Anytime I watch TV, it seems like the all the buzz is on March Madness. It’s always exciting to see these last second wins where underdog teams barely pull victory from the jaws of defeat. Another reason that March Madness is popular is that there are no second chances. If you lose a game, you’re out. You can’t try again next week. No matter how the game goes, whoever has the highest score when the clock hits zero is the win. The loser goes home.

While March Madness may not provide second a chance, with Jesus Christ there is a second chance. God is not as rough as the March Madness tournament, but continues to extend his grace to us. Even when we do not bring our A-game, God still extends to us that second chance. We see in our text on Thomas that God extends those second chances.

The story of "doubting" Thomas is pretty familiar. Thomas hears that Jesus has been resurrected, but refuses to believe until he sees the wounds in Jesus and can touch them. However, Jesus provides Thomas with a second chance. When the disciples gathered together again, the resurrected Jesus appeared among them. Immediately Jesus says, "Peace be with you." Then Jesus turns to Thomas and holds out his hands. Jesus shows Thomas the marks on his hands and invites Thomas to touch them. However, Thomas does not do that. Just seeing Jesus was enough. The Bible says that Thomas yells out "MY LORD AND MY GOD!" He was no longer "doubting" Thomas, but believing Thomas.

Thomas was given a second chance to believe in Jesus Christ. Jesus then says, "Have you believe because you see me? Blessed are those who have not seen, and yet believe." This is a second chance for us. These words were not written to the disciples to us. Our belief in the resurrected Jesus comes from faith. Unfortunately Jesus has ascended into heaven, so we do not see the literal resurrected Jesus that the disciples did 2000 years ago. We believe by faith.

There may be times that we do doubt the Jesus has been resurrected. It could be in the form of Thomas’ doubt where we must have empirical evidence before we believe. Doubt can also be not placing our trust in Jesus. Maybe we only believe in Jesus when times are good, but trust only ourselves when times are bad. That is one way that we doubt the Word of God, that says Jesus is with us in midst of our suffering.

Even when we are "doubting" Thomas’, God extends to us a second chance. God invites us to bring our doubts to him and place them at the foot of the cross. Jesus comes into our presence and announces, "Peace be with you." He then blesses us eternal life and blesses us with the knowledge that he is with us even in the midst of suffering.

When times are hard and we have doubts, remember that God extends to us a second chance. While the March Madness tournament never extends a second chance, we are privileged to have a God that does. God gives us a second chance to believe in him again. That is what Easter is all about, the second chance to worship God again. We saw that God gave the disciples a second chance. We know that God will grant us that same second chance.

This second week of Easter, may God give us all a second chance, through his Son Jesus Christ. Amen.