The Thomases among us

This Sunday, the week after Easter marks the day when Jesus appeared again to His disciples with Thomas present. You will recall that Thomas was not present on Easter evening when Jesus had come to the others and would not believe Jesus was alive unless he himself could put his finger in the nail marks in the hands and his hand into Jesus' side. Jesus accommodated that request, and Thomas declared, "My Lord and my God!"

If Jesus is, in fact, God, that has some very important ramifications for us. First, when He promises to be with us always, He, indeed, can do that. But it also means that His words recorded in the Scriptures are the words of God, which means we should not take them lightly but learn from them and follow them. They are non-negotiable.

What is more, when we gather for worship in His name and He promises to be present among us as He comes through the Word and also the sacraments of Baptism and the Lord's Supper, these are precious gifts to be received with great joy and anticipation. God does not randomly do things without a purpose, but always has a reason for giving the gifts He does. Ultimately, it is so we can grow in His love and be empowered to live in that love. If that is true for you, how does that impact your desire to worship together with fellow members of the Body of Christ and join in celebrating the Lord's Supper on a regular basis?

But what about the Thomases among us -- the friends and relatives who just have a hard time believing? Allow me to invite you to a new Bible Study Opportunity on Sunday Mornings: Answering the Tough Questions About the Faith. We will meet at 9:15 am in the narthex (back area of church) seated in comfortable chairs around tables and work through some of the issues that cause people to question of it is true that Christ is indeed risen. Please be a part of the discussion as together we celebrate the truth that Jesus is God and help each other invite others to know that truth just like the others helped Thomas.