Unless I See

But don't miss this. It's not a call to pretend certainty. It's not a call to silence our questions. It's a call to trust that the same risen Christ who met Thomas is still meeting people today. Because the power of resurrection is inseparable from the reality of it. If resurrection is only an idea, it might comfort us for a short time. Might. But if resurrection is real, it changes everything. It means death does not have the final word, fear does not define our future looking forward, and wounds are not the end of our story here on earth. [00:44:39] (54 seconds)  #RealResurrection

Jesus shows up, but not with condemnation, not saying, why didn't you believe? We talked about this before I even made it to the cross, that I would have to die and then three days later, I'd be resurrected. Why didn't you believe? He didn't say enters the room and says, peace be with you. He shows them his hands, his feet, his side, And because resurrection doesn't erase the story of suffering, It transforms it into something meaningful for the disciples then and for disciples now. [00:33:44] (59 seconds)  #TransformingSuffering

It means that even now Jesus shows up in locked rooms, in anxious hearts, and in honest questions as we seek him. And just when we think this story is only about Thomas, Jesus widens it, and he turns to all of them and says, as the father has sent me, so I send you. And then he breathes the spirit on them. The same breath that moved over creation long ago, the same breath that raised Christ Jesus from the dead, is now breathed into ordinary people like you and me, disciples, not because they have perfect faith and not because they have all the answers, but because they have been in the presence of a God who lives. [00:45:33] (59 seconds)  #SpiritForEveryone

We too are each and every day learning to trust, to believe, to hope, and still Jesus says, as the father has sent me, so now I am sending you. Sent to be a people of peace in a world full of fear, sent to carry hope into places that feel locked and shut tight, sent to embody forgiveness. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive the sins of any, they are not forgiven. [00:47:05] (43 seconds)  #SentToBePeace

Which means this, this story is not just about what Thomas needed to see. It's about who the disciples are becoming, and they are being sent into the world. And that includes us. Because we too are people who have had our unless I see, unless I feel, unless I experience the living God, I can cannot believe it. We too are each and every day learning to trust, to believe, to hope, and still Jesus says, as the father has sent me, so now I am sending you. [00:46:32] (46 seconds)  #SentDespiteDoubt

In other words, we are sent to be a people who do not hold on to bitterness, who do not keep score, and who do not let brokenness have the last word. We are sent to be a community where grace is real. So here is the invitation for us today. Whatever your unless I see moments are or have been, whatever, however you have wrestled, questioned, wondered, hear this, that Jesus still shows up in the midst of all of that. [00:47:47] (44 seconds)  #GraceOverBitterness

Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe. People usually take that as a judgment on Thomas. That's not what Jesus was doing at all. That was a word of blessing for ones who followed Thomas and not be able to touch and to see, but could still have a personal experience with the god who lives, us. We weren't in that room long ago, and we did not touch the wounds, and yet we are part of the story. [00:43:46] (40 seconds)  #FaithBeyondSight

And let's be honest, it's not just their story, is it? We know what it feels like to live behind locked doors, whether they're real or metaphorical. When grief closes in, when anxiety overwhelms us, when hope seems so fragile it could crumble in our hands. The resurrection has happened, but they don't know what to do with it yet. And then Jesus shows up. I love it when Jesus shows up. Usually, chaos ensues, but it's a good kind of chaos. [00:32:56] (45 seconds)  #ResurrectionBreaksIn