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