I want to begin today by reading to you something entitled,

A remarkable story. (By The Rev. Dr. Dennis E. Morey)

Bill and Mona noticed something unusual about their baby boy since his birth. Brian, born just three months ago, had grown to 45 pounds in weight and was 34 inches tall. He was able to not only speak plainly but could carry on a conversation using new words he had learned. Brian was no longer in diapers and was learning to read by himself. He woke up one morning able to walk. The next day he was asking for a bike so he could learn to ride.

For the past month, each day his parents began standing Brian against the dining room door facing and drawing a pencil mark to show not only his present height, but also his progress since yesterday. Day after day the happy family was delighted to see such growth.

In the fourth grade and nearly six feet tall, Brian was only 14 months old.

Then one day there was no progress to mark on the wall. His height was the same as yesterday. The next day was the same and this continued for a week. His reading comprehension had not progressed since two weeks ago and what the family feared was becoming a reality. Brian was not growing as fast as before.

Still, there was plenty to be proud of in their son. Bill and Mona knew that the time would come when progress would be showing again and their fears would be calmed.
Brian's second and third, sixth, seven and 8th birthdays had come and gone, and other than being taller than most boys his age, he was now of only average intellectual abilities. By the time he was a high school freshman, he was behind in his studies and school authorities recommended that he spend some time in the summer reading program.

Bill and Mona could not believe his progress had slowed so dramatically to the point that now his development was less than average. Brian seemed happy and well-adjusted on all counts, but he was not making any kind of progress toward adulthood.

For the next fifteen years Brian stayed 15 years old. No one could explain his lack of continued development. He not only remained capable of no better than 9th grade academics but he also had no interests beyond that of a 15 year old boy.

Bill and Mona took good care of Brian, and then he took care of them in their old age. Brian was a pleasant, clean, good looking guy who mowed lawns for a living until his death at age 89.

His best friends were always boys 15 years old who loved skateboarding and video games. Brian always lost interest when his friends began dating girls or talked about future plans like getting a job or going to college.

While those who study human behavior were puzzled at the early progress of Brian's physical and mental abilities, perhaps more puzzling was his slowed and finally halted development at such an early age. Only Brian's body aged and finally it was age-related illness that ended this remarkable story.

In the scripture for today we see 10 disciples who had cut and run when Jesus was arrested. Only Peter and John traveled along in the shadows to observe what was happening to Jesus as he was dragged to the Jewish High Court, then to the Roman Governor, Pilate, and then to King Herod, and then back to Pilate where he was beaten and condemned to death by crucifixion to be carried out immediately.
It was only John who was actually present at Jesus' death. Judas showed the authorities how to find Jesus. Later he felt so bad about what he had done he hung himself.

The other ten disciples had heard about the suffering and death of Jesus. They had heard that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had asked Pilate for the body of Jesus for burial. They had heard that he had been buried in Joseph's tomb and that when some of the women followers went to the grave and it was empty. There was a report that Jesus had risen from the dead but that was as much as those ten actually knew and had seen with their own eyes.

In the beginning of his ministry, there were many who followed Jesus but those twelve had been hand-picked by Jesus. They had been with Jesus for three years, night and day. They loved him enough they left their businesses and occupations to follow him.

They had known great personal spiritual growth during those three years. They had seen him explain the scriptures, heal the sick and raise the dead. They had seen him turn water into wine and multiply bread. They had seen him cast out demons, calm an angry storm, and actually walk on water.

They had grown to be spiritual giants with whom Jesus was going to entrust the establishment and development of his church.

They were there when he talked about his need to go to Jerusalem. They knew there were those in Temple authority who wanted to kill him

The disciples tried to reason with Jesus. If he went back he would surely be killed. It was Thomas who said, "If Jesus is going back, we need to go back with him, and die with him if we must."

They followed him there. They walked along with him as he entered Jerusalem riding a donkey amid the cheers of the people. They were there when he drove out the animals and overturned the money changers in the Temple. They were there in the Upper Room when he established a new covenant which he said would be in his "blood".

But that night in the Garden of Gethsemane their spiritual development halted. It had been a long day. They were tired.

They fell asleep when Jesus asked them to pray.

They were shocked from deep sleep by the shouts and demands of the Temple Guards who had come to arrest Jesus. They were in a fog, and it all happened so fast, all they could do was try to escape into the cover of darkness, for fear of their own arrest.

They had the word of some women who had seen an angel. Some said they had actually seen Jesus.
Jesus had left those eleven disciples the job of changing the world. The job would never get done, his death would have been in vain if they did not get some kind of spiritual jolt to restart the heart he had put in them.

