April 19, 2026
• Rev. Mindie Moore
Rise Week 2: Doubt and Faith
John 20:19-29
Today is Confirmation Sunday and in our 11am service we are confirming 5 students (SLIDE) who have been on a year-long journey of faith together. I have had the absolute joy of getting to co-teach Confirmation with our Midtown Student Ministry Director, Shelby, and we have laughed together, we’ve learned a lot together, we’ve done dramatic reenactments of John Wesley together, and we’ve probably singlehandedly kept the Broad Ripple Hot Box Pizza in business together.
And at the core of our time together is we’ve explored what it means for these students to have faith. Faith that isn’t held by the adults in their lives, but is a faith that they own for themselves. We’ve looked at what it means that these young people are an essential part of our church community and how they show up here with the gifts that God has given them. And we’ve given lots of space for questions and wrestling so that faith can be something that can be examined and looked at critically. We’ve reminded ourselves over and over again that God is often in the places where we DON’T have answers. That God is in the places where our beliefs are challenged. That our faith is more than just having the right words or doing the right things but our faith is about truly following God, and all the ups and downs and twists and turns that brings.
These students and their mentors and Shelby and I have been on a spiritual journey together, and it’s led up to the milestone of Confirmation that we celebrate today.
And I think the story we’re looking at today, the story of a man who is often referred to as “Doubting Thomas” is an absolutely perfect story for Confirmation Sunday. Because it’s a story of a man who has been on an intense spiritual journey himself, and who is trying to figure out what he believes and what his place in the church should look like. It’s a story of a man who is trying to figure out how to have faith when the way Jesus is showing up makes no sense. And—maybe most importantly—it's a story of how Jesus is faithful and kind and generous to him.
So I want to set the scene a little bit for us so we understand what’s happening when we encounter this moment of doubt from the disciple Thomas.
We’re in a period of time that is happening after the resurrection. Jesus has died—we've been through the grief and chaos of the crucifixion. AND we’ve been through a different kind of chaos with the news of Jesus’ resurrection. A group of faithful women has seen the empty tomb and they’ve shared this unbelievable news with the rest of the disciples that this story has gone a completely different direction than any of them have anticipated.
And it’s GREAT news...but it’s also unbelievable. And because it’s so unbelievable, we see that it doesn’t really sink in for the disciples, at least not right away. And so we find them, when this part of the story begins, not celebrating...not continuing to spread this good news...not taking a moment to relax and breathe a sigh of relief.
No.
We find them hiding. In a locked room. Still scared. Still unable to fully hold on to the reality of what they’ve been told about Jesus.
It’s in this moment of hiding and fear that Jesus appears to them, somehow, in this locked room! And Jesus and this big group of disciples, they share this beautiful, powerful moment there. Jesus confirms the story the women have told; he shows them his wounds, and he gives them this charge to go and do ministry in his name. There’s so much joy and this room that has been a place of fear and grief is now filled with hope and possibility.
But someone is missing from this reunion. And it’s the person whose story we’re telling today: Thomas.
And I have to tell you, I FEEL for Thomas in this situation. He is dealing with not only doubt, but also some major FOMO (that’s fear of missing out if you’re not familiar with that). We don’t know where he was or why he missed out on this first appearance by Jesus, but for whatever reason, he has to hear about his AMAZING thing that happened from everyone else. Which if you’ve ever been in that situation, is kind of the worst! And when it’s something REALLY exciting, it can be hard to believe at first.
Earlier this year, Beck sent me a text and said: you’ll never believe who I just ran into while I was pumping gas. And I thought they were going to tell me it was someone from church, or a mutual friend. But I didn’t have time to guess because they texted me immediately and said, “OBI TOPPIN!”
To which I responded, “what? Really? No way!”
And it wasn’t necessarily that I didn’t believe them...I mean, I know Beck well. I trust Beck when they tell me things. And Beck’s not going to just randomly tell me they ran into a member of the Pacers and then not have done that, obviously. It just didn’t make any sense for the framework I had of how a random workday would go.
