Believing into Christ: Embodied Believing

“Seeing is believing.” That’s what we say, isn’t it. We want to be able to touch, to sense, to see something before we can truly believe that it is real. And we can’t necessarily trust our eyes anymore. With photoshop and now AI, a picture, once worth a thousand words, is now almost worthless. We can’t trust something just because there’s a picture.

On the flip side, maybe we should insist on proof more often than we do. Facebook memes pop up with misinformation and exaggeration, and other facts entirely left out that might sway our opinion in a different direction. News can seem incomplete or biased, so that we could be hearing entirely different information than our friends. On social media, old information is shared as if it’s new, and fact-checking isn’t nearly as popular as I think it should be. And then there are those pictures where the colors are a bit too bright and there are just a few too many fingers, or the hand is turned in an unnatural position. We can’t automatically trust what we see anymore. 

I think Thomas would have had a healthy skepticism if he lived today. As Rev. Dr. David Lose noted in one of his commentaries, Thomas was “at heart a pragmatist, one who likes his truth straight up and who relentlessly takes stock of the situation before making a decision. You can count on Thomas, but you’d better not be false with him, because Thomas doesn’t suffer fools easily. …Thomas is, first and foremost, a realist.” After all, this is the disciple who, in chapter 11, “urged the disciples to go with Jesus to raise Lazarus even though it might spell their deaths…. And in chapter 14, when Thomas doesn’t understand Jesus’ metaphorical speech about the place he is going to, Thomas calls him on it: ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going, how then can we know the way?’’’

So Thomas, understandably, wants the same proofs that the others have received. After all, Jesus had told all of his followers that he would rise on the 3rd day. No one actually expected it to happen. Mary didn’t realize what was happening until Jesus called her name. The disciples had to see Jesus for themselves before they believed that he had risen. Because when someone dies, they typically stay dead. Is it any wonder that Thomas also had to witness the resurrection before he could believe? But Thomas doesn’t say “Y’all are nuts” and desert the disciples. Thomas waits a whole week in the darkness of his own doubts, and Jesus meets Thomas where he is, just as Jesus has met the others where they are. 

Lucian and I just finished watching “The Chosen” through season four. The series reminded me that not only were Jesus’ followers fully-fledged people with histories, and faults, and families, and strengths. But also that Jesus knew each of them intimately. He was with them for nearly three years. He knew what they needed. He knew that Thomas was a realist who needed to witness first-hand. So Jesus shows up, without fail. Jesus comes to the disciples as they hide in fear and doubt. Jesus shows up when Thomas most desperately needs to see the miracle for himself.

And when Thomas sees Jesus and realizes he is indeed alive, his belief surpasses that of the other disciples- exclaiming “My Lord and my God!” 

This isn’t some off-hand comment; Thomas believes this down to his core. Which means it will continue to impact him, even if we don’t get to see how. See, our “beliefs are not just intellectual assent to abstract ideas. Our beliefs are embodied. They shape who we are, what we wear, how we eat, and where we show up for action.”

This means that when we say the apostle’s creed, it’s about more than saying “Yep, I think that’s what happened.” When we say the Apostles’ Creed, we’re saying I trust in God the Father Almighty. God is the Maker of Heaven and Earth, which has implications for my own life, and the life of the church community. I trust in Jesus Christ, Son of God and my Lord. Which means that I turn to Jesus, and follow him. I trust in the Holy Spirit, present in the Church, which includes all denominations and Christians. For we are all united in Christ, siblings and family. And this impacts how I live my life.

That is what embodying faith is. It means that we live out what we believe, because to believe it means that we trust in God- Creator, Son, and Holy Spirit. Being a child of God, made in the image of God affects what we do. Knowing that all of humanity is made in the image of God affects how we see other people. 

“Our beliefs …shape who we are [and what we do]. Our beliefs connect us to Christ, in whom we believe and into whom we grow.” So know that God loves you. In Christ, God’s love continues no matter what: death cannot stop it. The Spirit is present with you, even when not felt. Jesus continues to show up where we are through the Spirit. Let us embody what we believe, living out our trust in Christ and allowing that impact how we live our lives, each and every day. Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come. Thanks be to God. Alleluia! Amen.

*Resources for this sermon include:

David Lose, “Easter 2 B: On Realities Old and New” https://www.davidlose.net/2015/04/easter-2-b/  Rev. Laura Baumgartner, UMC Discipleship “Believing into Christ: Embodied Believing” Easter 2. https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/worship-planning/believing-into-christ/second-sunday-of-easter-year-c-lectionary-planning-notes