WEBVTT 00:00:00.929 --> 00:00:06.750 Howdy. Have you ever walked into a room and everyone's 00:00:06.750 --> 00:00:09.789 already laughing like something just happened 00:00:09.789 --> 00:00:12.369 right and you missed it by about maybe ten seconds 00:00:12.369 --> 00:00:17.190 right and you ask what happened and someone says 00:00:17.190 --> 00:00:23.269 it's hard to explain you had to be there just 00:00:23.269 --> 00:00:25.929 gets you right there or you join a conversation 00:00:25.929 --> 00:00:29.149 and just a little too late And they're already 00:00:29.149 --> 00:00:32.270 deep into it. They're connecting, they're tracking, 00:00:32.869 --> 00:00:35.570 and you're just trying to piece together what 00:00:35.570 --> 00:00:38.109 you missed. What are they even talking about? 00:00:39.109 --> 00:00:41.270 Or you're with a group of people who all share 00:00:41.270 --> 00:00:44.409 something in common that you don't. A story, 00:00:44.530 --> 00:00:47.270 a moment, an experience that they all lived. 00:00:48.250 --> 00:00:50.549 And no matter how much they try to explain it, 00:00:51.070 --> 00:00:54.070 it's not the same as being there. And after a 00:00:54.070 --> 00:00:56.350 while, it's not just that you missed something. 00:00:56.750 --> 00:01:00.250 It's actually the only one who did. And the more 00:01:00.250 --> 00:01:03.070 everyone else seems to get it, the harder it 00:01:03.070 --> 00:01:08.230 is to step into it. I remember a time like that. 00:01:08.530 --> 00:01:10.530 Several years ago, I was supposed to go on a 00:01:10.530 --> 00:01:13.329 college mission trip. And everything was set. 00:01:13.590 --> 00:01:16.750 Deposit was paid. Money had been fundraised. 00:01:17.150 --> 00:01:20.049 Everything was packed and set to go. Well, mostly 00:01:20.049 --> 00:01:24.450 packed, I was a college student. But a few weeks 00:01:24.450 --> 00:01:29.420 before... Everything fell through for me, and 00:01:29.420 --> 00:01:33.680 I was not able to go. And it was devastating. 00:01:34.480 --> 00:01:37.299 While everyone else was there on that trip, I 00:01:37.299 --> 00:01:40.799 was not. And when they came back, you could feel 00:01:40.799 --> 00:01:44.680 it. The stories, the inside jokes, the way people 00:01:44.680 --> 00:01:47.439 had connected, the opportunities that they had 00:01:47.439 --> 00:01:51.340 to butcher their poor Spanish skills. Even the 00:01:51.340 --> 00:01:54.090 person who went in my place. It felt like they 00:01:54.090 --> 00:01:56.909 had stepped into something that I had missed. 00:01:58.090 --> 00:02:00.609 Everyone else had shared this experience and 00:02:00.609 --> 00:02:04.670 I didn't. And there's just this quiet feeling 00:02:04.670 --> 00:02:08.909 of being on the outside of something you were 00:02:08.909 --> 00:02:12.629 supposed to be a part of. That feeling, it's 00:02:12.629 --> 00:02:15.969 not new. That's where Thomas the Apostle is. 00:02:16.509 --> 00:02:19.550 Everyone else has seen Jesus. Everyone else has 00:02:19.550 --> 00:02:23.430 the story. There they were when he appeared. 00:02:24.150 --> 00:02:27.389 They heard him. They saw him. They can talk about 00:02:27.389 --> 00:02:31.930 it because they experienced it and Thomas did 00:02:31.930 --> 00:02:35.389 not. And you can almost feel the question sitting 00:02:35.389 --> 00:02:41.129 there. How did he miss it? How does that even 00:02:41.129 --> 00:02:43.990 happen? I mean, is it as if Jesus were just specifically 00:02:43.990 --> 00:02:46.509 waiting for him not to be there? Because this 00:02:46.509 --> 00:02:49.889 is not just any moment. This is Jesus risen from 00:02:49.889 --> 00:02:55.080 the dead. And somehow, he's not there. And what's 00:02:55.080 --> 00:02:58.080 interesting is, we're never actually told why. 00:02:58.340 --> 00:03:01.979 Scripture doesn't fill that part in for us. Was 00:03:01.979 --> 00:03:04.780 he just maybe gone for a moment? Went down to 00:03:04.780 --> 00:03:07.520 the store and got some eggs? And everything happened 00:03:07.520 --> 00:03:11.259 while he was out? Just a normal, ordinary absence, 00:03:11.379 --> 00:03:13.539 and it turns out to be the one moment you did 00:03:13.539 --> 00:03:17.879 not want to miss. Was he maybe pulling away? 00:03:18.469 --> 00:03:20.729 emotionally after everything had fallen apart. 