John 20:26-31

“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.’” vss. 28-29

It’s kind of neat the way John finishes his carefully crafted gospel. The man who the world has come to know as “Doubting Thomas” gets to make the first recorded confession of faith in the Risen Christ. Sometimes it’s the most unlikely disciples who turn out to be the very best witnesses. We’ve seen it happen again and again. Honest truth seekers at first turn away from faith, but when their convictions change, they become paragons of faithfulness and blessings to many. Thomas did get a special break, but John uses his story to encourage future believers. John wrote his gospel for those who weren’t in the upper room when Jesus came. He wanted everyone to know the story of the Christ, especially those who had never seen, yet who would one day come to believe. And that includes all of us! John believed that there were blessings that accompanied confessions of faith, and that as more and more people came to believe, those blessings would abound. Was he right? Well, based on what has happened in the last 2000 years we would most certainly have to agree. There are blessings connected with faith in the Risen Christ, and our lives have been enriched by the gospel writer’s great gift to the world!

Thought for the Day: How has John’s gospel enriched my faith?

John 20:19-25

“So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘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.’” vs. 25

Thomas missed out. He wasn’t with the other disciples when Jesus appeared and breathed his spirit on them. And rather than accepting their testimony, he added tension by adamantly refusing to believe them. Since he hadn’t experienced the presence of Jesus, he wasn’t going to believe in the resurrection. The gospel writer, John, in using this story of the missing Thomas, made Thomas a kind of model for millions of future disciples. Because who among us hasn’t had significant doubts about things that we read in scripture? And in particular large numbers have had difficulty with the very truth that Thomas balked at! If we’re honest we have to admit that it’s really hard to believe in the resurrected Jesus, and that’s a pretty key element of the gospel story. And one of the main reasons for our doubt is that we haven’t had the same experiences of Jesus that others have had. So when others say that they’ve felt the presence of the Risen Jesus, our first reaction is to dismiss their witness. We might not express our doubt as strongly as Thomas did, but the feeling is there. So it’s natural to give thanks for this story–the community of faith even has room for doubters!

Thought for the Day: When do I have doubts about resurrection?

1 John 1:8-2:2

“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” vss. 8-9

For some these words are so familiar that we’re almost surprised to see them pop up in a portion of mostly unfamiliar scripture. For congregations that use a weekly service of confession and absolution to begin worship, these verses invite us into a silent time of personal confession that for most is not nearly long enough. They are a precise description of how we can deal with the sin that stalks us every day of our lives. Their author did not tell his readers to stop sinning! Instead he told them to stop fooling themselves. They are sinners, through and through, and there is nothing they can do to avoid sinning. But rather than scolding about imperfect ways of thinking and doing, John offers a simple formula for peace and reconciliation. There’s only one thing to do! If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just and will forgive all of our sins. We will be cleansed from all of our unrighteousness. And what is amazing about this promise is that it actually works! When confession is honest and sincere, it will be followed immediately by a deep sense of relief and peace. These aren’t just words! With confession we are enlightened and set free from all the demons of our personal dark places. 

Thought for the Day: How do I feel when I sincerely confess?

1 John 1:5-7

“If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true;” vs. 6

Evidently there were some folks in the communities John was writing to who believed that our behavior as disciples of Jesus really didn’t make that much difference. They reasoned that perfection, walking in the light, was too high a standard and that people shouldn’t beat themselves up if they wandered from the Way of Jesus or were content with lower moral values. That’s not an unusual ethical stance. The old saying, “everyone is doing it” is regularly heard among us and is used to excuse every kind of aberrant behavior. It’s just not true that everything goes in the community of the faithful. No matter how acceptable our dark behaviors may be in our culture they will ultimately destroy our fellowship. This isn’t to say that we will always be perfect. Of course we will sin and miss the mark as we live and work in the world. If we could be perfect there would never be any need for forgiveness! But embracing our sin and walking in the darkness just doesn’t work. Most importantly, it damages our relationship with God, the One whose essence is Light, and whose Son is the Light of the world. Our basic call is to be children of the Light and to glorify God by enlightening the world. 

Thought for the Day: What’s it like to walk in darkness?

1 John 1:1-4

“We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—” vs. 1

The three letters of John come from the same period as the gospel of John and were likely sent to believers living in Asia Minor, the area we know as Turkey. Unlike other epistles in the New Testament, this writer never quotes from the Hebrew scriptures. Any authority he has comes through experiences with those who actually knew Jesus. Even though he is likely living in the last decade of the first century he claims a direct connection to the Christ. He’s writing to warn congregations about teachers who are distorting the true faith and encouraging believers to embrace false teachings. He has a pastoral concern for his readers and knows that there is no benefit in division or separation. He pleads with them to return to the true Christ, the one who was in the beginning with God, and who became incarnate in the person of Jesus. This kind of slippage, already apparent in the early church, has continued to plague the Church throughout its history. Always there have been false teachers sniffing people out in congregations, and trying to convince believers that they have new knowledge, teachings that supersede the teachings of Jesus. Against them we are called to remember that it’s the old, old story that contains the essence of truth.

