On this Mother’s Day, our sermon examines the relationship between faith and doubt based on Matthew 13:53-58, using the faith of Jesus’ mother, Mary, as our example.

Let’s take a quiz.  Pick one.  Doubt is (a) the worst sin imaginable, (b) a terrible weakness that derails people’s faith, (c) a great benefit and encouragement to our faith, or (d) an essential and necessary part of our faith.  Here’s my advice: if you want to start an argument in a church, ask a question like that.  If I had to guess, most of us would argue that doubt is a bad thing, a really bad thing.  Want some proof?  Would any of us want our kids to have serious doubts about their faith? I didn’t think so.  Some of us, on the other hand, believe that doubt, when applied properly, can actually strengthen our faith.  Want some proof?  Look at the faith of Doubting Thomas! So, what is the correct answer to the quiz?  That’s what we will be trying to resolve in our new series, “Doubting Thomas’ Faith.”