A New Commandment

April 24^th, 2016         “A New Commandment”     Rev. Heather Jepsen

John 13:31-35

          Our gospel reading for this morning takes us out of Easter time and back into the stories of Lent.  The setting is Jesus’ final night with his disciples.  He has lovingly washed their feet, he has shared a meal with them, and Judas has gone out into the darkness.  Jesus knows it won’t be long before his time with the disciples is over and so he takes one last opportunity to teach them, and this time he makes his lesson abundantly clear.

          He calls them children, illustrating the nurturing love he holds for them in his heart.  “Little children, I am with you only a little longer.”  The time for his departure is coming swiftly and he knows the path of suffering that lies ahead.  “Where I am going, you cannot come.”  In his desire to comfort his friends he gives them one last teaching.  “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.  Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” 

          Scholars have long understood this teaching to be the heart of the gospel of John, the center of the teachings of Jesus Christ, and in fact the core of the entire Christian faith.  The command to love has become the sole marker of the life of a Christian and the true sign of any Christian community.  As Jesus says, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

          We know that the call to love others in the name of Jesus Christ stands at the heart of our faith.  What we may not consider is that this also is a call to how we care for the whole of creation.  I believe that we are called not only to love one another in the community of faith, not only to love our fellow human beings with whom we share this planet, but to love the whole of God’s good creation of which we are a part.

          Of course, I am not alone in this line of thinking.  Much Christian theology centers around the call to care for creation as an expression of God’s justice.  In fact, last year, Pope Francis published an encyclical, which is a letter to the whole Catholic Church, on this very subject.  Laudato Sí, which was given at Pentecost last year, is a call for all people to work toward the care of our common creation.

          Pope Francis writes,

“Saint Francis of Assisi reminds us that our common home is like a sister with whom we share our life and a beautiful mother who opens her arms to embrace us.

This sister now cries out to us because of the harm we have inflicted on her by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed her. We have come to see ourselves as her lords and masters, entitled to plunder her at will. The violence present in our hearts, wounded by sin, is also reflected in the symptoms of sickness evident in the soil, in the water, in the air and in all forms of life. This is why the earth herself, burdened and laid waste, is among the most abandoned and maltreated of our poor; she “groans in travail” (Rom 8:22). We have forgotten that we ourselves are dust of the earth (cf. Gen 2:7); our very bodies are made up of her elements, we breathe her air and we receive life and refreshment from her waters.”

          Pope Francis reminds us that we are not called to be lords and masters of creation, who consider ourselves “more than” or “greater than” any other part of creation.  In reminding us that we are dust, Pope Francis reminds us that we are as much a part of the earth as any other form of life upon this planet.  Try as we might, we cannot divorce ourselves from our essential connection to all of creation.

          When Jesus teaches the disciples about the commandment of love that they are to follow, he reminds them that he himself has shown us what this love looks like.  If we are to model the love of Jesus Christ, then we are to model a love that puts the other before the self.  Later in the evening Jesus teaches, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.  No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  Jesus calls us to no longer put ourselves in the center place of the universe.  Rather we are called to be malleable, to be willing to bend, to be willing to move aside, and to share resources with others.  We are called to lay down our lives for others.  I think this includes a call to lay down our place as the center of and the most important aspect of creation.

          Again, Pope Francis writes,

“It is not enough, however, to think of different species merely as potential “resources” to be exploited, while overlooking the fact that they have value in themselves. Each year sees the disappearance of thousands of plant and animal species which we will never know, which our children will never see, because they have been lost forever. The great majority become extinct for reasons related to human activity. Because of us, thousands of species will no longer give glory to God by their very existence, nor convey their message to us. We have no such right.

These situations have caused sister earth, along with all the abandoned of our world, to cry out, pleading that we take another course. Never have we so hurt and mistreated our common home as we have in the last two hundred years. Yet we are called to be instruments of God our Father, so that our planet might be what he desired when he created it and correspond with his plan for peace, beauty and fullness. The problem is that we still lack the culture needed to confront this crisis. We lack leadership capable of striking out on new paths and meeting the needs of the present with concern for all and without prejudice towards coming generations. The establishment of a legal framework which can set clear boundaries and ensure the protection of ecosystems has become indispensable; otherwise, the new power structures based on the techno-economic paradigm may overwhelm not only our politics but also freedom and justice.

