In the Gospel, we hear of the Apostle Thomas’s
doubts when told of the visit of Christ.
Then Christ appears to Thomas and shows him the wounds and Thomas
proclaims my Lord and my God. In
Matthew, 28:17 it says that other disciples doubted. And so, it goes even today that people doubt
that Christ has risen.
I’m going to further look into the word Doubt as it applies to our spiritual
lives; how doubt can lead to despair, and despair to death.
I know, I know, this sounds like a terrible
subject for a Sunday morning. Last week
we celebrated the resurrection of Christ, a joyful occasion, and the event that
most gives us hope.
However, all is not good with the world, all is
not good with our souls. We live in a
world of conflict, a world of hope and a world of despair. This is not a dualistic matter though. It is more of a seesaw, where we are on the
board above the fulcrum, balancing despair and happiness, a both-and condition,
in our normal everyday life. The board
is a place where we can slide back and forth, depending on the weight of our
troubles or our happiness. Of course,
most of us desire the condition of total happiness, where we slide to the end
of the seesaw and fling our despair wildly into the air, catapulting the
unwanted into oblivion. Sometimes that
is how I describe Heaven, as a place where despair is banished, a utopia full
of absolute and powerful love. I have
felt that love, I know it exists, and I cannot wait to be immersed in it again. It exists folks, it is available to all who want
to find it, seek, and you shall find, knock on the door and it will open. Once you realize that the world is not about
you, that the body of Christ and the blood of Christ is us, then you can be one
step closer to finding what I will call, True Love.
Yet, at the other end of the seesaw is the
ominous, sometimes overbearing, weight of despair. When the weight grows and overpowers the
happiness in our lives we can be catapulted into the dark. This leads me to a topic that some will find
disturbing. A topic that is not
pleasant, but one that needs to be discussed because ignoring the subject does
not make it go away.
A couple of weeks ago, Palm Sunday night, my
friend posted this on Facebook.
"Dear God, I know I’m a sinner, and
I ask for your forgiveness. I believe
Jesus Christ is Your Son. I believe that
He died for my sin and that you raised Him to life. I want to trust Him as my Savior and follow
Him as Lord, from this day forward.
Guide my life and help me to do your will. I pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen."
When I read the post the
next morning, I felt a feeling of dread, absolute dread. Something disturbed my sleep and I woke up at
three in the morning. I tossed and
turned and it wasn’t until about five that I read the post. By then, I believe it was too late. My brother called me later to relate the
events as best known in our small hometown.
My friend had gone to his mother’s grave, sat down, and ended his life.
My friend was well liked
by all; at his funeral, his coworkers described him as a wonderful cook, a man
that they called Teddy Bear because he was always giving hugs and cheering
people up. He would literally give you
the shirt off his back and no one saw this coming. There was no note, no explanations, just
conjecture about a medical condition that caused him to be overcome with
despair and flung him into the darkness.
We shared a love of
antiques and world travel and we both dreamed of going to Borneo. An enchanting land of headhunters, leeches,
and religious strife. An adventure that
our mutual cousin had endured when shot down in WWII. Sadly, that dream will never be realized. As I sat in the church during the funeral, I
asked God why he let this happen. Why to
this wonderful and loving human. God,
for his part remained stoic and supplied no answer.
I have known six people in
my life that have taken their own lives.
Two that I was close to and had shared good times. After they ended their lives there was a
feeling of guilt. Could I have done
something, why didn’t I recognize what was going to occur? How can people like my friend, happy go lucky
and joking people be full of despair and no one recognize the problem? Here is a quote from Groucho Marx that explains
a little, ”The only real laughter comes
from despair.” That is a heavy quote. Think about that later today.
So how does this relate to Thomas and
doubt? Thomas did not kill himself, nor
did the other Apostles, with the exception of Judas. Why did Judas kill himself? Was Judas full of remorse, did he have doubts
about his betrayal? Doubt can be that
fork in the road, one that can lead us to darkness in the case of Judas, or we
can chose the other path and head towards the light. As Khalil Gibran wrote, “Doubt is a pain too lonely to know that Faith is his twin brother.” Yet doubt can take us on a journey, a journey
of seeking the truth and for answers.
Faith is the road to light, and despair is the other path, a path to
darkness. Judas did not have faith,
while the other Apostles and Disciples did.
Doubt resides with us as we slide back and forth on the seesaw of life.
The suicide rates in this
country are staggering and increasing.
The Center for Disease Control keeps track of the causes of death. Suicide is the second leading cause of death
starting at ten years old through the thirty-something. I find that statistic very depressing. Then I realize the headlines I see about
bullying, and violence, wars, and disease.
Watching the news, I wonder why anyone would have hope.
How has the church
responded to the issue of suicides? The
early church decided to declare it a sin and refuse Christian burial to the
victims. In 1882, the Anglican Church
decided to allow the victims to be buried in church graveyards, and only in
2015 did the Anglican Church vote to allow a fully Christian burial for victims
of suicide. I read a poll on April 7,
2018 that asked people if a normal burial service should be allowed and 16%
said no. Clearly there is still work to be done in teaching mental health
awareness and forgiveness. For each
victim of suicide, for each victim that is so overwhelmed that they can find no
hope; Jesus waits with open arms. He
alone can bring them into light. Our
mission is not to judge but to forgive.
What can we do about the
problem? Brothers and sisters, we are
members of the Body of Christ. As such,
we are our brother’s keeper. If a brother
or sister comes to you for help, then do not turn them away. Most of us are not mental health experts, but
we can all listen, and we can all help them find professional help. We have to be open to helping each other,
Christ turned no one away, no one!
I volunteer in a
residential home for the mentally ill. I
have listened to men and women tell me their stories. None of them have given up hope, despite the
tribulations they face. Most are happy
to talk about their problems with someone who will listen without judgment. That is what Stephen Ministry is all
about. Even if you don’t think you could
handle being a Stephen Minister or have the time to do weekly visits, I think
each one of us can benefit from the Stephen Minister training. Our job as Christians is to carry the love
and compassion of Jesus into the world.
As the Apostle Paul said, “They will recognize us as we show our love
for one another.” The standard saying is
that we should be the hands and feet of Christ in the world. I say we should be the entire body of Christ
in the world. Share the love of Christ,
pray unceasing prayers, and forgive those who have wronged you. Ask for, and be willing to receive the Shalom
of Christ Jesus, and share that Shalom with the world.
I will leave you with the
ending of a hymn you may find familiar and a prayer from the New Zealand Book
of Common Prayer.
Thou our Father, Christ our Brother,
all who live in love are Thine:
Teach us how to love each other,
lift us to the Joy Divine.
all who live in love are Thine:
Teach us how to love each other,
lift us to the Joy Divine.
Living God,
For whom no door is closed.
No heart is locked,
Draw us beyond our doubts,
Till we see your Christ
And touch his wounds
Where they bleed in others
Shalom
