Voice: Doreen
Today is Friday, 3rd of July. It is also St Thomas’s Day.
The night has passed, and the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and mind.
Silence is kept.
As we rejoice in the gift of this new day,
may the light of your presence, O God,
set our hearts on fire with love for you;
now and for ever.
Amen.
Psalm 92:1-9
It is good to give thanks to the Lord ,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
2to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
3to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre.
4For you, O Lord , have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy.
5How great are your works, O Lord !
Your thoughts are very deep!
6The stupid man cannot know;
the fool cannot understand this:
7that though the wicked sprout like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they are doomed to destruction forever;
8but you, O Lord , are on high forever.
9For behold, your enemies, O Lord ,
for behold, your enemies shall perish;
all evildoers shall be scattered.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as It was in the beginning, is
now, and shall be forever. Amen.
John 11:1-16
1Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. 3So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” 4But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.”
5Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was. 7Then after this he said to the disciples, “Let us go to Judea again.” 8The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just now seeking to stone you, and are you going there again?” 9Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. 10But if anyone walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.” 11After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” 12The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” 13Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. 14Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, 15and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.” 16So Thomas, called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him.”
This is the Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
That We May Die with Him
You have probably heard the expression, “Doubting Thomas.”
Thomas earned this reputation because of his response when the other disciples told him that the risen Jesus had appeared to them. He famously declared,
“Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.” (John 20:25)
Perhaps we have been a little unfair to Thomas.
He was not rejecting the truth. He was asking for the basis upon which he could believe it. In an age of social media, fake news and sophisticated scams, that is not an unreasonable response. Healthy faith is not gullibility. It is willing to ask honest questions in the search for truth.
In fact, John’s Gospel paints a much fuller picture of Thomas.
Earlier, when Jesus decided to return to Bethany despite the very real threat to His life, it was Thomas who quietly rallied the other disciples:
“Let us also go, that we may die with him.” (John 11:16)
These are hardly the words of a coward.
Later, in the Upper Room, after Jesus spoke about returning to the Father, Thomas voiced the question that everyone else was probably thinking:
“Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” (John 14:5)
It was an honest question from a sincere disciple. And because Thomas asked it, the Church received one of Jesus’ greatest declarations:
“I am the way, and the truth, and the life.”
Thomas was a man of courage, honesty and genuine faith.
Yet, like every other disciple, he failed when tested.
Peter, James and John could not stay awake while their Master agonised in prayer at Gethsemane.
Peter denied the Lord three times before the rooster crowed.
The rest of the disciples fled when Jesus was arrested.
The list of saints who have failed has continued to grow throughout two thousand years of Church history.
Recently, some of us visited places in England where men and women gave their lives rather than compromise the Gospel.
One particularly moving stop was the Martyrs’ Memorial site in Oxford. It was here that Thomas Cranmer, Hugh Latimer, and Nicholas Ridley were burned at the stake for their convictions.
Latimer is reported to have said to Ridley:
“Be of good comfort, Master Ridley, and play the man. We shall this day light such a candle, by God’s grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out.”
Had they yielded under pressure, the shape of the Anglican Church—and indeed many churches throughout the world, including Singapore—might have been very different.
Yet even among these heroes, we find inconsistency and weakness. Some recanted before finding courage again. Others wavered before standing firm. Their stories remind us that God’s servants have never been flawless.
Perhaps that is John’s point.
The Church has never been built upon perfect disciples. It has always been built upon a perfect Saviour.
Thomas is remembered not because he doubted, but because Christ met him in his doubt.
Peter is remembered not because he denied Christ, but because Christ restored him.
The Reformers are remembered not because they were fearless, but because God’s grace enabled them to persevere.
This should encourage every one of us.
There will be moments when our courage falters, our faith wavers and our resolve weakens. But our hope has never rested on the strength of our faith. It rests on the faithfulness of the One whom we follow.
May we have the courage of Thomas to say,
“Let us also go, that we may die with Him.”
Almighty and eternal God,
who, for the firmer foundation of our faith,
allowed your holy apostle Thomas to doubt the resurrection of your Son
till word and sight convinced him:
grant to us, who have not seen, that we also may believe
and so confess Christ as our Lord and our God;
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Be blessed by this song, Follow by Melodie Malone:
I give my life to follow Jesus
Captive to Christ, I know true freedom
I count it all joy to take up my cross
I’ll follow
These earthly wells have left me thirsty
All worldly wisdom comes up empty
Only Your word and only Your ways
I’ll follow
What a joy it is to follow Jesus
What a gift it is to bear His name
What an honor to choose surrender
And make Him my everything
When the darkness brings its questions
When trusting You becomes a wrestle
I have resolved no matter the cost
I’ll follow
What a joy it is to follow Jesus
What a gift it is to bear His name
What an honor to choose surrender
And make Him my everything
What a joy it is to follow Jesus
What a gift it is to bear His name
What an honor to choose surrender
And make Him my everything
Yes to surrender
Yes to the altar
Yes to Your plans for me
Yes to correction
Yes to confession
Yes to refining me (oh, and)
Yes to Your blessing
Yes to anointing
Your Spirit alive in me (and)
Yes to salvation
And resurrection
Yes to eternity
What a joy it is to follow Jesus
What a gift it is to bear His name
What an honor to choose surrender
And make You my everything
And make You my everything
Lord, You are my everything
Link to today’s Morning Office
About This Daily Devotion
This weekday devotion is drawn from the Morning Office and is part of a project initiated by Revd Canon Terry Wong, with contributions from clergy and members across various parishes. Each entry includes selected readings from the appointed Psalm and another Scripture passage, accompanied by a reflection and prayer. An audio option is also available, often ending with a hymn or song. We encourage you to both read and listen. Unless otherwise stated, the reflections are written by Revd Wong.
Our aim is to help Anglicans engage more deeply with our rich liturgical tradition, while meeting the devotional needs of today’s believers. This project began on Ash Wednesday 2025 and is offered on weekdays only.
For feedback, please write to us at info@mpcc.org.sg. We also welcome donations to MPCC. Information on how you may give can be found in this link.
Daily Devotion 
Leave a comment