No Doubt

Does doubting have any place in the life of a Christian? I think that it does. Working through doubts can strengthen your faith, as "Doubting Thomas" shows us. This sermon might make you think twice about the value of doubting!

Doubting has a bad reputation. At least, it does where many Christians are concerned. Some well-meaning church folks are convinced that they must be certain about everything, or their faith is weak. No doubting is allowed – about anything! That mindset may well come from this story of Thomas in the gospel of John. We know him better as “Doubting Thomas.” That title isn’t a compliment. But does Thomas deserve all the criticism that he has received down through the ages? Is his doubting evidence of a weak faith – or of a faith that welcomes doubts and ends up stronger as a result? Maybe Thomas deserves a second look.

The story begins on the evening of Easter day. Jesus appeared to the disciples who were gathered together behind locked doors. He showed them his hands and his side so that they could see for themselves that Jesus was who he said he was, that he had indeed been raised from the dead. But Thomas wasn’t there that night. Maybe he was off mourning by himself; maybe he had gone on an errand; maybe he was even considering leaving the group entirely now that Jesus was gone. Whatever the reason for his absence, Thomas didn’t see the risen Christ. And so, when the other disciples told him that they had seen Jesus, alive and in the flesh, Thomas was understandably more than a little skeptical. “I don’t believe it!” was his response. “And unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my hand into his side, I won’t believe it!”

Now, let’s not be quick to condemn Thomas for his reaction. After all, no one in the history of the world had ever been resurrected before. Oh, there were stories of miraculous healings, and even sporadic reports of the dead being restored to life, but a resurrection after a couple of days in a tomb? That sort of thing had never happened before, not ever. So of course Thomas doubted the story that he heard! Why wouldn’t he doubt it? If we had been in Thomas’ position, we would probably have doubted it, too.

The story picks up a week later. This time, Thomas was with the other disciples when the risen Christ appeared to them. Now, we might expect Jesus to condemn Thomas for his doubt. But that’s not what happened. No, in fact, Jesus offered Thomas the very proof that he needed in order to believe! “Here are my hands,” said Jesus. “Put your finger in the holes. Put your whole hand into my side if you need to do that! I want you to be certain that I am who I say I am.” And what was Thomas’ response? “My Lord and my God!” he exclaimed. It’s the fullest statement of faith in all of John’s gospel. And in my opinion, Thomas is able to make that statement not in spite of his doubt, but because of it.

Here’s why I say that. Doubt isn’t anything terrible. It is simply a situation in which we aren’t sure about something. We don’t have the certainty that we want to have. In Thomas’ case, he wasn’t sure whether or not Jesus had really risen from the dead. His doubt opened the door to questions; and his questions suggested a way to lay his doubts to rest. If Thomas saw the hands and feet of the risen savior, he would know that what the other disciples said was true. That’s exactly what Jesus showed him. And because Thomas’ doubts were laid to rest, he was able to confess both Jesus’ lordship over his life and Jesus’ divinity. “My Lord and my God!” is exactly what we should all be saying to Jesus Christ. And Thomas, the doubter, was the very first person to say it.

You may be surprised to learn that doubting actually has a long history in Christian thought. Some of the greatest Christian thinkers, in fact, began as the biggest doubters. Saint Augustine, for example, lived in the 3^rd century. His mother, Monica, was a devout Christian; but he doubted that his mother’s faith was the right one. He studied all kinds of other philosophies before he was moved to become a Christian. He describes that experience in his Confessions: “…it was as though the light of faith flooded into my heart and all the darkness of doubt was dispelled.” Through his doubt, he came to faith.

In the 1500s, a monk named Martin Luther had doubts of historic proportions! He doubted many of the church practices of his time, wondering if they were even biblical. In fact, he doubted 95 things all at the same time! Those were the items on his famous list that he posted on the church door at Wittenberg, Germany. He was expelled from the Roman Catholic Church, but his doubts helped him to come to a different understanding of the faith he had been taught. In the process, he started the Protestant Reformation.

And C. S. Lewis, who lived in the 20^th century, doubted not only the Christian faith; he doubted that God even existed! But God can handle any doubt, even the doubts of atheists. As an adult, Lewis converted to Christianity, and then wrote a wide range of books based on his newfound faith! You’ve probably read some of them. He is the author of the Chronicles of Narnia.

None of these thinkers denied their doubts or tried to ignore them. On the contrary, they embraced their doubts. They wrestled with their doubts. They worked through their doubts; and by doing all those things, they came to a more authentic faith than they had before.

