Sermon for April 16 2023: St. Thomas our Patron Saint – a disciple who followed Jesus.
The texts for this sermon are posted below the sermon with some of my fun highlights.
You show me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy, and in your hand are pleasures for evermore. Psalm 16
God shows us the path of life. God leads us and walks with us. Being with God – in God’s presence we have fullness of joy. This, my friends, is Easter!
Pre-Easter, the disciples follow Jesus on the path of life and there was joy and pleasure. But the path seemed to end at his death. And the joy and peace ended too.
Jesus then appears to his followers, all except Thomas, and they were astonished! We read, “Then the disciples rejoiced” they were filled again with joy at being in his presence. They were not only filled with joy – Jesus breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit” – they were filled with the Spirit and sent out to do the reconciling work of Jesus. But not so for Thomas, our Patron Saint here at St. Thomas Chilliwack. Thomas wants his own experience with this risen Jesus. He is a bit cranky and says he won’t believe this is true until he sees and touches Jesus himself. He then gets the notorious title “Doubting Thomas.”
Was Thomas wrong in his desire to behold and touch his risen friend? Is it bad to not believe everything you hear right up front but to want your own experience of faith?
