A God that is Big Enough For Our Questions

Me - In my story questions always drew me closer to God

Testimony through questions

European Cathedrals - Why did someone build such a magnificent building? What does that mean?

Youth Group - Why is it that Jesus had to die a painful death, and what does that possibly have to do with me?

Grace Chance - Why do horrific things happen to good, innocent people?

Ken Burns Bill Nye debate - Could God really build all of creation in 7-24 hour periods?

I learned about other systems of faith and belief systems in the world and I thought to myself how do I know that I am getting it right?

When I was in college gaining an academic awareness of the damaged relationship that we have with the earth, I was asking - How does my faith system make sense of this and what might God be calling me, and the people I care about to?

When I was called into Church ministry I asked the question of is it me Lord?

We - We have questions and often there are barriers to ask them

This was my experience of my own faith

And with many of these questions not all of them but with many I was scared or felt ashamed to bring them within the walls of the church.

It was as if there was a security check point at the door where I would drop off my questions, and pick them up on the way out.

When we see our questions as barriers we come to the church to see the church as the place that we get the answers

And we see the Bible as the grand Frequently Asked Questions page

Why is it that we have so much shame about asking questions of our faith?

How is it that we are often too scared to ask questions? We sure didn't learn that from the disciples

I would guess that everyone in here has questions perhaps even doubts about faith or about what God is doing in their midst.

So what would it look like to be a church that valued questions more than we valued answers?

We see this idea of questioning and of holding in tension doubt and faith all throughout scripture

The Psalms often speak of the dichotomy between faith and doubt.

Genesis where humanity questions God

Peter begins to sink while walking out on the water and walking towards Jesus

The disciples were told that if they would never doubt they would have enough faith to tell a mountain to jump and that it actually would.

The book of James warns of praying without doubt

God - God redeems our questions and they become the basis of how we are sent

In the passage that we read this morning

we have a group of people who approach Jesus with what I think of as a very relatable posture - one of doubt

People who were freightened and who had doubts of who Jesus was

Let’s key into this nickname that Thomas get’s Doubting thomas - no one wants to be remembered that way

It is the most miraculous things that make us question

"Wonder, Amazement, and Marvel" are all words that are associated next to "not believing, lack of belief, unbelief"

We don’t question the believable things we question the unbelievable

To call them doubters almost seems too harsh, it is the people that weren't doubting that actually are surprising to me in this passage. Someone who was dead is now alive and walking. They saw him die, they witnessed his body, and yet he is here.

To doubt

“to be at odds with one’s self”

To doubt means to be divided to have one part of you that trusts and another part that doesn't.

For some reason I am thinking here about the scene in the band of brothers where one of the prisoners is up on the train and the other one is still running alongside but they are chained together. There is a part of us that believes and a part of us that doubts. We are divided people and that division has a toll.

“The state of mind that hesitates between two contradictory conclusions”

For the disciples

They knew of the physical death of Christ

They knew that once people die that is usually pretty final, and yet they say Christ in the flesh

The had a battle going on within them they were at odds within themselves

The intellectual side said it couldn’t be but their eyes and their hands said that it had to be

They were at odds with themselves

Thomas’ doubts and questions did not change Jesus

Neither do yours

Easier said than understood

often we think that by asking questions we might in some small or large way be putting our faith at Stake but actually the opposite is quite true.

The good news of this passage is that we have a God that is big enough to cherish our questions, not a God who is small enough to give us easy answers.

In the midst of the people’s questions and doubts, Christ in my sanctified imagination leans in and in a moment of amazement, no words are exchanged here.

There have been wonderful works of art that have captured this moment, Jesus shows them his hands

As if that is not enough he asks for food

Jesus is who he says he is regardless of our doubts.

God is who people say God is despite our doubts.

Then Jesus goes on to speak of the ways that God has been who God is throughout all of time

Luke 24:46–49 NRSV

46 and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

We get to be people who bring our brains and our experimentation to our faith.

The room full of people who have doctorates. There are people in this room and online that have more college degrees than I probably ever will, and I say to you, you get to bring your brain to your life of faith, how good is that. Even the disciples doubted and wanted additional proof. Jesus does not shy away from that fact.

The proof is presented but the question remains

I think often the subtext that we read is that all of the confusion was cleared up and they went on their way

That is in-fact not the ending of Luke

Jesus takes people questions, and says you are qualified so go! The doubters, the questioning, the skeptics, the people that bring their brain to their faith. The people that are not so sure, you, Go make people who follow in this path.

You - You are sent a person with questions of value for the world

It is not the strengths only that send us forward

It is just the tears and laments as talked about last week it is the questions and doubts also that make our faith what it is.

Share about the discipline of writing down questions

Of cherishing what God has put on your heart, and of earnestly going to God in prayer and asking?

Us - What if it was not the answers that were led by in this space but the questions

What if the Bible was not the FAQ page, but rather the forum page

Pastoral Prayer

Much like the disciples we too need the breath of the Holy Spirit

to take away our fears

We are like Thomas with our questions and our doubts.

We sometimes need to see in order to believe,

we need you in order to have faith.

God, we too need the peace you bring

because our world is fraught with violence, and unrest.

God, just as Thomas confessed you are his Lord and his God,

we boldly claim for our lives.

Lord we thank you for the blessing you have given us,

the ones who believe without seeing.

Lord, may the doors of our churches be open to all

and that doubters be welcomed here.

Having nothing left to pray, we pray together the prayer that you taught us either from memory or from reading off the screen in the language of our own heart