anything but that, o lord, anything but that

After the Minister of Music had done his job of assisting the individual consciousnesses of the folk showing up for Sunday morning service to move from scattered personal interests to a more unified attentiveness through the singing of hymns, and the announcements made, the tithes and offerings collected, and a rousing rendition by the choir of "Jesus Saves," he arose and stood behind the pulpit.

Many had their Bibles in their hands ready to turn to the text he would announce.

"I am going to do something different today," he said. "Some of you are not going to like it. But I ask that you listen to the spirit of what I am saying and you will recognize the same spirit that flows through the orthodox version of the Bible.

"I wish to tell you a story that comes from the Acts of Thomas, a beautiful work that contains the powerful 'Hymn of the Soul.' It is not the Hymn of the Soul which I wish to address today. I will do that at a later time.

"A little background first. Many writings of the early Christians exist which were not included in the writings selected by the group of men that set themselves and their choices up as orthodox and all others as heretics. We are beginning to see their short-sightedness. They threw out many precious babies with the rejected bathwater. The Acts of Thomas is one.

"I could have told you the story I am about to tell you without telling you its source. I even considered telling it to you and revealing its source later, but that felt too much like trickery. I am up front with you and always will be.

"The disciples were gathered together in Jerusalem after Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection to determine who should go where in the world to carry out Jesus' commandment to go into all the world and preach the gospel, the good news. India fell, by lot, to Thomas.

"We know Thomas, right? He had a stubbornness in him that we might recognize in ourselves. He was the disciple who said he would not believe that Jesus had come back from the dead unless he could touch the wounds in Jesus' hands and put his hand in Jesus' wounded side. So it is not surprising that his response to going to India was this: "but he would not go, saying that by weakness of the flesh he could not travel, and 'I am an Hebrew man; how can I go amongst the Indians and preach the truth?'"

"Sound familiar? Not only do I recognize this same reluctance in myself and all us humans to not follow what we are called to do, I am also reminded of the story of Jonah and his refusal to obey what he was asked to do. We know how that turned out.

"Thomas went home firmly resolved to not go. He was not let off the hook so easily. Jesus appeared to him that night and said: 'Fear not, Thomas, go thou unto India and preach the word there, for my grace is with thee.'

"Thomas replied: 'Whither thou wouldst send me, send me, but elsewhere, for unto the Indians I will not go.' A stubborn man. We might hear that echoed in ourselves: 'I will do anything you require of me, O Lord, but not that to which I am truly called.'

"I suppose Thomas thought that might be the end of it. But Jesus is far more stubborn than Thomas.

"This time Jesus appears at noontime; the time when earth's business is being carried on. He appears to 'a certain merchant come from India sent from the King Gundaphorous (an actual historical person who reigned over a part of India) to buy a carpenter and bring him unto him.'

"The plot thickens!

"Jesus, in human form, walked up to the merchant in the noontime  marketplace and said I hear you are looking for a carpenter. The man said yes. Jesus said: 'I have a slave that is a carpenter and I desire to sell him.'

"Now at this point in my initial reading of this story, I burst out laughing. The audacity of Jesus! Thomas, who has promised to follow Jesus everywhere and thus in one sense, the slave of Jesus (Jesus is his Master), is being sold by Jesus into slavery. Thomas is going to India!

"The story continues: 'And so saying he showed him Thomas afar off, and agreed with him..., and wrote a deed of sale.'

"Jesus then went to Thomas and led him over to the merchant who asked Thomas if Jesus was his master? Thomas said yes. At which point the merchant said I have bought you and we are going to India.

The preacher bursts out laughing once again and many of the congregation do the same.

"And guess what? Thomas said okay!

"The next morning, Thomas rose early, in prayer, and said: 'I will go whither thou wilt, Lord Jesus; thy will be done.'

"And Thomas left with the merchant bound for India taking nothing with him except 'his price,' the money the merchant gave to Jesus to buy Thomas. 'For the Lord had given it unto him, saying: Let thy price also be with thee, together with my grace, wheresoever thou goest.'

"Amen, And may it be so with each and everyone of us. Let's stand and sing the closing song: 'In the highways, in the hedges, I'll be somewhere working for my Lord.'"

And the congregation did. And the preacher was not run out of the church for using a non-canonical text for his sermon.