“Our Habit Of Faith” John 20:19-31

Sunday April 19, 2020

CALL TO WORSHIP One: God has burst the bonds of sorrow. Many: Our hearts shall swell with cries of gladness; our silent tongues, rejoice! One: The daughters of God are lifted up; the sons of God are risen! Many: Our spirits shall dwell in heaven’s hope! Our God is always with us! One: The children of God are Christ’s sisters and brothers; you have witnessed the glory of God! Many: God has revealed to us the way, truth, and life! Sing, glad hearts, before Glory’s throne!

(Note, you are encouraged to try reading aloud today’s scripture passages.)

John 20:19-31

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.

So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.”

Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book.

But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Our Habit Of Faith John 20:19-31

I.

As we begin our sixth week of physical distancing and isolation, it occurs to me that among the many challenges we face, one is is particularly “novel” (ugh, groan, bad pun, I know).

That is, we are all experiencing the very same thing in very different ways.

Some of us are flat out bored, while others are flat out busy.

Some are relishing the ability to explore new pursuits or return to those left dormant long ago, while others are white-knuckling it hoping to get from one day to the next.

At this point in the “experience” however, we all share one thing in common: we are forming new habits.

II.

One of the people availing themselves of the opportunity to explore new pursuits is my soon to be 21 year old son, Tucker.

After many months of research and contemplation, he recently purchased and received a very nice mandolin through the mail.

Many of his college friends regularly get together to play bluegrass music and he has been missing the ability to make music since graduating from high school.

For the past week or so, our house been filled with the sounds of melodic twang.

Tuned like a fiddle, but built more like a guitar, the mandolin has short, tight steel strings, which produce a clear and bright sound, but with a “woody” tone.

A mandolin has eight strings total, with four sets of two strings which are “doubled” or tuned to the same note, providing a very full and harmonic effect; especially for such a short-bodied instrument.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiA-WM4PE74

III.

To his great credit, in-between college classwork, Tucker has been practicing his mandolin every single day.

On a couple of occasions, Tucker made a statement about how it takes doing something for 21 days to form a habit.

Such a notion was new to me, so it stuck in my brain.

In considering the notion of “habits” for this week’s sermon, my subsequent research discovered that this commonly held belief is thoroughly erroneous.

(I have not shared this with Tucker, nor will I until his 22nd straight day of practicing, It will serve him right for not reading his father’s sermons.)

As you might expect, a great deal of effort has gone into researching “habits”; both how to form them and how to break them.

IV.

Some of the research I encountered articulated three distinct phases of habit formation: “Honeymoon,” “Fight Through” and “Second Nature.”

The Honeymoon phase is characterized by the feeling of “this is easy.”

Tucker is currently in the Honeymoon phase.

He is enjoying the newness of playing mandolin, and the joy of making music again; doing so is in no way burdensome but, rather, a joy.

Each day brings new chord fingerings, riffs and demonstrable gains.

He feels the calluses forming on his finger tips, he moves from chord to chord more quickly, easily and with less “buzz” from the strings.

Not only does he have the desire to be a better player, he has the time required to get become one.

V.

At some point Tucker will enter the “Fight Through” phase (day 22, most likely) when inspiration and motivation fades, and reality sets in.

There are other, more pressing things to do. Progress slows so there is less reward. What was once fresh become mundane. Older, more established habits, creep back.

When this begins to happen, and before one can move on to the third and final phase it is essential win at least two of the three “Fight Throughs”: “Recognize,” “Ask 2 Questions” and “Life Projection.”

“Recognize” is simply coming to the awareness that the honeymoon is over and that in order to form the desire habit a minor skirmish (if not a battle) must be fought every day.

With each small “win” the next win becomes that much easier and obtainable.

Conversely, with each defeat or failure, however minor, we drift further from the habit we wish to form.

One might start a habit in 21 days, but it takes every day that follows to keep a habit.

VI.

Mindful, now, of the task at hand, we need to “Ask 2 Questions”: “How will I feel if I do this?” and “How will I feel if I don’t do this?”

This is where we bring emotion into the process, allowing ourselves to feel positive in winning, or negative in losing.

We certainly will not win every battle, but on the whole, how do we feel about the the ongoing campaign?

If these two techniques fail to help us fight through, a final is to image a “Life Projection.”

In as much detail as possible, endeavor to imagine how our life will be in 5 years if we do not begin making changes.

We don’t necessarily need to share such imaginings with anyone, but we do need to be totally honest with ourselves, and allow ourselves to feel what life will be like if the changes are not made.

VII.

If we are successful at these “Fight Throughs,” we arrive at the third and final stage, “Second Nature.” This is where we “get in the groove.”

The habit, whatever it is, simply becomes part of our lives; it is who we are and it is what we do.

