April 27, 2025 "Where Was Thomas?"

Second Sunday of Easter

Acts 5:27-32

Psalm 118:14-29

Revelation 1:4-8

John 20:19-31

Dear fellow ministers of the gospel of Jesus Christ,

grace and peace to you

 from the one who appears to us in community. Amen

Where was Thomas? 

All John tells us

 is that on the evening of that day,

 the day that had started off with Mary Magdalene going to the tomb

only to find it empty,

 that continued with Peter and the beloved disciple’s race to the tomb

confirming it empty,

and Mary turning around at the sound of her name

 spoken by Jesus her Lord

who sent her back to the disciples to proclaim

“I have seen the Lord”

 on the evening of that day

the disciples are gathered together

behind locked doors out of fear,

because as amazing as that day has been

it followed on the heels of three very terrifying days,

Jesus’ arrest, his trial and execution,

a full day of mourning without Jesus,

and now this amazing news,

 but after the initial celebration dies down

doubt begins to creep in,

what does this mean?

 People don’t return from the dead,

and even if they accept that,

what happens next?

 Quick close the doors,

 is everyone here?

Thomas isn’t.

Where was Thomas?

 When did he part ways from the rest of the disciples?

Based on the fact that he asks to see the nail marks

 and the cut in Jesus’ side

he must have been with them through the crucifixion,

but then?

All we know is that he is not with the rest of the disciples,

he is not with the community that gathers together for comfort and support.

While we don’t usually think about why Thomas is absent,

 if we do I think we perhaps attribute it to an attitude of willful defiance,

at least this is the way his later request has been interpreted.

We think ‘Thomas isn’t there because he doesn’t need the community

he thinks he has better things to do’

but what if,

 what if Thomas isn’t there

 because he needs the community more than anyone?

What if Thomas is absent

 because he is so overcome by grief

that he can’t bear to be there?

 he has placed his hope in the one who told him

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”

and now there is no life, no truth, no way

so why bother with anything?

 even word of the events of the morning fail to stir him,

 and so Thomas is not with the disciples

 when Jesus appears to them.

It’s not like the other disciples are doing much better,

 they are gathered in fear behind locked doors after all,

 but they have come together,

 and Jesus appears in their midst,

 offers peace and proof that he is the one who was crucified

(look at my hands and side)

 and then having seen this

 they believe and rejoice,

and Jesus offers them peace once more

 and sends them out with the gift of the Holy Spirit

 and tied to the gift of the spirit

 is the ability to forgive and retain sins

and emboldened by this gift where do they go first?

To Thomas,

they notice that he is absent

 and they go to him with the good news,

 the excitement of their experience

 and while Thomas seems unmoved by their witness

 guess where he is next week?

 with the community

 and it is in the midst of the community

that Jesus appears once more,

and since Thomas is there,

Thomas gets to see what the rest of the disciples already have,

Jesus,

 his hands and side,

 and he believes

 and proclaims what they’d all been dancing around but never articulated

“My Lord and my God”

Thomas knew what he needed to believe,

at least he thought he did,

 he thought he needed to see and touch Jesus,

and Jesus provides him with this,

but Jesus has also provided him with something else that he needed,

 the community,

 the community that comes and finds him

 and brings him out of his despair into their midst

 to the place where Jesus has already been

 and so there’s a chance he’ll come again.

Thomas thinks he needs proof,

what he really needs is the community

and it is through the community that Thomas comes to believe.

We need the community as well,

we need people who gather together to support one another

 even and especially in times of fear and uncertainty,

we need people who have had an experience of the risen Lord

to come excitedly tell us

and draw us into the group of people that gathers

 because of these experiences,

we need the community to tell us the stories,

 to live out the love of Jesus,

to offer the gifts of baptism and holy communion

 creating space for Jesus’ peace and presence among us

where he offers the gift of faith.

 Despite what it may seem from the blessing

on those who have not seen and come to believe,

we are not expected to believe on our own,

 but through the stories of the signs of Jesus

 passed down through the community that surrounded him,

 the stories which we add to and share.

We Lutherans love to say we are saved by grace through faith

which is not our own doing but a gift from God

 and this is most certainly true,

 faith is a gift,

 a gift from God who works through the community,

 the body of Christ

 to share that gift,

and so we do things like baptize our children

who may not in the moment

understand why water has been poured on their heads,

 but they do know that they are loved,

 love that will continue and carry on as they grow

and as the community tells the story

 of when they were loved so much

that they were offered a precious gift

before they could fully appreciate it,

that’s how much it means to us Henry,

we wanted to give it to you as soon as possible.

And it is the faith of the community

 that looks around and notices who is absent

and instead of writing them off as lazy or willfully faithless,

wonders if something else is going on

what if they need the community to come to them?

to share good news,

 to include them even if they aren’t sure what they believe any more.

It is so easy to dismiss those who are not right before us,

 in our line of sight,

 and yet they are the ones Jesus sends us to,

gifting us with peace

and the companionship of the spirit,

and even if we all just end up back in the same place next week,

 maybe just maybe

someone else will be with us

and in the midst of the community

 Jesus will come and offer them what else they need.

I don’t do this often

but this week I am going to issue a challenge,

sermon homework if you will

I want you to look around

and notice who is absent,

and then I want you to make one call this week,

reach out to one person

with Easter greetings and a simple ‘I’ve missed you’ or ‘we’ve missed you’  

there are updated directories on the welcome table

 if you need contact information.

 And maybe like Thomas

they will tell you what they need,

or maybe it won’t go any farther than that conversation

except that it will

 because the love of Christ

and the care of the community will have been shared,

and that is what faith is made of.

Alleluia Christ is risen,

Christ is risen indeed, alleluia.