Sermon Conclusions and Unexpected Blessings of a Retreat

I will write more about the Create in Me retreat when I have more time tomorrow.  Soon I will need to put on my presentable clothes and drive across the mountain to preach and preside at Faith Lutheran in Bristol, Tennessee.  One of the blessings of the retreat:  yesterday, it gave me a way to conclude my sermon on the disciples in the locked room and doubting Thomas:

God meets us where we are. I was at a creativity retreat at Lutheridge this week, and at the creative writing workshop I offered one woman said of her spiritual journey, “Jesus knocks on the door. All we have to do is answer it.” This week’s Gospel reading tells us that we don’t even have to open the door. If we’re too tired, too full of doubt and despair, Jesus doesn’t need us to do a dang thing. That’s the nature of grace. Before we even realize we need to open the door, Jesus appears, offering us what we need, getting us ready for what’s ahead.