Our insistence that each human being is an image of God should not make us overlook the fact that each creature has its own purpose. None is superfluous. The entire material universe speaks of God’s love, his boundless affection for us. Soil, water, mountains: everything is, as it were, a caress of God.”

          This morning I would ask us to consider our own place within the whole of God’s creation.  How do our daily tasks weigh heavy on our “sister earth”?  In what ways have we flaunted or ignored Jesus’ commandment to love one another in the same ways in which we ourselves have been loved?

          From the close bond we share to our household pets, to the plants and animals that provide us with nourishing sustenance, to the beauty of our natural surroundings, the whole of creation testifies to God’s glory and the abundance of God’s love.  Our call as followers of Jesus Christ is to honor and care for the whole of God’s wonderful creation.  We should be mindful of our use of resources and aware of how our waste adds to the load our “sister earth” must bear.  We should thank God at all meals for the plants and animals that sustain us, through the gift of their very lives.  And we should be mindful of how our economic impact as consumers in a wealthy nation also affects those who are living less fortunate lives than ourselves.

          Jesus makes it clear that the Christian community shows that it belongs to him by showing God’s love for others.  Let us display and share that love not only with our fellow human beings, but with the whole of God’s good creation.  Let us thank and praise our God by demonstrating God’s love for this beautiful Earth.

          In the spirit of ecumenism and in honor to Pope Frances, I want to close with the prayer that he closed his encyclical with.  Let us pray . . .

Father, we praise you with all your creatures.
They came forth from your all-powerful hand;
they are yours, filled with your presence and your tender love.
Praise be to you!

Son of God, Jesus,
through you all things were made.
You were formed in the womb of Mary our Mother,
you became part of this earth,
and you gazed upon this world with human eyes.
Today you are alive in every creature
in your risen glory.
Praise be to you!

Holy Spirit, by your light
you guide this world towards the Father’s love
and accompany creation as it groans in travail.
You also dwell in our hearts
and you inspire us to do what is good.
Praise be to you!

Triune Lord, wondrous community of infinite love,
teach us to contemplate you
in the beauty of the universe,
for all things speak of you.
Awaken our praise and thankfulness
for every being that you have made.
Give us the grace to feel profoundly joined
to everything that is.

God of love, show us our place in this world
as channels of your love
for all the creatures of this earth,
for not one of them is forgotten in your sight.
Enlighten those who possess power and money
that they may avoid the sin of indifference,
that they may love the common good, advance the weak,
and care for this world in which we live.
The poor and the earth are crying out.
O Lord, seize us with your power and light,
help us to protect all life,
to prepare for a better future,
for the coming of your Kingdom
of justice, peace, love and beauty.
Praise be to you!
Amen.

 

 

 

Hopeful Visions

April 17^th, 2016            “Hopeful Visions”    Rev. Heather Jepsen

Revelation 7:9-17 with Psalm 23

          This morning’s combination of readings finds us in very familiar territory and very foreign territory at the same time.  While we know and love the words of the 23^rd Psalm, we often find readings from the book of Revelation to be strange and frightening.  The interesting thing about these readings is that even though they are very different, they both are striving to do the same thing.  Both of these texts aim to offer comfort and hope to the people of God.

          We will begin with the Psalm.  You all know these words and in all honesty there is very little I can add to your understanding of the text this morning.  I do want to point out one thing to you though, and that is the metaphorical quality of the Psalm.  This is one of those instances where we all know the author is using a metaphor and we are so comfortable with it that we take the metaphor for granted.

          When we read the Psalm, we find that the author is comparing the followers of God to sheep.  We know we are not sheep, but the comparison holds that we are prone to wander and in need of a shepherd.  We all are able to understand this metaphor and because of this we take great comfort in the imagery that is presented.  The idea of green pastures and still waters is very soothing.  The idea of a presence to lead us safely through dark places is very comforting.  The idea of always having enough food and drink, is one that offers us hope. 

