Show a short clip from the film The Shawshank Redemption, where Andy Dufresne plays Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro over the prison tannoy system
(1 hour 4 minutes into the film). In just a few moments, and at a cost to himself, Andy transformed the lives of those prisoners. As Andy’s friend put it: ‘Every man in that prison felt free.’

In our Gospel story, Thomas is transformed when he meets Jesus in the closed room. Invite people to help you recall the story. What is the key moment for Thomas? We are not told whether Thomas actually does touch Jesus, but he certainly can see – his perception, his understanding, is transformed. He says: ‘My Lord and my God.’ How does Jesus respond? What does he say? Who is the message for?

As we ponder these questions, we might ask if we are transformed when we are in Jesus’ presence. Does our experience of Jesus transform not only our own lives, but also those of people around us? What might stop us being transformed?

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