Cliff Loesch May 11, 2008 John 20:19-23 A Welcome Intrusion        A few weeks ago we had a call on our answering machine and a recorded voice said, "This is not a sales call-but involves an important legal matter," and the message gave the name of a law firm along with an 800 number to call.  I ignored the first call, but when we got the same call a second or third time I decided to call and see what it was about.  They are a collection agency and they said that they were intending to collect on two checks that I had written back in 2006-one to Cracker Barrel and the other to some other company I had never heard of.  In the first place I have overdraft protection so that it is virtually impossible to bounce a check.  In the second place, I had no recollection of ever writing a check to Cracker Barrel and it seems like it's been way more than two years since I've even been inside one.  And the other business didn't ring a bell at all.  I have no clue who they are.  But the law firm gave me check numbers and dates so I went looking through my records.  I can tell you these phone calls and these annoying accusations were indeed an unwelcome intrusion into my life.  As I suspected, the check numbers and dates did not match anything at all in my records so I began to wonder what was going on.  Was this a scam of some kind?  I went online and wrote a letter about what I was experiencing to the Kansas Attorney General.  A week or so later I got a letter in the mail from the Attorney General's office.  They had contacted the law firm for information and the Attorney General forwarded to me copies of what they received.  There were copies of two checks from two different banks in Arkansas and the checks were in the name of Clifton Loesch-my name, except that the first name was spelled differently than mine, and the address of this Clifton Loesch was in Atlanta, Georgia.  So either there is another Clifton Loesch in Georgia-or has someone used my name to open some fraudulent accounts in Arkansas?  Anyway, I wrote back to the Attorney General pointing out that I've lived in the same spot in Wichita for almost fourteen years and that I've never lived in Atlanta and have never opened any bank accounts in Arkansas-and could they please help me with this situation or give me some advice about what I should do.  Once again I want to emphasize what an unwelcome intrusion this whole situation is in my life.  But just this week I received another response from the Attorney General's office.  Those two checks have now been taken out of collection and I'm supposed to get a letter from a collection agency saying it's over.  I also want to add that as much as I sometimes may gripe about the government, I have to say that I have been more than impressed and reassured by the kind of attention-and prompt attention-that I have gotten from the Attorney General's office on this matter.  They have been great.  But I know this might not be the end of it.  The Attorney General offered some suggestions and sent me some brochures about identity theft.  I had previously gotten one credit report and didn't see anything alarming on it.  But I'll go back through that report and get another report from one of the other companies, and probably subscribe to one of the credit reporting groups so I can keep tabs on what is happening-and I'll probably talk to some of you that have been through this.  Hopefully this is the end of the problem-but who knows?        We try to build around ourselves various kinds of walls of security.  Yet even still we know that our defenses are never completely impenetrable.  We've had ants marching around our kitchen this week much to our dismay.  Another unwanted intrusion.  The bug man came on Friday and now all the ants have disappeared-at least until the next time they find a way to sneak in.  And we all lock our houses.  Yet as my dad used to say, "Locks are designed to keep the honest people out."  And it's true.  We know that if dishonest people wanted to intrude, they could find a way to break through our defenses.  And our identities?  We do what we can to build around ourselves a wall of protection-but this is still kind of new territory for us.  We're not really sure how to really protect ourselves from identity theft.  But unwanted intrusions of many different kinds are part of our lives.        In our short passage today from John 20, the disciples were hiding behind locked doors after Jesus' death, because they were afraid.  Yet to their complete amazement-someone made it through their barrier.  They were in hiding.  And not only had someone found them, but someone was in the room with them-through the locked door, standing among them.  I don't think they recognized Jesus at first, but Jesus said to them, "Peace be with you," and showed them his hands and side.  Then the disciples rejoiced as they recognized the Lord standing there among them.        So it turned out to be a very welcome intrusion.  Indeed-look for a moment at all the things we learn about Jesus in this story.  First of all, he found a way in.  And this is the point that I'll highlight again in a moment.  But notice, also, what he did not do when he made it inside: Jesus did not scold them for their fear, nor did he even ask them why were they in hiding.  And his presence showed that he had not given up on these disciples--imperfect as they may have been.  No, he sought them out, and he reassured them.  He said, "Peace, be with you."  And then he showed them his hands and his side-actions that were intended to calm them and help them recognize him.  After they were put at ease following the unexpected intrusion, Jesus said again, "Peace be with you."  And then he invited them to become his colleagues-to carry on the work that God had given him to do.  Next week I hope to focus on this aspect of this same passage-carrying on the work of Christ.         But this week I simply want to highlight the way these disciples were hidden away in a locked room.  Yet no matter how hard to find they thought they were, and no matter how strong the locks may have been, Jesus found them and made it through their barriers and stood among them.        To me it is a comforting thought that Jesus can always get into my locked room.  We build walls around ourselves of various kinds; walls to protect us from the darts and arrows of life.  Life sometimes hands us rejection or disappointment or other discouraging things-and we build walls to try to protect ourselves.  Like the disciples, we hunker down inside our locked spaces because we are afraid of…afraid of what?  What do we fear?  Yet also, like the disciples, we discover that our locked places are not inaccessible to Christ.        A little over a week ago, I found myself building a wall to try to hold back some grief.  But through the ministry of an acquaintance of mine, Christ made it through that defense I was building.  I hadn't even realized I was building that wall-but with the reassuring presence of Christ the wall began to dissolve, the fear to subside. To me it is a wonderful image and it is very deeply encouraging to think that Jesus can always get into our locked rooms.  No matter how we try to close ourselves off from others-even still, Jesus is there.  No matter the emotional defenses we build-Christ still has access.  I think even if we try to keep Jesus out-he can still find a way in.        In John 20, the intruder turns out to be a welcome guest.  And my prayer for you today is that Christ will appear inside your locked room to offer reassurance, encouragement, hope, and peace.