Sacred Doubt and Embodied Faith.

A reading and a study of the gospel of John 201931 of the Daily Bible refresh with Dr.

Brad Miller.

Hello good people.

Dr.

Brad Miller here with Daily Bible Refresh.

This is where every day we come to you with a reading from the Revised Common Lectionary.

That's a three year cycle of reading through the entire Bible.

We're in in year C and it is the first Sunday after Easter.

We make the reading of the Bible every day understandable.

We use the message version relatable.

We give you some points to ponder, applicable, give you an action step.

We do all of that in under 10 minutes and we have a prayer.

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Get into our reading for today from the Gospel of John 20:19 31 Reading from the Message to Believe later on that day, the disciples, having gathered together but fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house.

And Jesus entered, stood among them and said, peace be to you.

Then he showed him his hands and his side.

The disciples, seeing the Master with their own eyes, were awestruck.

And Jesus repeated the greeting, peace to you.

Just as the Father sent me, I send you.

Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them.

Receive the Holy Spirit, he said.

If you forgive someone's sins, they are gone for good.

If you don't forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?

But Thomas, sometimes called the twin, one of the 12, was not with them when Jesus came.

The other disciples told him, we saw the Master.

But he said, unless I see the nail holes in his hands and put my fingers in the nail holes and stick my hand in his side, I won't believe.

Eight days later, the disciples were again in the room.

And this time Thomas was with them.

And Jesus came through the locked doors, stood among them and said, peace be with you.

Then he focused attention on Thomas.

Take your finger and examine my hands.

Take your hand and stick it in my side.

Don't be unbelieving.

Believe.

Thomas said, my Master, my God.

And Jesus said, so you believe because you've seen with your own eyes.

Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing.

Jesus provided far more God revealing signs than are written down in this book.

These are written down so that you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing have real and eternal life the way he personally revealed it to be.

What a profound reading of Scripture.

We often call this a story about the doubting Thomas, which speaks to our own personal questions, our doubts and our deep human need for proof, for tangible experience of the divine of God.

Let's look at some points to ponder.

There is the gift.

The gift, I tell you, of Thomas's doubt.

Thomas is often labeled kind of negative, negatively, you know, as the doubting Thomas.

But his insistence on physical evidence reflects a deeply embodied faith.

His questioning isn't a failure, but a gift that gives us permission to all who struggle with belief.

Progressive faith honors doubt as a pathway to deeper understanding, not as an obstacle to overcome.

Thomas's story reminds us that authentic faith often includes wrestling, questioning and demanding evidence.

Another point is peace.

In fearful times, the disciples are hiding behind locked doors, terrified of the authorities, and into the sphere, Jesus speaks peace not once, but twice.

This peace isn't about avoiding conflict or maintaining the status quo, but finding courage to continue justice work even when afraid.

In our own time of political violence and upheaval, climate crises, social upheaval, peace.

This peace of Jesus empowers us to to keep working for transformation.

One more point that is the radical nature of forgiveness.

Jesus words about forgiveness aren't about individual sin, but about dismantling systems of harm.

The power to forgive or retain sins suggests our responsibility in creating systems of restorative justice rather than retribution and punishment.

The challenges this challenges us to consider how we participate in either perpetuating or healing collective trauma.

Here is an action step for the tour for you.

For today's lesson, keep a doubt journal.

That is, write down a record in some way your honest questions about faith and justice and meaning.

And these questions are such that we would want to share with a trusted friend or a community member.

Remember Thomas's example.

Authentic questioning leads to a deeper connection with God, with the divine.

Consider also what systems of harm need forgiveness and healing in your community and take a concrete step towards restorative justice.

We're going to pray here in just a moment, but I did want to always remind you about our resource that we have for you.

It's free.

It's called the ABC 123 Bible Study Method.

It's a few pages long of instructions of how to read your Bible every day and make it as simple and straightforward as ABC.

1, 2, 3.

You pick it up at our website, voiceofgoddaily.com completely free.

And it's for you, my friend.

So pick it up and use it.

Here's our prayer for the day.

Oh God, you are divine mystery.

We come to you with our questions and our doubts, our fears and uncertainties.

Thank you for meeting Thomas in his need and his need for tangible proof.

For meeting us in our own questioning when we hide behind locked doors of fear.

Speak your peace into our hearts.

When systems oppression seem overwhelming.

Remind us of our power to participate in healing and forgiveness.

Help us create communities where doubt is welcome, questions are honored and authentic wrestling with faith is celebrated.

Thank you for showing up in our uncertainty just as you showed up for Thomas.

In hope and honesty we pray.

Amen.

It's great to be with you my friends.

Here on Daily Bible Refresh.

We're here every day.

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Bring a friend.

We have a goal to get the audible word of God into two million years, a million people by 2028.

It happens when you join me here every day until that time.

My name is Dr.

Brad Miller.

Remember that God's loyal love doesn't run out.

His merciful love hasn't dried up, it's created new every morning.