Sunday, March 30, 2008
By pastor John Jorgenson
Thomas is so very much like us or should I say we are so much like Thomas. Practical, realistic, unless I can see for myself I will not believe that anything has changed. This incident with Jesus points out that our doubting and our skepticism may be somewhat short sighted. Through Thomas’s experience Jesus teaches the importance of faith and the contribution that faith makes to our every day living in a changing world.
One thing that I really find personally rewarding comes from our Thursday Bad Girls of the Bible sessions. That thing is reinforced by and with the conversations we have during and after each session. We are learning the simple essence of Faith as Jesus taught and as it is expressed in our Lutheran teaching. Our faith is balanced. It has two parts. We have freedom as a gift from God as Jesus taught. The second is much like that. We have the simplicity of responsibility again as Jesus taught. The responsibility supports our freedom. Our freedom enables us to be the responsible people God created. Exercising our freedom makes life worth living. Exercising our responsibility makes the freedom possible. This balance makes life possible for us. It makes it possible for us to work together. Why in the world can’t we make that idea known in places like Iraq, Afghanistan, China and Africa? That we tried to do over and over again when I was in New York. Serving the LCA was simply a great experience. Now I am seeing the same thing here as people come and see what we are doing. Well, anyway, we came to look at Thomas and not at me and what I am experiencing.
I like Thomas. He is just an ordinary kind of person. He likes to get things done much like Peter. He is not the kind of person who is taken in by some whoopee - doopee, emotional presentation. For example, when Thomas learned that Jesus was headed back to Jerusalem, and the disciples were not able to talk Jesus out of going back to what was common knowledge for everyone. Everybody knew that Jesus had been condemned and the religious and political leaders were out to get rid of Jesus any way they could. Jesus had challenged what they were doing. Jesus had challenged their ideas and practices. Jesus challenged their responsibility to God. Jesus challenged their exercise of freedom with little responsibility either to God or people. Luther really did listen to Jesus and at his trial he simply stated. “Here I stand, So Help Me God!” Anyway, as I was saying, when Thomas learned that Jesus was going back to Jerusalem, he simply stated that they all should go with him and join in Jesus death because life was not worth living without Jesus around and present.
So now when Thomas was informed that Jesus was alive, he simply rejected it. Hat is absurd. Jesus is Dead. That is wishful thinking. This was beyond anything he could imagine. So Thomas replied rationally and reasonably that unless he could put his finger in the marks of the nails and in the wound of Jesus side, Thomas simply could not believe it.
Now be honest with me. Are we not the same as Thomas? We are so bombarded with advertising of one sort or another, we are so overwhelmed by promises of one kind or another, we are so leery of scams and cheating and fraud; that we are very much like Thomas. Unless I see that this product really works, that this investment really pays off, that working with this idea will help me and my family survive, I will have little or nothing to do with it.
So being skeptical is a result of living in this world for a time, enjoying the freedom and being the responsible people God created us to be. However, Jesus comes and confronts us this morning. Jesus has a greater challenge for us. We are called to exercise our faith and to change lives of other people. We are to love God. That is not too difficult to understand. We respond to God because of all God has done for us. It is in our best interests to express our love for God. Fact is it is quite easy for us to explain that to other people and to invite them to love God too.
It is this second teaching of Jesus that gives me a whole lot of trouble. Jesus says that we are to love others as we love ourselves. Hey Thomas, I am with you on this one. Unless we put our fingers in the marks of the nails and in Jesus side, well, lets see what is going on. Are we being taken advantage of? Come on now, we came with Jesus to Jerusalem and we were ready to die with Jesus. I mean Jesus was really an idealist. Jesus really had an idealistic community in mind that was a good idea but not so practical. I mean how would you ever get the Sunnis the Sheites and Kurds ever to work together? I mean that would be like expecting Boeing to work with that European airplane manufacturer to make parts for their design that won the contract!
But Jesus comes to each one of us this morning and holds out His hands so we can see the marks of the nails. We can see for our selves that Jesus has conquered death and has given us a new meaning for life. We can see for ourselves that Jesus is ALIVE!
And again like Thomas we simply respond with awesome belief, “My Lord and My God!” We are included in this as a result of Jesus next comment, “Blessed are you because you have seen and believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”
That gives you and me a basis for hope this morning. We have not seen with our own eyes, yet we have accepted what Jesus promised. I am with you to the end of your life. There is now nothing for you and for me to be anxious about. We belong to Jesus. We are called by Him to be the people God created us to be. Our future is not at risk. The question now is this. What can Prince of Peace be doing or offering our community that makes the best use of the talents and experience we all share as Jesus family in Plymouth Meeting?
You are probably getting weary of my asking this over and over again. However, We are still here and we have a blessed future together. Thank you Thomas for helping us to make use of what Jesus has promised. We have learned that our doubts while they may be based on our experiences, do not apply to Jesus. Jesus is more concerned about Total Quality Management in our lives. Our friends and people around us are our customers who have need for the faith and commitment Jesus gave us and that we have to share. We take care of them and they will respond likewise.
Thomas said to Jesus, “My Lord and My God!” Jesus said to him as He sys to us, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have no seen and have come to believe.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book. But 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.”
Amen.