Rev. Sandy Lacey
April 07, 2024
There are two characters that preachers love to have in their prescribed lectionary texts. One of those is our friend, Peter, because, well, he has a habit of blurting out exactly what is on his mind – good or bad. We can regularly identify with Peter, the impulsive and honest one. Today, we have the other one, Thomas – often called “doubting Thomas” as if “doubting” is his first name and Thomas is his last. While Peter is the picture of impulsiveness, I see Thomas as the practical disciple. Maybe he was a scientist at heart? I say that because earlier in the Gospel of John – John 14 – Jesus tells his disciples that he is going to leave them and prepare a place for them, and he tells them they know the way. Thomas speaks up to ask the question that I am sure was on all their minds – “Lord, how can we know the way? We do not know where you are going.” And in today’s text, he seems practical, almost scientific, with his Missouri “show-me” attitude of “I’ve gotta see it to believe it.” Maybe it was the tone the other disciples used when Thomas got back with the pizza they had ordered – “we have seen the Lord! Na, na, na-na, na. Too bad, so sad you weren’t here” kind of tone. Or maybe he had heard outlandish things from them before so he did not trust what they had to say, or maybe his grief was so overwhelming that he could not imagine a resurrection. Maybe in the short time since Jesus had been arrested and killed, he had become cynical. We do not really know why Thomas was hesitant to believe the other disciples, just that he was.
Now, over the years you have probably heard different takes on this passage, everything from don’t be like Thomas because doubting is a horrible thing . . . to everyone is like Thomas in that we often find it difficult to open our eyes and our hearts to the newness of the resurrection . . . to Thomas is one of a few characters in our Scriptures that remind us that we are human and that God often surprises us in our humanity.
The truth is that Jesus chastises him a bit for not remembering that this is what Jesus said would happen, and for not believing his fellow disciples. Jesus certainly did not condemn him for his practicality; he just upbraided him for needing physical, eyes-on and hands-on proof while those of us in future generations would never have that opportunity. Okay, so he got a little chastisement for being slow to understand the nature of who God is and what God does with the resurrection.
How about us? Are we slow to understand as well? We might not demand to see Jesus face-to-face and place our hands in his wounds, but let’s be real. How many of us reverted back to the “same-ole, same-ole” habits and activities since Easter? In other words, how many of us are grousing about this or that money problem, this or that neighbor who is a pain, this or that family member who doesn’t seem to get it, or this or that person in politics who does or does not do as we would like them to do, or how many times have we groused the fate of the world these days or . . . you name it? How many of us have already forgotten that with the Advent of Jesus, his life, death, and resurrection; nothing is the same and therefore, we are not to be the same. Resurrection means new life, new hope, new beginnings, new realization that God is still working, still creating, still redeeming God’s creation each and every day. If you are like me, I cannot tell you the number of times I have forgotten we are in the Easter season, and everything is changed.
This week I was reading meditations from the Center for Action and Contemplation and the one from Richard Rohr on Friday was especially meaningful for me. Rohr said:
We don’t need to wait for death to experience resurrection. We can begin resurrection today by living connected to God. Resurrection happens every time we love someone even though they were not very loving to us. At that moment we have been brought to new life. Every time we decide to trust and begin again, even after repeated failures, at that moment we’ve been resurrected. Every time we refuse to become negative, cynical, hopeless, we have experienced the Risen Christ. We don’t have to wait for resurrection later. Resurrection is always possible now.
The resurrection is not Jesus’ private miracle; it’s the new shape of reality. It’s the new shape of the world. It’s filled with grace. It’s filled with possibility. It’s filled with newness.
The resurrection is not a miracle story to prove the divinity of Christ, something that makes him the winner. It’s a storyline that allows us all to be winners. ALL! Spiritually speaking, we live in a world of abundance, of infinity. But most of us walk around as if it were not true, operating in a world of scarcity where there’s never enough. There’s not enough for me, there’s not enough for you, there’s not enough for everybody.
And so we hoard it-Spirit, Love, Life-to ourselves. We hoard grace, we hoard mercy. We don’t allow ourselves to be conduits through which it pours into the world. Truly, the only way we can hold onto grace, mercy, love, joy-any spiritual gift-is to give them away consciously and intentionally. Once we stop acting as a conduit, we lose those gifts ourselves. That’s why there are so many sad, bitter, and angry people. Disconnected from God, we choose death. We ourselves contribute to negativity, cynicism, anger, and even to the oppression of other races and religions. [1]
Easter is not just one day in which we celebrate life; it is a new way of living in this life. It is recognition that new life means something in this life. For all of us Thomases, there is nothing practical about Easter! It does not make sense and we are in the minority (unfortunately perhaps even among Christians) to have an optimistic outlook, a hopeful perspective, and a counter-cultural method for living in God’s world. What is this method? To love God with everything that we are and to love our neighbors (and yes, that includes even our enemies) as we love ourselves. So, when that neighbor who lives down the street from you aggravates the stew out of you again, instead of the hateful speech and instead of dumping garbage in their yard; you choose to love. So, when your spouse continues to jump on your last nerve and never seems to learn what is helpful and good (at least according to you), you respond with patient endurance and kindness. Or when the news reporter informs you of more violence and says the world is going to hell in a handbasket, you offer prayers for the violence that has been inflicted while you choose to believe that God is working even in that mess. (Of course, you must do your part too in making things better either through votes or donations or hands-on help, or all three.) Now hear me clearly when I say that Easter people are not doormats, who idly sit by while violence happens either to themselves or others. Our names are also not Pollyanna. I am merely saying that our outlook and our approach to difficult situations is different from the culture’s predisposition toward retribution and an “aint it awful” kind of mantra. Easter people are always on the lookout for the new, are wanting to try new things that will help others, are willing to step out of their comfort zones, and are growing a “never give up” kind of mentality that lifts our heads, hands, and hearts toward grace – the grace that is ours in Christ Jesus.
People are anxious, worried, with a negative attitude all around us in our culture. Let’s give them an alternative view by demonstrating how we believe and how we act. After all, ’tis the season – the Easter season. AMEN.
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[1][1] Richard Rohr, Center for Action and Contemplation – daily meditations (Friday, April 04, 2024.) Online Resource.