particular place.  The disciples hear the words of Jesus, just as in congregations we hear the words of Christ - in preaching, in scripture, and in the mutual building each other up.  The disciples receive the Holy Spirit just as we receive the Spirit.  The disciples are sent, just as we are sent each week.  The disciples are told to forgive sins, which is something we do each week in the Lutheran tradition with confession and forgiveness.  
     The bigger purpose, then, at the very end, is so that we 'may come to believe that Jesus is the messiah, and that through believing may have life in his name.'  God's mission and purpose, in the end, is for everyone to have life in the name of Jesus.  This takes different shapes in different places, but for us Lutherans, this life begins and ends in worship.  Gathering to worship is the beginning because in worship we come to know who God is, receive God's grace, and discover who we are.  In the discovery, the gathering becomes the sending as God sends us out into the world to share the life of Christ with all of creation.  As we share Christ with those whom we encounter, the sending itself becomes a gathering - not necessarily of the church body, but of people looking for life.  As people discover life in Jesus, we are then invited back to worship and give thanks where the worship becomes the ending.  

     And it all centers around worship where we come to meet the living Christ, where we eat his body and drink his blood, where we share in peace, forgive and receive forgiveness, pray, and become.  The mystery this week, then, isn't so much about God's mission or purpose, but rather, who are you becoming in light of the life you have received in Christ?  How are you living out God's purpose for you?