Then behind closed doors Jesus appeared to the disciples. But there were only 10 of them present. Thomas wasn't there.

When Thomas caught up with them later, they were so overjoyed to tell him the news. They had seen Jesus with their own eyes! They were back on the track of spiritual growth. Their faith had been revitalized.

But Thomas was not in that place yet. Although he had boldly declared that they all should go with Jesus to Jerusalem and die with him if they must, Thomas was now full of doubts. If there was a job to do he was not a part of it.

"Unless I see with my own eyes, unless I touch his wounds myself, I will not believe." He was no longer the disciple of Christ the servant of Christ, continuing to live the life to which Christ had called him. Now his focus was on "me". "Unless I see...unless I touch...I will not believe."

His personal spiritual development was halted. Thomas needed to be convinced. Although we may fault Thomas for his doubting, he none the less stuck with the other disciples. He was where his faith could get rejuvenated.

The next day, Jesus appeared again and Thomas was there. Jesus said, "Thomas, come over here and take a good look at me from head to toe. Reach out your hand and feel for yourself the wounds in my flesh. Do not doubt, but believe."
Jesus was saying, "Thomas you can't remain in the state of halted spiritual development. Get back on track! Don't choose to remain in doubt."
Doubts are produced only by halted spiritual development. And a halted spiritual development is open to even more doubts.

You see, Thomas' doubts were going to cloud whatever work Christ had in mind for the early church. As long as there was one disciples who was saying, "Resurrection? You have got to be kidding. I was with Jesus all those years, and he has never appeared to me", the church was going to be less than what Christ had in mind.

Christ has called us to be a part of his church. He has left us with a job to do. It is up to us to change the world. Christ has called us to call others to be a part of the family of God.

So long as we remain in our doubts the church cannot be what Christ has called us to be. Our doubts affect the life and work Christ has called us to.

When the church today has its doubts, those doubts produce struggles. Those doubts creep into the leadership of the church and the majority of session meetings is taken up with "how are we going to stretch the money, how are we going to get more people dedicated to the work and ministry of the church?

Those doubts are answered often with, "the only way we can survive financially is to cut the budget, and cut the programs, that way we won't be spending as much money and needing as many people to work."

Those measures never work for the benefit of Christ's kingdom. Those solutions are always the result of our doubts. Those doubts bring the next question.

The next question we struggle with is; how long can we hang on? Given the fact that offerings, attendance, and programs are all down, should we consider hiring only part-time leaders and heating the building or cooling the building only on Sunday?"

Friends we aren't changing the world we aren't doing the job Christ has designed us to do because our faith is not in Christ, but in our doubts.
We have placed our faith in ourselves and our ability to survive and we don't see much hope. We can't get the job done because of the obstacle of our doubts.

When I read you the story of Brian at the beginning, did you feel a certain sadness for the little boy and were you sad for his parents? His physical and mental abilities, although accelerated in the beginning of his life, stopped far too soon and he had a less than ordinary life.
For us, when the Good News of God's love is new, we are so pleased to be involved in the church and its ministry. We go to Bible Study and Sunday School and never miss a Sunday in worship.

But then the new begins to wear off. There is a shift from what Christ has called me to do, to what I want. It is no longer about Christ, but it is about me.

Perhaps someone disappointed us. Someone said something that offended us. We got our feelings hurt. We felt neglected or unappreciated. We began to transfer the reason for the church from being called to change the world to it should be about pleasing me and considering me.
We begin to doubt if we should even continue. Spiritual stagnation sets in.

How sad must we make God when we choose to remain in our state of spiritual stagnation?
How sad must God be when we choose to feed our doubts by being absent from worship and too be busy doing other things putting off reading God's word and studying it.
How sad must God be to want to hear from us and listen to our prayers but we choose to feed our doubts and claim we have something else to do?
How sad must God be when he looks at the way we spend the money he has given to us and sees that our doubts show us supporting his church from whatever is left over?

While we may fault Thomas for doubting, to his credit he made himself available to be convinced. He did not abandon the others just because he was not there the first time Jesus appeared. He wanted to be there the next time and he was.

Where does this scripture touch our lives? Why do we prefer to doubt?

Are we in the place where we can learn the truth for ourselves?
What are we busy doing to discover the truth?

Are we stuck forever in the state of spiritual stagnation, in this place where our doubts rule? If we are then we will never get the job done Christ has given to us, and we will never experience the blessings Christ has for us.

Jesus Appears to Thomas
Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord!"
But he said to them, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe."
A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
(From the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible.)

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