00:03:21.449 --> 00:03:23.930 He just needed some space, trying to make sense 00:03:23.930 --> 00:03:26.270 of everything that had just happened with the 00:03:26.270 --> 00:03:30.490 crucifixion. Was he afraid that maybe the disciples 00:03:30.490 --> 00:03:35.009 would be next, laying low, not sure if it was 00:03:35.009 --> 00:03:38.710 safe to be with the others yet? We're not told, 00:03:39.030 --> 00:03:43.509 but whatever the reason, he wasn't there. He 00:03:43.509 --> 00:03:46.710 missed it. And we know what that feels like. 00:03:46.800 --> 00:03:49.180 to be the one who wasn't in the room when it 00:03:49.180 --> 00:03:51.780 happened, to be the one who didn't see what everyone 00:03:51.780 --> 00:03:55.400 else saw, to be the one trying to make sense 00:03:55.400 --> 00:03:59.659 of something everyone else seems so sure about. 00:04:00.759 --> 00:04:03.120 So when they tell him, we have seen the Lord, 00:04:03.460 --> 00:04:08.000 and he says, I will not believe. That's not coming 00:04:08.000 --> 00:04:14.300 out of nowhere. This is coming from someone who's 00:04:14.300 --> 00:04:16.860 on the outside of a moment that everyone else 00:04:16.860 --> 00:04:20.680 is inside of, and there are a lot of ways that 00:04:20.680 --> 00:04:24.379 that sentence could be coming from him. Because 00:04:24.379 --> 00:04:28.899 maybe it's confusion. This doesn't make any sense. 00:04:29.180 --> 00:04:33.000 This isn't how death works in the world. People 00:04:33.000 --> 00:04:36.759 don't just come back to life like that. Or maybe 00:04:36.759 --> 00:04:40.449 it's skepticism. Are they just seeing what they 00:04:40.449 --> 00:04:43.829 want to see as the disciples? Are they just trying 00:04:43.829 --> 00:04:47.870 to hold on to something because they don't want 00:04:47.870 --> 00:04:53.589 it to be over? Maybe it's more personal. Why 00:04:53.589 --> 00:04:58.449 would Jesus show up to them and not to me? Why 00:04:58.449 --> 00:05:01.189 would everyone else get that moment and I'm the 00:05:01.189 --> 00:05:03.250 one who missed it? I was there for all these 00:05:03.250 --> 00:05:07.550 other events. Why would I miss this one? and 00:05:07.550 --> 00:05:11.370 maybe it's something even deeper, I cannot go 00:05:11.370 --> 00:05:15.769 through that again. I cannot let the hope get 00:05:15.769 --> 00:05:19.589 built up inside me like that just to watch it 00:05:19.589 --> 00:05:25.350 fall apart. We don't know exactly. Maybe, maybe 00:05:25.350 --> 00:05:28.430 it was some of all of them. Confusion, skepticism, 00:05:28.769 --> 00:05:31.269 hurt, or just not wanting to go through loss 00:05:31.269 --> 00:05:35.509 again. Whatever is underneath it, this much is 00:05:35.509 --> 00:05:40.189 clear though. This is not just about stubbornness. 00:05:41.509 --> 00:05:47.670 It's about saying, when I do not believe, it's 00:05:47.670 --> 00:05:51.129 more than about defiance. It's about survival 00:05:51.129 --> 00:05:57.050 for one's heart and soul and mind. Because Thomas 00:05:57.050 --> 00:06:00.089 is not asking for more than what the others got. 00:06:00.870 --> 00:06:04.000 He walked with Jesus. He heard the teaching. 00:06:04.060 --> 00:06:07.019 He saw the miracles. He watched the crowds gather. 