Doubting...with Thomas
John 20:19-29
19When 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.”20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”24But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.25So 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.”26A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”27Then 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.”28Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”29Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
This week in worship, we'll be focusing on this story from John: Jesus appearing in the Upper Room (even though the doors were locked!) with the disciples.
Poor Thomas! For whatever reason, he was not present on that first Easter evening. All the others disciples (except for Judas of course) got to see and experience Jesus Resurrected. But not Thomas. And so...for all these years we have branded Thomas as "Doubting" in story and reflection.
I remember my Sunday School teacher telling us, "Don't be like Thomas, BELIEVE." The problem...I'm alot like Thomas! It's not that I don't believe or don't want to believe, it's just that I need to chew on things for a while before I'm willing to say, "I believe."
I grew up in a church that was pretty conservative. Lots of folks said they believed. They told us we should believe, ...without questioning. So I didn't question much, at least not aloud or in public. But, I questioned, earnestly and often. Not because I wanted to, but more because it was hard not to. I knew there was more out there and my heart and soul have always longed for that more.
Do you ever doubt or have doubts? Each year in confirmation classes, we begin by inviting our confirmands to ask deep and wide questions. We tell them right up front, It's okay to doubt, to not understand, to have a hard time believing this or that, even to say, "I'm just not able to say, I believe, yet." We understand confirmation to be about making the faith their own. I don't know about you, but that is not always an easy process for me.
Sometimes I wonder and have doubts about the theology that has been handed down to us. Sometimes I wonder about the wisdom and motives of those who have come before us. Sometimes I have to wonder if that is what a particular Scripture really means? Sometimes I even why God does things the way God does things?
Join us for worship this Sunday as we dig into "Doubting." As methodical Methodists (ha!) I'm thinking we ought to have some rules for doubting...maybe: Doubt-Nice, Doubt-Well, Doubt-Prayerful? But doubting we should.
Lord, we give you all of ourselves...even those places where hurts, doubts and misgivings still linger. Take our doubts, we pray--bless them, break them, heal and make them...whole and holy for you. It is in the name of the Resurrected Christ that we pray, Amen!
Blessings!
Rich Greenway
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