Pastor’s Corner – April 27, 2025
Authenticity of Christ/John 20:19-31
We are now in Easter season until Pentecost. Together we will witness post-resurrection stories that are transforming and empowering in times of grief and powerlessness. This Sunday we find the disciples locking themselves in a room in fear of the Jews. The trauma of Jesus’ execution on the cross was still very raw; they were at a loss, feeling helpless, when the Passover Festival should have been a time of celebration and joy. Then Jesus appeared before them. There is no scientific proof of how this happened; our modern minds have difficulty understanding and explaining this phenomenon. What we do know is that in the biblical world what is true for human experience was not limited to facts as truth; but there were ranges of legitimate experiences, including dreams and visions, experiences we often dismiss as untrue. Jesus in their midst of anxiety, fear and powerlessness said to them, “Peace be with you,” and breathed on to them the Holy Spirit and sent them out into the world to continue the mission.
Now Thomas was not present when others told them what had happened. His response was, “I will not believe unless I see and touch his wounds!” This is where he gets labeled as the “Doubting Thomas” in church tradition. However I beg to differ. His question is not coming from doubt, but from a place where he is questioning the authenticity of Christ. The Christ he knows is one with the marks of the cross. There are many who come to claim to be Christ-like without the scars or wounds of solidarity with those who are suffering or hurting in our world. Those who have lived lives with silver spoons in their hands and know the privileges of the empire that support their wealth at the expense of the poor are not the Christ. Christ comes to us as a wounded healer!
Today we must ask ourselves what this post-Easter story tells us about who we are and what our mission is as a church. We are disciples of Christ. We feel the breath of God’s Spirit in our bodies, empowered to witness by resisting any form of dehumanizing forces in our world; whether locally or beyond, and yes, even in our personal everyday encounters with people who deny others their rights.
This Sunday let us pray, reflect and worship together in these times of great need, to speak truth to power. Amen.
Pastor Dae