Sunday 23rd April 2017 - Good News in Doubt and Faith
May I speak in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Just imagine being there.
Back then, when it happened.
Imagine being a disciple, one of those in the locked room.
Being a follower of Christ then certainly wasn’t easy or simple, it had been wonderful, now it was dangerous, frightening. Even today, it can be dangerous in some places for people to be openly Christian.
The Apostles had experienced three years of life changing events. They had heard stories, learnt new ways of understanding God, seen remarkable miracles and watched Jesus change in completely unexpected ways.
Only three days ago, they had experienced one of the most traumatic days of their lives.
Their friend had been betrayed, he
was arrested, he had faced a biased trial, he was found guilty by a mob, and
then he was humiliated and beaten.
Jesus, the man who had called each one of them by name, was tortured and crucified.
He died and was buried. It was all so quick, so sudden and brutal.
Now, they were together in hiding, but were afraid, worried that they may be arrested next.
Then, as well as the death of Jesus, other friends were missing, Judas was gone, he had once been trusted but, now they were just confused.
Peter was feeling heartbroken about denying his friend.
Thomas is missing as well, it’s worrying, it’s wasn’t clear where he had gone.
Peter had just been telling the others about how the tomb was empty and earlier that day Mary Magdalene said she had seen Jesus, which was surely impossible?
So now there is even more confusion and fear, everything was changing, they had no idea what to do or what would happen next, it felt like they were at the centre of a storm, that the whole world was about to change.
Then, he, Jesus was there, with them. They had locked the door, they had been careful about that, yet there ‘He’ was. The change in mood was instant, suddenly there was calm and peace.
He showed them the deep wounds he carried, yet he was alive, but changed, different somehow. He breathed the Holy Spirit on them and through this they were transformed too, through that divine grace and spirit which he had always embodied.
This whole experience was strange, here was Jesus, now clearly the Son of God, as he had told them he was, so many times, back among them. But he had come back to a locked room with his friends, if he truly was the son of God, why hadn’t he appeared in a bolt of lightning on top of the tallest tower, like some sort of immortal superhero God?
Maybe, the apostles were only just realising that his message of hope and forgiveness was one which wasn’t going to be proclaimed from on high, like some almighty prophet, this message was going to be passed from person to person, from friend to friend and from disciple to disciple, and gradually, from church to church, like this one.
Then, Jesus was gone. Later, it was a relief when Thomas came back, but he couldn’t take in what they were saying, that Jesus had come back, it didn’t make sense and Thomas didn’t want to accept it at all.
The other disciples couldn’t understand his doubts but to Thomas, there was only confusion, making him defiant, could he dare believe Jesus was back?
Last week, we heard the Good News of Jesus’ resurrection. We also heard from Archdeacon Jackie, about the fear and joy of the two Mary’s, as they ran to tell the disciples about the empty tomb.
And I’m sure some of Thomas’ reaction was from fear, fear of confusion, of the unknown, of being scared about what might happen if he stepped out into an abyss of faith, trusting in something he hadn’t seen when the world around him was being turned upside down, especially after all that had happened.
And surely it was impossible, most Jewish sects had no real belief in resurrection, Jesus had spoken about being raised, but none of them really understood what that meant at the time, to have been unsure was an entirely natural reaction. Doubt for Thomas wasn’t about his faith in God or Jesus, it was about the resurrection, an entirely new idea for all of them.
Then, Jesus appeared again a week later. This time, Thomas was there and I like to think that Jesus came back because he wanted to reassure Thomas, for them both to meet again in person, after all, they had been friends and had shared so much, and whatever he said about faith in him, Jesus wanted his friend to be reassured and to be at peace about what the other disciples had seen.
Thomas’ reaction, his relief, his wide eyed, childlike joy is expressed in the words he used, his fear, and his doubts fell away, when he saw Jesus and simply proclaimed, ‘My Lord and my God!’, this tells us everything we need to know.
Where he had dared to not believe, now his belief was unrestrained. He could leap headfirst into complete joyful, trusting, faith. He did believe because he had seen Jesus.
His initial doubts came from a place of grief and confusion, fear and loss. And who among us, doesn’t have doubts about faith at times of huge upheaval. It’s a natural human reaction and one we shouldn’t be ashamed of.
If we question God when suffering, then just that question can be a little spark of hope, and faith will still be there, fragile at first, but still there, and it will be re-ignited when the difficulties pass.
It may not seem like it, but God is always there, Jesus is always alongside us, encouraging us, holding us and even carrying us when we need carrying.
What I’ve found the more I study and learn, is that faith isn’t just about what we know in our heads, the theological details, as it were. These details are important, but really, faith is about what we know in our hearts.
Faith in Jesus, in his resurrection, is an amazing thing. This amazing loving sacrifice, his transformation into new life, his promise of forgiveness through our repentance and most of all his love, is for everyone who believes in him.
It is for all of us. For sinners and saints. For enemies and friends. For people we agree with, and those we don’t. For those who doubt and for those who are certain.
Let’s remember that Jesus shared his last meal with Judas, who betrayed, with Peter who denied and Thomas, who doubted and these are things we can bring to the table for forgiveness, when we remember that last supper shortly.
Jesus himself felt abandoned, and possibly doubted, when he spoke the first words of Psalm 22 on the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Yet even after this, he was returned to his father and came back to the disciples, and to us.
That certain hope, in a resurrection life, in the promise of eternal life, is a wonderful gift from God. It’s the Easter gift given to us all, to save us through faith in his death and resurrection, which we can celebrate with joy and thanksgiving, today and always.