Now, not all Christians are keen on doubting. We all know about churches who say, “We know the truth, and you better believe it!” Their particular brand of faith is the only one that they will tolerate. Whoever belongs to that congregation is expected to accept “the party line” with no doubts about it. The UCC isn’t like that. Our ancestors have been some of the biggest doubters in Christianity! Down through our history, we have questioned Bible interpretation, church government, and certainly social policies. In fact, one of the foundations of UCC thinking is that God is still speaking. Sometimes that means questioning traditional thinking and reexamining the way that things have always been done. To those of us in the UCC, doubting is OK; because it means that we’re taking our faith seriously. We’re wrestling with our doubts because we want to come to a more authentic faith. Here in the UCC, we are expected to use our brains as well as our hearts!

But the reality is that doubting makes many Christians nervous. If you’re one of those folks, I have some suggestions for you on how to handle your doubts. First of all, accept that doubts are a normal part of the human condition. None of us know everything, so all of us will be uncertain about something. And God knows that. After all, God created us! Doubting is OK with God. It means that we’re using our heads.

Second, examine your doubts. Is there anything that will help lay them to rest? Pray about those doubts. Don’t ask God to take them away; ask God for help in resolving them. Believe me, God is ready to help you handle any doubts that are bothering you. And don’t be ashamed that you are thinking seriously about your faith. Many people never do!

Finally, pay attention to what God might be trying to tell you through your experiences. For example, if you doubt that love really exists, you might find yourself running into people who are in real loving relationships. God isn’t going to post a neon sign in the sky; but God might well help you experience the very thing that you have doubts about. And by the way, it’s OK to ask the pastor for help as you wrestle with doubts. Any pastor worth the time of day has wrestled with at least as many doubts as you have! From this pastor, at least, you won’t get judgment; you’ll get support.

So, go ahead and doubt! Trust that the risen Christ is ready to help you through your doubts, just as he helped Thomas. Trust that the Holy Spirit will guide you in your thinking as you wrestle with your faith. Thomas saw the risen Christ and was able to proclaim, “My Lord and my God;” and as you work through your doubts, you’ll do that, too. Of that I have no doubt.

 

The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory Forever

Easter doesn't need to be explained... it needs to be proclaimed! And that's just what I do in this Easter sermon. I proclaim the power of the Resurrection. Perhaps you can feel some of that power if you choose to read this sermon.

Some months ago, I had an opportunity to visit St. John’s United Church of Christ in Reading, Ohio. I was most impressed with the large stained glass window that is located in the very front of the sanctuary – and not just because it is made with Tiffany glass. That window envisions what Easter morning might have looked like. Specifically, it depicts the reaction of several characters in the Easter story. Front and center, occupying the majority of the window, is the risen Christ, bathed in bright white light and holding up a banner of victory. On the right are three women who are coming to the tomb to mourn. They are the very picture of calm. Perhaps they are discussing the events of the previous two days and wondering what the future will hold. They are completely ignoring the risen Christ. On the left is a white-robed angel pointing towards the savior. His attitude appears to be, “You might want to take a look over there.” But what draws your attention are the men in the center of the window, directly beneath the risen Christ. They are four Roman soldiers; and they are clearly terrified. One is turning away, ready to flee. Another is holding up a shield in an attempt to protect himself. A third is covering his eyes in fear. The fourth has completely collapsed, and lies prostrate in terror.

When I first saw the window, I was struck by the contrast between the three placid women on their way to the tomb and the terrified Roman soldiers. While the soldiers are confronted by the full force of the resurrection, paralyzed with fright, the three women are absolutely oblivious to the risen Christ. I wanted to reach into the window and shake them and ask, “Don’t you know what’s going on? Look! Can’t you see that Christ is risen?” The Roman soldiers certainly knew! Why weren’t the women taking any notice? Then it occurred to me that what I was seeing pictured in the window wasn’t all that uncommon. Sometimes Christians don’t appreciate the power of the resurrection as much as non-Christians do. In fact, many Christians take resurrection power way too much for granted.

What’s that old saying? “Familiarity breeds contempt.” I wouldn’t say that Christian familiarity with the resurrection breeds contempt; but it certainly breeds complacency. We’re just like the women in the window who were calmly walking towards the empty tomb as though Easter was just another day. Is it that way for us? Is Easter is just another day? It is for many people, except that they might join their friends for Easter breakfast, and wear a fresh new outfit, and look forward to Easter dinner with family.