Thought for the Day: How can we discern false teachings?

Psalm 133

“How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!” vs. 1

The psalmist knew what a lot of people in these divisive days have forgotten. There is nothing better under the sun than to live in peace and unity with those around us. That’s a universal truth that applies to, not only the people of God, but to every other living creature. It’s not unexpected that those who live in a nation as diverse as ours would think differently about a lot of important matters. It would be surprising if we didn’t. We grow up in different household settings and have had a variety of life changing experiences. Along the way we pick up concepts and beliefs that we hold dear and that even direct our behaviors. No wonder we don’t all support the same candidates or political parties! But what is really sad is that sometimes we allow those differences to divide us from those we have come to love and cherish. There is nothing good that can come from the deepening divisions of our times! Thank God that there are communities of faith that have taken the words of the psalmist to heart. These folks understand that life is communal and that nothing can be allowed to destroy the bonds of love that have been knit by the Holy Spirit of God. They’ve learned how to disagree with tenderness and affection and how to resolve every conflict with a kiss and a hug. What a gift!

Thought for the Day: Why don’t kisses and hugs always work?

Acts 4:32-35

“There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.” vss. 34-35

There are probably no other verses in the New Testament that have been so thoroughly discounted as these. Especially in the United States even socialism, not to mention communism, has been thoroughly demonized through our unquestioning worship of capitalism and free enterprise. It is almost impossible for us to wrap our materialistic minds around the teaching of the early believers that all things should be held in common. Most people have come to see taxes as governmental overreach, and resist the notion that individuals have any responsibility for the common good. The sad thing is that our obsession with the protection and the accumulation of material goods has pulled us away from the clear teachings of Jesus. Too many people have come to regard success as having more “stuff” than anyone else, and, amazingly, they then wonder why they have become spiritually bankrupt. Jesus’ words to the rich young man who yearned for eternal life still ring true, “Sell what you have and give to the poor.” The man walked away in sadness! Regardless of the economic system we live under, the key to spiritual good health will always be radically generosity!

Thought for the Day: How radical is my generosity?

Mark 16:1-8

“When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb.” vss. 1-2

The women knew what to do when Jesus died. While the male disciples stayed hidden in their confusion, as soon as the sabbath was over the women got to work. Because there hadn’t been time for the traditional anointing of the body on Friday, they rose with the sun on Sunday to do for Jesus what their burial customs required. That’s how it is with us too. When death comes, people take action–the mortuary is contacted, calls are made, and all the arrangements fall into place. Sometimes there’s a funeral or memorial service, sometimes the interment or scattering of ashes. There’s a kind of comfort in having things to do. The wait is over, the dying is done. Now let’s get on with the healing and living! But Easter threw a wrinkle into that for the women. Jesus had disappeared, and with no body around, they didn’t know what to do. That’s a big issue for us too. What shall we do when our loved one is gone and there is nobody around anywhere? It can get lonely! Of course we know the full story, “He is Risen, Alleluia,” and when death comes that good news is an amazing comfort. But it takes a while, and tears at any time should not surprise us!

Thought for the Day: For whom do I still mourn?

Romans 6:3-11

“Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.” vs. 4

When Jesus invited his followers to become disciples he told them that in order to save their lives they would have to lose them. This dying to self is enormously difficult, and most would rather skip this step in discipleship. We would like to just live victoriously with Jesus and never ever have to even think about dying. But we also know in our hearts that such a notion is nothing but a pipedream. The road to Easter always goes by the way of Calvary. Paul knew that too and that’s why he sees baptism as a burial; we die with Christ in the waters of baptism so that we might be raised up with him to new life. And even though baptism generally only takes place once in our lifetimes, the dying and rising takes place again and again. Some folks mark themselves with the cross daily, knowing full well that the self dies unwillingly, and constantly reasserts its presence. So day after day we die and rise, mimicking our baptisms, until that time comes when death pays its last visit, and only Easter remains for us. And oh what a glorious day of triumph that will be!

Thought for the Day: How can I remember my baptism daily?

Isaiah 52:12-53:13

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed.” vs. 5

As we read these words from Isaiah on this Good Friday, it’s important to remember that the prophet was not writing about Jesus. Rather he was speaking of the Servant Israel, the exiled nation that had undergone great suffering at the hands of the Babylonians. It had been an undeserved punishment that ultimately benefited those descendants who had returned to the land God had promised them. Much later on, after the crucifixion of Jesus, as the disciples studied the scriptures for insight and guidance, they saw this passage as a perfect metaphor for what had happened to Jesus. Again and again they returned to these words as an explanation for his suffering and death. As a result millions of believers have come to tie the forgiveness of their sins to the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross. There are some however who have difficulty believing that the unjust death of one man could cancel out the sins of all humanity, especially since Jesus himself freely offered sinners forgiveness long before his death. They see the cross as a sacrificial act of love, and not as a payment for sin. But however we choose to believe, there is no doubt that Good Friday is a time to contemplate the nature of suffering and love. Both can be redemptive, and both are wrapped up in the person of Jesus.

Thought for the Day: What does Good Friday mean to me?