In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

     Let it never be said that I'm not man enough to acknowledge my errors, when I make them. And I think I was mistaken when I said, in Adult Class, or at Monday Book Study, that many colleges, universities and campus ministries are named for St. Thomas, the Doubting Apostle. That's not entirely correct, because most colleges and universities are named, not for St. Thomas the Apostle, but for St. Thomas Aquinas-even though they don't make that distinction in their names-usually, they're just named, "the University of St. Thomas". However, it does seem to be quite common to name campus ministries after Thomas the Apostle, as is the case with our campus ministry at Colorado State, because of Thomas' doubts and questions, and Lord knows, college students today-and most youth today, are full of doubts and questions! Which is why I particularly like having our Confirmation Sunday, the Second Sunday of Easter when the Gospel text is always the account of Doubting Thomas. That, and it also gets some folks to show up right after Easter, on a Sunday when many people seem to figure, "Hey, we went to church last week-we can't go two weeks in a row!" But that's only a secondary consideration for us-the first is the fact that the Second Sunday of Easter is always, the Sunday of Doubting Thomas. And having Confirmation today allows us to affirm that even after being confirmed, we can have doubts and questions and wonder about the reality of Christ's resurrection. Because, the Lord also knows that even we adults, especially we adults, have questions, and wonder about the reality of resurrection-His-and ours! And for some of us, the reasons are just the same as those of Thomas. We weren't there-we weren't there with the women at the tomb-we weren't together with those first apostles when Jesus appeared, the first time, in the Upper Room. And for some of us, seeing is believing. For some of us, whether from Missouri or not, we say, "show me"! Show me, and prove it to me, and I'll believe-that's the way some of our minds work. And Jesus says, to Thomas in our gospel account, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." And that's true, especially for us, in our world-that it is with the eyes of faith that we must see-since we have not the opportunity to turn back the clock two thousand years, we are not yet able to time-travel and join Bill and Ted in an excellent adventure back in time, to stand with Mary Magdalene, and Peter, and the others, to witness Jesus risen from death that first Easter Day. Pope Benedict XVI, himself asks in a homily on Easter, "How can we approach the Easter faith? How can we bring the message to ourselves, or ourselves to the message, so that a bit of darkness is dispelled and we learn to live anew-because Jesus has been resurrected?" The martyr-bishop Ignatius of Antioch, in his letter to the Romans, addresses these concerns when he writes, "Christianity is not the work of persuasion, but of real power." Ignatius says, faith is not about being persuaded-faith in the resurrection is not about this proof, or that proof-it's not about being able to scientifically, empirically prove the fact of Jesus' resurrection. Rather, faith in the resurrection comes from experiencing, receiving, resurrection power-from Jesus Himself, the Risen One. But, how does that happen? How does one experience, receive that great power, from Jesus, Himself, so that one comes to faith?

     I've always felt that it's not a small thing that in both instances recorded in our Gospel lesson, the earliest Church, the infant Church, yet to be constituted as the Church, was gathered on Sunday. And one Sunday Thomas was not there, and one Sunday Thomas was there-and not coincidentally, when Thomas was not gathered with the disciples, he misses seeing the Risen Jesus. The second Sunday, Thomas is meeting with the disciples, and lo and behold, Jesus appears again in the midst of them, where two or three are gathered in His name-and this time Thomas sees Jesus, and Jesus bids Thomas put his hand in his side, and his finger in the mark of the nails. And in this encounter, Thomas experiences, receives the Resurrected Jesus, and faith is the response. Thomas says, having been in the presence of Jesus Risen from death, "My Lord and my God!" And doesn't this event-say to Christians who have come after-some important things about Jesus and the coming together of believers and our experience of the Risen Jesus, and how it is that we come to faith in Him?