“But I know all about the resurrection,” those folks would protest. “I can tell the story in my sleep!” But, see, that’s just the problem. Lots of people can talk about resurrection power; but they have never experienced that resurrection power. And what a power it is! It knocked the Roman soldiers at the tomb flat on their backs! It rolls back heavy stones, unseals tombs, and raises the dead. Lots of folks who are sworn enemies of Christianity understand its power better than we do. That’s why Christianity is illegal in some countries today. Tyrants know all too well that the power of the resurrection can overcome anything! It terrified the Roman soldiers on that first Easter morning, and it terrifies people today. After all, Christians who experience resurrection power aren’t afraid of anything, not tyrants or terrorists or even death itself!

Dr. George Sweeting tells of an incident is the early 1920s when a noted Communist leader traveled from Moscow to Kiev in order to speak at an anti-God rally. For an hour he abused and ridiculed the Christian faith until it seemed as if the whole belief system was in ruins. Then he invited questions from the audience. An Orthodox priest stood up and asked to speak. He turned, faced the people, and gave the traditional Easter greeting, “He is risen!” Instantly the entire assembly rose to its feet and thundered, “He is risen indeed!” It is no wonder that resurrection power sends a cold chill down the spines of dictators the world over.

Resurrection power is what transformed a group of frightened disciples cowering behind a locked door into fearless apostles who couldn’t stop talking about what they had experienced, even in the face of persecution, arrest, and their own deaths. Because Jesus’ resurrection power conquered death, there was no reason for them to be afraid of anything, even death itself. And we proclaim that power every Sunday morning when we join in the Lord’s Prayer. At its conclusion, we confidently state, “Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.” That ending isn’t in the Bible. It’s not in Matthew and it’s not in Luke, the two gospels that include the Lord’s Prayer. In fact, it’s not in any of the books of the New Testament. Somewhere, someone in the early church added it to the prayer that Jesus had taught them, because it was inconceivable that resurrection power be left out of Christians’ most basic prayer. And it has been in the prayer ever since. “Thine is the kingdom” – God’s kingdom of peace and wholeness that is meant for everyone – “and the power” – the resurrection power that raised Jesus from the dead and will do the same for us – “and the glory” – the glory that we experience when we are in the presence of resurrection power – “forever.” Forever!

Until time itself is through, the power of the resurrection will be the most powerful force in the universe. It is a force stronger than death, more powerful than all the world’s armies put together, and it’s available to anyone who believes in Jesus Christ. It gives us the ability to live our lives without fear no matter what life throws at us; and it reaches into our tomb to rescue us from death, even when that tomb has been sealed and the stone rolled into place.

Easter isn’t just another day! Easter is the day that God’s resurrection power broke through into our world, into a world that suffers under the power of death way too much of the time. The good news of Easter Sunday is that God’s resurrection power – God’s love in action – does for us what we can’t possibly do for ourselves. The great truth of Easter is that love is stronger than hate and life is stronger than death. The kingdom and the power and the glory are for us! Alleluia! Christ is risen indeed!

 

Deliver Us From Evil

How does God deliver us from evil? Does God remove it from our lives? Sometimes. Does God help us to escape it? Sometimes. And sometimes, God delivers us from evil by helping us to go right through it. That's what this sermon considers.

Tonight begins the most terrifying 24 hours of the Christian year. Tonight, evil begins its reign of darkness. Those folks who think that Halloween is frightening have never really taken a good look at what Jesus experienced on Maundy Thursday and on Good Friday. The darkness began to creep in earlier this week when Judas went to the chief priests of the Temple and offered to hand Jesus over to them for thirty pieces of silver – the price of a slave. It lurked in the background when, during the meal in the upper room, Jesus calmly told his disciples that one of them would betray him. But when the meal was finished and the twelve accompanied Jesus to Gethsemane, then that evil burst out in all its terrifying power, determined to get the upper hand over Jesus once and for all.

Jesus knew what was in store for him. Matthew paints a vivid picture of his prayer in the darkness of Gethsemane. Taking three of his trusted disciples to accompany him, he leaves them to watch and goes off by himself to pour out his soul to God. In the darkness, he falls on his face and begs, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

“May this cup be taken from me.” Jesus didn’t want to come face to face with evil; and his prayer reflects it. And during the next 24 hours, he would experience every weapon that evil had in its arsenal. His friends would run away when he needed them most. One of them would claim that he never even knew Jesus. He would be arrested by people who didn’t give a rap about justice, tried by a kangaroo court, and convicted on evidence given by liars. He would be dragged back and forth all night among those who held the political power of the empire: the High Priest, Herod, and Pilate. He would be tortured for the amusement of soldiers: whipped, flogged, and spat upon. Finally, he would be nailed to a cross and left to die, gasping out his last breaths alone in the hot sun.

