04/11/2021
Scripture and Sermon for Sunday, April 11th.
DOUBTS LEAD TO FAITH
1 John 1:1-2:2
New International Version
The Incarnation of the Word of Life
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our [ a ] joy complete.
Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness,we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all [ b ] sin. 8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
John 20:19-31
New International Version
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Jesus Appears to Thomas
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus [ a ] ), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
The Purpose of John’s Gospel
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe [ b ] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Doubts Lead to Faith
How about believing Thomas when Thomas has the same experience Mary and the rest of the disciples, locked in the room of fear; he becomes the believing Thomas. Thomas, the believer, says, “My Lord, my God!” He has witnessed the impossible. He has witnessed the promise. Thomas, just as Mary and the other disciples, did see and believe. Has your faith sustained you the last year of trials? Have you wondered or doubted the promise of Christ’s return?
More people have died in the US alone this last year than our troops in all the Vietnam conflict. Died from a virus, not a gun. Perhaps we should pass a law banning all viruses. I know it’s ridiculous, but passing a law against something because it kills isn’t getting to the root cause. Having faith in the promise of a risen Savior doesn’t
happen just because someone tells you it’s true. You must have a need, a void, an experience which causes you to search. Many of the Christians I know say they just grew up in the faith and believed. I wonder if you really deep down honestly believe God’s promise, Christ’s message, until your faith is tested. Thomas saw Jesus on the cross. Thomas had to have seen the dark clouds cover the sky. Thomas knew, without a doubt, that “The Lord” was physically dead. Thomas had seen the dead body. I wonder if Lazarus crossed his mind. If Lazarus was raised from the dead by Jesus, who could raise Jesus from the dead? We don’t know what Thomas was thinking. We aren’t told. Some of you, most of you, have lost a very close loved one. You know the fog that surrounds your thoughts, the emptiness of the physical loss, the doubt, no matter how fleeting is there. Will I see? Will I have the embrace? Will I be in eternity? Has my beloved crossed into God’s everlasting kingdom? As we ask ourselves these questions, we find hope in our faith. It is so very difficult to find hope when you are experiencing grief.
The loss of relationships this last year across the world is not the first experience of this kind. I wonder how much different it must have been for the people when there was no internet, social media, and limited ability to talk on a telephone. It must have been as though you were in your own limited world. Cut off from most. Maybe the radio was the only way to hear the news, and newspapers may have been the latest news.
Thomas and the disciples had none of these things. It appears Thomas was getting on with his life. Out of the room of fear, seeking what might have been the latest hearsay. I believe Thomas was seeking answers. Perhaps Thomas’s absence was just as predicted or determined as Peter’s denial of Christ or Judas’s betrayal.
Long-winded message to ask you – how has the last year tested your faith? Have you doubted God? Have you even really been tested? Have you lost anyone close to you to Covid-19? What do you say to those who say the virus isn’t real? What do you believe or feel about having to wear a mask or getting vaccinated?
Does God’s presence feel real in your life? Have you sought the Holy Spirit? Are you able to think of others’ well-being? Have you experienced the love of others in this time of difficulty? Have you hope? The biggest question in the back, and right now in the front of my mind: are you willing to get out in the midst of the curious for what you believe? It seems many would rather risk the Covid experience than sacrifice relationships and revenue.
These questions center around more than the pandemic. These are the same questions we are being asked as a church with the social issues of this nation and world. Are we ready to risk inclusion? Are we ready to risk and recognize inclusion? Are we ready to admit or look to see exclusion? Do we want to live the life of true disciples of Christ? Are we willing to pick up our cross and follow Christ? Are you ready to recognize the cross you need to carry?
United we stand! Divided we fall! Who is WE? Is there a WE? The way of current attitudes of governance appears to me there is only you and ME! Pray God helps us to be WE! One world caring for all in our world that the one true God created and sent his son to redeem, not condemn.
Thomas was a believer. A believer willing to die for his Lord, his God! Perhaps we have to doubt to find true faith. A faith strong enough to let us see and pick up our cross and follow Christ!