00:06:07.920 --> 00:06:11.660 He followed him day after day. His faith had 00:06:11.660 --> 00:06:15.720 been built on actually seeing, actually hearing, 00:06:16.420 --> 00:06:20.040 actually being there. So now when all he has 00:06:20.040 --> 00:06:23.379 is someone else's word for it, he's not ready 00:06:23.379 --> 00:06:26.459 to rebuild his whole life on something he hasn't 00:06:26.459 --> 00:06:29.860 experienced yet. And underneath all of that, 00:06:30.560 --> 00:06:34.019 there's a question that may be rising. Why not 00:06:34.019 --> 00:06:38.459 me? Maybe we need to sit with that one for a 00:06:38.459 --> 00:06:43.540 moment. Why not me? Isn't that the question that 00:06:43.540 --> 00:06:46.240 comes up so often for people who struggle with 00:06:46.240 --> 00:06:50.220 faith when others don't seem to? Why don't I 00:06:50.220 --> 00:06:54.100 feel what others seem to feel? Why don't I have 00:06:54.100 --> 00:06:58.019 that kind of certainty? Why does faith seem to 00:06:58.019 --> 00:07:02.360 come so naturally for them? And it feels like 00:07:02.360 --> 00:07:06.500 such a struggle for me. Why haven't I seen what 00:07:06.500 --> 00:07:08.800 they've seen? Why haven't I experienced what 00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:11.319 they talk about? Why does it seem like everyone 00:07:11.319 --> 00:07:15.500 else has a story? And I'm still trying to figure 00:07:15.500 --> 00:07:19.860 out mine. And at some point, it's not just about 00:07:19.860 --> 00:07:23.420 questions anymore. It starts to feel like maybe 00:07:23.420 --> 00:07:27.589 you're on the outside looking in. And it's not 00:07:27.589 --> 00:07:30.230 just because religion in general feels vague 00:07:30.230 --> 00:07:33.129 or distant. It feels that way with Christianity 00:07:33.129 --> 00:07:38.029 too. Why do others seem to have this confidence, 00:07:38.529 --> 00:07:41.810 this strength in what they believe? And I'm over 00:07:41.810 --> 00:07:46.490 here still asking basic questions. Why am I not 00:07:46.490 --> 00:07:50.810 certain the way that others seem to be? In a 00:07:50.810 --> 00:07:55.250 lot of ways, that's Thomas. Everyone else has 00:07:55.250 --> 00:07:57.839 seen the Lord. Everyone else has this moment. 00:07:57.879 --> 00:08:01.160 Why hasn't he? And when you're in that place, 00:08:01.920 --> 00:08:04.839 it's not just that it's hard to believe. It's 00:08:04.839 --> 00:08:06.980 hard to even know what belief is supposed to 00:08:06.980 --> 00:08:10.279 look like. It's not that you're necessarily rejecting 00:08:10.279 --> 00:08:14.959 it. You're just not there. You can't help but 00:08:14.959 --> 00:08:17.720 wonder, is what they're telling me about Jesus, 00:08:18.360 --> 00:08:23.959 is that real? Is that actually what I'm supposed 00:08:23.959 --> 00:08:30.439 to hold on to? and then eight days later the 00:08:30.439 --> 00:08:33.559 disciples are together the doors are locked but 00:08:33.559 --> 00:08:40.059 this time Thomas is with them and Jesus comes 00:08:40.059 --> 00:08:45.039 again what must that have felt like as he stood 00:08:45.039 --> 00:08:49.259 among them and he says peace be with you just 00:08:49.259 --> 00:08:52.860 as they had said and then he turns to Thomas 00:08:52.860 --> 00:08:56.730 this is not about trying to correct him or trying 00:08:56.730 --> 00:09:01.409 to shame him. It's about meeting him. And you 00:09:01.409 --> 00:09:04.490 can tell that he knows exactly what Thomas was 00:09:04.490 --> 00:09:07.909 struggling with. He knows exactly what he said. 00:09:08.710 --> 00:09:12.289 Because what does he say? Put your fingers here. 00:09:13.110 --> 00:09:15.750 See my hands. Reach out your hand and put it 00:09:15.750 --> 00:09:23.570 into my side. Do not disbelieve. Believe. It's 00:09:23.570 --> 00:09:25.309 like you're saying, Thomas, you said you needed 00:09:25.309 --> 00:09:30.029 to see. So look you said you needed to touch 00:09:30.029 --> 00:09:33.809 So come and feel for yourself It's not about 00:09:33.809 --> 00:09:36.450 avoiding Thomas's questions, and it's not about 00:09:36.450 --> 00:09:40.289 dismissing the struggle inside It's about meeting 00:09:40.289 --> 00:09:44.830 Thomas exactly where he is Doesn't always happen 00:09:44.830 --> 00:09:49.669 right away It doesn't always happen on our timeline 00:09:49.669 --> 00:09:54.370 Sometimes we have to wait But it doesn't mean 00:09:54.370 --> 00:09:57.570 that it never happens Because the ones who feel 00:09:57.570 --> 00:10:00.250 like they need to see, the ones who feel like 00:10:00.250 --> 00:10:03.289 they need something more, they're not forgotten. 