Believing and Doubting at Easter

This sermon can be heard here

Gate Pa – Easter 2 (Year C) 2016

Readings:
Psalm:                                                 Psalm: 118:14-29                                      NZPB Page 337
First Reading:                                     Acts 5:27-32                                              Bible Page 889
Second Reading:                                Rev 1:4-8                                                    Bible Page 994
Gospel:                                                John 20:19-31                                           Bible Page 883

What I want to say:
I want to explore the importance of Thomas, both in the lectionary (we hear this reading on this Sunday every year) and for us; he is our guy saying the things we want to say. And we can follow his footsteps into belief if we are willing.
And then we will explore belief as cleaving into God. In the face of fear and death, we live our lives knowing that we are all profoundly and deeply loved by God
What I want to happen:


The Sermon

      1.     Introduction:

You can just about set your liturgical clock by this reading.
for along time this reading,
            story Thomas set a week after Easter Sunday
            been gospel reading for week after Easter Sunday
                        second Sunday of Easter
think - really cool
we join with millions people around world
            who are
            who have
            who will hear and reflect on this reading on this day
it reminds us that we are not alone in this thing we are doing
we belong to a much larger community
            stretches in time
            stretches around the world
we are in this together
whether we like it or not.
Also means people like me have to come up with something different every year
many of us get around by having the Sunday after Easter off
giving that pleasure to someone else.

      2.     Thomas

so what do we know about Thomas?
doubts
John 11:7,8,16 - when Jesus announced His intention of going to the Jerusalem area, brushing aside the protests of His disciples that His life was in danger there, at which Thomas said to the others: "Let us also go, that we may die with him."             - Sturdily loyal.
tradition that went to preach in India; and there is a Christian community in India (the Kerala district) that claims descent from Christians converted by the the preaching of Thomas.
-         said that speared to death there

      3.     The Story

ð lets have a look at todays story from John’s gospel  that gave him his name “doubting Thomas”
lot of things going on at the tomb
            stones rolled away
            Mary not knowing where people taken Jesus
            Peter and beloved disciple running
                        both seeing
                        one believes
                        neither understand
            Then… Mary sees risen Christ
she is told not to touch Jesus because he has not yet ascended to the Father
            then she goes and tells the disciples that “she has seen the lord”
at which they…..
what do they do
go out and preach risen Christ?
rejoice Jesus is risen?
No, they hide behind a locked door in fear of Jewish authorities
Thomas is not among them
             either means he went to get the fish and chips
            or he is beginning to have second thoughts about all this despite what Mary has said
Are a lot of people who suspect that in this telling of the story
            the disciples are not overly convinced by Mary’s saying
                        “I have seen the Lord”
            they do not understand
            they don’t believe
            they want hard evidence first
                        to see hands, feet and side.
Then… Jesus is there in the room
            dispensing peace
            giving hard evidence – showing his hands and his feet
            they are glad
then Jesus says to them again, “Peace to you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
This is writer of John’s Pentecost
for writer of John Easter is birthday of church
                        stay behind the locked doors
            still afraid
                        afraid of Jewish authorities
                        Judean elite
                                    high priests and wealthy Herodian’s
they thought got rid Jesus
            after them – disciples next
                        death lurks at every corner
Thomas comes back
            either with fish and chips
            or heard strange stories and wants to hear more
he doesn’t believe either
wants more evidence
            just like all the other disciples needed more evidence
One week later
today
all in room together
still afraid
still behind locked doors
Jesus returns to room
offering peace
inviting Thomas to touch and believe
and he does
my Lord and my God
he believes
what?

      4.     Doubting Thomas

I am really interested that we keep calling Thomas – doubting Thomas
air of smugness about that name
look at him
all doubting and such
not like the other doubting disciples
only
except
well
if we are honest they doubted too
not like us
we believe
we know what this is all about
no doubt here!
except
well
if you are honest
if we are honest
we are Thomas
and Thomas is our man
because this resurrection thing is really hard to get your head around
it makes no sense
people have argued about this since
well since the resurrection
because at least with Lazarus you can say he came back to life for awhile
But Jesus defeated death
and you could touch him
and yet he walks into locked rooms.
which one of us doesn’t have a question or 5 about all this
which one of us really cannot really explain what is going on here
because in the end we can’t
we might think we can
but the best we can ever do really
is be like the beloved disciple – and believe but not understand
be like Thomas and want more.
which one of us here would not like more proof?
Thomas is us
and he asks our questions
and he and all disciples including Mary shows us belief despite the questions

      5.     Belief

The word believe is pretty misleading for us.
it has come to mean that Thomas understood what this was all about
            that by giving his intellectual agreement to idea of resurrection
            he was now forgiven his sins
            had life after death – eternal life
ð not even close to how writer of John using it.
Belief here is about trust and loyalty
            it is about quality of relationship
best image is that of baby snuggling into a mother
knowing that with this person is food and love and life
Thomas is our man because he doubted and still believed.
still snuggled – cleaved into God
Greek in command to not doubt is actually to not unbelieve
translators have chosen doubt as the best word for unbelief
suggest that unbelief
            not trusting
            not cleaving into God
is very different from doubt
One can have all kinds of doubts
and still believe
still trust God
still cleave to God
As Thomas travelled through what we now call Khyber Pass into what we now call Pakistan and India
I am sure he had all kinds of doubts and questions
But he kept believing
trusting God’s presence
trusting in God’s generosity
trusting in God’s love
his relationship with God of his fathers
was built on that trust
lived his life on basis of that trust
invites us to do the same
despite our doubts and questions.
Let us give thanks for Thomas
shows us how to believe and doubt at the same time
who gives us a place in the ongoing story of Jesus the Christ





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