Piece by Piece

John 20:19-31

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the *[authorities], Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’ But 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.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

__________

In 1954, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen (son of Ole Kirk Christiansen, founder of the LEGO Group) visited a toy exhibition in Britain. On his way home, he met someone who lamented the state of the toy industry, "What an industry this is - no system of any kind whatsoever!" This conversation inspired Godtfred to challenge what most companies offered children at the time: rigid toys with no room for creativity. Something was missing, an element empowering a child to create whatever they imagined. Godtfred's conversation led to the creation of the LEGO brick, a simple piece of plastic, but something that could make anything and everything again and again. The belief that one could build and rebuild, even piece by piece, mirrors the profound Easter message: the cycle of construction, deconstruction, and reconstruction as a metaphor for life, faith, and renewal.

I find it odd that we talk about faith as a journey, a journey with highs and lows, yet we are quick to judge Thomas as if we are on a spiritual or moral high ground. Thomas, a disciple of Christ, was not perfect, yet he embodies our daily struggles as we grapple with what it means to live a life of faith. How do we move from doubt to belief? How do we move from seeing to believing? While we want to have faith, we've experienced hurt from false hope. Playing with the pieces of our faith, we discover that things aren't as straightforward as we believe. And if we open our hearts, we'll learn that there is an invitation to empathize with Thomas, a figure representing an Easter faith that speaks to us today in a world that is hurting and fearful.

If you recall the Easter reading from Mark's Gospel, the women flee in terror and awe. The robed angel tells the women to go and spread the news of Jesus' resurrection. Still, they run, unable to immediately come to terms with their understanding of reality being turned around. The disciples, too, are locked away, fearing persecution, like the women who found the empty tomb; their carefully constructed faith shattered at the moment of Jesus' crucifixion (so it’s not just Thomans who struggles). The reality is that faith is not as simple as saying we believe; it requires constant attention and tweaking as we grow as individuals in our relationship to the divine, adapt to the world around us, and continuously learn to live as a community of people in the kin-dom of God. What does it look like to approach our faith this Easter season with open hearts to see where the Spirit is leading us?

Today's reading brings the touching story of Thomas' faith to light. Initially skeptical, Thomas found his faith rekindled through the divine intervention of God's Spirit, which carved out the necessary room for his spiritual restoration. This narrative of reconstruction might resonate with Godtfred, who saw his Lego factory reduced to ashes in the 1940s, only to rise again with the support of his family and workers. Contrary to the rigidness of some religious traditions, which demand total obedience and leave no room for the type of Easter transformation of Thomas, Scripture presents a tapestry of flawed individuals (there are seekers and doubters who are given the chance to question and explore, and even wrestle with God). Perhaps this Easter season, we ought to cultivate environments where individuals are encouraged to incrementally explore their faith and are free to raise questions without fearing judgment (and that includes us).

Because who here has never wrestled with their faith? Who here has never had a question or a doubt? Who here has experienced shame or judgment from others because they dare to ask questions like Thomas? The good news of the gospel is that there is freedom for us to build faith from scratch, to add to what we already possess, or to tear it down and start again piece by piece. It is a journey of discovery, one where questions are not only permitted but encouraged for our spiritual growth. This freedom encapsulates the heart of the gospel - a message of grace, love, and endless possibilities. In this spirit of exploration and curiosity, we find the true essence of faith grounded in the courageous act of questioning, dismantling, and rebuilding, always seeking a deeper, more authentic connection with our God.

I recognize that fatigue and weariness may overwhelm you at this point in life. But I challenge you this week to seek out something that motivates you (be it a talent or skill) and envision utilizing it to benefit your faith and someone else's faith. For Godtfred Christiansen, inspiration struck during a boat journey. A visitation from Jesus stirred the apostles and Thomas. For us, it could stem from the current circumstances we find ourselves in where the Spirit is using us for such a time as this. Let's begin with a single brick (this might represent an idea or a nascent thought) and build upon it (it might work, or we might need to try again). The point is that we take the next step of exploring our faith piece by piece as we delve deeper into the hope of Easter, the grounded hope that newness abounds.

*The word authorities is used to avoid the historical anti-semitic use of John’s Gospel.