          At its heart, the 23^rd Psalm works for us, and for so many others, churched and unchurched alike, because we can really understand and relate to the imagery presented.  This Psalm speaks to us and we feel the comfort and hope in the presence of God that the author intended us to feel.  Even though we no longer spend time in the fields, the language and the use of metaphor are very effective at reaching a modern audience.

          The reason I am bringing this up, is because these same techniques of language and metaphor are at use in the reading from the book of Revelation.  The difference of course is our comfort level.  What is happening in the second reading seems to strange and foreign to us, and we get tripped up in the words of the text.  Then we are unable to get to the point of comfort and hope.  This text is intending to make us feel the same way the 23^rd Psalm does, it just doesn’t work so well for 21^st century Americans.

          This is a great opportunity for us to do some Bible Study together so I am going to ask you to open your Bibles with me to this reading.  (You’ll want to look towards the back of the book!)  First we examine the background of the text.  Students of the Bible will remember that John is having a vision and he has written that vision down, or dictated it to someone else.  While some interpret this as things to come (ala “Left Behind”) most scholars understand John to be speaking to the condition of the early Christian church under the Roman Empire.  Rather than being a scary story about the end of the world, the book of Revelation was meant to inspire people in comfort and hope.

          Beginning in verse 9 we see this vision.  John “looks” and there is a great multitude.  The idea is that it is more people than anyone could count or even imagine.  It is a huge amount of people and they come from every nation and they speak every language.  Basically, it’s everybody on the earth.  Imagine that . . .  everyone is there and they are wearing white and they are waving palm branches.  Can you see it in your mind’s eye? 

          All these people are standing before a throne.  Think about the use of that word.  John is probably not talking about a really big chair.  This is much more likely to be a metaphor for a place from which one rules.  The people are gathered before the center of the power of the universe.  And what is in that chair?  A lamb.  If you start to take this literally it gets confusing, just like the 23^rd Psalm does if you imagine yourself eating grass.  We are not talking a literal lamb here, we are talking about Jesus, the Son of God, and the lamb is a metaphor.  We are connecting the imagery from the Passover, with the imagery of crucifixion, with the imagery of royal authority to get this idea of who Jesus is.  All these layers are blending together when we talk about a lamb on a throne.

          The people then cry out with a loud voice.  They shout, they yell.  Turn my mike off and I will try it and then I want you to try it.  (If anyone is sleeping now this ought to wake them up!)  “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”  Now you try it with me . . . “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”  How’s that feel?  A little weird to be yelling in church but you get the idea.  The multitudes are excited and the sound is loud.  Now we have an idea of what John was trying to convey.

          Then John describes angels standing around the throne, and the elders who are like the leaders of the faith, and the creatures which are like a combo of nature and otherworldliness.  Basically the angels are there with magical creatures and faith leaders and at the cry of all the people, when everyone yells, the angels are moved to worship.  They fall on their faces, which would look like this . . . (that’s some pretty serious worship) and then they sing which I will try but won’t make you do. 

“Amen!  Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever!  Amen.”

          So digging around in this we are starting to get the idea.  The whole world and all things created and imagined are worshipping our God and Jesus Christ, the one who is crucified and risen.  And it is big and awe inspiring and awesome worship.  Not quite what we do here each week, but something that would take your breath away.  When we can really imagine it, than we can start to understand the sense of hope and wonder that John was trying to convey.  This big amazing God is so much more than the empires of the world that seem to be in control and that demand our worship.

          If we continue with the reading then we find an elder asking John who all the multitudes in white are.  And of course John is like, “you tell me”.  And the elder says, these are the people who have come out of the great ordeal.  These are the people who have suffered during their lives on earth.  And then again we get metaphor.  They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.  Obviously, if you dip something in blood it is not white.  Again, we have the layering of the imagery of Passover, of crucifixion, or royalty, and now of salvation.  Those who are gathered are those who align themselves with the suffering death of Jesus Christ.  It is the followers of faith who, as our Baptist friends would say, are washed clean in the blood.

