Midweek Advent Message

In this blessed Advent season, a holy time of waiting and watching, not just for the annual celebration of Jesus’ birth at Christmas, but for his second advent – his coming again in great power and glory – there are days of special remembrance. Tomorrow is one such day. In our Midweek Advent worship over the last two weeks, we have heard of St. Nicholas and his feast day on December 6, as well as St. Lucy and her feast day on December 13. Tomorrow – December 21 – commemorates St. Thomas, apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. The words of today’s Epistle lesson from St. Paul to the Thessalonians begin with three verbs that are helpful to our devotion in these final days of Advent: “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Tomorrow, December 21, is probably better known as the shortest day of the year, the winter solstice, rather than the day commemorating St. Thomas. In these increasingly shortened and darkened days of early winter, tomorrow is the turning point. Thereafter, each day becomes a little bit longer as we edge toward spring. Thomas also had a turning point in his life – perhaps several. He is recorded in Scripture asking a question of Jesus: “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” And Jesus’ response are words that are near and dear to our hearts: “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:5-6). Later on, after Jesus’ death upon the cross and his resurrection from the dead, Thomas refused to believe what the other disciples told him that Jesus was alive; that he had truly risen from the dead. To this day, he is often called “doubting Thomas,” and his skeptical words are well known: “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe” (John 20:25). About a week later, the risen Christ appeared once again to the disciples once again, and this time, Thomas was there. Jesus invites Thomas to do what he said he needed to do in order to believe, and Thomas exclaimed: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). In response, Jesus said to Thomas: “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). That is you and me – we who have not seen and yet do believe. Jesus pronounces us blessed, and so we are.

Christian tradition tells us that Thomas, who was a twin (referred to in Scripture as Didymus, Greek for twin), was a carpenter by trade, and later sailed to India where he established the Christian faith there, and died a martyr’s death. “There is a body of Christians, ‘The Christians of St. Thomas,’ along the Malabar coast in southern India who claim spiritual descent from St. Thomas and who were in India at least a thousand years before the coming of the European missionaries in the sixteenth century” (Festivals and Commemorations: Handbook to the Calendar in Lutheran Book of Worship, by Philip H. Pfatteicher. Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1980; p. 460). In art, St. Thomas is often depicted holding a carpenter’s square and rule. By the grace of the crucified and risen Christ, Thomas was transformed from doubting skeptic to fervent missionary, carrying the good news of Jesus to new and far-away places. If we are honest with ourselves, there is something of Thomas in all of us: doubt and skepticism that lurks in the corners of our faith. Thomas would be the first to tell us that the redeeming love of Jesus is more than able to overcome the deepest uncertainty and distrust that we may have. He would echo what his fellow apostle, St. Paul, wrote about rejoicing always, praying without ceasing, and giving thanks in all circumstances. Note what Paul says here: he does not say give thanks for all circumstances, but in all circumstances. Even in the most challenging and difficult periods of life, we are to give thanks in all circumstances.

Thomas lived at the time of Jesus’ first advent – his coming in humility into our broken world to be born, to live, to suffer, die and rise again for our salvation. And now, as we prepare to celebrate that first coming – Jesus’ humble birth in Bethlehem in just a few days – we also look forward with Thomas, together “with angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven,” to the second advent of our Lord Jesus Christ, when he will return to make all things new. Until then, let us rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and give thanks in all circumstances. Amen.