Provisions, Not Proof

How many times have we heard this text? What is the first thing that pops into your head when you hear it? Doubting Thomas. Isn’t that the sermon you are expecting to hear today? It is after all the Sunday after Easter, this is the day that we talk about “Doubting Thomas” and how it is important to have belief even if we can’t see. Right? Well, not exactly. Today we are going to look at this passage with new eyes, eyes that have seen the resurrection, eyes that long to see what Thomas saw. Last week, Pastor Keith assured us that we are witnesses to the resurrection, this week…it’s time to explore exactly what that means.

Today’s text is a story, and the whole story shows us, the readers, how Christ makes provisions for us, so that we can keep on doing the work of the church. This story is not about doubt, rather it’s a story about what Jesus gives the disciples. He gives them provisions. He gives them peace, power, proof. Jesus offers the disciples these basic provisions for the journey on which they are about to embark—the journey of life and ministry without him. We too are on a journey together and these same provisions will prepare us for the road that lies ahead. Jesus gave his disciples, and gives us 3 key things: peace, power and proof.

Jesus provides peace. In this passage the disciples are locked up in a house fearing for their very lives when Jesus comes into their midst. He doesn’t say, “Hey y’all I’m home,” rather he offers them a greeting of peace. He says, “Peace be with you”. How comforting that must have been. It had just been 3 days since they had buried their friend, and there they were, sitting alone in a locked house pondering the news that Mary Magdalene brought them from the tomb, still mourning the loss of their friend, scared of the world around them, afraid to even answer the door. Everyone was there—all of the disciples, the women, Mary Magdeline—everyone except Thomas (but we’ll get to him in a few minutes).

Imagine how that might have felt…they were lost, confused, frightened that they were going to be gathered up and executed. They had no idea what to do next. And then, suddenly, Jesus just showed up… “POOF” he was right there in their midst. And his first words to them must have sounded a lot like a “Fear Not,” or “It’s going to be ok.” He was bringing them a message of comfort. You see, Jesus had told them that he would return. He had made them a promise. And in that moment, appearing there before them, he made good on what he had promised. In that moment, he provided them what they needed for faith. He gave them the peace they would need to survive in the middle of all the hate and persecution they would soon face. His very presence reminded them that with Christ in their hearts they’d be able to make it through the days ahead. He provided peace.

Christ still provides us with peace. In the midst of our own trials and tribulations, he steps in and offers us his comfort; we just have to be willing to accept it. Have you ever been in a situation where the world swirls wildly around you? When you feel completely lost, lonely, confused and afraid? Have you then felt that strange and wonderful calm as it washes over you? That moment is your “fear not”, that is Christ entering and giving you the peace you require. This peace might come from an unlikely source, or it might even be hard to understand at first. But, we are assured that Christ is with us, and this assurance brings us comfort. The risen Christ still provides peace!

Jesus provides power. He gives the disciples the power they need. This comes in two forms, he breathes into them the Holy Spirit, and he gives them the power to forgive and retain sins. He gave them the power to both recognize and forgive sin, as well as the power to not forgive should it be necessary. Jesus gives them the ability to offer forgiveness, but not guarantee it should someone not want forgiveness. Having given them these gifts, Christ sends them out to continue the work he began, but he does not send them out unprepared. According to John, until this moment only Christ, through God, had the power to forgive and retain sins. In order for this work to continue, that power had to be transferred. This happens when Christ breathes the Holy Spirit onto the disciples. Christ is equipping the disciples for the ministry they are to continue. Christ provides them with what they need. Once the disciples receive the Holy Spirit, the risen Christ gives them the power to forgive and retain sins. Christ provides them what they need in order to keep going.

By virtue of our baptism, we are prepared to continue Christ’s work. In our baptisms, we too receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and therefore are partners in the continued work of the risen Christ. Now, we don’t really have the ability to retain or forgive sins. That was kind of a one time thing, but because we are baptized, we have the necessary provisions to do Christ’s work in the world. This work might take different forms, but because we are baptized the Holy Spirit indeed helps us in that work. This is where our recent study of spiritual gifts comes into play. We too have been breathed upon by the Holy spirit—by the very breath of God. In that exchange we were each given spiritual gifts. Just as Jesus sent the disciples out with their gifts, so too are we sent out—sent out to use our gifts for the betterment of God’s world. See, Jesus didn’t just show up to offer comfort. He showed up, and then told the Disciples to GET UP…to get up and get going spreading the word of the resurrection and God’s amazing love. All people who have received the Holy Spirit are expected to, even required to, continue the mission of Christ and his disciples. We have the gifts! WE ARE EQUIPPED!!! We’ve just got to GET UP and get going and spread the word of the Resurrection and God’s amazing love. We have that power!

But Jesus goes one step further—he goes beyond the peace…he goes beyond the power. Jesus provides proof. The resurrected Christ is proof to us and to the world that God does exist and that God does work in our world. THIS is where the story of Thomas comes in. Now, Thomas gets a bad reputation for his actions…he is often called doubting Thomas. But before you buy into that version of Thomas’s story, put yourself in his sandals for a moment.

You and your friends have just lost your leader, teacher, and friend. You are scared for your life; you are lonely. All your buddies lock themselves in a house and for some reason you just weren’t there. When you finally return to your friends, they tell you this fantastic story about Christ just showing up. Would you believe them? Did they believe Mary Magdalene when she told them the same story? Not wanting to be the butt of a joke, you comment “I won’t believe it unless I see it for myself. I want to touch the wounds” Truthfully, you really did want to see it for yourself, you wanted to have that same feeling that your buddies apparently had. You want to see him too!

