Doubting Thomas
Second Sunday of Easter
April 28, 2019
John 20:19-31
Doubting Thomas is arguably the patron saint of modern belief. I am amazed that he was brave enough to stand up to all those other disciples who said they had seen the Lord and that he said he was not going to believe in the Resurrected Jesus until he saw Jesus and his wounds with his own eyes and touched the wounds with his hands. When I hear this story, I think about how annoying and disappointing this experience probably was for Thomas. This is how I imagine the story: He probably gave in when no one else wanted to go get lunch and said, “Alright I’ll get lunch today, but someone else has to do it tomorrow.” And then he is punished for being a good guy by missing out on this resurrection experience. But Thomas’ sentiment is ultimately rewarded – he does get his own Risen Christ experience, in the exact conditions he asked for.
I say that Thomas is the patron saint for our age, because he affirms that we have every right to have our doubts, that we don’t have to take other’s words at face value and that our journey of faith, our practice of faith, is our own. And I think sometimes the church gives the impression to the contrary – that you have to believe certain things to be in the pews, and if you don’t you are some kind of phony Christian.
I was speaking to someone recently when I was facilitating a vestry retreat at another church and he said that one of the reasons that he loves the Episcopal Church is that it welcomes people who struggle with some of the basic tenets of the faith. For him the struggle was the doctrine of the Trinity. For some others it is struggles over the Divinity and Humanity of Jesus; for others it is the Creed; for others, doubts about what exactly happens with the bread and wine at the Eucharist. Can you doubt? Can you have questions? Is there room enough for me with all my uncertainties? The answer is yes – and not only that, but, you are probably sitting next to someone who has the same questions and doubts that you do.
I wonder sometimes if the legacy of the reformation – that we are saved by faith, not works, has set in motion an understanding of belief that is unhelpful. That somehow we have to believe, have faith, in something that is hard, if not impossible, to wrap our heads around. That we have to believe that we are saved by Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross and that he carried our sins to the cross with him – and because he was perfect, somehow that appeased God’s wrath and so instead of us all being condemned to eternal punishment we all are able to have access to eternal life. What if that is not the type of God you believe in? What if we don’t believe in a God that would require what seems to be such a barbaric transaction? And who said that is the God we have to believe in? Can’t we just believe that Jesus loved us so much that he suffered the worst that the world could throw at him so he could identify with our sufferings? And that the worst that the world could throw at him was not the end of the story.
Yesterday I had the privilege of having breakfast with the Presiding Bishop, Michael Curry, and with several dozen other chaplains and college students. And he spoke about “The Way of Love” – which is a recommended way of Christians growing in spirituality and developing a personal relationship with God. As many of you know by now because I keep preaching on it – those 7 practices are
TURN Pause, listen, and choose to follow Jesus
LEARN Reflect on Scripture each day, especially on Jesus’ life and teachings
PRAY – dwell intentionally with God each day
WORSHIP Gather in community weekly to thank, praise, and dwell with God
GO – Cross boundaries, listen deeply and live like Jesus
BLESS- Share faith and unselfishly give and serve
REST: Receive the gift of God’s grace, peace, and restoration
Nowhere in those seven practices does it say “agree to accepted doctrines of the church”. Nowhere does it say “believe every word of the creed”. Is it okay if you do? Sure? Do you have to? No. The heart of the Way is Love is creating spiritual disciplines so that you are orienting yourself in the direction of God, and turning to God as a flower turns toward the sun.[1]
In many ways this seven fold practice of faith is nothing new. It brings us back to our Jewish roots. It has been said that Judaism is a religion of deed rather than intention.[2] Let me say that again, Judaism is a religion of deed rather than intention. And what that means is that it is the discipline of keeping the commandments and doing the commandments is the most important thing, and then from that disciplined way of life, then understanding and faith flow forth.
This understanding finds its roots in the account of Moses delivering the commandments to the Jews. The first time Moses comes down from Mount Sinai and commands the people to follow the commandments they say “All that God has said, we will do.” And this happens a second time, and the people say “All that God has said, we will do.” And then the third time this happens the people respond. “naaseh v’nishma” — we will do and we will hear. Or translated another way, we will do and [then] we will understand.
For Christians we might re-word this statement as, we will follow the practices of The Way of Love, and the outpouring of those practice will be spiritual growth and a growing relationship with God.
A few weeks ago, the Director of Counselling Services at Wellesley College came and spoke to our Protestant Student Gathering about Faith and Mental Health. She is also a faithful Christian and leader in her church. She told this funny story about being a student at Boston College and someone asked her “are you religious?” and she said “yes, but it does not affect my everyday life.” A statement that she now finds amusing. After that she went on to say to the students “remember faith is a process” and that your faith will grow as you practice your faith throughout your life. She said “ultimately it is all about holding on to one’s faith that everything will be okay in the midst of life’s problems and in particular to manage stress and anxiety”. She also added her faith permeates every area of her life – and prays as she comes to work – and as she drives into campus she prays for everyone there and before the term starts she prays throughout the buildings where she works.
And I want to end by leaving you with the advice that she gave the students – to help them negotiate life and to help foster their faith in God. She shared with us that when someone new joins her church they are asked to pick a memory verse that they can hold on to at moments of worry or doubt. She mentioned some memory verses for the students to consider to help them practice their faith and I share them with you:
Philippians 4:6 “do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Or Psalm 94:14 “When anxiety was great within me your consolation brought me joy”
Or 1st Peter “cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you”
Or Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”
Or, finally, Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding”
And to end this morning, finally, I would like to leave you with a pithy saying from Norman Vincent Peale, who was an American minister and author known for his work in popularizing the concept of positive thinking, especially through his best-selling book The Power of Positive Thinking[3]
[1] One of The Most Reverend Michael Curry’s phrases
[2] www.myjewishlearning.com/article/do-first-understand-later/
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