     It says that in the Church, post-Easter, we will struggle with the fact of the resurrection. It says that we will yearn for our own first-hand experience of Jesus crucified and risen. It says that we will doubt and waver, in our human desire for undeniable proof and scientifically verifiable fact. It says that some of us will have a difficult time coming to belief, without having seen, with our own eyes, and touching with our own hands, the nail holes in Jesus hands, and the wound in His side. There is great comfort in the experience of Thomas, because some of us so readily see ourselves, in him. But just so, there is also great comfort and encouragement in the other aspects of this encounter, as we see that there will be those who will believe, even though they have not seen. And there is great comfort and encouragement in the truth presented here-that when disciples gather on Sunday, Jesus will show up! That Jesus is risen, precisely so that He will be with us, when two or three gather in His name-that Jesus incarnates Himself in Word and Sacrament, to be present for us in the means of grace, that we may receive Him, His very Risen presence, in the Word, written, read and preached, and in His Body and Blood, broken and poured out for us-so that we may believe. While Jesus says, "blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe", still, He offers to Thomas His hands and His side-just as Jesus offers Himself to us, every time we gather-saying to you and to me, "put your finger here and see my hands; reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt, but believe!" That's why Jesus is risen-and that's why Jesus continues to incarnate Himself in flesh and blood, in word and sacrament-to be with us even to the close of the age.so that we will not doubt, but believe! While we may have questions and wonder about this odd occurrence called, "resurrection"-while we struggle at times with the reality of it, and how that reality impacts me, and what the future might hold for me, with regard to resurrection and new life and new hope-still, what Jesus desires for us is not doubt, but belief! And He gives Himself to us, for this reason, only. He gives Himself to us, that we might believe. That we might, ourselves, come to the response of faith.

     There is a great painting by the other Michelangelo-Caravaggio, in which Jesus is not just showing Thomas the wound in his side-not just allowing Thomas to touch it gingerly, just brushing the edges as if saying, "touch it, but not to hard"-rather, Jesus has taken Thomas' hand, and stuck it in the wound, deeply, so that when you see the image of it in the painting, it makes you cringe-because Jesus has pushed Thomas' finger in up to the knuckle! And you get the distinct message-Jesus is impressing upon Thomas, "Hey, this is me-I was crucified-now I'm risen, and alive, and standing with you right here, right now-this-is your new reality!" And that's what Jesus says to us, as He incarnates Himself, again, in this Upper Room, this Sunday, seven days after Easter Sunday. Jesus doesn't stand off at a distance-He doesn't float around in the rafters, or sit, nestled on one of those massive light globes. Jesus doesn't appear among us, but remaining at arm's length so that we won't get too close. Rather, He takes our hands, and sticks our fingers in His wound, up to the knuckle. He gives us His own flesh and blood, broken and poured out for us, so that we can know, so that we will not doubt, but believe. Truly, the Lord's Supper is that kind of direct, authentic, slap-you-in-the-face, bring you back to reality experience-not to prove the resurrection through fact or empirical evidence, but through the real power of Jesus' real presence, as St. Ignatius puts it. That we come to faith, to belief, not through persuasion, but through real power-through the real power of Christ present among us. Through the real power of Jesus shoving our fingers into His wounds, giving us His flesh and blood to eat and drink-so that we will not doubt, but believe. And today, there is nothing else offered in this Sunday service to strengthen your faith and encourage your belief, but, the real presence of Jesus Christ, in Word and Sacrament. There is no imaginative skit, no ground-pounding band, no heart-moving, tear-jerking video segments on large screen projection system, aimed at generating emotion or creating a desired response. What we have to offer, is what Jesus comes here to offer-Himself-Jesus only-Jesus alone. Jesus' real presence-Jesus' wounded hands and side. Jesus' Body and Blood, broken and poured out for you. That's what can bring us from doubt, to belief-Jesus, and Jesus only. Our worship is centered on nothing else, but Jesus-crucified and risen-Jesus, truly present among us, to bring us, to faith. And for our confirmands being confirmed today-and for each of us as we struggle and doubt in life-may faith be for us, now and throughout our lives, Jesus only! Jesus risen to bring us-belief and faith, and peace! Now and always!

     In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.