Ok, so having been Thomas for a bit, perhaps we can have a little more sympathy for his situation. See, just a week earlier the disciples didn’t “buy it” either. Seriously, would you have believed it? Would you believe a woman who claims to have seen angels and an empty tomb? They don’t believe her, and until Christ himself shows up and shows his wounds, they don’t believe. Thomas is no different! He wasn’t there the first time, and like the others, he just needs more information…he needs proof. He needed something from Christ in order to be able to move on. And Christ obliged. A week later…the scene from before repeats itself.

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” He showed his wounds to Thomas and almost dared him to touch them. Here is the question however; did Thomas touch the wounds? (pause) Did Thomas touch the wounds? (pause) No, he did not. The very sight of Christ’s appearance provides all the proof Thomas needs, right then and there Thomas makes his confession, “My Lord, my God.” It wasn’t that Thomas doubted the truth, he doubted the people sharing the message. Christ provides him with a way to trust the message, and in so doing, Thomas is also able to trust the messengers. Thomas needed the same experience the other disciples had shared…he didn’t NEED to touch the wounds. He just needed to learn to trust. It is not in touching Jesus that Thomas is changed, it’s in Jesus’ offer of himself to Thomas that brings about his powerful confession!

Then Jesus shares the words we are so familiar with…Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” This is not an admonishment of Thomas, but rather an announcement of things to come. From this moment on, faith will no longer look the same. No longer able to dwell among them, Christ needed to give the disciples and future believers a new way to have faith. Again, the risen Christ provides. Through this event with Thomas, Jesus introduces a new type of faith. This new faith will be one where people will have to believe without seeing, simply based on the witness of the apostles. Seeing Christ face to face will not be an option for the new believers—they will have to find other ways to believe. He provided the proof the disciples needed in order to get the news of the resurrection across. His appearance not only made his disciples believe…it made them believable.

The risen Christ continues to provide proof to us through the witnesses of countless disciples and believers. We are given myriad opportunities to touch and see the life of Christ through the lives of those who surround us. We don’t have to touch his wounds in order to believe, we just need to believe the accounts of the disciples and those who serve as witnesses. Such witnesses walk among us and beside us, we just have to ask for them to be revealed. We cannot be afraid to ask for more information! We are not doubting when we ask questions, we are giving Christ an opportunity to be revealed to us in a new way!

So, what do we do with this now? The risen Christ provides what we need so that we can continue his work; we are given peace, power and proof. As followers of the risen Christ, it is our job, our responsibility to share these gifts with others. This is where OUR spiritual gifts are needed in order to share the good news of the resurrection with others! We are the instruments of peace, power, and proof in our church, our families, our community and our world.

We can give peace to others by providing comfort. We can lend a shoulder to cry on to a friend in need. We can fill the bellies of hungry people with wholesome food. We can offer ourselves as bearers of the peace to those who have no concept of this comfort. People with the gifts of helping, serving, and compassion—this is your opportunity! You can help provide Christ’s peace in a hurting world! Those with the gift of exhortation, your ability to give counsel and encouragement is a word of peace to those who need to hear your words! The gift of healing that many of you have is a way to really function as God’s peace in someone else’s life and those of you who can work miracles in the lives of others—this is your opportunity to really share your gift! You—you gifted people can provide comfort! You can give peace!

We can use the power of the Holy Spirit to claim our position in the priesthood of all believers. By virtue of our baptism we are all called to be ministers of the Gospel. This might be through “traditional ministries” such as serving communion or being an usher. For those of you with the gifts of giving, faith, and shepherding. This is your place in the church! You can use your gifts to uplift the power-giving ministries of the church. But we might also be called to mission work—to spread the news of the Gospel in other ways—through apostleship and evangelism. We might be called to use our gifts of administration, discernment, wisdom and knowledge to provide leadership for our congregation! Or we might be called to minister through our careers or through our volunteer activities. But, by the very fact that we have been baptized, we have received the gifts of Holy Spirit and must claim our spiritual gifts and use them to continue Christ’s work. YOU were given these gifts by the very breath of God. They must be used! They are Christ’s power revealed through us and to us for the uplifting of God’s kingdom here on earth!

But what about the proof? How do we share the proof of the risen Christ to others? We can’t drag people kicking and screaming into our building. We can’t force people’s fingers to touch the wounded hands of Jesus. We have to touch them through what we do and how WE portray God in our community. We share the proof of the risen Christ by being the proof ourselves. To all the Thomas’ out there who are crying out for a clarity of understanding, for an encounter with the risen Christ, we can be the proof. We can provide proof through using the gifts of prophecy and teaching to share God’s word, but that’s only part of it. EVERYONE, regardless of their gifts is called to be the proof of the resurrection. In our presence here in Downtown Rockford, we can be the proof that God is at work here on our city. Through our actions in our homes, we can be the proof that God is at work in our families. In our lives, in our actions, and in our very hearts we can be the proof that Christ is risen and dwells in us and through us.

We have the peace, we have the power, friends, let’s stop looking for the proof and instead be the proof in the world. Court Street United Methodist Church can be the proof of the risen Christ! WE ARE THE WITNESSES! WE ARE THE PROOF! HE IS RISEN INDEED!!