Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Hallelujah! [Psalm 150:6]
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty. [Revelation 1:8]
Then [Jesus] 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." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my
God!" Jesus said "...Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have
come to believe." [John 20:28-29]
The reading from Acts
is perfect for this Sunday after Easter. A “what-happened-next” sequel to the
drama of the Crucifixion and Resurrection narratives and a prequel to Pentecost
which, this year of 2025, will be on Sunday, June 8. I would encourage
everyone to read through to verse 42, as some may be surprised that the
Apostles didn't just hide out until the day of Pentecost. What they were doing
immediately after the Resurrection was quite courageous in standing up to the
local High Priests. But of course, a compelling piece always is the telling of
the story of the Apostle Thomas. Widely known as Doubting Thomas,
he is the one who simply didn’t/couldn’t/or wouldn’t accept what he was told:
that Jesus had risen from the dead. He wanted proof.
I
can put myself in his place quite easily. It was a head-spinning week beginning
with the glorious Palm Sunday entry into Jerusalem with crowds even more
jubilant at Jesus’s arrival than ever before. As the week progressed it was
time for the Passover dinner in an evening that turned strangely mysterious as
Jesus shockingly washed everyone’s feet, and again said things not easily
understood, then later he was suddenly arrested. The next day Thomas watched as
this man he loved and admired more than any other and had given up his normal
life to follow, was brutalized, degraded, and then confusingly vilified by many
of the same people who had been singing Hosannas to him just a few days
before! Then he was nailed to a cross, suffered an agonizing death and was
buried in a tomb with a heavy stone rolled across the entrance. Thomas must
have spent the following 24 hours trying to comprehend it all – the glory, the
joy, the shock, the horror, and the shiveringly cold reality of the death of
one so beloved. NOW Thomas is told that Jesus has come back from the dead?! He
says, Prove it.
Perhaps
it wasn’t so much that he didn’t believe but more that he had chosen not to
until he had seen for himself. The crucifixion and death of Jesus was so
traumatic and so very final. How could he dare to believe in the hope of such a
thing as resurrection without the concurrent fear of soul-crushing
disappointment? Anyone who has experienced the searing grief of significant
loss will understand and quietly continue to hope it was all some terrible
dream until the reality sets in.
Today
we’re in an age of instant communication, “viral” social media posts,
never-ending “breaking news,” overwhelming us with data that is real, slightly
real, not at all real, and frequently bizarre. Like Thomas, we just want to be
given answers with a little explanation so we don't have to think through
all the conflicting information. It's also easier when the people or
organizations we like and trust tell us what we want to hear.
Yet, how do we distinguish between oft-repeated gossip and rumor that begins to
sound true after the eleventieth forward on Facebook or other sources,
and actual truth? In Thomas' case, he had the benefit of
seeing and touching the wounds of the Resurrected Christ. For us, we must
rely on our sometimes-faltering faith. In the ways of our current times, even
if you trust your source of information it is prudent to keep an open mind,
accepting that sometimes checking other sources might yield better data. In the
ways of Christ, our information comes from the legacy of the Apostles in the
writings of the New Testament that stand 2,000+ years later: "[These]
are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son
of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name." [John
20:30-31]
For the skeptics and atheists and those who just aren’t sure, it is true that we cannot prove the fact of the Resurrection by solid evidentiary standards. Neither can we prove that it didn’t happen. And if you do believe that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit do not exist, I’m okay with that—but can you prove it?
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ Holy Jesus, our Universal Christ, in Your grace and peace we see Your living Presence through the willing eyes of our souls. Grant us such fullness of faith, that even as seeds of doubt may sprout within us, we will seek and strive to follow Your Word and Witness to everlasting life in Your Name.
~ Holy Jesus, our Universal Christ, fill the rulers of our Earth, our Country, and our Community with the personal courage and humility to triumph over the injustice of ruthless authority and to govern with equity, integrity, and reverence for all of Creation and its Inhabitants. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
~ Holy Jesus, our Universal Christ, restore wholeness to all who
suffer in body, mind, or spirit, and refresh the energy of those who give them
care. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need…add your own
petitions
~ Holy Jesus, our Universal Christ, You have broken the power of
earthly death, now bring light to the darkness of those who grieve, as all of
heaven is alive with joy, receiving those we love into eternal bliss. We pray
especially for: add your own petitions
~ Holy Jesus, our Universal Christ, we pause in
this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions,
petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions
~ Holy Jesus, our Universal Christ, may Easter’s new fire burn
brightly in the hearts of all those ordained in Your Church, to inspire and
light our pathway to You. We pray especially for: add your own
petitions
The Celebrant adds: Lord God in Christ, Who is,
Who was, and Who is to come, our Alpha and Omega, release us from the limits of
our earth-bound minds and free our souls to seek our life’s path through Your
teachings and example. We ask through the immeasurable Wisdom of the Holy
Spirit, and the unwavering love of our Almighty Creator, who together with You
reign as One God in glory and dominion, forever and ever. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment