John 20:19-31
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
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A few years ago, late at night, I sat in a car with a rather new friend, drinking coffee and eating doughnuts. He had just finished giving a weekend workshop on church growth and development. We had been friends for only a couple of years, and didn’t know each other extremely well. And yet, as we sat there laughing and eating our doughnuts, there was a moment of clear recognition. It was as if we had always known each other, and the veil was removed for just a few moments so that we saw each other clearly.
The word “recognise” comes from the word “cognition” - or knowing. Re-cognition means knowing again. So in that one moment, there was a clear “re-cognition”. I wondered then, and still do, if this is not what it means to see Jesus in those around us.
....and yet, it would be easy for you to say “prove it”, and I have nothing but my own experience and response to go on.
It doesn’t matter what it is - our personal experiences tend to be the standard by which we judge everything. "You've just got to see this!" "You won't believe this!" So the risen Jesus reveals himself to the disciples who were in the room when he appeared. One disciple, Thomas, was not there with the others. So, it’s no surprise that Thomas is skeptical when the others excitedly tell him they have seen Jesus. Their report was pretty fantastic. Thomas knew Jesus was killed, and was buried. And he, along with the others, had been told some reports about Jesus being alive and appearing to Mary Magdalene and others. But Thomas had seen nothing that would prove them to be true.
But then Jesus appears a second time, and speaks directly 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, unfortunately, has become known more for doubt than for his declaration of faith. Yet he was no more of a doubter than any of the others. He asked for the same opportunity the others had - he wanted to see.. And, I would remind you about his powerful statement of faith: "My Lord and my God!" Or, in today’s vernacular - this was literally an OMG moment - Oh My God!
It is unfortunate that exclamation has become so common that perhaps the sense of its power has been lost. You hear or read it used so frequently and in such trivialized ways, such as: "OMG -- did you see her hair?" or "OMG, -- she is sooo beautiful!" So, now, "Oh, my God," has lost its power as a word of faith and worship, and instead it as become an exclamation.
Thomas used that phrase to declare his faith in God, but also his recognition of Jesus - his knowing Jesus again, his moment when the veil is removed and there is that deep recognition which comes only of faith. So we can properly use that statement today as part of our faithful witness to the risen Jesus. In fact, I might well be part of your God sighting at some point.
A friend of mine, Rev. Olli Valtonen, Director of the Helsinki Mission and a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Finland, many years ago created the “Thomas-Mass: a Service for Doubters and Seekers”. The church in Finland was dying - in that, attendance had dropped dramatically at the traditional morning service, even as the state supported the church and its clergy. Younger people were stating their spiritual seeking, but could not find it in the church. So the response of the church in Finland was to provide an alternative, for those people who wanted to be able to say “let me see”, who needed a God-sighting. The Thomas-Mass spread through the Scandinavian countries and into Europe, as a way of reaching those who were seeking faith.
So what is a "God sighting."? First, Thomas, in that moment of recognition, had a God-sighting. Second, I think my experience with my friend sitting in the car late at night was a “God-sighting” - a recognition in a friend. Third, what about right here at our communion table, this morning - as we come together and serve each other - loaf and cup - and as we share them we recognise, in each other, the risen Jesus.
So I want you to think - through this week: in what ways do you see God at work in the world around you? Where does the love of God become real and visible in the words and deeds of the people you meet?
Here’s a response to an email sent by Rev. Bob Kaltenbaugh - from his niece:
"Uncle Bob, I liked your request for sending in ways that God has shown his love to us all. In my life, God has answered so many prayers! Recently, God's love has filled our family with the adoption of a newborn baby boy by my brother and sister-in-law. They have waited so long and are so blessed to welcome a son into their family. We are feeling the love and joy that a baby can bring."
That was Missy's way of saying, "OMG!" -- "My Lord and my God." She recognised how God had touched her and her family. She had this marvelous God Sighting. I am sure you have had some sightings too. You might not have recognised them, at least not at first. You might have been surprised and not realised that you were seeing the hands and side of Jesus. But keep your eyes open this week, and let me know when happens.”
So I offer to you the opportunity Bob Kaltenbaugh offered his congregation. Think, this week, about where you have had a God-sighting, an OMG!!! moment. Send me your OMG email this week. Alleluia!!!! Jesus is risen, and we see clearly.
Sources:
1. Sermon by Fran Ota ‘Doubter or Seeker’, 2008.
2. Rev. Olli Valtonen, Director, Helsinki Mission. Helsinki, Finland.
3. Pastor Bob Kaltenbaugh, Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Parish, Dushore, Pennsylvania
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