Sermons:

• The "Doubting Thomas" in All of Us, John. 20:19-31,
  by Rev. Heather McCance
   

• To Doubt is Human John 20:19-31
  by Rev. Frank Schaefer
   

• A Precious Gift, 1 Peter 1:3-9, Rev. Randy Quinn
   

• Doors of Fear or Doors of Peace?   John 20:19-31, by Rev. Rick Thompson
   

• No interview,  John 20:19-31,  by Rev. Thomas Hall
   
• Doubting or Courageous Thomas? John 20:19-31, by Rev. Susan Russell
   
• Believing is Seeing, John 20:19-31, by HW in HI
   
• Taking Doubts to Christ,  John 20:19-31, anonymous
   
• Is It Easter Already?,  John 20:19-31, by Gary Roth

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The "Doubting Thomas" in All of Us
a sermon based on John. 20:19-31
by Rev. Heather McCance

Poor old Thomas, Doubting Thomas, who on this day every year is put down in churches around the world for his lack of faith, his inability to believe in something he had not yet seen. I feel sorry for him, really, especially considering that earlier on, while the other disciples were trying to discourage Jesus from going to Jerusalem where there were people who wanted to kill him, it was Thomas who said, Let's go with him, let's go and die with him if that's what it takes. How did Thomas the Brave become Doubting Thomas?

Most of us, if we're honest with ourselves, have to admit that there are times when we have doubts of our own when it comes to our faith. When we've wondered to ourselves whether there really is, in fact, anything after this life. When we've wondered whether the bread and wine we share week by week is anything other than bread and wine. When we've felt that there was no one even listening to our prayers, never mind answering them.

Yes we all have doubts. Which leads to the question of why, when we have doubts, do we stay in the church, why don't we turn around and walk the other way in those times when we can't, for whatever reason, believe?

Thomas could well have gone the other way. After hearing the story of the other disciples, he might well have disbelieved them. After all, the past few days hadn't exactly proven them to be the most trustworthy bunch. After Thomas had expressed his willingness to die with Jesus, he watched one of the disciples betray him into the hands of his killers, he saw another deny ever having known him, he watched most of the rest of them run away, abandoning Jesus to his death. Thomas could hardly be blamed for his reaction. Sorry, folks, but you're all nuts. Jesus is dead. You're just victims of your own wishful thinking.

So, believing Jesus to be dead, what was it that kept Thomas around? Why didn't he just go back to whatever his life was before he'd left it to follow this wandering preacher from Nazareth? Because it was a week later that Jesus appeared to him, and Thomas had evidently stuck around.

Well, I'm not sure why, but reading the story I believe that Thomas stuck around because of his ties to the rest of the disciples. After all, they'd spent a lot of time together, some three years according to John's gospel. They'd grown to know and love one another, and even with their leader gone, that bond was still there.

And as for the other disciples, they might well have given up on Thomas. After all, Jesus had prophesied that he would rise from the dead, they were reporting nothing that Jesus himself had not told them. Why should this doubter be allowed to continue to be a part of this special group if he didn't believe them?

But Thomas didn't give up [continue]