(Note: This post is based on my sermon from Sunday, April 12th. The text for that sermon is John 20:19-31 - the story of 'Doubting Thomas.')
There is an inside joke among some at Community Presbyterian Church - leftover from a leadership conference or retreat from way back (seriously - before my time at CPC). The inside joke is about string people and balloon people.
Balloon people are the wonderfully creative people who are always asking "What if we did this?" or "We should try this..." Churches need balloon people to keep generating new and creative ideas to engage in ministry.
String people are also important in the life of the church. A string person wants to know "if there is money in the budget for that idea" and "who is going to be in charge."
If you've every been on a church committee, you know that it takes both kinds - balloon people and string people - to make ministry happen.
The disciple Thomas is, without a doubt, a string person; a realistic, pragmatic, string person...with a strong bit of realism to boot.
Consider this: everything we know about Thomas prior to the story that earns him his nickname "Doubting Thomas" suggests that he is forthright, genuine, and courageous.
Two examples - in John, chapter 11, Thomas is the one disciple who urges the others to go with Jesus to see the body of Lazarus - even though their lives are in danger (bold and courageous Thomas!). And in John, chapter 14 - when Jesus is speaking in cryptic metaphors about where he is going, Thomas is the one that calls Jesus out. Thomas says, "Lord, we do not know where you are going...how can we follow you?" Thomas just wants a straight answer - because he is a realist and a pragmatist.
Thomas strikes me as one who likes his truth straight and to the point. Thomas strikes me as a great disciple. If I were putting together a committee, a team, or a task force, to plan a new ministry in the life of the church, Thomas is who I would want. He is dependable, honest, and brave. He is reliable and practical. He not only gets things done - but he plans carefully so that the things that get done are done the right way. Thomas is a good disciple.
And yet, we call him "Doubting Thomas" because of this encounter (John 20:19-31) with the risen Jesus and the disciples.
In this story, we don't know where Thomas is. We do know that the other disciples are hiding in the room, behind a locked door, for fear of their lives. They are scared because they don't know what is going to happen to them - and they are fearful of being found by the Jews. But not Thomas. He is not with them, cowering in fear. Thomas is, I suspect, trying to figure out what is next - now that Jesus is dead. Practical Thomas is out and about - discovering and deciding what the next steps are. Because that is what practical (string people), realistic people do. They figure out how to move on.
Let's not forget - Thomas witnessed a pretty brutal dose of reality. He witnessed the arrest of Jesus. He was there when Jesus was sentenced to death. He saw the hands of his Lord nailed to a cross. He witnessed Jesus die...and with it all his hopes and dreams. For Thomas, all his hopes and dreams of following Jesus for the past three years, ended brutally on the cross. They perished with Christ.
So can you imagine how Thomas felt when he returns to the disciples and hear's their ridiculous story. "We have seen Jesus. He was here, Thomas. He is alive."
Thomas doesn't just doubt their story. Frankly, Thomas simply doesn't believe it. No way, no how. Thomas requests to see his hands and feel the hole in Jesus' side before he believes.
Which leads me to believe that what changes for Thomas when he is confronted with the new reality of the risen Jesus is not his doubt - nor his penchant for reality. No - what changes for Thomas is his very perception of reality. For Thomas, the idea of what is possible is blown wide open. For Thomas, the idea of what God can do, becomes much broader then ever before.
Jesus comes to Thomas and says - here is my hand and my side. Now do you believe? Jesus confronts Thomas with the possibility that his reality was too small, his vision of what is possible too limited. When Jesus calls Thomas to belief and to faith, he is actually inviting him into a whole new world.
What can Thomas teach us at this moment? You see, if is easy for us (especially in the church) to have too small a vision. We've tried...(insert new idea here)...before and it failed. There isn't enough money in the budget for that idea. Look at our numbers - we don't have enough people to pull that off. We must be realistic about who we are.
All of these might be realistic assessments...and yet they might also be a vision of a world too small. Sometimes we need to be reminded of a grander, broader vision; a new reality of the life together in Christ.
This vision - is not defined by a "what if we fail" or a "what if there isn't enough" mentality...but it is defined by the possibility - even the reality of God's abundance. This vision is not ruled by past offenses - but is set free by forgiveness and reconciliation.
To be fair - I get that life can be hard - both because of choices we make and because of circumstances beyond our control. And I get that when life is hard, our vision shrinks. We become string people like Thomas who can only see limited options for the way forward.
But like Thomas, let us be reminded that God's reality is filled with no limits. Like Thomas, let us be invited into that new reality as the risen Christ meets us and draws us close. Amen and amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment