The modern church marketing movement has taught churches to advertise their strengths.

Today= s congregations make sure that the world knows about their facilities, educational ministries, community programs, and Powerpoint sermons. We hype our love for families, our denominational affiliation or the absence thereof, our welcoming heart, our music program, and so on.

What a contrast between today= s church and the church on that first Easter described in John= s gospel, chapter 20.

That church didn= t have a beautiful building.

Instead they were meeting in a borrowed room.

They didn= t have big numbers.

In fact, if a modern congregation had that kind of turnout on Easter, they= d close their doors.

They didn= t have a nursery, Sunday school, choir, or youth group. They didn= t have a spirit of contagious joy; they were terrified and despondent. And they certainly weren= t a welcoming church. When you lock the doors and draw the blinds, folks don= t feel welcome. It= s actually rather amazing that Jesus was able to get into the room.

It proved impossible for my pilgrimage group on our recent trip to Israel. We went to visit the anointed site for the Upper Room, and it was closed for renovation!

We could not get in.

But Jesus got in. And as a result, the church was born.

For what John records Jesus doing on that first Easter evening is creating a community with a purpose.

Look at what Jesus does.

- He appears in their midst while they are all gathered together. Christianity is not a solo affair.

It is when the disciples are gathered together that they experience the presence of the risen Christ.

- He speaks a blessing of peace.

He had promised earlier, before his death, to give them peace and the first greeting after his death is a blessing of peace.

His greeting, A Peace be unto you,@ is in Hebrew the word A shalom.@ Shalom is a most comprehensive word, covering the full realm of relationships in daily life and expressing an ideal state of life. The word suggests the fullness of well-being and harmony untouched by ill fortune.

The word as a blessing is a prayer for the best that God can give to enable a person to complete one= s life with happiness and a natural death.

- He then charges them with a mission C he sends them out to do the same work he did. What is that work?

To share the love, grace and forgiveness of God for the world. In other words, they are sent into the world the same way Jesus went into the world, not to draw attention to themselves, but to enable others to enjoy the life God lays before them. And even to challenge the barriers that we human beings place in the way of the life that God intends for all people.

Over and over again in the gospel Jesus said that he came not to be served but to serve.

Just as a waiter is there to attend to the needs of the guests at the banquet, Jesus was there to care for the needs of those God was calling to fully enjoy the banquet of life.

Especially those guests who did not always feel welcome at the banquet table and whom some of the other guests questioned their presence at the table.

Jesus came for all the world, and he sends his followers out to serve all the world.

- Finally, he gave them the power to engage in this mission of service; he filled them with the Spirit of God.

But that is only half of the story.

For one of the disciples was not present.

Thomas missed out on all of this and finds his colleagues= report incredible.

In fact, he suggests he would not believe it unless he can see the risen Christ with his own eyes and touch his wounds with his own hands.

A week later Thomas is with the others when Jesus appears.

As a result, Thomas too comes to believe.

Notice the important part of this story: what it doesn= t tell us. Thomas didn= t reach out and touch Jesus.

But he experienced the presence of the risen Christ and thus he came to new found trust in God.

It is also important to notice that Jesus does not condemn Thomas for his need to see.

He understands that people need to personally experience the power of resurrection in their lives to be able to begin living in that power themselves.

There are many, many people in the world today who are like Thomas, struggling with faith, wondering about God and about whether God cares for them.

There are many, many people in the world today who desperately need to experience the power of resurrection in their lives today.

There are 35,000 children under the age of five who die every day in this world because they do not have enough water, basic medical care, and food.

There are 300,000 women raped each year in this country.

There are 12 million undocumented immigrants in this country who are increasingly fearful about their welcome and their ability to remain here and provide for their families.

There are still tens of thousands who have homes in need of repair from hurricanes that ravaged Florida two years ago, not to mention the hundred of thousands still trying to put their lives back together after hurricanes last year.

These people and many, many more are looking for signs of resurrection, signs that God cares, in the world around them.

They are looking to touch Jesus, and be touched by him.

We have been given that mission.

When Jesus blew the Holy Spirit upon his disciples and sent them out to spread forgiveness, he made that their purpose, and we, as their spiritual heirs, have inherited that purpose.

What people need is not to be preached at, but shown in concrete fashion the resurrection power for life.

Thomas did not come to believe by the testimony and witness of the disciples alone, but by touching the reality of the resurrection and having it touch his life.

The early church understood that their mission was more than just proclaiming the resurrection, but was actually allowing the power of the resurrection to be at work in their lives.

Listen to this description of their common life in Acts 4:32-35: A Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles= feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.@

They understood that resurrection faith is lived out among the faithful in a way that can be seen.

The Easter acclamation, A He is risen!@ is not just to be spoken, but it must be lived out in tangible evidence of the risen Christ.

Easter is wonderful with its powerful music, inspiring preaching, beautiful lilies, and glorious shouts of A He is risen!@ But resurrection power is more often felt in human lives when spirits are suddenly lifted, when a fresh breath blows away the boredom of routine, when a chance acquaintance unexpectedly turns into a lasting friend.

Resurrection power is felt when people meet and faces light up with smiles; when a telephone call conveys delight in someone= s voice; when a long-forgotten friend takes the time and trouble to write.

People in the world are looking for people who show evidence of resurrection power in their lives.

Generally that is evident by the joy of life they carry; by their singing or laughter; by the manner in which they drink deeply of life and embrace it with all its joy and difficulty, all its blessing and heartache.

It is also evident in the way in which they are welcoming and inviting of others to join them in their joy of living.

Years ago I read an article about a church that was the focus of a town council meeting. Some of the residents of the town appeared before the council to express their concern that the church as attracting an unwanted element because of all the social services they were providing.

One quote from a speaker at the hearing summed up the attitude: A You folks at the church are just doing too much!@

You don= t hear that allegation leveled at the church every day. What a wonderful witness to resurrection hope and the presence of the risen Christ within the community of faith. When it comes to serving the poor and reaching out to those in need, the church is just doing too much!

That affirmation seems to reach much further than any traditional words proclaiming our faith.

The world does not want to hear more words from the church C they hear enough words!

The world wants to touch Jesus C to see firsthand living proof of resurrection power, of new life, of care and compassion from God and God= s people.

May the resurrection be alive in us so that when the world looks at us they see the power for new life, the power of acceptance and forgiveness, the power that brings hope in a world filled with despair.

May Jesus be alive in us so that when people look at us, they might see Jesus, risen and alive, reaching out to touch them in love.