He is risen indeed!  Blessings to you, family and friends.  This Sunday we will celebrate Resurrection day together and I hope you can join us.  Some of us may feel like we’ve had our own kind of resurrection after the corona virus sweep.  I know we’re all thankful to be restored and able to celebrate together.  We’ll be sharing a meal after the service.  Bring a side if you can, but bring yourself for sure.

Do you believe that Jesus was raised from the dead?  It is a rather difficult thing to believe.  It’s not really surprising that some people require more convincing than others.  I was taught about it all my life, but I still had to come to a place of believing it for myself.  It’s an essential part of our faith.  Paul explains that without it our faith has no meaning.

Even some of his disciples who were with Him, hearing everything He taught and seeing everything He did, required some convincing.  One never really believed, and at least one had to see it first.  Actually, the scripture seems to indicate that most of them had to see it first, though John singles out Thomas in order to teach us something.

Thomas wasn’t with the rest of the disciples when Jesus first appeared to them.  When they told him they had seen the Lord, he famously responded, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” (John 20:25)  And so throughout history he has acquired the undeserved appellation, “Doubting Thomas.”

I think the point of John’s account here is not to single out Thomas, but rather to communicate Jesus’ words in their context.  “Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed.” (John 20:29)  That’s all of us, if we do in truth believe.  Our text will be in John 20:24-29.  Let’s look a little closer at Thomas and what was going on here.  I think you’ll be encouraged.

Love y’all!

Larry