00:10:04.570 --> 00:10:06.710 And it's not that God has no intention of meeting 00:10:06.710 --> 00:10:10.190 them. It may just be that there is more to God's 00:10:10.190 --> 00:10:15.169 timing than we understand in how and when he 00:10:15.169 --> 00:10:20.590 lets us see. Because Jesus had no intention of 00:10:20.590 --> 00:10:24.129 leaving Thomas out. The one who felt like he 00:10:24.129 --> 00:10:29.039 missed it, is the one Jesus comes back for. But 00:10:29.039 --> 00:10:33.220 what happens next says more than we might expect. 00:10:33.740 --> 00:10:37.600 See, when Jesus comes back for Thomas, his response 00:10:37.600 --> 00:10:41.120 reveals more than even Thomas may have realized. 00:10:42.220 --> 00:10:44.879 You know those moments when you catch someone 00:10:44.879 --> 00:10:48.200 off guard and they say something that's more 00:10:48.200 --> 00:10:52.960 true than even they might have realized? I was 00:10:52.960 --> 00:10:56.590 talking with Anna. She's been our our custodian 00:10:56.590 --> 00:11:01.409 for decades and we were talking several months 00:11:01.409 --> 00:11:05.769 ago when Several people were retiring and I said 00:11:05.769 --> 00:11:09.309 I promise it's not on me. I promise I didn't 00:11:09.309 --> 00:11:14.129 chase them away But you know I had this feeling 00:11:14.129 --> 00:11:18.529 But it hadn't really said it out loud and I wondered 00:11:18.529 --> 00:11:22.049 what was she feeling? And in the middle of the 00:11:22.049 --> 00:11:24.389 conversation about all the people having recently 00:11:24.389 --> 00:11:26.549 retired, I asked offhandedly, so when do you 00:11:26.549 --> 00:11:29.710 think you'll retire? And she said, oh, probably 00:11:29.710 --> 00:11:31.789 this next year, maybe by the end of the school 00:11:31.789 --> 00:11:39.009 year. And then she stopped. And her eyes widened 00:11:39.009 --> 00:11:42.070 bigger than mine had. And her hands went to her 00:11:42.070 --> 00:11:45.929 mouth. And she said, I've never said that out 00:11:45.929 --> 00:11:50.129 loud before. But now that I have, it feels right. 00:11:53.059 --> 00:11:56.799 And now, having retired with our Easter celebration, 00:11:57.779 --> 00:12:00.940 her heart being full and complete by getting 00:12:00.940 --> 00:12:03.740 to spend time with her family and even her son, 00:12:03.860 --> 00:12:07.080 who's retired from the military, is that that 00:12:07.080 --> 00:12:10.299 moment was a moment where she got to speak what 00:12:10.299 --> 00:12:12.559 was more clear than even she knew at the time. 00:12:13.500 --> 00:12:15.399 You see, sometimes you say something and only 00:12:15.399 --> 00:12:19.960 then you realize it's been true all along. And 00:12:19.960 --> 00:12:22.500 that's what happens here is that Thomas sees 00:12:22.500 --> 00:12:33.379 Jesus and out comes my Lord and my God. Not just 00:12:33.379 --> 00:12:39.740 teacher, not just rabbi, not Messiah, my Lord 00:12:39.740 --> 00:12:45.779 and my God. The one who struggled the most is 00:12:45.779 --> 00:12:50.070 the one who finally said it the clearest. The 00:12:50.070 --> 00:12:53.029 one who questioned the most is the one who names 00:12:53.029 --> 00:12:57.190 Jesus the most fully. The others, it's not that 00:12:57.190 --> 00:13:00.330 they didn't believe, but here, everything comes 00:13:00.330 --> 00:13:04.409 into focus. Not just that Jesus is alive, but 00:13:04.409 --> 00:13:09.250 who He is as our God. Because in that moment, 00:13:09.250 --> 00:13:11.429 Thomas is not just seeing a man who came back 00:13:11.429 --> 00:13:15.269 to life. He had seen that before. He's seeing 00:13:15.269 --> 00:13:18.230 the glory of God standing right in front of him, 00:13:18.629 --> 00:13:23.690 