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Sermon April 24, 2022
The Rev. Canon Robert Schiesler
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen’s
Second Sunday of Easter, Year C
http://www.lectionarypage.net/YearC_RCL/Easter/CEaster2_RCL.html
Audio: /documents/Eucharist__April_24__2022
Video: https://youtu.be/-lArzOv2elM
At a spiritual retreat in my college years, the director began a series of meditations with an essential question which we had to wrestle with: What if there had been no resurrection of Christ? What if the Gospels ended with Jesus' agonizing death? What if we have been handed a faith that is caught in that agony and not in that glory; would we still be believers in the Lord Jesus Christ today or would we, indeed the world, be adrift with a moralistic philosophy of "do no harm" but without a theology that truly links humanity with God in a vibrant, meaningful, life giving manner? In essence, would we all be the "doubting Thomas" that is always the main character on this second Sunday of Easter.
John Irving in his novel, A Prayer for Owen Meany offers us a dialogue of belief that might inform us on the importance of belief over empirical evidence. Owen points out a gray statue of Mary Magdalene that stands in the churchyard as dusk approaches. When it is swallowed up by the darkness of night, Owen asks his friend, John, if the statue is still there. John says, "of course it is". But Owen pushes: "You have no doubt she's there?
"Of course, I have no doubt."
But you can't see her — you could be wrong."
"No, I'm not wrong — she's there; I know she's there" John yelled at him. "You absolutely know she's there -even though you can't see her? asked Owen.
"Yes"
"Well, now you know how I feel about God" said Owen Meany. "I can't see him — but I absolutely know he is there!"
Owen is "convicted"; he does not need to see; he needs no signs and wonders; he believes and orients his entire life around this belief of the heart. We see Thomas as atypical of Christians today; we too just believe. We do not need to see or feel as the apostles, including Thomas, would have the need to assuage their fear and reinforce their feeble faith. But... always a but,... truth is that we are all too often just as doubting as Thomas, just as consumed with fear as those in that room in Jerusalem, just as in need of empirical evidence. We too are filled with suspicion of what others tell us; we too react with fear when we feel we may lose out to another or lose something of our self in a transaction, playing in a zero sum game.
The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, who endured years of intrigue, suspicion, and fear growing up in East Germany, has remarked that "fear has never been a good adviser." Fear and suspicion are both seductive and destructive. Belief and love are strong antidotes to such debilitating a life
However, listen closely to recent political rhetoric that feeds fear and suspicion as we hear about building walls to separate; scapegoating to promote division; guilt inducing rhetoric that ascribes blame and shame; a drive to competitively win more so than generously love. In John's Epistle, he reinforces a contrast to this as he says that "there is no fear in love but perfect love casts out fear."
We need not see nor touch; Christ's love is with us and our love with and in each other.
Interestingly, we have no evidence that Thomas touched Jesus in any way; we only have his words: Kyrios, Theos- my Lord, My God......You live, thus I live. He who preached, healed and suffered is alive. He who died a miserable death lives. He who would be buried in a tomb that he could not afford, lives. The German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, swinging from the gallows just days before the Nazi surrender, suggested that we spend less time on dying and more time on overcoming death. If we concentrate on the resurrection, a new and purifying wind might blow through the world, not unlike that breath of Christ upon his disciples, a breath of forgiveness, fearlessness and faithfulness.
Yes, we too are doubters, often caught up in our own desires and enmeshed in our fears and driven by our suspicions and impeded by the need for empirical data and unable to let go and absolutely know the presence of God in and through an imperfect humanity. And yes, we too are Thomas in this world, believing in the Christ that lives and breathes and moves among us; we too are Thomas who will become,by tradition, the faith evangelist of India, preaching the Gospel without fear, inviting all to be more kind, less judgmental, less fearful, less suspicious, less competitive, less prejudicial, more humble, more accepting, more free.....in the unifying conviction that JESUS LIVES and so do we, in him, for him and through him.....KYRIOS, THEOS....LORD AND GOD!