          If we continue on, then we really get into the sense of comfort and hope that is similar to the 23^rd Psalm.  These are the people of earth who have suffered, these are people of faith who have waited for God to save them.  Now, in this holy place, they are free to worship God day and night.  Again, remember that at the time this was written, people were not free to worship the God of Jesus Christ.  Now they worship, and now they find shelter.  God has led them through the valley of the shadow of death. 

          This section is full of parallels to the 23^rd Psalm.  The people hunger no more, and they thirst no more.  God has prepared a table for them and their cup overflows.  The sun will not strike them.  They will lie down in green pastures.  The Lamb will be their shepherd.  Metaphor of course because a Lamb can’t be a shepherd but Jesus can be both.  The shepherd guides them to springs of the water of life.  They are led beside still waters.  And God will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There is that comfort and presence.

          I know that readings from the book of Revelation can be daunting, I certainly don’t spend lots of time there, but I hope this Bible Study can help you not be so afraid of this text.  Just like the 23^rd Psalm, the writer here seeks to give the people of God comfort and hope. 

          The message is that God is so much bigger than empire.  Whoever is in control of this world, be it politics or money or anything else, is not as great as God.  The scene of worship at the throne aims to give people perspective.  This is hope, although the world may tell a different story, our God is the one who is all powerful and in control.

          Those who are gathered at the throne are those who have been comforted.  Just like the sheep in the 23^rd Psalm, these people who once suffered, suffer no more.  They are fed, they rest, they are safe, and they are comforted.  God will wipe every tear from their eyes.  It is a vision of comfort and hope.

          Just like the early Israelites who first heard the 23^rd Psalm, just like the early Christians in the days of the Roman Empire, we are a people who suffer.  We are a people who live in a world where power is claimed with violence.  We too can be comforted by these hopeful visions.  Our God is the only source of true power.  Our God is one who knows suffering.  Our God is one who longs to care for us and comfort us.  And our God is one who will wipe away every tear.  Thanks be to God for these hopeful visions.  Amen.

The Resurrected Lord

April 10^th, 2016         “The Resurrected Lord”     Rev. Heather Jepsen

John 21:1-19

          This morning’s reading is one of my favorite stories in the gospel of John.  I just love the everyday ordinariness of this story.  A complaint about the gospel of John is that Jesus is so holy, so closely connected with God, that some of the stories seem unreal.  It can be hard to imagine things playing out the way John describes them.  But this story is easy to imagine.  It is so regular and so mundane and therefore so very close to our own experience of the risen Lord.

          The way John tells the story; there was that first Easter morning, and the evening appearance behind locked doors.  Then a week later Jesus again appeared to the disciples and Thomas, a story which we discussed last week.  But now, who knows how long it’s been.  John just says “after these things”.  It could be a few weeks or it could be a few months.  No matter how long it was, things are starting to return to normal.

          We see that with Peter.  “I’m going fishing” he announces, one of my favorite lines of scripture.  I imagine that the disciples simply didn’t know what else to do.  After following Jesus around for a few years and being caught up in the movement, now they didn’t know what to do.  Jesus gave them the Holy Spirit, but he didn’t tell them what to do with it.  So, Peter is going back to work.  He is doing what he knows how to do.  “I’m going fishing” and the others join him.

          People like to make a big deal of this return to fishing; like the disciples have failed Jesus or given up on the mission but I don’t see that.  I think they are just returning to what is familiar, they are seeking out old routines.  Psychologists will point out that this is normal behavior for folks who have experienced an emotional overload.  Those final weeks with Jesus, from last suppers to arrests, from trial to crucifixion, and finally to the miracle of resurrection certainly qualify as emotional overload.  The disciples are seeking comfort in routine.  It is a normal response to stress, and you and I both can see this mirrored in our own lives.  Something amazing happens or something traumatic happens, and we don’t know what to do but we have to do something.  So we return to routine, “I’m going fishing.”

          It is a fruitless night, and in the morning the disciples have nothing to show for their work.  As the sun rises, the disciples notice a lone figure on the beach.  He calls to them to inquire about a catch and they report their dismal night.  The reader knows the stranger is Jesus, and he tells them to cast the nets to the right side of the boat and of course the catch is so big they can’t haul it in.

