THOUGHTFUL THOMAS

A sermon for the 19^th April 2020 by Mrs Annabel Smyth

Thoughtful Thomas “Thomas, thoughtful though tentative, thinks through terrific tidings - takes time to trust - then, totally transformed, travels teaching truth.”

Thus a clergy friend of mine meditated on a statue of St Thomas in the church of St Thomas and St Andrew, Doxey, Stafford.  I think it is a very good summary of our Gospel reading for today which, as every year, tells Thomas’ story.

Thomas wasn’t there when Jesus came to his disciples on the evening of that first Easter Day.   And he isn’t inclined to believe the others, thinking they must be deceived in some way.  If it were true, it would indeed be terrific tidings – but people don’t just come back from the dead!  Not even the dear Teacher.  Once you’re dead, you’re dead, thinks Thomas.  How can you come back to life again?  It couldn’t really be true, could it? But then, there had been those miracles, people healed – the time his friend Lazarus had died, and Jesus had called him to come out of the tomb, and he had come.   Or that time when…. Thomas goes on remembering all the times Jesus had healed the sick or done other miracles.  But then, he couldn’t be alive, could he?  And so on, round and round, on the treadmill of his thoughts. 

This goes on for a whole week. Right now, with lockdown, a week seems an eternity, doesn’t it?  How long is it since we’ve been able to worship together?  Three weeks?  Four?  I’ve lost track…. But it is definitely a long time.

And I don’t know about you, but I have wondered where God is in all of this.  Where is God when you need him?   We want to see God’s face in this, to hear the reassurance that all will be well and all manner of thing will be well.  We want the reassurance that God is truly there and hasn’t abandoned us.

But you see, Thomas shows us that this is okay.  He had to wait a whole week until the risen Jesus came to him to reassure him – and a week can be a very, very long time!  And when Jesus did come again, Thomas was still doubtful, still not convinced – but Jesus came, specially for him.  And his doubts all fell away, as if they had never been.  He was totally transformed from doubter to staunch believer.  As we, too, can be.  You know this and I know this, but sometimes it feels as though that knowledge is only in our heads, we don’t absolutely know it with all of us.  Except when we do – and then we wonder how on earth we ever doubted, why we don’t always believe with our whole being.  We have all had those mountain-top experiences, I expect – and we have all had our times of doubt and even disbelief.  And perhaps a touch from God to convince us?

And, what’s more, Thomas then travels, teaching truth. We have nothing in the Bible to tell us what may or many not have happened to Thomas after his encounter with the risen Lord.  But tradition has it that he went to India and founded the church there. 

Even today, almost two thousand years later, there are Christians in India who trace their faith history back to Thomas’ ministry.  Whatever the truth of this, we do know that Thomas travelled, teaching about Jesus.  He was totally transformed from the doubtful, worried disciple of that first Easter Day. Most of us have been following Jesus for many years now.  We too have been transformed, probably gradually over the years, to be more like the people we were created to be, the people God designed us to be.  We, too, proclaim our risen Lord, not only – probably not even primarily – in words.

“Thomas, thoughtful though tentative, thinks through terrific tidings - takes time to trust - then, totally transformed, travels teaching truth.” 

(With thanks to the Rev Bill Mash for the meditation, which I have used with permission.)