Midweek Musings for Sunday, April 12, 2015

Festival of the Resurrection

This week's reflection comes from Rev. Frank C. Hanrahan

Genesee Finger Lakes Conference Dean

Reflecting and Dwelling in the Word

Prayer of the Day

Almighty God,

with joy we celebrate the day of our Lord's resurrection.

By the grace of Christ among us,

enable us to show the power of the resurrection

in all that we say and do,

through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever. Amen

Gospel: John 20:19-31

The story of Easter continues as the risen Lord appears to his disciples. His words to Thomas offer a blessing to all who entrust themselves in faith to the risen Lord.

¹⁹When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." ²⁰After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. ²¹Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." ²²When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained."

²⁴But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe."

²⁶A 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." ²⁷Then 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." ²⁸Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" ²⁹Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe."

³⁰Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. ³¹But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Reflection

Frederick Buechner - Doubt

Whether your faith is that there is a God or that there is not a God, if you don't have any doubts, you are either kidding yourself or asleep. Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake or moving.

There are two principle kinds of doubt, one of the head and the other of the stomach. In my head there is almost nothing I can't doubt when the fit is upon me - the divinity of Christ, the efficacy of the sacraments, the significance of the church, the existence of God. But even when I am at my most skeptical, I go on with my life as though nothing untoward has happened. . . (partial quote, originally published in Wishful Thinking and later in Beyond Words)

Do you have doubts that are "the ants in the pants" of your faith? Are you willing to share them, talk about them, be challenged by them? Or, do you hide them? Afraid that you will some how seem lacking? Or, that as a Christian you shouldn't waver, ask questions, admit doubts and fears?

Thomas wasn't afraid to walk with Jesus and/or question! John 11:16 (just before Jesus goes to raise Lazarus): "So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, 'Let us also go, that we may die with him.'" John 14.5: "Thomas said to him (Jesus), 'Lord, we do not know where you are going, how can we know the way?'" I believe Thomas was an "in your face" kind of guy. Not afraid to take on a challenge - not afraid to ask questions when uncertain!

On the "On Art" page of Christian Century (April 1, 2015) a Doubting Thomas portrait by Caravaggio (Michelangelo Merisi da, 1571-1610) "graphically displays Thomas' forefinger entering the gash in Christ's side. . .Christ's calm expression contrasts with the intense and surprised reactions of Thomas. . . " (commentary by Heidi J. Hornik.)

May we this Easter Season be surprised and always bold enough to ask the probing questions of faith. May we risk our doubts to be bold enough to take on the challenge or ask the probing questions. After all, Christ is risen and goes before us!

Believe it ? Or not! Christ Is Risen! Christ Is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

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