          I wonder about this bit of the story.  Did Jesus call the fish to that side of the boat for them, or were the fish there all along?  Is there some method of only fishing off of one side of the boat so they literally hadn’t tried the right side all night?  It is an odd detail but it makes me wonder about parts of our lives.  Oftentimes like the disciples we are simply going through the motions and not paying attention.  That is the danger of returning to comfortable routine.   “Cast the net to the right side” is the original “think outside the box”.  Where do we need to think about casting the net to the other side in our churches and in our lives?

          After they are overwhelmed with fish, the beloved disciple recognizes that this is a miracle catch and that the stranger on the shore must be Jesus.  I love that he doesn’t shout out the news to everybody; he simply leans over to Peter to declare “It is the Lord!”  Peter is immediately overwhelmed and for good reason.  He is surely still stinging from that horrible three-fold betrayal event.  This could be his chance for redemption. 

          He is overcome by his desire to see Jesus and he is frustrated to be so far away out in the water.  So he got dressed and jumped in for a swim.  This is another part I wonder about.  Did people normally fish naked?  Why would you do that?  Some commentators claim that he had a loin cloth on, but others make the counterclaim that it wouldn’t have said naked if it didn’t mean naked. 

          So Peter is engaged in naked night fishing.  Sounds more like a UCM prank than a Bible story!  Peter is so excited to see Jesus that he can’t wait so he jumps in to swim to shore.  But rather than skinny dip, which might make more sense in the situation, he puts his clothes back on so he looks presentable when he is face to face with Jesus.  He puts his clothes back on and then he jumps in the water.  I love the details of this story, because it makes it so much more believable.  I can totally imagine someone doing this in their excitement and confusion.  Like those times in life when we say “You can’t make this stuff up!”

          Eventually everyone meets onshore and Jesus invites his friends to breakfast.  He has bread and fish ready to share with them, and they of course have 153 fish to add to the meal.  No one will go hungry that morning.  The group dines together in companionable silence, a moment of peace and fulfillment.  I imagine this as really being the resurrection because here everything is back to normal; Jesus is with them again in a comfortable familiar way.  It’s not magic time with touching wounds and breathing the Holy Spirit.  This is ordinary time, where folks just sit together and share a meal like they used to. 

          John writes that no one asked “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord.  Again, I love this detail.  I imagine he looked different, and that’s why they didn’t recognize him right away.  He looks different but he feels the same.  No one asks “who are you?” which is what you would ask a stranger.  They know it is him, because it feels like him, not because it looks like him. 

          I see this in our own experience of God.  What does God look like?  We don’t know.  We don’t recognize an encounter with Jesus because we recognize him with our eyes.  No, we feel an encounter with Jesus.  We recognize it with our hearts.  This is the risen Lord we experience.  We know it is God, even if our eyes are looking at a stranger.  We meet God at table, we are fed and nourished, and we recognize God in the same rituals even though the faces around the table may change.

          After the meal Jesus leads Peter aside for the “love” conversation.  Much has been made about the various words for love used in this passage and while some mine that for sermon fodder, others see it as simply a form of Greek linguistics.  I think the point is just as clear in English as in any other language.  Jesus asks three times, “do you love me” and Peter responds “yes”.

          We all recognize Peter’s desire to erase the denials of the past.  The three-fold pattern of love is a three-fold pattern of redemption for him.  Apart from that, I recognize Peter’s desire to serve.  As Jesus asks over and over again, I imagine Peter becoming flustered in his attempt to find the “right” answer.  “Tell me what to say Jesus, and I’ll say it.”  Peter is clearly displaying a heart for service, so it is no wonder that upon this rock the church will be built.

          Then there is that strange little bit about belts.  Jesus offers Peter a vision of the future that is frightening.  He will suffer for this cause and he will no longer be in control of his own life.  Others will tie his belt around his waist and pull him to places he doesn’t want to go.  Even though suffering looms on the horizon, Jesus’ call to Peter is clear, “Follow me.”

