Sermon, Easter 2 (Year B)

 This morning, the second Sunday of Easter, is sometimes called Low Sunday – most likely as the normalcy of today’s worship contrasts with the heights of the High Celebration of last Sunday’s feast of the Resurrection.

In some places, folks have become casual about referencing this Second Sunday as Doubting Thomas Sunday.
What a way to be remembered, poor Thomas! And it’s very easy to focus only on him; or rather, his unfortunate (and really, unfair) reputation.
However, I’m going to invite us to consider the timeline in the Gospel passage today.

At the beginning of the passage, we are on… THAT day. The same day of resurrection. The same day that Mary has declared to the disciples the miracle of the empty tomb, who has delivered the first Easter sermon – I HAVE SEEN THE LORD!!
That first night, they’re all stunned and shocked and back for dinner and trying to figure out whether or not they can believe what Mary has said to them. Because at this point, they have NOT seen the Lord.

They are the Doubting Disciples at this point. (Sounds like a musical group, doesn’t it?)
But there they are. Doubting. Or, more accurately to the Greek, they are not-believing. They don’t yet have the faith that will come. They are understandably confused, bewildered, overwhelmed.

And – to this group, this intentional community, comes the Lord. They see him, and they receive His gift of peace. He breathes on them, and very importantly, he sends them. As the Father has sent me (with peace and grace and Spirit and love) - so I send you!

Now, we don’t know what else happened in that room, what they spoke with Jesus about, how long he was there, when he left. We just hear that at some point later, Jesus is gone.
And later, we hear that Thomas is back in that room with the others. We don’t know why he wasn’t there in the first place – maybe he’d just popped out for some olives, maybe he was gone for a few days? Who knows.

But we do know that he has NOT received the same gifts of blessing and Spiritual breath that the others received. And that is what he is asking for. Who could blame him!

I’ll remind us all that this story speaks to us, wherever we are: for the vast majority of us have at some point been the enthusiastic believers, and at other times the people whose faith has wavered, and at others we just don’t know.

And that’s okay: because this passage assures us that Jesus NEVER condemns those who are questioning, or doubting, or who have lost their faith. He just invites them to the journey, within a community of believers.
That community connection is important.
Take Thomas, for example; his place in the community is not at risk. He’s there,
A disciple, with the other disciples; as integrated in the group as he was before. He’s not shunned, not mocked, not further excluded; why would he be?

And thus, we learn that community is important. It’s a key component of the faith. The Acts of the Apostles is basically a biblical biography of the earliest community of Jesus followers. It details not just how they experienced their own spiritual journeys, but also as a model for us to bring faith to others. In the passage we hear today, we’re reminded of what it means to be in a community. Folks are sharing what they had that all may live the fullness of life that Jesus has promised.
It’s not about making ourselves poor, but about using what we have to ensure that everyone has enough, and has their basic needs met.

Community is highlighted in today’s psalm, where we rejoice in the goodness that comes from living in unity, as people of God.

John’s letter is itself a declaration of faith – a faith that is strengthened when we are involved in community – in sharing joys, struggles, ordinary experiences – and in sharing our faith, giving God an opportunity to work through us to give what is needed to whoever is needing it.

So! Let’s go back to Thomas, in that Upper Room, a week later. The disciples are hanging out. Well, more Hiding out: Still afraid. Still grieving. Still just… there. Existing. Not living. They’re stuck: in their fear, confusion, agony, grief. They’re not exercising their ministry, they’re just… immobilised. Waiting – for what, they don’t know.
They’ve received the gift, the Spirit, the peace – and the command to GO – but they’re stuck.

This invites us to ponder on where we are stuck.
What’s our Upper Room? What doors are WE locking?
What is our grief, our pain, our fear?
Are we limited by locking ourselves away from the world?
Are we restricting the world from ourselves because of these same locked doors?

Faith invites us to unlock the doors, to seek new ways to engage, to welcome, to share the faith.
Faith reminds us that we don’t need to be perfect, but we are called to go and reach out to others, that together we might seek out the Good News of God with the eyes of our hearts and souls. Faith empowers us to be open to the ways that we will be surprised by joy and involved in God’s mission

That faith reminds us that we are the people who have not seen but who have come to believe –
That we have received the gift of Jesus and the blessing of all those who have come before us who have helped us to know, and trust, and believe.
To know we are blessed, and to be a blessing.

And the faith continues; a faith strong enough for us to ask questions, to have doubts.
Thomas went on to do some really impressive things – like take the Gospel to the entirety of what we now know as India, establishing churches, preaching and teaching about Jesus, sharing the faith that has been shared with him.
He’s taking the “MY LORD AND MY GOD!” as far as he can. Thomas practically bursts out of the Upper Room with a powerful faith, rooted in faith, building and supporting Christian community.

And Jesus invites US then to continue doing the same… to leave the Upper Room of our hearts, to go out into the world, to live faithfully.

Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe, the scripture says. COME to believe. It’s a journey, with ups and downs, that should energise us.
For we are commissioned, and equipped, and sent: to the world that needs good news. To the world that wants to celebrate. To the world that yearns for peace. To the world that God loved so much that Jesus came and came BACK to!

So may we feel the faith of Thomas today: as we are sent to the world, to not doubt but believe, to have life in the name which sustains us, to cry aloud as a prayer and affirmation: MY LORD AND MY GOD!
Alleluia!