The Second Sunday of
Easter
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Prelude, Welcome, and Information Hymn
#365 Jesus Christ
Is Risen Today |
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Christ is risen! He is risen
indeed! The grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you
all. And also with
you. Psalm: Psalm 150 Praise
the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament! Praise him
for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his surpassing greatness! Praise him
with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him
with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him
with clanging cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let
everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord! |
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The Lord be with you. And
also with you. Let us pray. O God of life, you reach out to us
amid our fears with the wounded hands of your risen Son. By your Spirit’s
breath revive our faith in your mercy, and strengthen us to be the body of
your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. |
Reading:
Acts 5:27-32
A reading from the book of the Acts of the Apostles
When they had brought them, they had them stand before the council. The
high priest questioned them, saying, “We gave you strict orders not to
teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and
you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.” But Peter and the
apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. The
God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a
tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might
give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to
these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey
him.”
The Word of the Lord
Reading:
Revelation 1:4-8
A reading from the book of Revelation
John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from
him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are
before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the
firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who
loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a
kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion
forever and ever. Amen. Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will
see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the
earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,”
says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
The Word of the Lord.
Gospel
Verse:
Alleluia! Blessed are those
who have not seen and yet have come to believe. Alleluia!
Gospel Reading: John 20:19-31
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!
A reading from the Gospel of John
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors
of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews,
Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he
said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced
when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As
the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed
on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the
sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are
retained.” But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was
not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have
seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his
hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I
will not believe.”
A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with
them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said,
“Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see
my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but
believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to
him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not
seen and yet have come to believe.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the
presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these
are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son
of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise
to you, O Christ.
Sermon
(added at the end of the document)
Hymn
#619 I Know That My Redeemer Lives!
Thanks and Offertory
Prayers of the Church:
Lord, we believe; help our unbelief! With that in
mind, we offer our prayers for the world, the church, and for all people
according to their needs.
[Short
pause]
God of New
Life, we trust that you will continue to be the giver of life here and now and
in our future with you. Lord, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
God of New
Life, we trust that you will grant us your saving presence in our daily
lives as we hope for your gift of the fullness of grace. Lord, in your
mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of New
Life, we trust that you will continue to show us the way to follow your
Son and care for your people all around us. Lord, in your mercy, Hear
our prayer.
God of New
Life, we trust that you will bless our homes and our town. Let us be
instruments of your mercy, remembering those in need around us. Lord, in your
mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of New
Life, we trust in your care for the peoples of Ukraine and Russia, of Iraq and
Afghanistan. We pray that wisdom and a true concern for justice and peace will
be granted to all the leaders and negotiators. Lord, in your mercy, Hear
our prayer.
God of New
Life, we trust in your concern for your people’s health. Keep doctors,
nurses, medical technicians, first responders, and all who work for the good of
the community in health and strength. Lord, in your mercy, Hear
our prayer.
God of New
Life, look with favor on all who minister in the name of your Son. Bless Bishop Michael Pryse and Eastern
Synod Office & Support staff. Lord,
in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
God of New
Life, we trust that all life, health, and blessing continues to come from you.
Hear the prayers we keep in our hearts… * … Lord, in your mercy, Hear
our prayer.
{*Rose Gotzmeister, Gail Mauer, Bill Ungar,
Deb Kirschner}
We trust in
the Risen Christ and his compassion. So, we commend all for whom we pray,
trusting in your love and grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Hymn #708 Jesu, Jesu, Fill Us With Your Love
The
Lord’s Prayer
Finally let
us pray for all things as our Lord would have us ask:
Our
Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done, on earth as it is in
heaven.
Give
us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against
us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For
thine is the kingdom, and the power,
and the
glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Closing prayer & Benediction
Pour forth,
we beseech You, O Lord,
your grace into our hearts;
that we t0 whom the incarnation of Christ
your Son was made known by the message of an angel,
may by his passion and cross
be brought to the glory of his Resurrection.
Through the same Christ, our Lord. Amen.
Hymn
#836 Joyful,
Joyful We Adore Thee
Sending
May the Lord
bless us and keep us.
May the
Lord’s face shine upon us with grace and mercy.
May the Lord
look upon us with favor and X give us peace.
Amen.
Go in peace.
Walk humbly with God. Thanks be to
God.
Services for
the next few months will be on YouTube and accessible from an email link or our
church Facebook page. Services for the month of May are as below:
May 1 No service – Pastor’s vacation
May 8
Communion, Saxonia Hall, 11:00am
May 15 Virtual Service on YouTube
May 22 No service – Pastor’s vacation
May 29 Communion, Church, 11:00am
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“Put your finger here and see my hands.
Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.”
·
We often are
quite severe with our judgement of Thomas, calling him “Doubting Thomas” and
saying “If I’d been there… well, you know!”
·
Still… would
we? I don’t know if I would. I doubt my own faith at times… note I said “at
times.” I doubt my fidelity all the time. What I’ve come to NOT doubt is God’s
grace and fidelity.
·
So Thomas
doubted and demanded proof and serious proof at that! He isn’t alone.
·
Here’s the
story.
·
One day in the
week before Holy Week, I went to lunch with another pastor. After that I
celebrated a service for the residents at one of the local nursing homes. So I
was gone from late morning to late afternoon.
·
When I got
home, I was told that our one cat, Pangur Ban, missed me. (Her name is Irish
Gaelic for “Bleached… Female” so she should be white, but she isn’t. That’s how
it goes. It’s also a historical name from a poem of the early Christian era.)
·
The little
cat meowed in the office where I work and then went downstairs to the family
room and meowed at my sitting chair. She then moved to where I sit to work on
my hobby and meowed there. My wife said she was looking for me since I was
supposed to be home! With the pandemic, the little kitty was used to me
being home and, darn it! Where was I?
·
When I did
come home, my wife picked up the cat and came over to me to show the critter
that I really was home. Well, she looked and then stuck out her paw to touch my
chest. I think she wanted to see if I were real!
·
(Despite all
the rumours to the contrary, I am real.)
·
If a cat
might do that, why wouldn’t Thomas wonder about the reality of the
Resurrection? He wanted to touch the resurrected Jesus, see his wounds, and
know he was real. I can’t blame him.
·
John goes on
to tell us the word of Jesus: “Have
you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and
yet have come to believe.” John add shortly after that: …these are written so that you may come
to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through
believing you may have life in his name.
·
Unless you
know something I don’t know, we have NOT seen and yet we BELIEVE. Jesus calls
folks like us “Blessed.” We might think that those who saw Jesus, knew him, and
ate with him were more blessed. Jesus assures us that we are included in the
number of the blessed and are even more blessed then those who were there when
it happened.
·
So we might
not feel especially blessed. It’s okay. If a kitten want to reach out and touch
her buddy who plays with her so she doesn’t climb the bookshelf, we can feel
alright if we want to touch the one who brought us new life and salvation. When
the time comes, if we want to touch Jesus’ wounds, he very will might let us.
·
‘Til then,
believe!
Now Jesus did many other signs in the
presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these
are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son
of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
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