No, Jesus didn’t want to go through that; and neither do we. We pray every Sunday that the cup of evil might be taken from us, too. Oh, we use different words, but we’re asking the same thing. Near the conclusion of the Lord’s Prayer, we pray, “Deliver us from evil.” None of us wants to endure all the experiences that evil can inflict on us. No one wants to suffer physical or mental or emotional pain. But sometimes, the only way for God to deliver us from evil is to take us right through it. Sometimes, we can’t run away from evil. Sometimes, evil catches us in a situation in which running away might actually be the coward’s way out!

Here’s an example of what I mean. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a brilliant scholar and gifted pastor who lived in Germany before the Second World War. He saw clearly the effect that Nazism would have in the loss of personal freedom and in the loss of human life. So, when he was offered a position at Union Theological Seminary in New York City, he accepted it. When he came to the United States in 1939, he was undoubtedly grateful that God had delivered him from evil. He was, after all, finally living safely in a country where the Nazis couldn’t touch him. But he stayed in New York fewer than two years. He felt guilty, he said, for not having the courage to practice what he preached. He wrote later, “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.” Bonhoeffer decided to return to Germany. He became a leader in the German resistance movement. He was continually harassed by the Nazi authorities. He was even a part of an unsuccessful plot to assassinate Hitler. In April of 1943 he was finally arrested, imprisoned, and eventually sent to the Flossenburg concentration camp. He was hanged there in 1945, three weeks before the camp was liberated by the Allied army.

Did God deliver Dietrich Bonhoeffer from evil? It sure doesn’t look like it. But if we read what Bonhoeffer wrote during his time in prison, we might draw a different conclusion. One of his last messages from prison was written early in 1945, just a few months before his death.

It was a poem that read, in part:

“While all the powers of Good aid and attend us,

boldly we’ll face the future, be it what may.

At even, and at morn, God will befriend us,

and oh, most surely, on each New Year’s Day.”

God delivered Dietrich Bonhoeffer from evil not by helping him to run away from it, but by giving him the courage to face it. God delivered Dietrich Bonhoeffer from evil by giving him the certainty that while evil might kill his body, it could do nothing to his immortal soul. His last words as he was taken to the gallows were, “This is the end – for me the beginning of life.”

Can God do that for us, too? Can God deliver us from evil even when we are forced to come face to face with it? Absolutely! And the sacrament of Holy Communion reminds of that reality! The table at which we dine is not just a table that helps us to remember a meal in an upper room almost 2,000 years ago. It is also a table that looks forward to a great banquet at the end of time, when God will have eliminated evil once and for all; when God will have wiped away all tears and pain and sorrow; and when all people will live together in harmony and peace. The certainty of God’s ultimate victory over evil, and the sustaining grace that this table offers us has the power to deliver us from evil – even when we have to walk right through the middle of it.

“Deliver us from evil.” Yes, Lord, deliver us from evil. Take away the cup of suffering from us.

But if that cup is one that we must drink, deliver us from the evil of cowardice and despair. Walk with us through the worst that evil can do to us; and help us to glimpse, far off on the horizon, the first light of Easter morning.

Lead Us Not Into Temptation

Temptation is a part of being human. We are tempted all the time, in big ways or in small. But at the root of all temptations is Temptation with a capital T. What is it? This sermon offers one suggestion. It is true in your life?

We’re getting close to the end of the Lord’s Prayer. We have come to the request: “Lead us not into temptation.” This request comes after we have acknowledged our relationship to God, prayed that God’s kingdom of peace might arrive in fullness, and asked that our daily needs might be fulfilled and that our sins might be forgiven. Only then do we ask that God might keep us out of trouble. Lead us not into temptation, we pray.

On the surface, it’s an odd thing to ask of God. After all, we can’t really escape temptation. We face life’s choices all the time; and many of them carry temptations right along with them.

Do we say anything to the cashier who gives us too much change at Mr. Deal’s? Or do we give in to temptation and just pocket it? What do we say to the neighbor who asks for our help in a political cause that we don’t happen to support? Do we tell the truth? Or do we give in to temptation and lie about how we really feel? And how many of us have ever intentionally cheated on our income taxes? April 15 in on Tuesday. You might think about that temptation as you finish your tax return!