But I didn’t have to doubt or question for too long, because they immediately sent me this picture: (SLIDE)
Sometimes it helps our questioning when we have a little proof!
And that’s what Thomas is looking for when he joins up with the rest of the disciples in this same locked room a week later. They’re so excited to tell him who they’ve seen, they are all in on this resurrection thing...and Thomas is like...”what? Really? No way!”
Because this story does not make sense. It’s hard to believe. And what Thomas asks for here, in the face of all the questions and disbelief he’s holding, is what the rest of them say they’ve had. He wants an up close and personal encounter with Jesus.
One of the things I love about this story is the fact that (SLIDE) even with all of THOMAS’ doubts, his place in this community is never questioned. They still let him in, they want him to share in the thing that he missed, and Jesus, as we’ll talk about in just a minute, shows up to him.
This is such a powerful contrast to the narrative that I think we often hear in the church. Because sometimes we’re told that questions are scary and dangerous and that doubt is harmful to our faith. I know for some of you, because I know your stories, some of your big questions and big doubts have the reason you’ve not felt welcome in certain church communities.
I just don’t think that our doubts or our questions or even the moments when it seems really hard to believe are inherently harmful to a faithful life with Jesus or being part of a church community. And it’s not just my opinion—research would actually tell us the same thing. Several years ago, the folks at the Fuller Youth Institute did a big study on faith and doubt and specifically why some teens stick with church after they graduate high school and why some don’t. And a HUGE piece of that research showed that the ones who stuck with church into adulthood said that they knew that church was a safe place to ask their questions and to have their doubts. It wasn’t the questions that were a barrier to growing in faith, it was when the church shut those questions down.
Thomas’ community does not shut him down. And Jesus doesn’t stay away. In fact, Jesus gets himself back into that locked room, again, and he gets SO up close and personal with Thomas when he gets there. He looks him in the eye and he puts his wounds right in front of him. He responds to the very thing Thomas has expressed that he must be able to experience if he’s going to believe, and Jesus says, “go for it. Take what you need. Whatever it takes, let yourself believe this wild and wonderful thing that has happened.”
I’ve gotta say, I know we often call this story “The Story of Doubting Thomas.” But I really think we should be calling it “The Story of Generous and Faithful Jesus.” Because it’s really NOT Thomas who is the main character here—it's Jesus. This is so much more than a story about a guy who struggled to believe something. This is story about a God who meets someone exactly where he is and gives him exactly what he needs to keep going and to keep having faith. If you get one thing out of us telling this story today, I PRAY that it isn’t a chance to judge a man and his doubt, or feel shame about your own questions that you bring to the table, but that you let yourself have the opportunity to rejoice in how faithful and kind and good and loving our God is.
I guess I really hope you know, whether you’re a confirmand or an adult whose practicing your faith for a lifetime, that Jesus loves you so much that he is willing to meet you in any and all places you might be. And there’s really nothing that can keep Jesus away from us.
What I just love about this story is the way it takes place behind a locked door. Not once, but twice, Jesus gets through this barrier that his disciples have set up so he can be with them and meet them where they need him the most.
And who knows what exactly John wants to convey by pointing out the locked door...it might be to emphasize the fear, it might be to highlight the supernatural nature of a resurrected Jesus. But as I read it, I can’t help but think that this locked door reminds us that (SLIDE) there is not a single thing that is too big or complicated to keep Jesus from being present with us. I think sometimes we let ourselves believe that there can be these untouchable things in our faith that even God can’t reach. Like what if we ask too many questions, what if we go too far, what if we get lost and we can’t be found?
I really don’t think that’s how it works.
I want to tell you a story and it is so ridiculous, but my hope is that it’s the kind of story that helps you remember what we’re talking about today. So you may know that we have a poodle. Pepper. She makes many sermon appearances here at Midtown. And Pepper is a dog who loves herself some carbohydrates. We don’t willingly GIVE her carbs but she will go to great lengths to obtain them.
