Fields United Methodist Church

Thoughts Along the Way

Pastor Tom Joyce

April 14, 2021

“Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen yet have come to believe.’”             John 20:28-29

Thomas was the one disciple who was not present when the Resurrected Jesus came to visit.  Since he was not there he refused to believe that Jesus stood among them and would only believe if he saw Jesus for himself. So when Jesus did confront Thomas, Thomas could only profess, “My Lord and my God!” Yet this was not only a profession, it was an affirmation of the presence of Jesus. Jesus’ resurrection was not intended just for those who were there at the time, his followers. The fact of the resurrection survives not by what is seen but by what remains unseen, hence faith; it is a reality that is beyond flesh and blood, historicity, or even explanation. Someone asked me once to prove that Jesus is the Son of God and that God even exists in the first place.  I said, “I will prove that to you but first, prove to me that God does not exist.” Though Jesus does not stand before us as he did Thomas, Jesus is alive and can be experienced through first seeing all creation as the work of God and understanding God’s love is so great for us that he “gave his only son that whoever believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Jesus has been resurrected and is alive because Jesus did promise to be with us to the end of the age and we take that promise fully by faith. Faith sees beyond our limited sight and beyond the confines of human understanding. Maybe those of us who have “not seen but have come to believe” are blessed because of the abundant joy of knowing and living that fact. In the words of Fanny Crosby, “Perfect submission, all is at rest, I in my Savior am happy and blessed.” (“Blessed Assurance,” #369UMH) Faith in Jesus Christ as our resurrected Savior is simply about having a thankful heart and a grace-filled soul that sees beyond what can be seen and hopes beyond current reality to the joy of the abundance of God’s love that created all things new, even and especially you.  Amen