Doubt

​Come, let us find the risen Lord.
Come with your whole self,
with your worries and your successes,
your fears and your joys,
your questions and your answers.
Come, all who are excited and all who are anxious.
Come, all who are confident and all who are searching.
God will meet us here.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
He is Risen indeed! Alleluia!
Welcome to this reflection for the Second Sunday of the Easter season. Today we will
hear of Jesus appearing twice to the disciples, greeting them with “Peace be with you”
and, according to John in his Gospel, breathing the Holy Spirit into them. But, on the
first occasion, one disciple is missing - Thomas and missing out leaves him with many
questions.

StF 297 Christ is alive!

The story of the Three Trees

StF 272 From heaven you came helpless babe

Bible Reading John 20 verses 19-31

Meditation​ - Thomas reflecting 
I expected him to give me a row,
not - as you might think -
for doubting.

We all had doubted, at different times,
and he was never angry.

Indeed, he doubted himself, sometimes,
or, if he didn’t,
he certainly understood how it felt,
because he would sing the Psalms of doubt
with great fervour.

Doubt wasn’t an enemy to him.
He could stand us doubting.
It was indifference he couldn’t stand:
indifference and apathy.

(Pause)

I expected him to give me a row
perhaps for making conditions.

I did do that and I won’t deny it.

‘If only I see this and do that ….. then I’ll believe.’

Fancy me,
thinking I could make conditions with God,
but he didn’t take me to task.

He saw that I was happy because I had seen
and he said that they were also happy
who believed without making conditions,
without saying ‘if only’ or ‘unless’.

(Pause)

I expected him to give me a row
because I wasn’t there when he came.

The others were present, I was absent.
It wasn’t their fault or his fault.
It was mine.
I had - for whatever reason -
decided that it was all finished.

He came back to say it was all beginning.

(Pause)

I expected him to give me a row.
But he didn’t.
He gave me his hand
and, more than that,
he gave me his peace.
from ‘Stages on the Way’, John L Bell and Graham Maule, Wild Goose Resource Group

StF 314 This Joyful Easter time

StF 316 When Easter dark world

StF 313 Thine be the glory

Blessing
God beyond our understanding, yet always with us, we offer to you:
our minds to think of your words and your promises;
our hearts to show your love for the world;
our imagination to dream big for your kingdom;
our hands to work for abetter world,
and all of our lives to love and serve you always.
Amen.