Sermon for April 19, 2020 4th On line Sunday
I am drawn to this
passage I believe it speaks so clearly of our humanity.
The disciples still
coming to grips with Jesus resurrection and how that could possibly be. Their
response to His resurrection is something we can really identity with and even
understand. What we hear they are doing is hiding behind locked doors, they continue
to be afraid even now. Why?
What do we do when we
don’t understand? When our mind is confused and our heart doesn’t know what to
feel? What would you do if you (and maybe you have) witnessed a true and
horrifying tragedy and then a unbelievable, miraculous experience with the same
person all a matter of a few days?
So much had changed in
those 3 days from death to life, from tragedy to hope, but why were they hiding
behind locked doors in fear of the Jews? What were they really afraid of?
In our own way right
now we can relate to hiding behind locked doors, trying our best to keep the
Corona Virus Covad 19 out. Out of our bodies, lives, out of our homes, and out
of where we live. We have been self isolating in our homes, needing to be away,
being told to keep away from everyone else. We have been living in a element of
fear too. Living anxiously about how this Covad 19 virus can travel and
compromise the health of many people of the whole world. Even keeping our doors
locked does not guarantee safety from it’s grip.
Jesus came among the
disciples and said “Peace be with you.” He came among them, even though the
doors were locked and HE stood in their midst. They witness the tender scars of
His flesh in His hands and His side. They had seen the nails driven into His
body and the spear into His side, and yet now here He was with them in the
locked room in His risen presence. It was Him, the flesh wounds, His voice, His
face. Once they had taken this all in, Then
the disciples rejoiced when they had 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
anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are
not forgiven.”
We have all
experienced times when we didn’t go to an event for reasons of our choosing or
we chose to go out rather than staying home and in either scenario, something happens that your miss
out on.
Maybe you miss a
fabulous performance because you chose to stay home, or maybe while you are out
running an errand that could have waited, a long time friend drops in for a
short visit, and you kick yourself for not being there.
Well Thomas, had
left and where he went we will never know, but the door was locked. He missed seeing Jesus and my feeling is that
He was sorry that he missed Jesus and maybe mad at himself for not being there
with the disciples.
Now he has missed out, and he is left out of what his fellow disciples
have witnessed and what they have seen and experienced and where they have
moved forward in their faith and understanding, Thomas has not he is still
needing more.
Does Thomas doubt
what the disciples are saying and revealing to him? OR does he just need his
own experience, the experience that the disciples are revealing to him as they
share what they saw & as a result declared and rejoiced!
Thomas announces
that the only way he will believe is “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.”
Is it proof Thomas
wants? Could it be just the experience again of being with Jesus that he longs
for? Has being labeled Doubting Thomas been his appropriate name over the
centuries, has he earned it or has it just stuck with him as some nick names
do?
Doubt, is but a key
ingredient to faith. If you don’t question, you don’t learn or care, you
don’t grow. Bill Tammeus a long time journalist and religious writer
entitled his 2016 book The Value of Doubt: why unanswered
questions, not unquestioned answers, build faith.
As believers we sometimes
feel that we cannot express doubt or criticism because it shows
weakness in our beliefs and we don’t
want to discourage the faith of others, but encourage.
Tammeus writes that the opposite of faith is not doubt; rather
the opposite of faith is certitude or conviction and a key component of faith
is trust.
Leonard Ravenhill died in 1994 but he was an English Christian evangelist and author who focused on
the subjects of prayer and revival. He stated this: I have no faith in my faith. My faith is
in the faithful God.
Trust in the Living
Christ, as Tammeus describes, …. cannot be fully explained or quantified to
others, yet faith empowers one to seek good in the face of evil. Trust in
God allows the miracle of hope when many believe there is none.
Can we really have faith
in a faithless age? I say YES we can and we do and I believe it is a time
more than ever where Christians need to live our faith in good works and in
spiritual works. Sometimes our faith gets locked, like in a box from our days
in SS. Our faith hasn’t been released or brought into practice, exercised and
therefore it cannot grow and be questioned. Our doubts go unexpressed and get locked in the box because
we are afraid of having doubts, afraid
of what we do not understand or know. We must open the box and explore our
spiritual terrain. Ask what are my questions? What are my doubts? What
faith beliefs do I own today and what am I just assuming from childhood or
culture without experiencing or understanding for myself? In our questioning we
will find a deepening meaning to our lives too.
Many people today are living in fear of this
virus plus fears like financial concern, family breakdown, cancer, health,
growing older and needing assistance, abuse, insecurity, there are many fears
and now compounded with the Covad 19. Fear is a powerful thing and can wear us
down, wear us out.
Where can a person find
security, find a solid foundation, a cornerstone to build life upon, a solid
rock to feel secure upon and experience life with a firm footing, not sinking
sand?
Our Lord’s tomb or grave
is empty death could not hold Him. Through the power of God He rose from the
grave and He is the anchor of life the source of our hope in all things our
comfort in the storm our all we need to secure us through this life and
eternity. In Him we place our faith our hope and He will guide us through all
of life’s challenges and difficulties.
We were not there as
Thomas was when Jesus returned Jesus shows up bringing life, offering life,
embodying life. A week later …and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then
he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand
and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28 Thomas
answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus
said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who
have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
Life and peace are
resurrection reality. They do not necessarily change the circumstances of our
life and world. But the life and peace of Jesus’ resurrection enables us to
meet and live through those circumstances. He gives us his peace, his presence
His life, so we are then free to unlock the doors of our lives, our hearts and
move forward in faith.
Resources
Unlocking Doors – A Sermon on John 20:19-31, Easter 2
Interrupting the Silence Father Mike
No comments:
Post a Comment