This does not mean, however, that the work is over, as three common interruptions, constantly threaten to send us back to the “Fight Through” phase: discouragement, disruption and even success.

As we follow the ebb and flow of life, we may encounter failure in adhering to our habit even though we believed it had become second nature.

We get discouraged and assume a learned helplessness; as if there nothing we can do about it.

Any disruption to the rhythm of our lives also has the potential to knock us off our stride: our children’s needs change or deepen, we go on vacation, get sick or the holidays happen.

We may even find ourselves in the midst of a global pandemic.

Any of these things can disrupt the desired habit.

Even finding success in our new habit can seduce into thinking we don’t have to work as hard to maintain the habit as we did to form it. We start to coast.

VIII.

Our Scripture reading for today, John 20:19-31 is both familiar and acutely ironic given our current circumstance.

Like Samson and his hair and Judas and his 30 pieces of silver, Thomas and his doubt is one among a handful of biblical motifs which have filtered down to the general population.

One need not have attended to church school or be an every week church-goer to know this story customarily reserved for the first week following Easter which, interestingly, is unique to John and has no parallel in the synoptic Gospels.

This particular year, however, the story of “Doubting” Thomas brings with it a whole new meaning and an heretofore unmatched degree of poignancy.

IX.

Our tale unfolds the evening of that first Easter.

Earlier that same day Mary Magdalene informed the disciples that she had seen the risen Lord (the first, and only one to do so until that point according to every Gospel account) and, now, these brothers & sisters of Jesus have sequestered themselves behind locked doors.

Given the “Good News” shared by Mary, one might expect a raucous party to be in full swing; complete with feasting and copious amounts of wine flowing.

The disciples’ reaction, however, was anything but celebratory.

Instead, and like all of us these days, they were practicing “social distancing” out of an under-abundance of confidence and an over-abundance of caution.

Not about infection by a virus, but having been infected by the fear that those who had arrested and crucified Jesus would soon coming knocking on the very locked door behind which they now gathered.

X. Suddenly and quite mysteriously, and in spite of that locked door, Jesus was somehow there in the same room and he stood among them.

He moved well within 6 feet of separation to show them the wounds on his hands and side; offering irrefutable proof of who he was, what he had endured, and how his death which they had all witnessed was now overcome.

However, that night Jesus brought with him more than just the proof of wounds, he also gave them the gift of peace and sent them to go out into the world as God had first sent him.

And then…THEN, he breathed on them, infecting them with the Holy Spirit, which would soon spread throughout the entire known world and endure for almost two millennia (and counting).

A whole different kind of global pandemic, to be sure; with Jesus as patient zero and the power to forgive sins the demonstrable symptom of this spiritual contagion.

XI.

However, for some reason, Thomas who was one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.

Even though the other disciples reported to him that they had seen the Lord, he exclaimed: “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

In all honesty, I’m not sure if anyone of us would have reacted any differently from Thomas. Crazy talk, right?

One week later, though, the disciples remained infected by fear and were once again sheltering in place behind locked doors. Jesus came as he had before, stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

This time, though, Thomas was present, and Jesus said to him, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Then Thomas answered him, saying, “My Lord and my God!”

XII. At at time when standing close among those we love and for whom we care is markedly unwise if not altogether impossible, and exposure to another’s breath counts greatest among our fears, and so persuasive is our doubt that this pandemic will ever end such that we will only believe it when we see it, the story of Thomas meeting the risen Lord touches a very sensitive nerve in all of us.

Blessed with the ability to perhaps see this story in a new light by virtue of our current circumstances, I would like to suggest we also reconsider Jesus’ words to Thomas, “Do not doubt but believe.”

Personally, I’m a big fan of doubt, though I couch it by saying I’m on the believing side of it.

Better to take a grain of salt with everything rather than stand with the absolutest who are so sure in their beliefs, (un)seemingly to the point of smugness.

Frankly, I find it a comforting place to shelter. If pressed, I have to admit I’ve made a home in my doubt; it has become a habit.

XIII. While researching for today’s sermon it came as little surprise that the imagined scene of Thomas placing his finger in the wounds of Jesus’ hands and side has long been a popular subject of a great many painters, both classical and modern, and even a few masters; Caravaggio, Reubens and Rembrandt among them.

However, what greatly surprised me, is how this scene from scripture is more formally termed.

“The Incredulity of St.Thomas” by Caravaggio.

XIV. “Doubt” always seemed a luxury I could afford myself, but “incredulity” caught me up short.

Incredulity is defined as: a lack of belief, lack of conviction, distrust, mistrust, suspicion, cynicism, skepticism or wariness.

When I stopped to consider my own faith in a “Risen Lord” I was relieved to discover incredulity was no where to be counted.

Yes, there is certainly much I do not understand about God’s love for this world, and even more I don’t need to.