          I know this is about the death that Peter will suffer but every time I read it I have to admit that I think of this as being about old age.  I spend a lot of time in nursing homes and I frequently see people having other people literally tie belts around them and taking them to places they don’t want to go.  That is what old age looks like for a lot of folks, and I think for many that is a period suffering.  It’s just my crazy mind but when I read this I am reminded that while we may not suffer the death Peter suffers, we will all experience suffering and humiliation at some point in our lives.  And yet Jesus’ call to us is the same, “Follow me.”

          I love this story so much because it describes the resurrected Christ that I have experienced.  Last week we had that great story about Thomas touching the wounds, but I’m probably not going to touch the risen Lords’ wounds.  That is out of my realm of experience.  But this risen Lord, this appearance by the seashore is one I know.

          I know what it is to return to routine, and to seek comfort in the familiar.   I have had times when God called to me to cast the nets to the right side of the boat, to think outside the box, and to try something new.  I have dined with friends and family around this communion table and around tables in homes and I have seen Jesus there without having to ask “who are you?”  I have felt the voice of God asking again and again after my love and like Peter I have given every “right” answer I can think of, as well as some wrong ones.  I have thought of a future that includes hardship and suffering, and I know that is coming in some form for me, but I am not afraid for I know that God goes with me there.  The call is to follow, and the resurrected God of love will lead us, as we journey on this road of faith together.  Amen.

    

Totall Thomas

April 3^rd, 2016             “Totally Thomas”             Rev. Heather Jepsen

John 20:19-31

          I sometimes think that the first Sunday after Easter could officially be called “Wait a minute, what?!?” Sunday.  Last week we were all here to celebrate the risen Lord with joy.  We all listened to the story we know and love so well, about the empty tomb and the risen Christ.  We all said “yes, we believe in new life.”  And even though it was snowing outside, we all went home with our hearts lifted in the joyful spirit of Easter morning. 

          Now that a week has passed, I think many of us have a sense of waking up back in the regular world.  Attendance is back to normal, spirits are more subdued, and when we hear the Easter story this morning we are tempted to say, “Wait a minute, what?!?  Did that really happen?”

          We of course, find ourselves in good company in the Scriptures.  Today is all about Thomas.  One could say the first Sunday after Easter is totally Thomas.  For some reason his story is always the story we tell this Sunday.  While the liturgical readings often jump around from book to book as the calendar year progresses, the Sunday after Easter is always the gospel of John, and it’s always this story of Thomas.  We are totally Thomas today because like him many of us find ourselves saying, “Wait a minute, what?!”

          Our story takes place the very same day as Easter morning.  The way John tells the story, Mary Magdalene was first at the tomb.  Upon finding the tomb empty, she ran to tell Simon Peter, who literally raced with the beloved disciple to the tomb.  Mary then encountered Jesus as she wept in the garden.  We pick up our story that very night.

          The disciples are gathered together but they are hiding for fear that they will experience the same violent fate as Jesus their Lord.  As they are locked away, Jesus himself appears within their midst.  He offers them the gift of peace as well as the gift of the Holy Spirit.  He shows them his resurrected body.  He still wears the marks of his crucifixion so the disciples know it is him and not some imposter.  Like our experience last Sunday, this is an amazing faith filled event for the disciples.

          Of course, Thomas wasn’t there.  And when the disciples tell him all about what happened his response is “Wait a minute, what?!?”  Thomas is famously called a doubter but really he just wants what everyone else has gotten; a chance to see the risen Lord in person.  Today I want to purpose three other titles for Thomas instead of doubter.  I want to call him Tenacious, Trusting, and Truthful.

          Tenacious Thomas is one who is willing to wait and hold on for what he wants.  It will be a full week before Jesus again appears to the disciples.  Thomas is willing to spend time in that uncomfortable space as he waits for his opportunity to see the risen Lord.  It would have been a long week, and the other disciples surely derided him for his unwillingness to just go along with the program but Thomas is tenacious. 

          Have you ever had a time in your life that called you to wait in the uncomfortable space on unknowing?  Like waiting to see if your child got a spot in your first choice pre-school or waiting for a call back from the Doctor’s office; life often calls on us to wait in the uncomfortable space.  We are called to simply be still and wait for the next chapter of things to unfold.  I believe Thomas was in that space.  Thomas was a tenacious waiter.  Rather than being a bad thing, I think his stubbornness could be good.  Thomas has the patience needed to develop a deep level of faith.

