April 12, 2015
Sunday

“When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” John 20:19-25

On the Sunday following the Resurrection of Jesus (some call it Easter Sunday) we always hear the story of Thomas, who was not there with the other disciples when Jesus appears to them. Thomas was not there – where he was is unknown. He obviously had other business, or he was afraid, or he was doing family stuff, etc. If we admit it, we all have a lot of business that keeps us from quality time with Jesus; we all are a little afraid when it comes to truly living out our faith; we all have family stuff that keeps us from being more involved in the church and involved in living out our faith on a daily basis, like we should. In other words, we all have a little Thomas in us.

And if that is true, then we all have a little doubt in us as well. But is it really doubt if we are people who are looking for some tangible experiences with Jesus? Doubt can present two reactions in our lives. Doubt can keep us from doing anything, we simply say “I just can’t believe it” and that is that. Thomas could have said “I just can’t believe it”, and then left the group that he had developed a relationship with because the Teacher had left the group. We see this in our churches often – when the beloved pastor leaves a congregation, there are always a few who leave with them. They are either upset with the circumstances of their leaving, or they believe that their church experience can only be “true” if “so-and-so” is running the service. So Thomas could just have left and never come back. But, he did come back – even though the teacher had left – he came back probably because of the account of his friends that Jesus was there. Thomas didn’t doubt as much as he said “I want that same experience”.

This is the second reaction we can have – we come back seeking an experience with Jesus. And because we want the same experience, the presence of G*d through Jesus, this is the primary reason you and I come to worship, read the bible, partake in the sacraments, and gather together with a Christian Community. And together, we encounter the risen Christ – who gives us what he gave to Thomas – his presence and love.

Pastor Dave