Can I Get a Witness?

Rebecca Sheridan
Sunday, April 27, 2025
John 20:19-31
 

“We are witnesses to these things,” Peter preaches in front of the Sanhedrin (the religious court) in Jerusalem in our first reading from Acts this morning.  It is still Easter!  Easter is a season of fifty days, and we are focusing on how we experience the risen Christ in our lives today while we also read stories from our gospels and the book of Acts about the early Church and Christ appearing to people post-resurrection.  What does it mean, though, to be a witness?
Some of you, perhaps, have signed a marriage license as a witness to a marriage, typically as the best man or maid of honor.  God forbid, you may have seen a car accident or crime committed and stayed until the police arrived on the scene to share what you saw as a bystander or witness.  We might think of our favorite crime TV series where court convictions dramatically ride on the passionate testimony of witnesses.  In general, a witness is someone who can give a firsthand account about something they saw.  In our reading from Acts, Peter IS one of those people who saw and spoke with the risen Christ.  After the women, he is the first disciple to have seen with his own eyes the empty tomb and Christ’s burial cloths laying there.  On trial for his faith that Jesus is the Son of God here in the book of Acts, he bravely bears witness to his faith and no longer denies Jesus as he did before his crucifixion.  Peter is a great example of a Christian witness to Jesus’ resurrection, testifying faithfully about Jesus.
But then, there’s Thomas in our gospel for today.  Doubting Thomas, we call him, even though he is never given that title in the gospels.  Thomas is relatable as one of us, because he wonders how he can possibly be a witness to the risen Christ if he hasn’t seen him for himself.  He hasn’t put his finger in the marks in Christ’s hands or touched his wounded side.  It is difficult to believe without seeing, Thomas observes.  It is difficult to witness to the power of Christ’s resurrection when you haven’t seen it for yourself.  If witnessing is primarily about seeing and sharing what you see, then, how can he be a witness?  And, by extension, how can we be witnesses, either?  Thomas makes some practical, good points here.  Thomas is the one in the room who isn’t afraid to say what others might be thinking.  We, too, I would guess at times struggle to claim our role as witnesses as Christians.
What I love about Thomas’s story is that Jesus is not in the room when he tells the other disciples that he needs to see and touch Jesus’ crucifixion wounds or he won’t believe, but when Jesus appears again, Jesus immediately knows what Thomas needs to believe.  Jesus empowers Thomas to become a witness to his resurrection – “put your finger here,” Jesus says!  “Reach out your hand!  Do not doubt, but believe.” Thomas’s confession of faith is a true and powerful one – My Lord and my God!”  Jesus helps Thomas to have faith, and Jesus encourages we who have not seen to have faith, too.
Thomas is the brave one who voices the difficulty of believing without seeing – that it is in fact difficult to trust that resurrection is real and possible not only for Jesus, the son of God, but also belongs to us, too – that one day we will join Christ in heaven at the feast that has no end, that death is not something to be feared, but is a new beginning.  Today, Jesus invites us to be witnesses to our faith without seeing firsthand for ourselves.  The Christian witness is not so much about seeing, but about sharing how our faith in Christ has made a positive difference in our lives without a firsthand account.
This past week Pope Francis died, and pretty immediately stories came out about his Christian witness – washing the feet of prisoners and even Muslims.  Advocating for mercy for immigrants, the poor, and environmental stewardship.  Even in his death, his witness carries on in his request to be buried outside of the Vatican in a simple wooden box as “one of the people.”  Like Peter, it is easy to point to someone as holy as the Pope and lift up his Christian witness.  At the same time, like Thomas, maybe we are a bit intimidated to embrace this identify of a “Christian witness” if we compare ourselves to the Pope.  Like Thomas, we may doubt our ability to be a good witness.  Peter, in his sermon in Acts, uses the plural “we.”  “We are witnesses.” Still today, Jesus encourages us to share our faith with a world in need not perfectly, not pretending like we never have doubts or struggles in our faith, but honestly, like Thomas.
2000 years after that first Easter, we have not seen the risen Christ ourselves, but we have come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.  Why? How?  We all have a story we could share.  Perhaps we grew up in a Christian family and have always had a sense that God is with us.  Maybe you have a powerful conversation story of a time when you did not have faith, but someone or a particular experience drew you to faith.  The stories we have to share may not be earth shattering, but you may be surprised at the impact they might have on others.  I was reminded recently of a time where I was surprised into being a witness for Christ.  I had a good friend in college who was a committed atheist – didn’t we all? Or we were that atheist in college. Anyway, we were talking one day about Jesus (I was probably more arguing) and he said, “So you really believe this stuff, huh?” And I said, “Yes I do.” I don’t know when along the way he came to be a Christian again but he did.  There were many other things happening in my friend’s life outside of my influence or short testimony. But to this day, we both still talk about that conversation.  That was the day that I knew God wanted to use me as a witness, not because I was somehow holier or smarter or even had that dramatic of a story to tell, but because God could use me – God used Peter, who denied Christ, after all, and Thomas, who doubted.  God can use us as witnesses, too.
The reason people come back to church or come to church for the first time studies consistently show is not because a pastor invited them, or because the church has a nice website and great social media postings.  98% of people come to church and come back again another time because someone (ordinary!) invited them.  Personal invitation – we’re not even talking “witness” per say, but a simple question, “Would you like to come to church with me?”  Thomas shows up that second Sunday after Easter because he wants to be among his friends in a place where he can ask questions and learn more about this risen Jesus.  Jesus shows up in a surprising way.
So the last question when we think about our own stories of experiencing Christ’s resurrection and sharing our faith as witnesses is, what kind of witness is God calling us to be?  When Christ first appears to the disciples his first words are “Peace be with you.”  He gives the disciples the gift of the Holy Spirit, including the power to retain and forgive sins.  You know the old song, “They will know we are Christians by our love?”  Well, do people know we are Christians by our love, or by our hate? Are we witnesses to the promise of new life in Christ, or to death?  Do people know we are Christians by our commitment to bring about peace in the world, for the way we practice mercy and forgiveness, or for our hypocrisy, our judgment, or our legalism?  The way that we witness to Christ may not be as significant as Peter or the Pope, but it still definitely matters. As we like to say here at Faith, you matter to God, you matter to us.  We are witnesses!  Thanks be to God!  Amen.