Second Sunday of Easter
April 27, 2025
John 20:19-31

“Do not doubt but believe” (John 20:27). It’s so easy for Jesus to say. And it’s so easy for Thomas to believe. Because Thomas gets to actually see the risen Jesus. With the marks of the nails in his and in his side. It’s easy for them.

And Jesus recognizes that it won’t be easy for us to believe. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe” (John 20:29). This gets us to one of the foundational questions. Why do we believe in God? Not “what do we believe about God?” – that’s a question for a theology class. And not – “why should we believe in God?” – that’s a question for an ethics class. No, these are the core questions – “Do you believe that Jesus was actually raised from the dead? Do you believe in God?” To stand there with Thomas, and to wrestle with doubt, faith, and belief. 

Now, Christians are not opposed to anyone who wrestles with doubts or uncertainties. If we are, we would have gotten rid of this story. It’s amazing that we kept this story in our holy scriptures about one of the first leaders of the Church. This shows that we Christians have been dealing with doubt and uncertainty from the very beginning. It’s part of who we are. If not, the early church would have quietly deleted this story.

But it’s not just a story. It’s about how this story helps us look at things. That’s what stories do. Stories don’t just entertain us, they don’t just give us a lesson. Stories are a lens through which we see the world. 

Today I want to talk big picture. The three big frameworks, the three big stories through which we see the world.

The first story, the first framework through which we look at the world, is the Christian story. This story tells us that all creation, and we, were created by a loving God. This God, despite our mistakes and frailties, loves us and redeems us through the blood of Jesus. So we look at the world through that lens. We are committed to seeing the world with grace and love, because that’s how we believe God sees the world. The problem with this story, of course, is that we have no absolute evidence for the existence of this God, that’s why it’s a matter of faith. 

That’s not good enough for some folks. That’s where the second story comes in – the scientific story. This is what set in during the Enlightenment. In part, as a rebellion against religion. That through meticulous use of the scientific process, eventually all can be explained and quantified. The good things about humans, the bad things about humans, can all be explained with some psychology, sociology, and biology. This is also the story of progress. That with science, the whole world would always improve. Things would always get better. This is another way to look at the world. The problem with this story, is that cannot really say why some things are good and some things are bad.

And that’s why so many have come to believe in the third story. The idea that nothing has a purpose. This is another way to look at the world, that everything is meaningless. This set in especially in the twentieth century after the World Wars, with the advent of atomic weapons; when we realized that life on earth could be blown away in fifteen minutes. Religious people had trouble coping with such horror. Other folks couldn’t understand why things weren’t “getting better.” And so, by and large, people gave up. We see this today – there are people who go to church, there are people who despise church, and a whole lot more people that just don’t care. And I think that’s pretty much where we are today. Those three big stories.

Now I promise I’m going somewhere with this. I know, it’s not my usual sermon. But you showed up the Sunday after Easter, which is impressive, so I know you can do this with me. You’re committed.

In much of today’s Christianity, we often reject flat out the other two frameworks. Some Christians are threatened by scientific discovery. By progress, by exploration. This is so frustrating. The Bible is not a science textbook. Jesus was not a biologist. That is okay. Yeah, I think the universe is billions of years old; sure, I think that life on earth has evolved over time; and yes, I believe in God. None of that is contradictory. 

And many of us can’t stand the idea the idea that some things are meaningless and random chance. I’m not threatened by that. It’s a small example, but it’s true. Sometimes I get a good parking spot at the grocery store, sometimes I don’t. C’est la vie. I really have a hard time thinking that God is dictating everything, like all is predestined. What God helps me do is to be thankful when I get a good parking spot, and less grumpy when I get a bad one.

The real beauty of Christianity is that we can take all that, and not be threatened. As Jesus wasn’t threatened. Think of it, here is Thomas, one of his closest followers. And now, Thomas refuses to believe that Jesus is raised from the dead. When Jesus comes back again, he doesn’t scold Thomas. He doesn’t make fun of him. Jesus doesn’t throw Thomas out of the room because Thomas didn’t believe. No, Jesus talked with him. And if Jesus can do that, then I think we can, too. That’s how we ought to look at the world – with kindness, with compassion, with grace. That’s the story through which we see the world. And that’s why I’m a Christian.

Up to now I’ve been avoiding the big question – why do I believe in God? I’ll start here. I don’t believe in God because I am a professional Christian, as though my job depends upon it. I don’t believe in God so that I get rewarded in an afterlife, this isn’t a fire insurance policy. I don’t believe in God just because I’ve read the Bible, like it’s a magic thing that makes you believe.

I believe in God because of people like Thomas. I believe in God because people like Thomas would go on to give their life for this message. I believe in God because so many others have inspired me to do the same. I believe in God because, mathematically, life should not exist. The absolute improbability that all the scientific ratios are just right for life to begin, makes me believe that something is up. The chances of all this happening are unbelievably slim. I believe in God because of my own, personal moments with God. Like Thomas. When in ways that I cannot explain scientifically or mathematically, I have known something beyond my knowing. That’s why I believe. I can’t put it all into bullet points, I can’t even fully articulate it. And it probably won’t satisfy everyone. While that may seem weak, it is what it is. I believe because God is. I believe in God because I am here.

And finally, I think that this story, the Christian story, is the best one. Because it is rooted in grace, because it helps me realize that I’m not alone. The Christian story allows me to love other people and to receive grace from them. That’s why I believe, because I have found this story to be True. True with a capital “T.” 

And so we gather in Church, Sunday by Sunday, to retell these old stories, to remind ourselves of what this is all about. And by hearing these stories, week by week, God shapes our spiritual imaginations and eventually, like Thomas, we come to believe.