535. St. Thomas Hymn

Another "backfill" in my Heroes of the Faith hymn project, this feast on Dec. 21 (per the Lutheran Service Book; it's July 3 in Roman Catholicism) commemorates the apostle who was absent when the resurrected Jesus first appeared to His disciples, and who famously wouldn't believe them when they told him Whom they had seen. But a week later – and note that well, it figures in the lessons for the first Sunday after Easter – he was with them when Jesus appeared again, and Jesus offered him the look-and-touch test he had avowedly held out for. And then, as the Gospel lesson for the feast (John 20:24-29) tells us, Thomas immediately confessed his faith in the words, "My Lord and my God!" After which Jesus gently chided him for his seeing-is-believing attitude.

That's most of what we know about Thomas from Scripture. Both his Aramaic name and his Greek "a.k.a.," Didymus, mean "twin." The synoptic gospels only mention him once each, in a list of the 12 apostles. John gives him a couple of lines, including the melancholy remark, "Let us also go, that we may die with Him," in John 11; and the question, "Lord, we do not know where you are going, and how can we know the way?" in John 14. He was also in that group that met Jesus by the Sea of Galilee in John 21 (see also St. Andrew); and he was with the other 11 surviving apostles when Matthias was selected to replace Judas Iscariot in Acts 1. The rest is folklore and tradition, such as the belief that he was killed with a spear in India. And there are also a couple of apocryphal (and heretical) gospels attributed to him.

Other readings for St. Thomas' day, according to LSB, are Judges 6:36-40 (where Gideon puts God to the test) and Ephesians 4:7-16, obnoxiously omitting verses 8-10. Someone needs to shake that lectionary committee to its senses, in my opinion. So, on to the hymn!

Our Lord and God, arisen from Your rest,
Forgive us when we put You to the test.
Bear with our weakness, as when You spoke peace
To Thomas, that in faith we may increase.

When we are weak, encourage us by sign
And sermon to believe Your grace divine,
Still giving men to shepherd us and teach
Such faith that we might in Your nailprints reach.

For in full view of Thomas and the ten
You freed the captive, giving gifts to men;
You rose above the skies, all things to fill,
Your presence and Your peace to bring us still.

Our Lord and God!—We join in Thomas' creed—
In You is life and light and all we need;
Grant that we be on all Your riches fed,
And grow in truth and love to You, our Head.

ART: Martyrdom of St. Thomas by Peter Paul Rubens, public domain.