risen. in conquering death. The one who has authority 00:13:23.690 --> 00:13:26.990 over all things, and he says it before he's even 00:13:26.990 --> 00:13:31.029 had time to filter it. The one who felt like 00:13:31.029 --> 00:13:34.090 he missed it, the one who said, I will not believe, 00:13:34.649 --> 00:13:37.990 is now saying, my Lord and my God. And it makes 00:13:37.990 --> 00:13:42.389 you wonder though, if what felt like a delay 00:13:42.389 --> 00:13:47.950 was actually part of how God was revealing something 00:13:47.950 --> 00:13:52.320 deeper. Because in that moment, the one who felt 00:13:52.320 --> 00:13:55.600 like the outsider is the one who speaks the truth 00:13:55.600 --> 00:13:59.399 that no one else has said that clearly. And that's 00:13:59.399 --> 00:14:02.299 where all of this has been leading, but it doesn't 00:14:02.299 --> 00:14:05.860 stop with Thomas. Because Jesus says something 00:14:05.860 --> 00:14:09.019 that takes this moment and opens it up far beyond 00:14:09.019 --> 00:14:12.700 that room and everybody inside of it. He says, 00:14:12.899 --> 00:14:17.610 have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed 00:14:17.610 --> 00:14:21.529 are those who have not seen and yet have believed. 00:14:23.110 --> 00:14:26.190 He's not rebuking Thomas for the experience that 00:14:26.190 --> 00:14:29.669 he just had. He's not pushing him away. He's 00:14:29.669 --> 00:14:33.610 widening the circle of who this moment is meant 00:14:33.610 --> 00:14:36.769 to bless. Because not everyone who would follow 00:14:36.769 --> 00:14:40.590 after him was going to be in that room. Not everyone 00:14:40.590 --> 00:14:43.629 was going to see what Thomas saw. Not everyone 00:14:43.629 --> 00:14:47.029 was going to touch the wounds. And that's where 00:14:47.029 --> 00:14:50.470 this becomes hope for us. Because we were not 00:14:50.470 --> 00:14:53.710 there. We didn't see Jesus walk through the door. 00:14:53.889 --> 00:14:57.610 We didn't hear His voice in that room. And yet, 00:14:58.169 --> 00:15:03.370 we're still being invited to believe. That's 00:15:03.370 --> 00:15:06.210 why this was written. So that those who were 00:15:06.210 --> 00:15:09.490 not there might still come to know who Jesus 00:15:09.490 --> 00:15:12.820 is. might still come to trust Him, might still 00:15:12.820 --> 00:15:15.740 have life in His name, which means that that 00:15:15.740 --> 00:15:19.820 moment was never just for Thomas. His moment 00:15:19.820 --> 00:15:25.259 was for you and for me. The one who thought he 00:15:25.259 --> 00:15:28.720 missed it became the one who helps the rest of 00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:34.519 us see. And that's how God so often works. We 00:15:34.519 --> 00:15:37.850 don't all have the same experiences. We don't 00:15:37.850 --> 00:15:40.110 all come to faith in the same way or at the same 00:15:40.110 --> 00:15:43.590 time. But Jesus is still speaking, still revealing, 00:15:44.110 --> 00:15:47.169 still making himself known. And sometimes the 00:15:47.169 --> 00:15:50.350 moments where we struggle the most, the moments 00:15:50.350 --> 00:15:54.490 where we feel the most unsure, become the very 00:15:54.490 --> 00:15:58.009 moments that God uses to reveal something true. 00:15:59.110 --> 00:16:02.330 But not just for us, for others who need to see 00:16:02.330 --> 00:16:06.649 it too. Because our faith... is never meant to 00:16:06.649 --> 00:16:12.490 stop with just us. So the question becomes, what 00:16:12.490 --> 00:16:15.830 do we do with this? What do you do when you find 00:16:15.830 --> 00:16:18.690 yourself in that place, where you're not sure 00:16:18.690 --> 00:16:22.149 that you're rejecting it, but you're just not 00:16:22.149 --> 00:16:26.529 there with it? Maybe it starts with something 00:16:26.529 --> 00:16:31.990 simple. Being honest. Honest about the questions. 