What do you doubt?

 Luke 24:36b-48

My favorite service of Holy Week is Easter Vigil. Maybe its because of this that Jesus' words and showing up to the disciples means something more. Lets look at this in the order it comes.

Jesus appears to the disciples altogether. This reminds us of last week. Jesus appears and not just Thomas, but all the disciples doubt they are seeing him. 

What do you doubt? Maybe not today, maybe not right now, but we all have times of doubt. We doubt Jesus is present, we doubt a loving God would make us suffer, we doubt we can make it cause we are alone. We doubt because we struggle with faith. Even the disciples struggled with doubt and it was while Jesus was right in front of them. What makes us think that Jesus isn't there, right in front of us when we doubt? Right there saying Peace be with you, its one of the reasons we greet one another with peace before the Eucharist. No matter if we are doubting, no matter if we are afraid, peace of Christ is there to guide us through and we remember all of this by taking Jesus body and blood.

Next, they stay in the community, with one another, through their doubt and fear. How many times do we stick with community when we doubt? I don't think its often. I know I left for awhile myself. Jesus isn't really present with whatever reason we have. Because they're not faithful, because this doesn't happen, because I don't believe, just fill in the blank and we are off on our own outside of the community.

The disciples have gone through much worse than we do and yet they hang out together. Together to explore their doubt and fear. Together because no one else can understand their hope, disappointment, their grief, their misunderstanding who this Jesus is. See if we would just share, really share with one another where we are in our journeys we would find others who have walked that way. So often we don't dare to be vulnerable with one another we miss out on sharing with community and strengthening one another. Paul writes of this in his letters to the community and we miss the point. Staying in community is the best thing for healing when we can be open and honest with one another.

Lastly, Jesus points out to them, just like he did with the disciples on the Emmaus road, how this was all to happen and its in the scriptures. Starting right from the beginning. In the Vigil service we read nine lessons, nine ways God shows up to people of faith at different times and in different circumstances. We usually don't read all nine because its so long, but I love the idea of it. In the dark, in the quiet of night, in the stillness we explore where God has shown up in darkness. It is so fitting for us to remember scripture can mean so much. Maybe today we heard it in the Psalm, or maybe we needed to hear the epistle tell us we are Gods children, or maybe we needed to hear Peter tell the crowd about what has been fulfilled. 

In it all we are to have doubts. We are to grow in faith in the community where we bear one another burdens. We are to hear where salvation happens for us this week. May we find the good news standing in the midst of us. Peace be with you.