Midweek Mindfulness ~ Second Week of Easter

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!
Let us take a moment to sit and rest with Jesus, the spring of living water
We offer you a song and a simple prayer

A Song

A Prayer

Take a moment to sit with Jesus in silence

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

When you're ready, let's pray the following prayer with Him
If you want a sister or brother to pray with you, click the bar below.
The accompanier will pray the whole prayer with you
You are invited to join in praying the purple italicized words with them

Today we meditate on John 20:19-31

A simple prayer for holding doubt and faith

All praise to Christ, our Living Lord,
the one whom no grave can shackle,
no trial condemn, no power conquer!

You are our redemption,
our beautiful Saviour,
and we love you.

Yet even as we sing out Hallelujah
on a bright Easter morning,
we are never absolutely certain of it.
There are always doubts and questions
that we bridge with learning
and with dashes of faith.
As Paul reminds us, who hopes
for what they can already see?

We are no strangers to doubt,
even as we sing out our hopes.
So, let us receive Thomas
and his story with generous grace.

Perhaps his grief would not let him hope.
Perhaps he could not bear to lose
his friend a second time.
Perhaps he had an empirical mind
and just wanted to see for himself.
Perhaps the incredulous idea of resurrection
was a step too far, a step into myth.
There was no precedent, after all.

Whatever was going through Thomas,
in both his mind and his heart,
we are familiar with it.
Sometimes it does seem too much.
Too crazy that God could do
what the people around us
are saying He does.
How many times have we said,
'if only I could see for myself,
then I could truly believe.'

And just as Jesus met Thomas
with the answers and the presence
that he needed to experience,
Jesus will meet us in our doubts
and in our questions.
It's okay to have them.
Jesus does not cast us out
for doubting or wondering
or rethinking or challenging.
Questions are just another way
to engage the journey
and the Spirit along the way.

So ask Him, and He will answer you.
Perhaps through a friend or a forest,
perhaps through a book or a song,
perhaps through community or in solitude,
perhaps right away or years from now.
Whatever He chooses, He will meet you in it.
God can take whatever we bring to Him.

And at the same time, let us take care
to not mistake the hollowed out skepticism
of this ever-suspicious culture for home.
There is real Truth to find. Real Hope.
Real Peace to dwell in, if we continue to walk.
There is more than wry, jaded grins
and torn down ruins to live in.
Skepticism can be helpful for a time,
if it gets us to ask the right questions,
but it is nowhere to settle down and make a home.
The Resurrection is certainly incredible;
it's the craziest thing that has ever happened!
And it's okay to find it all a little too much right now.
Only promise me that you will keep going.
Don't resign yourself to live in doubt prematurely.
Keep pursuing the Truth, like Thomas,
and He will find you. 

Let us hold space then for both,
for doubt and for faith,
in each other and in ourselves.
We are left to pray the beautiful prayer:

Lord I believe; help my unbelief!

Amen