Do Not Doubt, But Believe

Some of you may have seen a syndicated piece by Garrison Keillor that appeared in the Tribune a few weeks ago. He reflected upon his recent experience teaching high school Sunday School at an Episcopal Church in Manhattan. With the teenagers he talked about Jesus’ birth. God’s holy nativity that we celebrate this night. Listen to this one paragraph of his article.

"On Christmas Eve, the snow on the ground, the stars in the sky, the spruce tree glittering with beloved ornaments, we stand in the dimness and sing about the silent, holy night and tears come to our eyes and the vast invisible forces of Christmas stir in the world. Skeptics, stand back. Hush. Hark. There is much in this world that doubt cannot explain." [Chicago Tribune, December 5, 2007]

Skeptics, doubters, stand back. There is much in this world that doubt cannot explain. Christmas may be the most powerful time of year in our lives to learn that truth. There is much in this world that doubt cannot explain. Things that can only be explained by the invisible forces of Christmas astir in the world.

There are a number of saints’ days that tend to get lost in the Christmas rush. Our own patron St. John the Evangelist is one of course. His feast day falls two days after Christmas on December 27. Another is St. Thomas, whose day is December 21. Hard with only four shopping days left until Christmas to pause and reflect upon Saint Thomas, doubting Thomas. But in this holy season that sweeps away doubt, he is worth remembering.

You know the story. It comes to us from the Gospel written by our Saint John the Evangelist. The disciples are huddled in the upper room after Jesus’ crucifixion. "Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe." A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." Do not doubt, but believe. Then Jesus continued, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe" [John 20:24-29].

It has been said of Thomas [Lesser Feasts and Fasts] that he really wanted to believe in the resurrected Jesus but did not quite dare, based only upon the word of the other apostles. Both belief and doubt struggled within him. And when Jesus came back and gave Thomas a sign, letting Thomas see and touch his risen Lord, that sign did not so much create faith in Thomas, it released the faith that was already there.

May Christmas do the same for us. May Christmas be the sign, the trigger that will release the belief, the faith that, by God’s gift, is already within us. There is much in this world that doubt cannot explain. So do not doubt, as Jesus says, but believe. In this evening’s collect we give thanks that this yearly remembrance of the birth of God’s Son makes us glad. Let us also pray that this remembrance… the sights and sounds and rituals and experiences of this year’s holiday events… will be for us a sign to release our belief in the Savior’s birth.

There is much in the world that doubt cannot explain. Do you feel in the best times of this holiday season a generosity of spirit bubbling up within yourself that has no limitations or qualifications? A generosity that is not measured by whether or not you can afford to give and still have enough left… a generosity not contingent on any quality in the recipient… a generosity of spirit springing spontaneously out of the joy of sharing of yourself. Do you feel the purity of that generosity in yourself or see it in others where you might least expect it? Do not doubt the sincerity of that generosity. Do not brush it aside or discount it. Do not doubt, but believe. Our generosity at its purist is God’s generous gift of his Son, shared and reflected in us. To be able to be a participant in God’s own generosity is the Savior’s gift to us. It is part of the invisible power of Christmas astir in the world.

There is much in the world that doubt cannot explain. Do you feel, as you participate in the familiar rituals of Christmas, a sense of homecoming that is anchored more deeply than the foundations of the earth? Do you glimpse a home that richly enfolds not just your body, but your heart and soul, with indescribable comfort? Such a home is more than the warmth of the season. Do not doubt, but believe. Jesus has come to make his home with us, so that we may make our home with him.

In the annual celebration of Christmas do you feel, as you softly sing the candlelit melody of Silent Night, a sense of peace that seems unassailable by any care or discord? Do not doubt the strength of that peace. Do not doubt, but believe. The peace which passes understanding is come among us this night.

Archbishop Rowan Williams has written: "At the heart of the desperate suffering there is in the world, suffering we can do nothing to resolve or remove for good, there is an indestructible energy making for love." An indestructible energy making for love in the world. It is not always easy to see or know that love. But it is in the midst of all that Christmas is and does that we are most likely experience that love. Do not doubt, but believe. It is God’s love for us. Born into the world’s suffering to bear us through. A love more powerful, literally, than anything in the world, even death. God’s love is born this night.

The invisible forces of Christmas are astir in the world. On this holy night, do you feel just a tickling somewhere in your throat to sing in praise? Does this season work within you in some indescribable way, urging you to offer praise… praise to someone glorious, to something wondrous, to someone/something magnificent and joyous out there worthy of praise? Where can this internal urge to offer praise come from? There are things in this world that doubt just does not explain. But the birth of a baby named Emmanuel is something to sing praise about. So, do not doubt, but believe.

And let us join our voices with the angels in praise. For the angels say unto us: To you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude, praising God and saying, "Glory to God. Glory to God in the highest. And peace on earth, goodwill to all."