This passage in John 20 is one of my all-time favorites in scripture. References to it make it into most of the sermons I ever preach. The three things Jesus says here are among (aside from the Sermon on the Mount) the most impactful things he says, at least in my opinion. Peace be with you. Here is the Holy Spirit. Forgive everything. I have been mulling these over for years, and they get stronger and stronger, more radical, more profound. More indicative of how we might live, how we might go on following our traumas, how we might keep the progress of the Kin-dom going.
Here’s a litany to follow along with it, and with the story of the ever-relatable “Doubting Thomas.” I’m hoping it will be helpful to us all as we are tested during this time of COVID-19.
God, we are looking for signs of resurrection everywhere
We need proof.
Like Thomas, who needed to touch and see Christ’s wounds for himself,
We have doubts. …