My colleague Bob Puckett is away this week, attending the wedding of his grandson in Florida. I think Bob was anxious to get away not only because of all the joyful excitement surrounding the wedding, but perhaps also because of the fiasco he was involved with up in the mountains this past week.

It seems that Bob - along with our founding Pastor, Dr. Carl Burke - decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather to get in a little hiking and camping up in the Smokies. The first night they were there, they sat around the campfire for several hours, toasting marshmallows and singing old cowboy songs. Really old cowboy songs. It was a joyful time. But soon it got to be bedtime, so Carl and Bob doused the fire with water, slipped into their tent and bundled up in their sleeping bags. Before long, they were snoring away.

It must have been about three in the morning when Carl nudged Bob.

Bob wheezed and snorted and opened his eyes. "I am now!" he moaned.

"Look up at the sky and tell me what you see," said Carl.

Bob gazed heavenward. "I see millions and millions of beautiful stars," he replied.

"What does that tell you?" asked Carl.

"Well," Bob mused, "astronomically, it tells me there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three in the morning, Eastern Daylight Savings Time. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. And, of course, theologically, it tells me that God is all-powerful and a God of perfect order whose glory is reflected in the heavens. What does it tell you, Carl?"

Carl answered, "Puckett, you numbskull! It tells me SOMEONE HAS STOLEN OUR TENT!"

There comes a time in each of our lives when astronomy, astrology, horology, meteorology, theology and all the other onomy's, ology's and osophy's must give way to reality. And in these days of Easter, its important for us to not get so involved in theoretical discussions about the resurrection, that we miss the more important issue of what the resurrection means - in reality - to ME.

What does Christ's being raised from the dead have to do with how I live and think and act? What does it have to do with my being a parent? A spouse? A church member, a neighbor, a friend, a teacher, a computer programmer, a military officer, a retired person? What does the resurrection mean to me as I struggle through a problem with my child, or with a serious illness, or with a broken relationship. What does Christ's resurrection have to do with my response to the war in Yugoslavia, the genocide of Albanian refugees, the poverty and suffering of people in third world countries, or how I can make a difference in Loudon County, Tennessee?

What does the resurrection mean - in reality - for me?

This morning, I want to invite you to explore this question as we take a look at the resurrection of Jesus through the eyes of the disciple Thomas. Sometime back in your early Sunday School days, you may have been introduced to him by his nickname - doubting Thomas. But today, I wonder if you can put away this stereotype you were taught as a child, and take a look at the Thomas experience through more mature eyes. And to discover in this story of Thomas not life in theory, but life as it really and truly is.

Thomas just wasn't sure about the resurrection of Jesus. Despite what others said, he had great doubts. He was very uncertain. "Unless I see for myself the nail prints, and touch with my hands the wound in his side, I will not believe," Thomas said.

And I think Thomas represents a lot of people I know. Including myself. We've heard all the theologizing done by others, but the basic question of Easter for us is not "What do others think?" but "What does the resurrection mean for ME?"

And that's the question that's addressed in this marvelous story in the Gospel of John.

The book of John, you know, is a collection of true stories about Jesus and his dealings with people like you and me. These stories have been put together for one reason and one reason only. John 20:31 says, "These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing, you may have life in his name."

That you may believe, and that by believing, you may have LIFE in his name! That's the goal!

What does the resurrection of Jesus mean for you and me?

Why, it means life! And the Bible so wonderfully describes this life of the resurrected Christ. It's called by a variety of names to differentiate it from the life we already have. New life. Abundant life. Eternal life! It is life that is greater, more powerful, and more fulfilling than anything you can create or achieve on your own. It is - for instance - marriage that rises to a higher dimension than humans - by themselves - are capable of. It is parenthood that is strengthened and undergirded with additional resources not otherwise available. It is friendship that goes deeper than friendship normally does. It is living - and dying - with a new component of life that changes everything.

I spent two days this week up in Columbus, Ohio with Sue Long's family. Sue died last Saturday after a heroic struggle with leukemia. And as family and friends gathered to say "good bye" to Sue, and to give thanks for her life, wonderful stories were shared. Many of them had to do with the difference Jesus made in Sue's life, and several of them were about how she dealt so gracefully and powerfully with her illness. In fact, many of the stories told were similar to my own experience with Sue when she first told me about her disease. None of the conventional treatments were working. She had decided to go up to the National Institutes of Health to be part of an experimental program. I'll never forget that afternoon before she and Chuck left for Bethesda, Maryland when Sue looked me straight in the eye and said, "I'm really hoping and believing the treatments will work and that I'll get a cure." And then Sue paused, as if reflecting. Then she continued, " But if it doesn't work…it will be okay."

And there was a certainty in her words. It was surely not bravado. It was a testimony. Sue completely believed that her life - whichever direction it took - was safe with God.

A day or two before she died, Sue's sister Dorcas called her at the hospital. "How are you doing, honey?" she asked.

"I'm dying," Sue answered.

