“’"

John 20: 19-31

Easter has come and past, right?  Well not exactly.  In the Presbyterian Church, Easter is actually a season lasting 50 days, spanning from Easter Day to Pentecost.  Easter is a time when we reflect on the Risen Christ.  However Easter does have its complications.

Have you ever thought about the Resurrection of Christ?  I mean, have you ever wondered whether or not it really took place?  If you have, you’re not alone.  The thought of someone being truly dead, and then rising from the dead is unbelievable!

Think about Easter and the resurrection of Christ for a moment.  Our society and the world make mockery of this belief.  On the one hand, it is to good to be true.  On the other hand, there is no evidence that it really took place.  There is nothing tangible that we can touch.  There is no scientific evidence to which we can point.  None of us were there to see it take place.   

Haven’t you ever doubted?  I have!  And the doubters are not alone.  There was another doubter named Thomas.  Here is his story.

Thomas doubted!  It was an honest doubt.  It was NOT that Thomas did NOT believe--he didn’t have unbelief--he simply doubted.  And there is a difference between doubt and unbelief.  Paul Tillich wrote a book entitled Dynamics of Belief.  In it he writes that doubt is not the opposite of belief, but that without doubt belief is not possible.  Doubt is questioning whether or not something might be true or false.  Unbelief is the belief that something is untrue.  So Thomas doubted; he questioned.

Some people are willing to believe anything.  They believe anything someone says and anything they read.  People like this are often called gullible.  New Christians, who too quickly believe, do not develop a deep belief system.  Often they are holding on to someone else’s belief--a mother or father, a sister or brother, a good friend or a teacher--their beliefs have shallow roots and are torn down at the slightest storm that passes their way.

On the other side of the coin, there are people who won’t believe anything.  It doesn’t make any difference if they see something with their own eyes, they don’t believe it.  People like this are often called skeptics.  There are persons who every day take calculated risks in their businesses; but when it comes to religion, these same people won’t take a calculated risk, the leap of faith!

Being gullible or skeptic are two extremes that we need to avoid.  Thomas avoided it quite nicely.  He simply had doubts.  He wanted more information before he could decide.  And more information is what he got! 

Jesus appeared yet a second time to the disciples in the upper room and said, “Peace be with you.”  And then he approached Thomas and talked with him.  Thomas was convinced and cried out, “My Lord and my God!”  Whether or not Thomas ever put his hand into Jesus’ wounds is not told.  But the presence of the Lord to Thomas causes him to believe.  Yet some saw the physical evidence of the resurrected Christ and didn’t believe! 

Jesus understood human nature.  Jesus understood that most persons would never have the opportunity to see him face-to-face in this life.  Jesus understood that even seeing him face-to-face would not necessarily guarantee one’s belief.  Therefore the Risen Christ says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”  My friends, that’s you and me!!

Did it happen?  Was Jesus really resurrected?  Dr. William Willimon, a well-known preacher in the church, argues that something must have happened at Easter.  How else can one explain, “12 disheartened, despondent disciples who clustered (at a distance!) around the cross on Good Friday to the courageous, publicly witnessing fiery group of disciples who form the church after Easter...?”  Something must have happened, “Some “X” that accounts for so dramatic a transformation.”  The church did not creator Easter.  Easter created the church!  Ultimately, belief is a leap of faith...and then great things happen!

In the book, Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul, there is a story about a man and his faith.  A guy by the name of Dave lived in Bangor, Maine.  One day he began to sense that he was to do something to help the homeless, to help provide them something to drink and eat, a hug and some words of encouragement.  But most importantly,  Dave wanted to share the Bible, the Gospel, with these people, and hopefully accept Jesus in their hearts.

This ‘heavenly nudge’—as he called it—grew stronger and stronger over the next several years.  But what he could do:  A truck driver who had little money left after paying the bills.  He wasn’t a minister or a mental health professional.  He was just an ordinary guy with a young family to support.  He knew his idea was a whim.

The strange thing was that Dave continued to dream about this idea:  An idea to help the street people.  He knew that living in Maine in the winter was not a pleasant thing to do, especially when one had no shelter, no food, no one who cared.  Besides all this, the homeless were subject to threats from those that were physically stronger than they.  Recently one man purposely had been thrown over a bridge embankment into the river below, and died.  Murder was common.  Without some kind of safe oasis, Dave knew this would happen again to someone.

