Read: John 20 Doubting Thomas
Proof; we want proof before we get involved. We want proof of purchase, proof of identity, proof of ownership, and proof of investment. We want proof that we are not going to be ripped off, proof that we are going to have it our way, and proof that our voice is heard and our interests considered.
A fearful and anxious generation cannot trust; simply will not trust. The capacity to trust is not within our power. There are no second options, like, “Please, you go first.” The bottom line is the only line and we are living with our heads just above that line. All because we are taught, we cannot and should not trust “the man.” Who is the man anyway, if not we ourselves? By the way, isn’t the proof always in the pudding?
That is what Thomas thought. Show me the scars, show me the face of Christ, only then will I believe. He is like our Patron Saint because he nails our unwillingness to believe in the small things of Christ, and thus miss out on the big things. Thomas knows what we all know, that seeing prompts our believing.
But here is the funny thing about that. It is not true. Believing almost always comes as a pure faith response, rather than an experience of encounter. We are saved by grace through faith, not through revelation. We go forward in hope and trusting God, not because of what we have seen and experienced, but rather by what we have yet to see and hope to someday experience. It is in this Holy Spirit power that we step forward into the unknown through faith in love and grace for those around us. What will it take to move you just a little closer to home?
Sunday Worship
Scripture: John 20:19-31
Sermon Title: “In Search of Proof”
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