Small Church Sermon, Big Impact
Every year on the second Sunday of Easter we continue to mark Christ’s resurrection and recount the post resurrection appearance of Jesus to his disciples, especially to Thomas The Apostle. The founding of several churches in India is greatly emphasized by the “St. Thomas” Christian traditions prominent along the western coast of the South of India, while a “Catholic” emphasis of Thomas’ martyrdom on the eastern coast appeals to pilgrims. This patron saint of India is a subject of many interesting conversations and debates. However, this sermon is not about St. Thomas Christian traditions in India but rather a focus on Thomas’ personal journey and his encounter with the risen Christ.
Throughout the course of Christian history the word “doubting Thomas” has become synonymous to Thomas’ name. I remember my Sunday School teacher teaching us a lesson on “Don’t doubt like Thomas”. He has the reputation of being the doubter, the skeptic and the one who needs evidence to believe. In various Christian contexts people who doubt or ask questions are quickly condemned as demonstrating a lack of faith. But the reality is, Thomas is all of us. We all doubt. We have questions and anxieties both personally and about the world around us. Sometimes we confront them, many times we do not.
The response of Thomas to the news of the resurrected Christ is a natural human response to a profound event. His Dear Friend and Teacher Jesus had just been crucified. It was not any kind of death but one reserved for criminals. The gospel tells us that the disciples “were together with the doors locked” out of fear. We can only imagine the crippling fear in the room before Jesus appears and says “Peace be with you”. And what makes it worse for Thomas is that he was not present when Jesus appeared first to the other disciples. On some level I empathize with him because he had to wait a whole extra week to experience what his friends had already seen. The response of Thomas to his friends’ testimony of the resurrected Christ is often seen as his struggle with belief. He faced the risk of being ridiculed with his reputation at stake when he said the infamous words “Unless I see the marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe” (John 20:25). And This put Thomas in a vulnerable position. All his friends had seen and believed, but here he was doubting and uncertain. However, he was honest to his feelings and confronted his doubts. This is exactly where Jesus meets him - in his weakness and in ours. In his vulnerable moment and in ours.
The journey of Thomas offers us a model for engaging with our own vulnerabilities. In a world that often values certainty and control, It is by confronting our doubts and embracing our vulnerable feelings that we find authentic transformation and a deeper connection with God and God’s people (All).
When Jesus says, “Put your finger here; see my hands” (John 20:27) He invites Thomas and us to a tangible experience of faith. An invitation to feel and touch. A transcendent moment, where faith becomes more than a theoretical belief or an abstract doctrine. It becomes an embodied encounter. It is at this moment that Thomas is able to proclaim, “My Lord and My God”. This is not only a proclamation of faith, but also a declaration of a personal relationship, an affirmation of God‘s presence in the world around us.
The words of Thomas “My Lord and My God” bring my parents’ native village to mind where people address each other as “Saami” whether family, neighbors, children or strangers. It literally translates to “God/Lord”. It can also mean other things in different contexts and tones but importantly it means “Deity”. It is a way of expressing reverence to the person being addressed. This sacred Calling is a way of acknowledging the reflection of the divine in all beings (An Ahimsa community) which in turn fosters a collective and communal faith - A tangible faith experience.
The transformative moment for Thomas in Jesus’ invitation is a call for us to meet Christ in every being - to feel and to touch. “Whatever you did for the least of these, you have done to me” (Matthew 25:40) is to encounter divine love and embodied faith. It is a call to move outward in response to injustice, to love our neighbor. For faith is a lived reality and embodied action that requires us to reach out and engage. It does not shy away from the suffering of others but seeks to transform it through love. Here, Faith becomes a communal endeavor, one where individual experience is not isolated, but shared. Jesus’ invitation to Thomas calls us to participate in this transcendent and tangible journey of faith.
