Informal talk

There are many things in our modern society that we take on trust. A lot of us don’t really understand electricity, but we happily use it all the time. Unless we are financial experts, we probably don’t fully understand the workings of financial institutions, yet we depend on them to pay for things every day. Without such trust our society falls apart.

Faith operates in a similar way. We rely on the evidence of witnesses, and history, and the Scriptures that bring the stories to us. Those first disciples were convinced – by the resurrection appearances – that Jesus had broken the power of death. Some, such as Thomas, needed more convincing. He was not convinced only by being told; he needed to see for himself. But then, Thomas makes the strongest statement of any of them: ‘My Lord and my God!’

But what about us? We haven’t seen; yet we are here because we believe. Hold up a genuine banknote and a toy one (e.g. Monopoly™). Ask, ‘Which one would you rather have? Why?’ and gather some responses. Read what it says on the front of the banknote: ‘I promise…’ and draw attention to the signature and the bank’s name. As Christians we have to take on trust what those first witnesses believed about Jesus and his resurrection. It is a bit like the banknote – the Gospels tell a story and carry a promise. Some people will not take it immediately at face value. Some of us need to make sure that it is not counterfeit, or based on delusions. Some of us will keep testing it throughout our lives. But that’s all right – after all, the consequences of believing are truly
life-changing.