Thomas Sunday 2024

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and

of the Holy Spirit, Amen. I've heard a question

asked by some. It seems quite sensible. At first,

the question being, why didn't Jesus appear to

more people after the resurrection? For example,

make another Palm Sunday type of procession,

an appearance with everybody. Wouldn't that have

convinced people? Wouldn't that have presented

proofs that are undeniable? Wouldn't that have

established the kingdom of God on earth? Well,

that is the problem, isn't it? Because the kingdom

of God is not a place on earth. The kingdom of

God is within. The kingdom of God does not have

an earthly ruler. The kingdom of God does not

have an earthly capital city. Kind of got a bureaucracy

with the church a little bit. But the kingdom

of God is not of this world, but that kind of

kingdom would be of this world. The kingdom of

God is for this world. It's located in the heart

of the disciples that confess him. that live

according to his commandments, that live and

speak according to his name, as it says in the

scriptures, his name. And Christ's appearances

are never for spectacular reasons anyway, for

coercing someone or forcing someone or convincing

someone. Our Lord is not a show -off. He's humble.

On Palm Sunday, he rode on a donkey. not a war

horse. Here's the rule of the spiritual life.

All attempts to coerce, manipulate, trick, force

people in any way to believe in Christ are futile.

Absolutely. And remember what I said a few weeks

ago. The king of glory, as it says on the cross

there at the top, is king because of the cross.

He invites us to pick up our cross. And this

is not something people want to do unless they

know that sin has broken them and destroyed them.

And without God, they have nothing. The Lord,

this king, invites us to deny ourselves. This

is not seeker -friendly on the top of things,

right? It's daunting to those who think they

can find their own lives in themselves. If you

seek for your own life, you will lose it, Jesus

says. This is daunting because we only find ourselves

in Christ. And love for Jesus Christ is given

birth... By being near him. Whether you understand

anything about him or not. To be near him. Believing

the words of life. Love, anyway, it's never won

over by spectacle. That's just being impressed.

And that wears off. That wears off. Today is

Thomas Sunday. It's the day... in which Christ

appears a week later, that's why it's today,

after the resurrection, to the apostles who are

gathered in the upper room. They're joyful they

have seen the Lord. Thomas doesn't believe them.

Why should he? Why should he believe Peter, who

denied the Lord? They knew by then that's what

happened. Why should he believe the women? Nobody

believed them, coming back from the tomb that

was empty. Why should he believe anyone? He was

sensible. And Jesus invites him to come closer,

right? And he says, blessed are those who have

not seen, but they believe. It's as if Christ

is saying, today I present myself to you, Thomas,

and the apostles, living. But from now on, for

everyone else, It will be the kingdom itself.

The kingdom is Christ. The kingdom is God. The

kingdom is the church itself. That will make

me present. From now on, it's as if Jesus is

saying, whenever and wherever you gather together

in my name, you will be living. You will be a

living image of me. Of course, what is meant

by this is more than Many people think the word

church means. We mean the living, glorified body

of Christ where sins are forgiven, where the

good news is preached, where burdens are set

down, where divine food is offered, where we

have fellowship with the saints and the apostles

and the mother of God and each other. God is

in his kingdom and the kingdom is in God. The

kingdom is the body of God, the body of the church.

The body of Christ. It's as if Christ is saying,

I have found a way to keep you from falling away

from me. Unless, of course, you deliberately

choose that. It's as if Christ is saying, in

my wisdom, in my infinite love, I have found

the perfect way, which is also the most human

way, and the easiest way for you to love me and

to possess me. It's as if Christ is saying, when

you gather together in my name, when you join

together for worship in this life -giving assembly,

I live in you. I become you. You become my flesh

and my blood. Do you remember Jesus said to the

apostles, it's important for you that I go away.

For if I don't go away, the Holy Spirit won't

come. But if I go away, the Holy Spirit comes

and he makes Christ present everywhere. This

is what Jesus is saying. In other words, if Jesus

said, because you cling so closely to the earth

and are not willing to be raised up from there.

You are not capable of becoming living revelations

of God, the image of God as I made you. It's

as if Jesus is saying, that's why I stoop down

and I humble myself and become as you are. There

I am in the midst of you. Tell me then, Jesus

says, what more can I do for you? How low shall

I bend? How close shall I come to you? How deeply

shall I enter into your life you're being? Tell

me. In order to touch me, Jesus says, you don't

even have to stretch out your hand. You gather

together. And this, each one of us, and as our

community becomes the living witness of the kingdom

of God, the living witness of the resurrection,

and blessed are those who see it then and believe.

Because it's authentic and true. This means,

brothers and sisters, it's not so much important

how we feel when we receive communion. What's

most important is how we prepare for it and how

we act later. We become witnesses of something.

Will it be authentic according to what Christ

has given? His flesh and blood, his body, where

people seeing you and seeing us will say, Christ

did rise. That's why we sing, having beheld the

resurrection of Christ, let us worship the holy

Lord Jesus. We don't sing, having believed in

the resurrection of Christ. No, we see through

a glass darkly. But then we will see clearly

that this room, this holy place, This temple

is filled with the angels of God, is filled with

the worship of God, is filled with those who

are waiting for the resurrection, who worship

the resurrected one. Blessed are those who believe

without seeing. Christ is risen.