          That leads us to trusting Thomas.  Rather than being doubtful, Thomas is trusting that Jesus will come and meet him where he is.  Thomas remembers the things Jesus has taught, “I will do whatever you ask in my name.”  Perhaps Thomas has greater faith than the other disciples for he truly believes in this statement.  He is asking Jesus for a personal appearance and he trusts that Jesus will come and grant him that. 

          We too are often called to trust in the stories of our faith.  We trust that God will bring healing, even if we can’t discern what that healing looks like right now.  We trust in God to come and touch our lives, even though God sometimes feels miles away.  We even trust that this Easter story is true, even when we are tempted to say “Wait a minute, what?!?”  Thomas teaches us to trust in God, because he is trusting in Jesus to come and meet him where he is.  Rather than being a doubter, this is trusting Thomas.

          Of course, Jesus does return and stand among the disciples again.  This gives us an opportunity for truthful Thomas.  At the end of the week the disciples are still hiding behind locked doors.  Even those who experienced the first appearance have been unable to shake free of their fear.  This time Jesus approaches Thomas individually, inviting him to touch the wounds.  Thomas responds with the highest Christological statement in the whole of the gospels “My Lord and my God!” 

          We too are called to tell the truth about our encounters with God.  In our world we have plenty of opportunities for truth telling.  In our personal lives, we can share our faith with friends and colleagues, letting people in on the truth that gives us the hope to face each day.  We can also speak God’s truth of love and justice in our world.  Thomas speaks one of the greatest truths of our faith, Jesus is Lord.  Truthful Thomas states one of the most important sentences in all of scripture.

          Close readers of scripture will notice that Thomas seems to have a special name in the Bible.  Thomas Didymus, or Thomas the Twin.  What is that all about?  Well, there are several theories as to how this name developed and what it could mean.  First of all, some scholars say that Thomas itself is a nickname meaning twin.  In the apocryphal Gospel of Thomas, it says that Thomas’ given name was Judas.  So, scholars think he was nicknamed “Thomas the Twin” to help distinguish him from Judas Iscariot.

          The Gospel of Thomas is from a cult of Thomas so it naturally has a very high opinion of Thomas himself.  It seems to imply that Thomas’ twin is Jesus.  In that gospel Jesus says “whoever drinks from my mouth will become as I am, and I myself will become that person, and the mysteries shall be revealed to him.”  In her book on the gnostic gospels, scholar Elaine Pagels explains that the idea was that whoever followed Jesus super closely, would become so like Jesus that they would be twins.  So, Thomas is Jesus’ twin.

          If that is true, than the gospel of John is deliberately countering that tradition with this story of Thomas.  In John’s gospel Thomas is certainly not Jesus’ twin since Thomas is one who does not believe, or at least pauses to say “Wait a minute, what?!?”  One commentator I read this week suggested that maybe Thomas was meant to be our twin.  When one studies the gospel of John, Thomas could be seen as the twin of the reader.  I love this idea.  Try looking at this story with Thomas as your twin.  Perhaps we ourselves are “totally Thomas”.

          Instead of casting Thomas aside as a doubter, what if we modeled the faith that Thomas models?  Perhaps our call as Christians is to be tenacious like Thomas, waiting for the Lord to reveal faith to us in God’s good time.  Perhaps we can be trusting like Thomas, resting in the assurance that the things Jesus taught were true, and that Jesus will give us the gifts we ask for in the best way for us.  We could certainly model the behavior of truthful Thomas, announcing our belief in the lordship of Christ loud and clear and sharing our faith with the world around us.  Maybe that twin idea isn’t so farfetched after all.

          This week, as many of us find ourselves in a “wait a minute, what?!?” space around the story of resurrection, we can align ourselves with our friend Thomas.  Let us wait with faith for Jesus to show us something more, to offer us the gift of peace, and to help us believe in this unbelievable story of life after death.  Let us be twins, let us be totally Thomas.  Amen.