But, whatever doubts I have, and I still have them, they pertain solely to the mere details of how that love is worked out and understood from a human perspective.

However, about the love in and of itself that God is offering it, and why it is being offered, I have absolutely no doubt, and certainly no incredulity.

Not now, not after what I’ve seen, not after where I’ve placed my fingers.

XV. In many ways, Thomas with his incredulity embodies the challenge that faith in Christ represents to all of humanity.

This is an unbelievable story, let’s be honest; it is crazy talk.

Short of Jesus actually standing here among us what could lead us to believe such a tale?

The answer is to be found in what Jesus brought to the disciples that first Easter, brought again to Thomas a week later, and brings to us even now: the wounds, the peace and the power.

In order for Thomas to believe, he first needed to see Jesus’ wounds and place his fingers in them.

No one comes to faith before they see the wounds within this world God created and Jesus offered himself up to save; and no one comes to faith until they have a “hands on” experience of those wounds.

The gift of this global pandemic is that it has made it impossible to ignore the wounds of the world.

Wounds which have always been there and for which Christ has died; the wounds of our neighbors, the stranger and our own selves.

Having seen and felt these wounds, in others and in ourselves, we are so easily overwhelmed to the point of despair and hopelessness; and it is for this reason few people look until they are made to.

The past 5 weeks the entire world has been made to look, and to feel.

XVI. The only balm strong enough to soothe such despair is that peace possible.

When Jesus first appeared to the disciples, he said to them, “Peace be with you.”

Yet, the second week when he appeared to Thomas, the doors were still locked and still they feared.

Peace is not a gift bestowed, it is a possibility to be allowed.

How many of us, gathered for so long behind doors that are essentially locked from fear, aren’t seeking but a few precious moments of peace?

Peace from the drone of bad news, the strain of isolation, the burden of yet another ZOOM call, tending and teaching children while simultaneously working from home, worries about present and future finances, and, mostly, peace from our own thoughts.

Peace isn’t rainbows and doves taking flight, is it that small sliver of light at dawn which finally breaks the night; and hope is the promise that the sun will continue to rise.

Peace isn’t much, and doesn’t need to be, but it is enough.

Peace doesn’t necessarily take away our fear so much as it enables us to abide it.

And, it is this possibility of peace which allows faith; no closed and locked doors can keep it out, it stands here among us.

XVII. At some point this pandemic will end, and the locks on our lives will open, and the doors to the world will joyously swing wide again and we will be sent out into it once more.

Until that time, there is much we cannot do.

Yet, there is one thing we still can do, perhaps even more so now than ever before: wield the power of the Holy Spirit Christ gave first to the disciples, then to Thomas and, now, to us.

Although generally understood as a comforter and an advocate (the Greek word for Holy Spirit is “paraclete” meaning “helper”) the first, and perhaps great gift of the Spirit is the power to forgive sin or, alternatively, to retain sin.

In this time of isolation, we possess the power to forgive the sin of those with whom we shelter as they, inevitably, push our buttons.

Moreover, though, and I’m speaking from first-hand experience now, we have the power to forgive our own sin at allowing our buttons to be so easily pushed.

No one comes to faith unless they first find forgiveness for themselves. No one remains in their faith, unless the muster forgiveness for others.

XVIII. I began today, by pointing out that through this time of physical isolation we are all forming new habits.

Hopefully, like Tucker and his mandolin, these new habits are good ones.

Inevitably, though, there may be some not so good ones formed as well, and that is going to have to be ok.

However, let us not miss the opportunity these current circumstances are giving us to form a new habit for our faith (I’m sure I’m not alone in praying with more regularity and intensity.)

In many ways, at times such as these, faith is easy; a “honeymoon” phase if you will, when we have the motivation and the time to find and flex our faith.

The days are coming, however, when such inspiration and motivation will fade.

There will be more “pressing” things to do, progress will slow and rewards will seem less forthcoming.

Older, more established habits will creep back.

We will have to be vigilant, and labor to “Push Through” these things when a more normal reality eventually sets back in (and it will).

For now, I suspect, many of us are getting into the groove of our faith.

We are recognizing it not a “second nature,” but accepting it as our only nature; it is who we are and it is what we do.

There are certainly no shortage of discouragements to be found in these times which are, themselves, a disruption; and, as society surely “opens back up” we will be lulled into thinking it takes less effort to maintain a our faith habit as it did to (re)form it in the midst of this crisis.

So, let us remember, then, to “Recognize” the wounds, the peace and the power Christ has brought to us and from which our faith is derived.

Let us not “coast” on our hard-earned and well deserved new faith habit.

And, let us remember it takes more than 21 days to form a new habit (or however many days this pandemic will last).

It will be the days that follow afterward which will enable us to keep our habit of faith. Amen.