Notes from a Sojourn
April 20, 2020
Doubting Thomas
I’ve always loved the story of Doubting Thomas. While most of us will have just heard it at yesterday’s service, the short form is this:
The Risen Christ appears to the disciples as they are locked away in their room and brings them a message of peace. Sadly, Thomas, for some reason, wasn’t there. So when his friends tell them what happened, he refuses to believe it. He won’t believe unless he can have his own experience that allows him to get right in there and check it out! And that’s exactly what happens. Jesus reappears, and lets Thomas test it out. He discovers that the thing he felt must be impossible, was actually very much true. And his understanding is transformed.
I’ve loved Thomas because he’s kind of the patron saint for those of us who doubt, like to ask awkward questions, and don’t just buy into things. He gives us permission to be a bit skeptical. However, the challenge of the relationship between God, and folks like Thomas, is that God effectively says, “Fine. Doubt all you want. But then reach out and actually check out what’s going on! Don’t just sit there being skeptical. Do some work and discover if you’re right or not!”
In a COVID-19 world, this message is just so important. The things we believed must absolutely be true, turned out to not be so awesome. Capitalism in its current form is almost useless when pandemics hit. So much so that retired Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams talks about needing to sacrifice the sacred cows of capitalism if we’re going to find new ways forward. We thought that the buildings were quite possibly the most important thing when it came to being part of the church. It turns out leadership and relationships between people are what matter the most. We thought we could never survive without massive amounts of travel, work commitments, and everything busyness culture tried to say was true. Turns out it was false. The earth is better when we stay home. Most of those meetings could have been emails. We finally got some rest and we were better for it.
When this ends, and it will end, the world will not be the same as we left it. The world will try and make us “go back” to what was normal, and we must not let it. Our faith calls us to build a better world where the vulnerable are taken care of. A world where relationships are more important than things. Where wellness and fullness of life are more important that busyness.
A lot of these ideas will sound impossible. Just like the Risen Christ sounded impossible to those early disciples. However, the lessen of Thomas is this: Feel free to doubt and be skeptical. Ask good questions. But be open enough, and vulnerable enough to reach out your hand and try something new. Be just as curious as you are skeptical. God will always come and stand in our midst, no matter how many doors we lock, and now many times we choose doubt. The real challenge is being vulnerable enough to reach out our hand, and get right into this new and scary thing. Because it is in that place where we discover God is very much alive. That is the place where our lives are changed.
Amen.
Jon Martin +
Parish of South Dundas