But these are small potatoes, really. The temptation to tell little white lies or to keep the change that we were given in error is a small one; and most of the time, we don’t give in to it. What is the real temptation? What’s the one that we’re talking about when we pray, “Lead us not into temptation”? The Lord’s Prayer doesn’t tell us for sure; but in my opinion, it’s the temptation that all the little ones lead up to. It’s the temptation to take the easy way out. And that, my friends, isn’t a little temptation at all. It’s a big one!

Taking the easy way out is a way to avoid difficult obligations, obligations that make us uncomfortable. As an example: Perhaps we have hurt someone. The ethical thing to do when we recognize our behavior is to apologize. But aren’t we always tempted to ignore what we’ve done? It’s so easy to rationalize and to say something like, “Oh, that was a long time ago. They’ve probably forgotten all about it. I’ll just pretend that nothing happened at all.” The reality is that hurts don’t quickly go away; and an apology can go a long way towards mending a relationship. But apologizing is difficult, and it is always easier not to do it at all. How strong temptation can be.

Resisting temptation sometimes means going the extra mile. When we see an opportunity for service, it is always tempting to say, “Oh, someone else will do that. Let George do it!” But the reality is that if everyone says, “Let George do it!” some things will never get done!

My hometown of Piqua has a civic honor that is awarded annually to someone who has not sat by and let someone else do all the work. It is appropriately titled “the Order of George.” Folks who receive it participate in all kinds of charity events and civic organizations, all of which make our community a better place to live for everyone. Those who receive the Order of George have successfully resisted the temptation to “let George do it.”

But perhaps the sneakiest way that this temptation weasels into our lives is by making us want to fit in. We all just want to be normal folks. We don’t want to cause a fuss or make waves. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But sometimes waves need to be made. When they do, the temptation to keep our head down and stay out of the picture can be almost overwhelming! But the world is full of evil. All of us can see things around us that we know are wrong. And Jesus calls us to take a stand against the evil in our world. That stand can take many forms. It might be protesting the rezoning of green space in order to build a new shopping mall; or becoming a voice for homeless veterans; or speaking out against human trafficking. But the temptation is always there to just look the other way, because making waves is risky.

Back in 1988, a movie came out that was titled “The Last Temptation of Christ.” It was based not on the Bible but on a novel by author Nikos Kazantzakis. In both the novel and the film, Jesus is tempted to simply be a good man. He is tempted to avoid the cross altogether, to go back to Nazareth, to get married and have a family, and to have a fulfilling career as a master carpenter. The devil shows Jesus all the ordinary things about a normal life that he will never enjoy! Oh, the temptation to be normal is so powerful!

I can’t help wondering if Jesus was tempted in just this way as he rode into the city of Jerusalem on that first Palm Sunday. After all, Jesus knew the danger in what he was doing. Riding into Jerusalem on a donkey and allowing the crowds to cry “Hosanna!” was a political statement. By doing what he did, Jesus was claiming that he was the Messiah. He was setting himself against the power of the Roman governor who was not interested in having a Jewish messiah set Jerusalem in an uproar during the celebration of the Passover. Jesus knew the risk. If he caused too much of a fuss, he would surely be arrested and executed.

What temptation Jesus must have faced! Surely he considered the alternative. Like Jesus in “The Last Temptation of Christ,” surely he thought about sneaking out of town and going back to Galilee. Why, if he had done that, he could have continued to teach his disciples, heal the blind and the deaf and the lepers, and maybe even get married and settle down eventually. He would have died at home in bed, old and full of days, just like King David did. But if Jesus had done that – if he had given in to the temptation to be like everybody else – there would not only have been no cross; there would have been no resurrection. If he had given in to temptation, we might remember Jesus today as a great teacher; but we would not be celebrating an empty tomb on Easter morning. If Jesus had given in to temptation, we would not have the certainty of eternal life that begins here and continues in the presence of God’s glory forever!

When we confront temptation – as we do so often – it helps to remember that Jesus has already been there before us. Jesus has already fought that battle. Jesus has already conquered the temptation to stay safe and secure and ultimately useless against the evil in our world. “Lead us not into temptation,” we pray. But when we are faced with that temptation despite our prayers, Jesus is our example – and our help. If Jesus could resist temptation, so can we.