00:16:33.139 --> 00:16:35.659 Honest about the doubts. Honest about where you 00:16:35.659 --> 00:16:38.840 actually are. Because that's exactly where Jesus 00:16:38.840 --> 00:16:42.100 met Thomas. And maybe part of that means not 00:16:42.100 --> 00:16:44.960 carrying it alone. Maybe talking with someone. 00:16:45.519 --> 00:16:48.399 And hey, I am happy to grab some coffee with 00:16:48.399 --> 00:16:51.159 you all. I love it. I will put plenty of cream 00:16:51.159 --> 00:16:53.279 and sugar in it. Do not make fun of me, or at 00:16:53.279 --> 00:16:57.220 least not to my face. But there are others here 00:16:57.220 --> 00:17:00.419 too. Our elders, our deacons, our Stephen ministers. 00:17:00.759 --> 00:17:03.059 People, if you see them with the name badge on, 00:17:04.240 --> 00:17:08.119 just people who want to care for you. Because 00:17:08.119 --> 00:17:12.220 that's exactly where Jesus met Thomas. See, there 00:17:12.220 --> 00:17:15.880 are people who have wrestled, who have struggled, 00:17:16.240 --> 00:17:19.200 who have asked the same questions. It's not just 00:17:19.200 --> 00:17:22.500 you. There are people who would be glad to sit 00:17:22.500 --> 00:17:25.759 and not rush you through it. Because maybe it 00:17:25.759 --> 00:17:29.740 means those spending more time in God's Word. 00:17:30.079 --> 00:17:33.779 I mean, not just what we speak here, but maybe 00:17:33.779 --> 00:17:36.960 when you go and open it for yourself, and read 00:17:36.960 --> 00:17:38.900 it, and sit with it, and wrestle with it, and 00:17:38.900 --> 00:17:40.880 maybe sometimes yell if there's something that 00:17:40.880 --> 00:17:43.960 just bothers you. Because even if all you do 00:17:43.960 --> 00:17:47.619 is go back to these same verses and ask God today, 00:17:47.619 --> 00:17:52.039 show me what I'm not seeing yet. Because maybe 00:17:52.039 --> 00:17:55.279 for some of you though, maybe you're in a season 00:17:55.279 --> 00:18:00.250 where you have clarity. Maybe you have confidence, 00:18:00.730 --> 00:18:05.970 and maybe if that's you, then don't overlook 00:18:05.970 --> 00:18:09.470 the people around you who might be where Thomas 00:18:09.470 --> 00:18:13.410 is. The ones who are quiet, the ones who are 00:18:13.410 --> 00:18:16.150 unsure, the ones who may feel like they've missed 00:18:16.150 --> 00:18:19.150 something. Because sometimes what they need is 00:18:19.150 --> 00:18:22.430 not an answer. Maybe they need someone who's 00:18:22.430 --> 00:18:25.890 willing to stay with them. All of these are ways 00:18:25.890 --> 00:18:29.569 that God draws people back. not by forcing belief, 00:18:30.349 --> 00:18:34.849 but by meeting them right where they are. Because 00:18:34.849 --> 00:18:37.910 in the end, this is not about having everything 00:18:37.910 --> 00:18:40.849 figured out. It's about the one who comes to 00:18:40.849 --> 00:18:44.670 you, the one who knows what you've said, the 00:18:44.670 --> 00:18:46.730 one who knows what you're struggling with, the 00:18:46.730 --> 00:18:51.329 one who knows why you're so hesitant, and still 00:18:51.329 --> 00:18:56.589 comes to you because he loves you. Not to push 00:18:56.589 --> 00:19:01.529 you away. not to shame you, to meet you. The 00:19:01.529 --> 00:19:04.650 one who says, peace be with you. The one who 00:19:04.650 --> 00:19:06.990 meets you in the middle of your questions and 00:19:06.990 --> 00:19:09.930 doesn't leave you there. Because Jesus did not 00:19:09.930 --> 00:19:12.930 just rise for all those certain people who act 00:19:12.930 --> 00:19:15.930 like they have it all figured out. He rose for 00:19:15.930 --> 00:19:21.130 those of us because we struggle. He rose for 00:19:21.130 --> 00:19:24.269 the ones who question. He rose for the ones who 00:19:24.269 --> 00:19:27.089 feel like they missed it. And the same one who 00:19:27.089 --> 00:19:30.230 came back for Thomas is the same one who comes 00:19:30.230 --> 00:19:34.750 for you so that you may believe and have life 00:19:34.750 --> 00:19:38.329 in his name. In the name of Jesus, amen.