I’ll close with the way this Good News was summed up by Saint Peter, so beautifully, in the first line of his letter which we heard in the second reading today;
“Blessed, be the God and Father - of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy, he has given us a new birth, into a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
Amen.
Jesus, the man who had called each one of them by name, was tortured and crucified.
He died and was buried. It was all so quick, so sudden and brutal.
Now, they were together in hiding, but were afraid, worried that they may be arrested next.
Then, as well as the death of Jesus, other friends were missing, Judas was gone, he had once been trusted but, now they were just confused.
Peter was feeling heartbroken about denying his friend.
Thomas is missing as well, it’s worrying, it’s wasn’t clear where he had gone.
Peter had just been telling the others about how the tomb was empty and earlier that day Mary Magdalene said she had seen Jesus, which was surely impossible?
So now there is even more confusion and fear, everything was changing, they had no idea what to do or what would happen next, it felt like they were at the centre of a storm, that the whole world was about to change.
Then, he, Jesus was there, with them. They had locked the door, they had been careful about that, yet there ‘He’ was. The change in mood was instant, suddenly there was calm and peace.
He showed them the deep wounds he carried, yet he was alive, but changed, different somehow. He breathed the Holy Spirit on them and through this they were transformed too, through that divine grace and spirit which he had always embodied.
This whole experience was strange, here was Jesus, now clearly the Son of God, as he had told them he was, so many times, back among them. But he had come back to a locked room with his friends, if he truly was the son of God, why hadn’t he appeared in a bolt of lightning on top of the tallest tower, like some sort of immortal superhero God?
Maybe, the apostles were only just realising that his message of hope and forgiveness was one which wasn’t going to be proclaimed from on high, like some almighty prophet, this message was going to be passed from person to person, from friend to friend and from disciple to disciple, and gradually, from church to church, like this one.
Then, Jesus was gone. Later, it was a relief when Thomas came back, but he couldn’t take in what they were saying, that Jesus had come back, it didn’t make sense and Thomas didn’t want to accept it at all.
The other disciples couldn’t understand his doubts but to Thomas, there was only confusion, making him defiant, could he dare believe Jesus was back?
Last week, we heard the Good News of Jesus’ resurrection. We also heard from Archdeacon Jackie, about the fear and joy of the two Mary’s, as they ran to tell the disciples about the empty tomb.
And I’m sure some of Thomas’ reaction was from fear, fear of confusion, of the unknown, of being scared about what might happen if he stepped out into an abyss of faith, trusting in something he hadn’t seen when the world around him was being turned upside down, especially after all that had happened.
And surely it was impossible, most Jewish sects had no real belief in resurrection, Jesus had spoken about being raised, but none of them really understood what that meant at the time, to have been unsure was an entirely natural reaction. Doubt for Thomas wasn’t about his faith in God or Jesus, it was about the resurrection, an entirely new idea for all of them.
Then, Jesus appeared again a week later. This time, Thomas was there and I like to think that Jesus came back because he wanted to reassure Thomas, for them both to meet again in person, after all, they had been friends and had shared so much, and whatever he said about faith in him, Jesus wanted his friend to be reassured and to be at peace about what the other disciples had seen.
Thomas’ reaction, his relief, his wide eyed, childlike joy is expressed in the words he used, his fear, and his doubts fell away, when he saw Jesus and simply proclaimed, ‘My Lord and my God!’, this tells us everything we need to know.
Where he had dared to not believe, now his belief was unrestrained. He could leap headfirst into complete joyful, trusting, faith. He did believe because he had seen Jesus.
His initial doubts came from a place of grief and confusion, fear and loss. And who among us, doesn’t have doubts about faith at times of huge upheaval. It’s a natural human reaction and one we shouldn’t be ashamed of.
If we question God when suffering, then just that question can be a little spark of hope, and faith will still be there, fragile at first, but still there, and it will be re-ignited when the difficulties pass.
It may not seem like it, but God is always there, Jesus is always alongside us, encouraging us, holding us and even carrying us when we need carrying.
What I’ve found the more I study and learn, is that faith isn’t just about what we know in our heads, the theological details, as it were. These details are important, but really, faith is about what we know in our hearts.
Faith in Jesus, in his resurrection, is an amazing thing. This amazing loving sacrifice, his transformation into new life, his promise of forgiveness through our repentance and most of all his love, is for everyone who believes in him.
It is for all of us. For sinners and saints. For enemies and friends. For people we agree with, and those we don’t. For those who doubt and for those who are certain.
Let’s remember that Jesus shared his last meal with Judas, who betrayed, with Peter who denied and Thomas, who doubted and these are things we can bring to the table for forgiveness, when we remember that last supper shortly.
Jesus himself felt abandoned, and possibly doubted, when he spoke the first words of Psalm 22 on the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Yet even after this, he was returned to his father and came back to the disciples, and to us.
That certain hope, in a resurrection life, in the promise of eternal life, is a wonderful gift from God. It’s the Easter gift given to us all, to save us through faith in his death and resurrection, which we can celebrate with joy and thanksgiving, today and always.
I’ll close with the way this Good News was summed up by Saint Peter, so beautifully, in the first line of his letter which we heard in the second reading today;
“Blessed, be the God and Father - of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy, he has given us a new birth, into a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”
Amen.
Readings: 1
Peter 1. 3-19, John 20. 19-31, Acts 2:14, 22-32
Preached at St George's, Cam and St Cyr's, Stinchcombe
Comments
Post a Comment