Easter People Thomas
Icebreaker
Tell us about a time you were in a season where you were going through the motions but not really sure you believed what you were doing. It doesn't have to be about faith — a job, a relationship, anything.
Read John 20:19–25 Together
Questions:
The disciples had already seen the risen Jesus and Thomas still wasn't convinced by their testimony. Why do you think secondhand faith wasn't enough for him? What does that tell us about how belief actually works?
Wesley said Thomas wasn't failing to believe he was refusing to perform the belief he didn't have. What's the difference between those two things, and why does it matter?
Read John 20:26–28
Question:
Jesus quoted Thomas's own words back to him even though he wasn't in the room when Thomas said them. What does it do to you to think that Jesus is present to our doubt even before he shows up in it?
Thomas's confession — "My Lord and my God" — is the highest declaration of who Jesus is in all four Gospels. And it came from the doubter. What does that tell us about what doubt can actually lead to when we stay honest?
Wesley said: "Doubt isn't a detour — it's just a stretch of road."
Has a season of doubt or hard questioning ever actually deepened your faith rather than destroyed it? What made the difference?
Thomas didn’t give into the pressure to “just believe” because he was a part of a community that never made people do so.
What does it look like in your Table and our church to continue to create space for people like Thomas?
Wesley said Thomas stayed. He didn't disappear into his doubt and that's what put him in position for the encounter.
Is there something you're tempted to walk away from right now: a community, a practice, a question you've been sitting with where the invitation might actually be to stay? What would staying cost you?
Application
1. This week, try naming your doubt or your questions honestly out loud, to God or to a trusted person in this group. What's one thing you'd say if you weren't trying to have it together?
2. Thomas stayed in the room. Who in your life right now is in a season of doubt or deconstruction and needs someone to stay with them in it; not fix them, not convince them, just stay? What's one way you could show up for that person this week?
Closing Encouragement
Reunion is not a community of certainty. We are a community of people willing to say, “I'm not sure and stay anyway.” Thomas is not a cautionary tale. He's someone to imitate. Thank everyone for helping us create a safe community for people like Thomas because we’ve all been like Thomas.
End with prayer.