One evening, Dave could take it no more.  He drove to downtown Bangor about 10:00 p.m.  He figured it wouldn’t hurt to at least look at a few possible sites.  And so he parked his car and got out to walk the neighborhoods, looking at abandoned buildings.  Some possibilities, but nothing for sure, he thought.
   
At 1:00 in the morning, Dave was ready to call it quits.  But he hadn’t investigated Brewer yet, the city across the river from Bangor.  So Dave started walking across the bridge, over the river.  He would look at a few sites there and then head home.

The street was deserted as Dave made his way across the bridge.  Then a car approached him from the other side of the river; it’s headlights on bright, the car slowed.  Dave realized that there were three men inside and the car was swinging over towards his side of the road.  Even though it was cold outside, the windows of the car were rolled down.  As the care approached, he heard one man say, “Let’s throw him over!”  And the car stopped as the three men jumped out and came toward Dave.

In fear, Dave remembered the murder of the street person a few nights before.  It had been on this bridge.  Were these the men that had done it?  Dave knew that he couldn’t resist these men, they were too many of them and very powerful looking.  Dave began to pray that he would survive the icy water, but as he looked down he saw that the tide had gone out and there were only rocks and dirt below him.  “God help me,” thought Dave.

Then a strange thing happened.  Immediately Dave felt a presence near him, something unseen but definitely there.  He felt safe, warm and his fear vanished.  And he knew, he just knew that he was not alone.

The men were almost upon Dave, large, muscular and leering—‘Get Him.’  But suddenly they stopped dead in their tracks.  They stared at Dave.  One looked terrified.  “Oh my God,” said another.  And they turned and ran back to the car shoving one another out of the way.  They speed away leaving rubber all over the road. 

Dave stood for a moment on the bridge, which was once again deserted.  He still felt that warmth around him.  What was it?  He said a small silent prayer of thanks, and began walking again. 

A few minutes later, Danny, a friend of Dave’s, drove by and honked at him, but kept going not knowing about Dave’s narrow escape.

When Dave reached the other side of the bridge, he came across some homeless people on a Brewer street corner.  As he approached them, they all fell back.  One put his hands over his eyes and said, “Man, you’re shinning!  It hurts to look at you.”  Another said, “I  can feel the Holy Spirit all around you,” and moved away from Dave.

Dave returned to his car, not knowing exactly what to think, or believe.  The next day, he ran into Danny again.  Danny said, “Hey, I’m sorry I didn’t stop for you last night on the bridge, but I had passengers and could never have fit all of you in my car too.”

“All of us?” Dave asked puzzled.

“Yeah, those three huge guys walking with you,” Danny explained.  They were the biggest people I had ever seen.  One must have been at least seven feet tall.”  Dave smiled. 

Later that year, he opened and funded a Bangor coffeehouse, which is still running today under a friend’s management.  At least 100 people are fed every night, with coffee, food, hugs—and the Word of the Lord. 

A true story?  I guess it depends on whether you walk by faith or by sight.

True faith believes in spite of all the reasons not to believe.  That one believes in Jesus as the Christ, in a Jesus that was resurrected, is truly unbelievable!  That’s faith!!  One cannot explain, demonstrate nor comprehend the resurrection!  To believe is unbelievable!

If we have sight and can see the risen Lord, then we have no need of faith.  But Christians walk by faith and not by sight.  Faith is the evidence of things unseen.

One reminder:  Thomas was out to lunch when Jesus came the first time.  He wasn’t with the family of believers and he missed out!  He didn’t understand what had happened.

Similar things can happen when one is out to lunch on Sunday mornings and not with their church family:  One can miss out; one can be lost and not understand; one can find themselves doubting or not believing.  We might consider mentioning this to our friends who aren’t here with us this morning.

To believe in Jesus as the Resurrected Christ is unbelievable.  It doesn’t make sense by worldly standards.  But by a leap of faith, all the pieces of the puzzle make sense and a beautiful picture comes into focus:
God so loved the world that Jesus the Christ died for our sins on the cross, and was resurrected so that you and I might have eternal life with the Creator.

Together may we continue the journey this Easter season, and may we grow in our understanding and in our faith.  Amen.

Amen