Together on the Journey: A Weekly Blog from Fr. Andrew Sheldon
It’s playoff time, and I’m the one responsible for the Toronto Maple Leafs not winning the Stanley Cup since 1967. It’s due to something that happened in 1969. The Leafs traded Frank Mahovlich, and I prayed that they may never win the Stanley Cup again.
I loved Frank Mahovlich. My favourite player, I worshipped the ground he walked on. Ironically, although I once ran into Gordie Howe and later met Wayne Gretzky, I never really had an encounter with Frank Mahovlich.
Some years ago, as it turned out, my oldest son’s hockey coach was Frank’s son Ted. At least I got to meet Ted, week after week as I attended the games. One week, feeling tired and wanting to be fresh for church in the morning, I skipped the Saturday evening game. After the game, my younger son slipped into the bedroom to fill me in on the game and tell me all about the guy he sat and chatted with throughout the game. Ted’s dad, as it turns out; his name was Frank.
Which is why I kind of relate to the apostle Thomas.
The story is familiar and one we often hear on the Second Sunday of Easter (although not this year because we will be celebrating St George). It is the day of the resurrection; the disciples are hiding in their room and Jesus shows up. Great joy erupts. Jesus gives them peace, the Holy Spirit and their mandate – they are to be a people who forgive. But Thomas, out for the evening, misses the whole thing and refuses to believe until he can actually see, and perhaps more importantly, touch the risen Lord – an opportunity accorded to him one week later when, upon seeing and touching, he announces Jesus as his Lord.
Thomas was looking for proof. And Jesus both gives Thomas what he wants, comes to him in the way he wants, and yet also challenges him to think in a new way.
More blessed, Jesus tells Thomas, is the one who believes without seeing. And when it comes down to it, what choice do we have? We were not there at the empty tomb, or in the upper room. The only way we can believe is without seeing!
And as such, it’s time for us to put away the ‘Doubting Thomas’ moniker. Thomas was not a doubter; he was an unbeliever. He had not seen the risen Christ, and so he did not believe Christ had risen. Indeed, you cannot doubt something unless you believe in it to begin with. Which is why we should not worry if our own faith journey leads to doubt. To believe something is also to be open to doubting that very thing.
But to believe something, Jesus says, is not about seeing. For people of faith, believing is seeing. First you believe, and then you see. I’m a firm believer that you don’t think your way to right acting; you act your way into right thinking. To the extent we act like we believe that the risen Christ is on the loose, to that extent the risen Christ is on the loose. See him at work and he is at work. Thomas had to see to believe; we believe to see.
So, what does this believing without seeing look like? Well, I think it looks a lot like it did for Thomas. You place yourself in proximity to Jesus and then see what happens.
If you want to meet the risen Christ, I’d suggest hanging out where he hangs out. Invest compassion as well as time and treasure into those with whom Christ suffers today. Find a stranger on the road you can invite to break bread with you and your fellow travelers. Listen deeply for Christ’s voice where two or three are gathered in his name. In short, don’t rely solely on books, or even on solitary prayer to find Jesus. Connect with Christ in community. Thomas was absolutely sure of one thing before he saw the risen Jesus for himself. He knew that if Jesus were alive, Jesus would be seen in the flesh.
That hasn’t changed. We still encounter Jesus in the flesh. We might not see him with our eyes, but we’ve got something in common with Thomas: the surest way for us to encounter the risen Jesus, and to know him as Lord and God is by touching (and being touched by) Christ’s Body. That is you and me, my friends.
And that is the best hope for those out there who are looking, seeking, searching. To the extent they encounter the body of Christ – us – to that extent they too can hope to find that which they seek. I wonder how it is that Jesus, in the flesh, will be encountered at St George’s on-the-Hill?
I wonder, my friends; I wonder what it would look like if we organised ourselves, put in the time, worked hard and happy in such a way that the deeper needs of people are met through our activities, our programmes, our ministries?
I wonder how this church can be a blessing to those who do not see but could believe?
Jesus just keeps appearing — again and again — to unlock the barriers between faith and doubt, between life and death, between past and future, between fear and joy. Jesus keeps appearing, a dependable reminder of our dependable God.
The Good News of the gospel is clear. When we least expect him, and when we most need him, Jesus just appears. Let’s make sure we are in the room when that happens.
Andrew +