WEDNESDAY, December 21 Saint Thomas

John 20:24-29. Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

Saint Thomas’s experience of the resurrection is one of the most widely known among all the gospel accounts. “Doubting Thomas” has entered the vernacular to describe someone who is habitually skeptical. Perhaps the enduring popularity of this gospel story is the result of our ready personal identification with Thomas’s reaction. Even when all of his best friends insisted they had seen the risen Lord, he couldn’t believe the good news until he had seen for himself. He required the evidence of his senses, and Jesus encouraged him to touch the wounds and dispel his doubts.

We too cultivate healthy skepticism in our daily lives. Otherwise, we would be too quick to believe the outrageous claims that bombard us from all sides. Yet the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is one outrageous claim that we have come to believe. And because we have suspended our disbelief, as Jesus tells Thomas, we are truly blessed.

PRAY for the Diocese of Yewa (Province of Lagos, Nigeria)

Ps 126; Habakkuk 2:1-4; Hebrews 10:35—11:1

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Belief In The Resurrection

Dec 21, 2011 at 5:52 am

Written by emeline,

There is evidence of Christ's Resurrection all around us. The beauty and wonder of this great universe, the blessings that come to us when we least expect them, the love showered upon us, and all the perks God places in our lives. All we have to do is believe, receive and go and tell. CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! Like Thomas we can boldly say, "My Lord and My God!"

How?

Dec 21, 2011 at 6:30 am

Written by A,

Opening one's heart fully is the only path tp peace. I so want to trust in God's infinite love, have faith that my surrender to His plan for me, and yet I struggle, I doubt. Please share your experiences, dear readers. It will be a gift from God.

...

Dec 21, 2011 at 7:59 am

Written by focus,

Just curious: How many readers are there of the comment section? How many commenters?

...

Dec 21, 2011 at 8:07 am

Written by gail,

A,
I struggle with this also. I don't worry so much about believing. I think a healthy faith needs to be tested and questioned from time to time. I have a harder time with surrendering to God. I think most of us have a hard time giving up on our desires to have things our own way. And sometimes I don't feel worthy of God's love, so I don't trust. In an odd way, I've sort of made peace with that. I pray for God's grace and guidance and let it go. Hope this helps.

How many of us want to be shaken up by God?

Dec 21, 2011 at 8:27 am

Written by Rebecca,

This past Sunday in talking about how God shook up Mary's world by calling on her to be the mother of Jesus, our rector asked how many of us *really* wanted our world shaken up by God to that extent. It's a good question -- and a scary one. I'm not very brave, and I pray that even so, I would be able to answer as Mary did.

I read the comments every day, focus, but only rarely add to them. I don't think web counters are currently capable of measuring how many people actually read a given part of a page, just whether a particular page has been downloaded, so your question is probably not answerable right now.

Peace,

Rebecca

An (OLD) hymn for today

Dec 21, 2011 at 8:56 am

Written by Jackson,

After reading today's scriptures, my Methodist heritage kicked in and I recalled this old gospel song.

Some day the silver cord will break,
And I no more as now shall sing;
But, O the joy when I shall wake
Within the presence of the King!

And I shall see Him face to face,
And tell the story, saved by grace:
And I shall see Him face to face,
And tell the story, saved by grace.

Some day my earthly house will fall,
I cannot tell how soon 'twill be,
But this I know--my All in all
Has now a place with Him for me.

Some day, till then I'll watch and wait,
My lamp all trimmed and burning bright,
That when my Savior I will greet,
My faith will then be changed to sight.

source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/...yrics.html

...

Dec 21, 2011 at 9:13 am

Written by nancy berndt,

God blesses faith, and we know that "without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Yet, and this is a big "YET", as we see from the above Scripture, God came to Thomas in his doubts. God can handle our doubts; He is a big God, He is a merciful God, He understands our weakness. Praise Him....and bring your doubts to Him.

Number of readers

Dec 21, 2011 at 9:34 am

Written by Elizabeth,

I'm not sure whether or not they have read the meditation for the day but there is a good chance that if one pulls up this page that they will have done so. There have been 149 people, so far, who have accessed this page. You can find this information at the bottom of the meditation and before the comments. I know that I have been reading for a while but rarely made comments. There are probably a lot of other people who only read. I find that they give me different perspectives than I would have on my own. Thank you, all who make comments.

Peace

learning styles

Dec 21, 2011 at 10:00 am

Written by Bonnie,

We all learn in different ways. We each have unique styles of learning. As a teacher, it is imperative for me to understand the learning styles and learning needs of my students.

Jesus taught. He understood that his followers had different needs; different styles of learning. Thomas' need to see and to touch did not offend Jesus. This was simply Thomas.

For some of us, seeing is believing. Others must hear or speak reliable testimony. Still others must touch and feel. God meets each of us at our point of need.

"For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile." Jeremiah 29

Shaken Up By God

Dec 21, 2011 at 10:05 am

Written by ally,

Rebecca,

My priest talked about the same thing. Of course, after reading your post, I have to wonder about Elizabeth. Yes, she wanted a baby, but think about it...having a baby at 40 or having a baby at 16? Basically, Mary had it easier, especially when Jesus and John were toddlers and running around...

The question I see is belief vs. doubt... Is doubt bad or a natural reaction? I think Thomas reaction was normal. I think we have doubt based on past events/happenings. The question is "Are we able to leave the past behind and move forward?"

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