One day, we had this box of Costco croissants on the counter. I love a Costco croissant. And these croissants were in this sort of clamshell case, you know the plastic kind where the lid locks together, it like snaps into place. And there was no moment when I ever had the thought that this dog could somehow get IN the locked case. She does not have thumbs. She is beautiful but not that bright. This wans’t a thing!
Untl I found her, later that afternoon, chilling in the living room enjoying one single Costco croissant. SOMEHOW she was determined to get through that locked case and get to the thing she loved. And she did it! She would not, could not, be deterred.
The love that my dog has for a croissant, the determination and dedication that she will show to get to what she loves...it’s remarkable, it defies all logic...and it doesn’t even come close to what we see with Jesus.
Jesus cannot, will not be deterred from drawing near to us. If you are ever afraid that whatever you bring to the table is just too much—I'm talking too many questions, too many doubts, too much fear, too much anger, too much cynicism, too much hurt, too much baggage, too much whatever...I just want you to know that it’s not true. Because our God is not that small. The love of our God is not that fickle.
9am ONLY: And when we let ourselves RECEIVE that love, when we live in that love, things like doubt can actually open the door to deeper faith. That is certainly the case with Thomas. When he confronts his doubts head on, when he stays close to Jesus as he holds all of his questions and disbelief, he RECEIVES the love of Jesus and he has this powerful faith confession.
He says, “My Lord, My God!” and his heart is full. He experiences what his friends have had the week before, and it changes his life.
What we know about Thomas is that he goes on to become someone who is committed to sharing the story of Jesus. Early Christian tradition says that he traveled the world, spreading the Gospel.
Doubt was not the end of his faith story, and it does not need to be the end of ours. In fact, sometimes I wonder if (SLIDE) God gives us doubts as a way TO strengthen our faith. What would happen if we could let ourselves embrace these doubts and let them be the path towards a deeper connection with God and with each other through the Church?
As we close today, I want to lead us through a moment of prayer and reflection. I want to give us a little bit of space for our doubts and our questions and the faith journey that we’re on. And as we pray, I want you to remember this—God is faithful to us. God is GOOD to us. And nothing will ever get in the way of that love.
Let’s pray:
God as we think about our faith and we look at our world and we take stock of these lives you’ve given us, we take it all in while holding our questions and our doubts.
Jesus, we hold these things before you right now. We know you hear us. We know you receive us with everything we bring to you.
(quiet)
And God we know that sometimes we need an extra encounter with you and your grace. You know what that looks like for each of us...you know the tender parts of our hearts that long for you or feel afraid. Let your Spirit speak to us in this quiet space.
(quiet)
Help us know the depths of your goodness, loving God. Let it wash over us in this moment. Even when there is so much we AREN’T sure of...let us be sure of this: you are loving. You are kind. You are faithful in each and every season.
You are our God. With us, for us, always near.
Amen.
____________________________________
11am ONLY: Confirmands, we spent a whole year together asking questions, wrestling with doubts, and trying to grow in our connection to Jesus. Today you’re making this really important commitment—you're wearing your stoles you made, which symbolize your commitment to following Jesus. And that’s something you get to do and grow in your whole life long. And I hope as you continue to grow in your faith, you would hold to what we’re talking about today. That you would know that you are so loved. That God is so near. And that you are safe to bring all your everything to our God and know that God’s faithfulness will always be for you.
And as we as your church live in community with you, I hope you experience us as an extension OF the love and faithfulness of God. This is a place where you can be exactly as you are. All that stuff we say about you belong, NO MATTER WHAT...that applies to you! We love you, we honor who you’re becoming, and we are grateful for what YOU teach all of us adults about our faith.
YOU, each and every one of you, are such an important part of this faith community. And we are so excited to celebrate you through your Confirmation today.