Sermon Tone Analysis

"Touched By Grace In The Face Of Doubt"

(John 20:19-31)

*INTRODUCTION:*

            Dr.

Martin Marty tells about a summer day when he was a boy.

It was one

of those days when a grand miracle of childhood happened.

A watermelon truck overturned right in front of his house.

The uninjured driver jumped out of the truck and watched helplessly as scores of neighborhood children from everywhere raced to the scene of that blessed event and dove into the spilled and cracked cargo of delight for a sticky sweet picnic on the pavement.

And it all took place right there in front of Martin Marty's house.

That was the good news.

The bad news, though, was that Martin Marty was out of town that day visiting his grandmother.

He'd missed one of the most important days of childhood in that neighborhood.

We all know how he felt don't we?  Life is like that sometimes.

We're where the action isn't.

While all the other folks were catching watermelons, we're miles away.

I know just how he felt.

I've got a friend back in Groesbeck who was always telling me how many fish he was catching or when they were running.

Don liked to just stand around and rub it in.

I usually don't have any trouble catching fish but every time I found the time to go fishing with Don, we didn't catch anything.

Then he would complain and tell people that I was bad luck, that I had killed the fishing.

When I went with Don, I was always where the action wasn't.

*I.

BAD LUCK:*

            *A.*

Well, that's the sort of luck Thomas had, too.

It was Easter evening.

The disciples were still disturbed by the events of the weekend and the message of Peter, John and the women that the tomb was empty and that Jesus had been raised from the dead.

They were so upset, that they were still in hiding.

The doors were locked and they were waiting for the smoke to clear.

And right into the midst of them came Jesus.

He just suddenly appeared like Spock and Captain Kirk beaming down from the Enterprise or like Jeannie appearing out of her bottle.

He stood there and talked to them.

And the scripture says: /"But/ /Thomas/ /(who/ /was/ /called/ /the/ /Twin),/ /one/ /of/ /the/ /twelve,/ /was/ /not/ /with/ /them/ /when/ /Jesus/ /came."/

The watermelon truck of Easter had overturned right in front of Thomas' house and all the children of God were feasting on the sweetness of the resurrection of the savior.

But Thomas was where the action wasn't.

When he got back to town and the other disciples, their chins still sticky from the sweet goo of God's glory, told him what had happened, Thomas wouldn't believe it and said to them, /"Unless/ /I/ /see/ /the/ /mark/ /of/ /the/ /nails/ /in/ /his/ /hands,/ /and/ /put/ /my/ /finger/ /in/ /the/ /mark/ /of/ /the/ /nails/ /and/ /my/ /hand/ /in/ /his/ /side,/ /I/ /won't/ /believe./

/I'm/ /not/ /buying/ /any/ /of/ /it/ /until/ /I/ /can/ /see/ /him/ /and/ /touch/ /him/ /myself."/

Well, God overheard what Thomas said and a week later, while Thomas was there, the watermelon truck of Easter turned over again and Christ Jesus, alive and raised from the dead, stood in their midst once again.

Thomas looked and Thomas touched and Thomas tasted the sweet goo of God's glory in the Resurrection of Christ.

Thomas tasted and believed.

Not only did Thomas touch the glory of God, Thomas was touched by the glory of God.  Thomas was touched by grace in the face of his doubt.

*            B.*

For years people have belittled Thomas for his doubt.

He has been known as Thomas the doubter for centuries.

But we need to remember that this event was only one facet of his character.

Prior to the raising of Lazarus, Jesus' triumphal entry, unjust trial and crucifixion, Jesus tells the disciples that he must go back to Judea.

They object saying that's where the Jewish leaders were trying to stone him and to return there would be certain death.

In John 11:16 it says, á‚/Thomas,/ /who/ /was/ /called/ /the/ /Twin,/ /said/ /to/ /his/ /fellow/ /disciples,/ /"Let/ /us/ /also/ /go,/ /that/ /we/ /may/ /die/ /with/ /him."/

I don't care how you read it, those aren't the words of someone who was uncertain of who Jesus is.

Those aren't words of doubt.

Those are the words of certainty.

Those are words of faith.

So why this sudden change?

Well, first of all, the events of that particular weekend were pretty shattering.

The movement had been brought to a screeching halt.

It's leader was dead and its followers were devastated.

No wonder Thomas doubted.

*II.

OUR DOUBT:*

            *A.*

And we're no different.

In the same situation, we probably would have doubted too.

We think, /"Oh,/ /I/ /wouldn't/ /have/ /doubted!"/

But we're looking from this side of Easter.

You see we've read the last chapter.

We know how the story ends.

Thomas is still in the middle of the story.

Thomas was in crisis and needed answers.

Whenever we find ourselves and our lives in crisis through disaster, trauma, tragedy and despair, we begin to doubt too.

We doubt God, God's call and claims on our life.

We doubt our own self- worth.

We begin to question the truth and validity of our faith.

At times we even question the existence of God.

In the book CHILDREN'S LETTERS TO GOD a little boy writes: /"Dear/ /God:/ /Are/ /you/ /for/ /real?/  /Some/ /people/ /don't/ /think/ /so./ /If/ /you/ /are,/ /you'd/ /better/ /do/ /something/ /quick!"/

That's exactly how we feel in the midst of crisis and tragedy.

First, we wonder why God is doing this to us or why God let this happen.

But then we realize that God isn't some great puppeteer pulling all the strings.

God could do that if God chose but God loves us so much that God allows us to have control of our own lives.

And sometimes our choices and our freedoms run head on into the laws of nature or someone else's freedoms.

And when that happens, sometimes tragedy occurs.

We know that on one level, but we still doubt.

*B.*

Doubt is natural!

We're born questioners.

That's how God created us.

Look at the wonderment of life in a little child's eyes before it can even speak.

As they grow, a child's greatest word, even though at times it drives us crazy, is /"why?"/.

Every child is full of every kind of question, about every kind of thing that moves, and shines, and changes in the world in which we live.

Doubt isn't something thing to be crushed.

Doubt is a part of the way God created us.

It's something inevitable.

We need to respect doubt for its origin.

Doubt is the prelude of knowledge.

What we need to remember is that doubt is very much a part of faith, too.

Frederick Beuchner in his book, Wishful Thinking, wrote: /"Doubt/ /is/ /the/ /ants/ /in/ /the/ /pants/ /of/ /faith,/ /it/ /keeps/ /it/ /alive/ /and/ /moving."/

You see, faith without doubt is gullibility.

God doesn't call us to be gullible.

God calls us to be faithful.

And faith isn't easy.