Holy Week +1, Life After the Resurrection
26Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” He said. 27Then He said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” 28“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed. 29Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.” (John 20:26-29)
On Easter Sunday, my family and I made a two-hour drive to spend the day with family after we served at our local church. During that drive, we turned on Elevation Church‘s 11:30 Easter Service to hear Pastor Steven Furtick‘s holiday sermon. This was the first sermon I have listened to from Pastor Furtick all year and he still has the same fire that made me a fan of his preaching. For his Easter message, Pastor Furtick chose to speak on Thomas’ declaration that Jesus was his “Lord” and his “God” and the importance of that proclamation to Jesus’ true identity. If you want to hear that sermon, you can do so by clicking the image below.
While Pastor Furtick focused on “Trusting” Thomas’ declaration that Jesus was “Lord and God”, I want to write about what Jesus says to Thomas after he reveals that he finally believes Jesus is God. Jesus gives Thomas and the other disciples the message that pertains to you and me: while Thomas believed because he saw Jesus and touched Jesus, Jesus stated that those who believed in Jesus without seeing Him, are truly blessed. Since Jesus has ascended to Heaven and is sitting at the right hand of God, every believer that has come into the family of Christ is one who believes without ever seeing Jesus. That is the true power of the Christian faith. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God and the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I have never seen Jesus, but I have seen His grace in my life, time and time again. I see the way things unfold around me that can only be the work of a loving and gracious Father.
Take for instance the death of one of the greatest Pope’s in the Catholic faith. Pope Francis was called home on Easter Monday. Most reports state he passed away from his mortal body peacefully Monday morning. The Pope had recently been very sick, battling double-pneumonia in February and March, but he was able to find momentary healing to make it through the Easter holiday, even appearing to inmates at Regina Coeli prison in Rome, a tradition the Pope fulfilled every Holy Thursday, but this year was different. In previous years, Pope Francis would wash the feet of inmates to replicate the practice Jesus demonstrated to His disciples at the Last Supper. This year, however, due to his illness, Pope Francis only spoke and prayed to inmates. Pope Francis, who led the Catholic church for the last twelve years, focused on the church helping the poor and the marginalized, made the famous statement “who am I to judge?” when asked about homosexuality in the church, and most recently was a stark critic of the trump administration’s treatment of immigrants. Seeing that God welcomed Pope Francis to the Kingdom of Heaven on Easter Monday, freeing the Pope of any further struggle with illness and disease, and rescuing him from this broken world, is clear proof that we have a loving and caring Father. To further honor the life of this humble and loving leader of the Catholic faith, I will close by sharing a short tribute by ABC News that accurately summarizes the amazing servitude of this legendary Pope.
Common Sense Reborn 