We've all heard about "doubting Thomas" right? Well, I'm sick of that description. And in the world in which we're living at the moment, so much has been thrown into doubt that we all should accept that we are doubters.
And that's why faith is so important.
Huh?
Keep reading and see what you think.
Text: John 20:19-31
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There’s a story I like to tell about a
friend of mine who is a photographer in Tallahassee.
We would occasionally take care of her
dog….named Sammy…whenever she went out of town on a shoot somewhere in Florida.
Well…one weekend…during the big election
meltdown in 2000…my wife and I were taking care of Sammy.
We decided to walk to the Borders
Bookstore which was about a mile and a half from our house.
They had a coffee shop and this would be
a way to walk the dog…get in some exercise…and get a coffee on my day off from
covering the election chaos as it rolled along.
As we sat at an outside table…one of the
many out-of-town photographers was also enjoying some time away from the state
Capitol building.
He noticed Sammy…who was an adorable and
friendly brindle dog...and asked if he could take her photograph.
Isabelle and I were like, “Yeah, sure.”
So he pulled out his camera and clicked away.
We talked some about how crazy
everything was with all the protestors that had been bused into town…the
international media attention…that he was affiliated with one of the news
services and normally was based out of New York.
And of course…we talked about how cute
Sammy was.
About a week later…we again were going
to this same coffee shop with Sammy. Only this time…Sammy’s mom had joined us.
Sitting at one of the outdoor tables was
this photographer. Isabelle and I had gone inside to order our drinks when this
guy said to our friend from across the patio:
“Hey! I know this dog!”
Our friend was taken aback and became a
little bit defensive. She insisted that he must have been mistaken.
He…naturally…kept saying that he knew
Sammy…and had even taken her photograph.
Our friend….being a photographer
herself…was then even more certain this man was off his rocker.
“I assure you,” she said, “that you do
not know my dog!”
That’s when the guy pulled out the 8x10
print he’d made of the photograph to prove that he had seen her dog…knew
Sammy…and had even taken her picture.
With this evidence in hand…our friend
had to acknowledge that her dog clearly was living a secret and glamorous life
at the local coffee shop away from her mama.
Worse…she later admitted…it was an
excellent photo.
Sometimes seeing something really is
believing.
It’s hard for us to accept things
without some kind of proof, isn’t it?
We’re all a little bit skeptical…and
that’s not necessarily a bag thing.
We’re living in a world where we’re
seeing how photos can be manipulated… and artificial intelligence is smart
enough to make fake videos.
We have to give extra scrutiny to those
memes that are so easy to share on our social media.
Having doubts could simply mean we want
to discern the situation more carefully…and deliberately.
I have a soft spot in my heart for the
apostle Thomas.
Besides having been raised up by the
congregation of St. Thomas in Thomasville…I feel that for too long…preachers
have given this man a bum rap for his demand of the apostles that he must see
Jesus’ wounds for himself to believe that their Lord has really risen from the
dead.
Remember: these folks…all of them…saw
what had happened to their teacher and friend.
And in their minds…and their
understanding of how things work in the world…Jesus was dead…and clearly the
women who said his tomb was empty were confused.
Maybe they were overcome with grief.
Thomas wasn’t in the room when Jesus
made his sudden and otherworldly appearance…showing up in the flesh and blood
in front of the apostles.
We’re not sure where he was…but he
wasn’t there at that moment.
Thomas was truly committed to the living
Jesus.
He had so wanted to be courageous…
declaring to the other disciples that they should all go together…like a band
of brothers…with Jesus to Lazarus’ grave…even if it meant certain death (John
11:16).
And…just like the others…when the real
trouble arrived at their doorstep…Thomas was frightened into hiding.
We can imagine that he’s still dealing
with his guilt…that he ran away…and his grief and confusion about this news
that Jesus is alive.
Thomas wanted to believe…but this all
sounds like lunacy to him.
His desire is there…but his belief is
shaky.
That’s not bad.
That’s not wrong.
That’s just like us.
When things in the world around us are
becoming less safe…and we can’t be sure of what’s coming next…our faith is often
put to the test.
There have been plenty of times in my
life where I have found myself turning to God in the face of a difficult and
seemingly impossible situation and asking God, “How long, O Lord, how long?”
If there is one book in the Bible that I
recommend that people look at…it’s the psalms.
They are a great collection of prayers
for the human condition…both rejoicing when things feel right and good and
just…and lamenting when that is the appropriate response to things broken and
wrong in the world.
I appreciate Thomas raising the
questions to his fellow apostles.
To me…his doubts…in a way…indicate that
Thomas’s faith was probably stronger than we normally give him credit for
having.
There’s something admirable about being
willing to say out loud, “I have doubts” rather than to just go along because
everyone else says it’s so.
The Episcopal Church encourages its
members to ask questions… seek out the truth… discern and test rather than just
accept what is said.
Because to have faith…real faith…you
can’t necessarily have certainty.
Faith requires a suspension of concrete absolute
proof.
And what happens when Jesus does appear…does
show himself to Thomas…says to him to “go ahead: put your finger in my
wounds!”?
Thomas’ response is “My Lord and my
God!”
In this moment in John’s Gospel…we learn
a couple of lessons from our friend Thomas.
The first one is that seeing is
believing.
If we think about it…Thomas really was
no different than any of the others.
They all needed to “see” Jesus in order
to accept this new reality that Love had actually won victory over the attempts
to kill it.
The other is that no matter how many
locks and bolts and gated communities we might put ourselves behind thinking
that we’re safe…Jesus is going to show up…and declare “Peace be with you!”
In the midst of our fears…and our
doubts…that peace of Christ is still there and always available and will not be
denied.
In fact…it’s when we are at our most
fearful and doubtful that our faith may be that one lifeline that can pull us
through
As Jesus tells Thomas…and the others
too…it is possible to believe…to have faith…even if we don’t see Jesus in the
flesh and blood.
Because in our times…we experience Jesus
when we encounter those who act from a place of compassion…mercy…and justice.
We…in this place…receive Jesus not just
in the body and blood at our Eucharist…but through the ways in which we live
into the words of our Baptismal Covenant.
When we take seriously the message of
Jesus that his peace is with us…we can begin to unlock the doors of our
hearts…and share that love and peace and joy with others.
Not just at Easter…but always.
In the name of our One Holy and
Undivided Trinity.
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