Dorcas began to weep. "I wish I could be there, to see you again." Then, from the other end of the line, Sue said, "Don't feel badly, honey. It will be okay. And you know, I have people to see there, too."

Life in the face of death... and life in the face of life!

New life. Abundant life. Eternal life.

One of our faculty at the Stetson University Winter Pastor's School last February was Will Campbell. Will is what I would call a modern day prophet. His belief in Jesus has carved out for Will a new life of such depth that his writings have inspired millions, and his actions have changed the lives of countless people. Here is a man who, because of this Christ-dimension residing within him became a key figure in the struggle for Civil Rights. And yet, despite rising up as a champion for the rights of blacks, Will Campbell is also known as a chaplain to the Ku Klux Klan! Now how can this be? How can one stand with those who need their rights protected, and yet also with those who seek to take them away? This is not how life normally goes!

Well, I think you can only do something like that if you take Jesus really seriously. If you truly believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, and that if you do what he tells you to do, he will somehow bring life out of it. And, of course, one of the things Jesus tells us to do is to love our enemies. In Will Campbell's case, one of those enemies - a Grand Dragon of the KKK - just happened to be his own brother. And so, Will says, he goes and does their funerals and prays with them when they're going through hard times. And he looks them in the eye and calls them to Christ. And he loves them whether they respond or not, trusting that only God can change a person's heart.

That's not life the way most people live it.

But that is life the way Jesus offers it. New life. Abundant life. Eternal life!

So how can you and I get this new life?

Thomas was so much like us. For one thing, he happened to be away, and not with the other disciples when the risen Christ showed up last week on Easter. That's how my life runs, too. I'm always showing up a day late and a dollar short. When Sandy and I bought our first house up in Massachusetts, the economy was booming. Real estate values were skyrocketing. Our friends urged us to buy to get in on the good times. So we bought. And then the market crashed. Most of our friends bought low and sold high. We bought high and sold low. That's the story of our lives. And that's Thomas' story, too. The other disciples were in the right place at the right time when Jesus showed up. But Thomas was out buying beer.

Sound familiar?

And, in reality, you and I have not had a chance to personally see the risen Christ. Like Thomas, we just weren't there when it happened.

But even so, the Thomas story tells us it can happen! Even though Easter was last week, Jesus is still going around revealing himself to people this week! And even though Thomas' story occurred nearly two thousand years ago, Jesus is still going about, looking for people who are willing to receive him. One of the most beautiful promises in the Bible is in Revelation 3:20 where Jesus says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in…!"

How can we get this new life? First, by inviting the risen Christ to step through the closed doors of our lives. You know, this is a prayer that never goes unanswered. You may not feel it, you may not even be aware of it at first. But when you ask Christ into your life, he comes.

A second thing we see in the Thomas story is that Jesus tells Thomas to do something. "Put your finger here, and see the nail prints. Reach out your hand and put it into the wound in my side."

Jesus invites Thomas to confront his doubts not by running away from them, but by probing Jesus' wounds. In a sense, he asks us to take our doubts, and hold them up to the Cross! You wonder if God loves you? Well, take a close look at the wounds in Jesus' hands! Then make your answer. You question whether your enemy is worth forgiving? Well, reach out and touch the scar in Jesus' side and then make your response. You think your marriage is not worth saving, or your child is beyond help, or that war is inevitable, or that death is the end, or that life has you in such a deep pickle that you'll never get out of the barrel? Lift up your eyes and drink in the Cross! What does it tell you about all your worries and doubts and uncertainties?

Thomas had to take his doubts, and touch them against Jesus' wounds. And when he did, answers began to come. And Thomas fell down and cried, "My Lord, and my God!"

Invite Christ in. Confront your fears by touching his wounds.

And finally, believe.

You know, belief is not the opposite of doubt. Believing is an action you can choose to take that results in overcoming your doubts. And the highest and most powerful belief you can ever take hold of is that Jesus is who he said he is. The Christ. The Messiah. The Son of the living God.

And believing in Jesus is not just an intellectual exercise. It is an ongoing series of actions you take. It is a life-long process of responding to Jesus.

For one thing, believing in Jesus means learning and doing what Jesus told us to do. It means beginning to live as Jesus told us to live. It means beginning to put God first in your life and screening your decisions through the question "What is God's will for me in this?" It means beginning to replace your old values with God's values. You'll spend a great deal of time thinking about what's important to God, and figuring out how to make them important to you. It means becoming Christ-like in your relationships with others. Laying your life down for others. Loving them even when it hurts. Forgiving them for their fallen humanity, and trying to find ways to work around it. Praying for them. Trying to represent God's love and hope to everyone!

And believing in Jesus means you'll step out into frontiers where ordinary people don't want to go. Loving your enemies. Committing to non-violent peacemaking. Standing up for people no one else will stand up for. Believing that good will eventually triumph over evil.

And as you do all these believing things…the Bible promises that something will begin to happen inside you! Life will begin to stir!

New life! Abundant life! Eternal life!

Easter is believing.

And believing is the doorway to life!