The Festival of St. Thomas, Apostle
Posted on December 21, 2024 by under
Scripture: St. John 20:24-31 (NKJV)
20:24 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”
28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
30 And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
Devotion
Today we remember the Apostle Thomas’ righteous and faithful confession of Jesus as his Lord and God. Saint Thomas gets an unfortunate name attributed to him: ‘Doubting Thomas’. People are told to not be a “doubting Thomas” when they question taking something as fact without any physical evidence being provided. If we are honest with ourselves, we all have to admit that in Thomas’ place we would also want to see what the other apostles had before accepting that Jesus had risen from the tomb and was appearing among them in His glorified body.
We are all doubters apart from the grace of God and His Spirit’s work in us. Saint Thomas, in verse 28, makes the confession of faith in Jesus that every Christian must make. Saint Thomas confesses to Jesus that He is his Lord and his God. Each of us is addressed and described by Jesus’ declaration about “those who have not seen and yet have believed.” There are far more of us today that have not seen and yet believe than there were in the 1st century, for most believers on that first Resurrection Sunday had personally interacted with Jesus Christ in some way.
Whether one was there to see the Lord in person before His ascension or not, all the faithful of His Church are brought to that belief and confession by God’s grace and power through His Holy Spirit and Word!
Collect: Grant, O Lord, unto Thy people a steadfastness in faith, that we might not be shaken by the doubts of the flesh, but ever be established in an unshakable hope in Christ Jesus, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for the Saturday of Ember Week in Advent
O God, Who seest that we are afflicted because of our iniquity, mercifully grant that we may be comforted by Thy visitation, Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for Gaudete Sunday
Lord, we beseech Thee, give ear to our prayers, and lighten the darkness of our hearts, by Thy gracious visitation; Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for the Season of Advent
Stir up, we beseech Thee, Thy power, O Lord, and come, that by Thy protection we may be rescued from the threatening perils of our sins, and saved by Thy mighty deliverance; Who livest and reignest with the Father and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
