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Dear St. Lukers,
This Saturday, the 152nd Kentucky Derby will take place at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Twenty horses, along with their owners, trainers, and jockeys, will step onto one of the most iconic stages in sports. For a brief two minutes, everything they have prepared for will be tested. The race is about tradition, celebration, and proving something. Each competitor is there to demonstrate speed, strength, discipline, and the possibility of greatness, including a shot at the Triple Crown. The Kentucky Derby reminds us how much we value proof.
We want proof that something is real, proof that something works, and proof that something can be trusted. We look for proof in our work, in our relationships, and even in our faith. We’re often not satisfied with simply hearing about something, because we want to experience it for ourselves in a way that feels certain and personal.
That same desire shows up in our text this Sunday (John 20:24-29). Here, Thomas is not present when Jesus first appears to the other disciples after the resurrection. When they tell him, “We’ve seen the Lord,” he refuses to believe and does not accept their testimony alone. He responds by saying, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my finger in the wounds left by the nails, and put my hand into his side, I won’t believe.”...
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