Have You Believed Because of Seeing Sermon

Have you believed because you have seen? Blessed are those who have not and believe!

Before Christmas, when I began laying out the Scriptures and Hymns for the Worship staff for this Sunday after Easter, I had thought this was a pretty straight forward text, after Easter morning the COMMUNITY LIVES IN SALVATION.
What is it to live in the Resurrection?
After the Empty Tomb of Easter morning, the disciples were gathered together in the place where they had shared the Sacrament, behind locked doors for fear, and the Resurrected Jesus shows himself to them; consequently in the years that followed, the community of believers were of one mind and one heart, sharing in communion.
Then the events of this week took place, and I came to realize, as I pray you will, that these are not nice, easy texts to read and accept.

For the Gospel is NOT ABOUT THOMAS’ DOUBTS nor about the Spirit of Jesus walking through walls or locked doors.
The GOSPEL is of OUR SAVIOR who did not leave frightened people alone, but sought out each one where they were, extending the love of God ON THEIR TERMS.
Disciples who had betrayed and abandoned Him in fear said
“I cannot believe unless I feel the wounds, unless I put my finger through the holes of the nails in his hands!” And the Savior says “Go ahead, do not be afraid, put out your hand.” The IRONY is that the disciples claimed they could not believe unless they touched the wounds of his suffering; When his INCARNATION, his life and death and resurrection were all about HIS TOUCHING & FEELING OUR SUFFERING.
He BREATHED LIFE into a people who were dead and lifeless, without hope.

At the start of Lent, following the TRANSFIGURATION on the Mountaintop, Jesus came down and found his disciples arguing amongst themselves, with a father grieving over his son, and you will recall Jesus asked the Man, “Do you believe?” And like so many of us, that parent confessed honestly, “YES, I BELIEVE, HELP MY UNBELIEF.” Theoretically, Philosophically, Socially, We have chosen to be baptized, to believe. But still we seek SECURITY, ASSURANCES, Faith on our terms. We want to live this life for all it has for us, then just before we die, when we actually face death, to be assured of ETERNAL LIFE. But Instead, the RESURRECTED SAVIOR greets the community of believers, “DO NOT BE UNBELIEVING, DO NOT DOUBT, (as your Pew Bibles read “DO NOT BE FAITHLESS”) BUT BELIEVE!” Rather than comforting ourselves with the security of covering our bases, “I believe, but help me with my doubts”, the Savior challenges LET GO OF YOUR DOUBTS AND BELIEVE, YOU ARE NOT ALONE.

Life in Faith, Living Salvation, is not a guarantee that all the problems and fears of this world WOULD MIRACULOUSLY END, but the assurance that WE ARE NEVER ALONE, we need NEVER BE AFRAID, there will be challenges, there will be needs, and the community living faith will be gifted with EVER NEW OPPORTUNITY to believe.

Last weekend a family let me know that they had done everything possible, but after both Cancer and a Stroke, their loved one had had a hemorrhage and they recognized it was time for hospice care. They made arrangements with Saves, and brought her home, setting up her bed to look out over the lake. Visiting with her, she could not speak, could hardly open her eyes anymore. But holding her hand, describing where she was to her, she would smile. Privately, I thought, it will be a matter of a few hours. But the next morning she was still with us, and all throughout the day. At evening, the whole family gathered together for a meal, and when supper had ended, as each got up to take their plates, she slipped away to God. How much better could life be? Isaiah described a future time, when a person would be described as cursed for only living over a hundred years. No matter how long, no matter how much, we always want more, rather than recognizing how blessed to be able to share this life, to share our gifts with others.

This passage from ACTS is one of my favorites, not only for the story of Barnabas’ generosity, but for the witness of Ananias and Sapphira that follows. The first is a tale of how when there were those who have needs, Barnabas sold a piece of his land, to provide for them. Ananias and Sapphira is the story of a couple who sold a piece of land, then lied about its assessed value, contributing little to others, and when challenged by Saint Peter, they lied to him and to the Community of faith, doing so, they each drop dead. The point is not how much any of us are able to give. But that Ananias and his spouse Sapphira chose to lie to the Community, they wanted to be respected for having given a great deal out of what they had, so they lowered the assessed value of the land so as to make their donated share seem more.
This is the appointed passage of the Lectionary to be preached in every Protestant and Catholic Church across the country this day, however I cannot help but feel a bit of a pinch in telling the story in this community.
I do think we may have displaced our anger on the officials of our Village, our Town, the Tax Assessor. Please seek me out to offer correction if I am wrong, but as I understand, the Tax Burden for Medicaid was shifted from the State to the County. Whereas, Federal and State Taxes are based on Income Tax, County Taxes are based on Property Values. So, providing for those most in need, we are required to do more than others.

We began this sermon, with the reflection that events of this week have changed our expectations of LIVING AFTER EASTER, LIVING IN SALVATION.

This week, I listened to the voice one who twenty years ago lost his home and village. Who attributed that through the witness of this Church and the Grace of Almighty God, in the last five years he gained an education; in the last two years he was able to reunite with his mother and sister and fiancé; then to go to see his village and family resurrected after war. And on Friday, to receive grants and loans to be able to build his own home here in Central New York. Before Onondaga County Community College, before the Mayor of Syracuse, and his neighbors, he witnessed to the presence of the Church in his life, and the presence of God that never let him go.

Learning that a young man was denied parole, because despite all the letters of support, all the commendations for good behavior, there are those who are afraid and cannot yet believe in the faith to transform. SO we make plans to go and visit in prison.

Recently, a woman was going in for surgery, her pastor and deacons from the church had prayed with her, had made arrangements for meals and to provide care for their daughter, but the husband sat alone in the waiting room, drinking coffee, anxiously staring at the pages of a book he could not concentrate upon. When suddenly a friend appeared. They had locked horns at different times about business decisions. They had not always agreed. But he was alone and in need, and a friend came and kept him company. The friend said, “I just kept imagining what I might feel, if I were alone, if the results do not turn out well. I could not leave my friend alone in need.”

There is another passage, not appointed by the Lectionary but all too appropriate for a people who try to live into salvation, who try to live in Faith, in the resurrection:
When I was naked you clothed me. When I was hungry you fed me. When I was in prison you did not abandon me. When I was alone and afraid you were beside me.