[Doubting Thomas the Believer Sunday] joy sadhana

Following up on Wednesday, Jeff M. preached this morning. He mentioned that while we in the West talk about "Doubting Thomas," in the Eastern Church he is "Saint Thomas the Believer."

Our opening hymn was #253, so I noticed #254 on the facing page, whose first verse is: "These things did Thomas count as real: the warmth of blood, the chill of steel, The grain of wood, the heft of stone, the last frail twitch of flesh and bone." I don't much like most of the rest of the hymn ("These Things Did Thomas Count," Thomas H. Troeger) but I do like that opening verse.

Our Unison Prayer of Confession:

Holy Jesus,
We thought we had lost you
But you broke open your tomb in victory.
It fills our hearts with joy
When we are able to see it.

Forgive us, God, that the truth of Easter is so hard to accept.

We confess, Jesus that we sometimes doubt resurrection.
We see the wounds of the world and despair.
We forget that your resurrected body still bore the marks of the cross.

We confess, Jesus, that when we doubt, we feel lost.
We turn our faces away from you in shame and lock the door out of fear.
We forget that doubt is an invitation to touch you more deeply.

Forgive us, God, that it takes so much convincing for us to hope.

***

"Joy Sadhana is a daily practice in the observation of joy."
-mylittleredgirl [more info]
Jesus said, "Those who seek should not stop seeking until they find. When they find, they will be disturbed. When they are disturbed, they will marvel, and will rule over all." (The Gospel of Thomas 2:1-4)

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