Do Not Doubt But Believe

Do Not Doubt But Believe

Easter Day continues as the disciples, except for Thomas, gather again in the “Upper Room.” Perhaps they gather to hide out of fear that they may be next, or out of confusion, sadness or disbelief and doubt. (see John 20:19-29)

And then, the impossible happens: Jesus came and stood among them. Then He said,’ Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. As the Father has sent me, so I send you. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’” Jesus gives them the Spirit of God: fear turns to courage, sadness turns to joy, and doubt and confusion become belief and confidence.

And with that gift of God’s Spirit, Jesus also sends them out to do what he has been doing: to heal, to teach, to forgive and to give new life to all of God’s.

This is exciting for the disciples, so exciting that when Thomas shows up they trip over themselves to share the good news with him, to announce to him that, "We have seen the Lord." Certainly they expected Thomas to be as excited as they were, but Thomas’ response is about what I believe mine would have been: “right, sure you have, what is wrong with all of you, you’ve got to be kidding.” Thomas then proclaims, "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." Again, I don’t blame Thomas. I suspect many of us would have reacted the same way. As most of us are aware, the story doesn’t end here. The Gospel continues. . .

“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.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ 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.’”

Reading closely, we see that Thomas did not put his fingers into the nail holes, nor did he put his fist into the wound in Jesus’ side. No, when given the same information, the same gift the others had received, he simply proclaimed what all proclaim when confronted with the living Christ, “My Lord and My God!” Jesus then blesses Thomas, and then through Thomas blesses us and sends us out to do what Jesus was doing: to heal, to teach, to forgive and to give new life to all of God’s people.

Almighty and everliving God, we thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food of the most precious Body and Blood of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; and for assuring us in these holy mysteries that we are living members of the Body of your Son, and heirs of your eternal kingdom. And now, Father, send us out to do the work you have given us to do, to love and serve you as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord. To him, to you, and to the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen. (A Sending Prayer after Holy Communion: Book of Common Prayer, p.366)

Three Days that Changed the World

The Sacred Triduum and a Pandemic

I sit at my desk in the middle of the Sacred Triduum (Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter) as well as the beginning of Passover and in the middle of humanity’s fight against forces of nature (Covid-19 Virus) we have not been able to control. Recently I have spent a great deal of time reflecting about life, including death, about family, friends and even enemies and about what is truly important. A lot of this time has been spent outdoors, either “playing in the dirt” around my home or hiking and kayaking alone (or at least six feet away from my outdoor friends.)

Passover for the Jews, like the Easter Triduum for Christians, celebrates deliverance from death into life. At Passover, the angel of death passed over the homes of the Jewish slaves in Egypt saving the lives of the oldest children. Likewise, the betrayed and executed Jesus, whom Mary Magdalene thought was the gardener, was found alive on Easter Day, bringing light and life back into the world.

Truly this is a strange Holy Week, a strange Passover and a confusing time to be alive: a time of anxiety, frustration, anger, blame and fear.  This is a time of proclaiming, my side is better than your side, my leaders are better than your leaders, I’m right and you are wrong. We cannot control all that is happening, our feelings a raw and on the surface and it takes very little to push us, all of us, over the edge.

The good news of Passover, the good news of the Holy three days which climax with Easter is that they too were times when human beings had no control of the events which were changing their lives forever, and yet, and yet, good news came from bad, freedom came out of slavery and life came out of death. These changes did not happen at once, they did not happen when those involved wanted them to, but the people found that even in the midst of sorrow, loss and death, God was faithful. The found that God walked with them and that God’s people were there for each other. Sometimes God had to drag them kicking and screaming to be there and, no question, God is dragging us kicking and screaming to be there as well.

As we journey deeper into death during this Pandemic may the Passover life and the Easter light guide us to open our hearts, minds and spirits to one another and may the words Jesus borrowed from the Hebrew Books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy change our lives:

“This is the first and Great Commandment, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and soul and strength. The second is like it; love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Mark 12:29-31)

Soon and very soon, we will join together and proclaim, “Alleluia Christ is Risen, the Lord is Risen indeed!”

Breath and Life in Difficult Times

We are certainly living in uncertain times, times unlike any most of us of seen in our lifetimes. The Covid-19 Virus, now a Pandemic has literally encircled the world. People have gotten physically sick, people have died and many people around the Globe live in fear for their health and even their lives. Additionally, most of us feel anxious; we are confined to our homes, only leaving for essentials, such as food, medicine and toilet paper. Nursing Homes are on lockdown, schools are closed for the remainder of the school year, businesses are shuttered or running as shadows of their former selves and medical professionals are overworked and under supplied.

Additionally, millions of people have lost their jobs or been furloughed without pay and today is April first and rents are due and mortgages need to be paid. What do we do and where do we go for help. Psalm 121:1-2 encourages us with a similar question, and an answer: “I lift up my eyes to the hills—from where will my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” Yes, we who trust in the Lord will always go to God for help, comfort and Guidance. We will also use the abilities, knowledge and wisdom given to us by God: we will look to physicians, scientists, our elected officials at all levels of government and the civil servants who work for them. We will also love and care for one another in every way possible.

Over the centuries human beings have faced many crises: plague, famine, war, invasion  terrorism and exile. In the sixth century BC, between 597 and 586 Jerusalem was besieged by the Babylonians, the city and the Temple destroyed, the leaders and educated people taken to Babylon and most of the poor left in Jerusalem with little resources to live on. As God often does, God called a prophet to encourage, comfort, strengthen and assure the people, both in Babylon and Jerusalem that God had not forgotten them, that God would see them through, give them hope and bring them back to health and life. That Prophet was Ezekiel and he wrote out God’s charge to him and God’s hope for Judea.

“The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he brought me out by the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me all around them; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry. He said to me, “Mortal, can these bones live?” I answered, “O Lord God, you know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones, and say to them: O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus says the Lord God to these bones: I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. I will lay sinews on you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live; and you shall know that I am the Lord. . . .” Ezekiel 37:1-14

I believe this is a message we need to hear today and I believe there are many prophets proclaiming this message, in “thought, word and deed.” Churches and individuals, schools and community organizations are providing food and temporary shelter for those out of school and work. Landlords are helping as much as they are able to give people rent relief. Federal, state and local governments are working to provide stimulus packages, increased unemployment income and much needed supplies and equipment for hospitals and medical personal.

All is not running smoothly, we don’t agree with every decision made by our leaders, but we are all in this together, not just in the United States, but we are truly a global society, a global economy and we will only solve this problem working together. Neither was life running smoothly in Ezekiel’s day: Jerusalem was dead; the bones were lifeless and useless. God promised that the bones would be covered with muscle and skin, and just as at the creation, the ‘breath of God’ would enter them and they would live, the nation would live. Remember that the Hebrew word for breath is also the world for spirit, so God put God’s breath, God’s Spirit into the Nation and it ‘lived and knew that God was and is the Lord.’

I believe that is what is happening today, that God is breathing the Holy Spirit into our world, into each nation and its people. I believe this is true for all of us, of people, from every nation, every race and religion and no religion. God is the God of all, and God sent the Son into the world so that the whole world might be saved.

This is the time to believe that these bones will live, and that they will live because we will do our part to protect ourselves and our loved ones and those in the community. We will stay away from people until we are sure that it is safe to resume normal, whatever that will mean, activities. If there is any good we can do to help others to live we will do it with love.

Almighty God, you alone can bring into order the unruly wills and affections of sinners: Grant your people grace to love what you command and desire what you promise; that, among the swift and varied changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed where true joys are to be found. Amen.