"The Upper Room, the Door was Locked"

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

Although that is the proclamation of our resurrection faith, it's not uncommon to have periods of doubt and skepticism from time to time throughout our lives. This is often the direct result of a something we're experiencing that causes pain, grief, despair and confusion in our lives and in the world we live in.

Sometimes we think that to doubt is a sign of weakness or failure when it comes to being faithful disciples of the risen Christ. But the truth is, it's natural and very much part of our human condition to experience such moments when things aren't clear when it comes to our faith and we do find it harder to believe. I'd even venture to say that such moments are healthy, with great opportunity for personal growth in our faith and our relationships with God.

Thomas is most well known to us as "The Doubter". What a reputation to have throughout history! And it's true, he did doubt. But so did the other disciples until they themselves saw and recognized the risen Christ in their midst. Thomas wasn't there, though. And so, naturally he found it hard to believe what the others reported to him. He too needed to see the wounds in Jesus' hands and side. I prefer to refer to him as "Honest Thomas" instead of "Doubting Thomas".

In the end, though, where did his doubt and questioning take him? I think it made him even more of a believer and in the end truly a faithful follower of the risen Christ. I'm particularly drawn to his affirmation of faith, "My Lord and my God!" He went on from that experience in the upper room to preach the gospel in many places to many people who in turn came to believe.
Although Thomas has a somewhat bad reputation, if we're honest with ourelves, we are all Thomas. However, doubting isn't all that bad when it comes to our relationships with God. I think that doubt and faith go hand in hand. Times of doubt can and often do lead to renewed and intensified faith.

There aren't many hymns about Thomas, his doubt and ours too. So, I decided to write one. It pays tribute to the faithfulness of Thomas which can serve as an example of faithfulness to us too. It is sung to the tune "O Wally Wally".

"The Upper Room, the Door was Locked"

Tune: O Waly Waly
Metre: LM

The upper room, the door was locked
disciples gathered there in shock.
The risen Christ, He did appear,
His presence real to quell their fear.

I give my peace, my peace to you;
your life of faith now to renew.
There’s always hope in midst of grief
my presence here to bring relief.

Now Thomas he was insecure
not present there he was unsure.
His hands, His side I now must see
His faith restored abundantly!

Not unlike him we need to know
so that our faith can overflow.
Unsure within what it’s about
our life to walk assured throughout.

So honestly we struggle on
to greet anew the coming dawn.
The resurrection is our hope
with faith and trust so we can cope.

We’ll walk along the road ahead
assured that Jesus is not dead.
And with new life and spirit filled
we’ll carry on as God has willed.

Text: copyright, The Rev. Mark Kinghan, 2011. Not to be reproduced or redistributed in any form without the express written permission of the author.