Introduction & Welcome
Alleluia! Christ is risen.
Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia!
The Easter season is a week of weeks, seven Sundays when we play in the mystery of Christ’s presence, mostly through the glorious Gospel of John. Today we gather with the disciples on the first Easter, and Jesus breathes the Spirit on us. With Thomas we ask for a sign, and Jesus offers us his wounded self in the broken bread. From frightened individuals we are transformed into a community of open doors, peace, forgiveness, and material sharing such that no one among us is in need.
Thanksgiving for Baptism
Refreshed by the resurrection life we share in Christ,
let us give thanks for the gift of baptism.
We thank you, risen Christ, for the waters where you make us new,
leading us from death to life, from tears to joy.
We bless you, risen Christ, that your Spirit comes to us in the grace-filled waters of rebirth,
like rains to our thirsting earth,
like streams that revive our souls,
like cups of cool water shared with strangers.
Breathe your peace on your church when we hide in fear.
Clothe us with your mercy and forgiveness.
Send us companions on our journey as we share your life.
Make us one, risen Christ.
Cleanse our hearts.
Shower us with life.
To you be given all praise,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God,
now and forever.
Amen.
Confession and Forgiveness
All may make the sign of the cross, the sign marked at baptism, as the presiding minister begins.
Blessed be the holy Trinity, ☩ one God,
the keeper of the covenant,
the source of steadfast love,
our rock and our redeemer.
Amen.
God hears us when we cry and draws us close in Jesus Christ. Let us return to the one who is full of compassion.
Silence is kept for reflection.
Fountain of living water,
pour out your mercy over us.
Our sin is heavy, and we long to be free.
Rebuild what we have ruined and mend what we have torn.
Wash us in your cleansing flood.
Make us alive in the Spirit to follow in the way of Jesus,
as healers and restorers of the world you so love.
Amen.
Beloved, God’s word never fails.
The promise rests on grace:
by the saving love of Jesus Christ,
the wisdom and power of God,
your sins are ☩ forgiven, and God remembers them no more.
Journey in the way of Jesus.
Amen.
Prayer of the Day
Almighty God, with joy we celebrate the day of our Lord’s resurrection. By the grace of Christ among us, enable us to show the power of the resurrection in all that we say and do, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
First Reading: Acts 4:32-35
While the apostles testified to others about the resurrection of Jesus, the early Christian community shared what they owned or sold their possessions to help their fellow believers who were in need.
32Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. 33With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. 35They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
Psalm: Psalm 133
How good and pleasant it is to live together in unity. (Ps. 133:1)
1How good and how pleasant it is,
when kindred live together in unity!
2It is like fine oil upon the head, flowing down upon the beard,
upon the beard of Aaron, flowing down upon the collar of his robe.
3It is like the dew of Hermon flowing down upon the hills of Zion.
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing: life forevermore.
Second Reading: 1 John 1:1–2:2
The opening of this letter serves as a reality check. The reality of God is light, but our confessed reality has been sin. God cleanses us from our sinful reality through Christ’s death so that we live in fellowship with Christ and walk in God’s light.
1We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—2this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us—3we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
5This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; 7but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
2:1My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia. Blessed are those who have not seen* and yet have come to believe. Alleluia. (John 20:29)
Gospel: John 20:19-31
The story of Easter continues as the risen Jesus appears to his disciples. His words to Thomas offer a blessing to all who entrust themselves in faith to the risen Lord.
19When 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.” 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
24But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25So 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.”
26A 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.” 27Then 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.” 28Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31But 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.
Meditation by David O’Brien
Alleluia! Christ is risen.
Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia!
We’ve all heard the story of Thomas and his doubts. We even refer to someone who is skeptical of something that we are convinced of as a “doubting Thomas”. I’m not so sure that’s being fair to Thomas. After all, look at how the disciples were in hiding on that Easter evening. Some of them had even seen Christ after His resurrection and had told the others. But still they were hiding behind locked doors for fear of what the Jews were going to do to them. (If Christ can rise from the dead, do the disciples really need to fear anything the Jews could do to them?) I don’t think this is unreasonable after witnessing Christ’s horrific death. Even after Christ comes to them, they didn’t accept that it was Him until He had shown them the scars in His hands and side. Then, they rejoiced as there could be no doubt about His resurrection! During this encounter with the disciples, Christ sent them into the world to be witnesses to the good news! Thomas wasn’t among them at this event and had a hard time accepting what he was being told by his fellow disciples. They believed because they had seen the risen Lord and Thomas had not seen Him. So he wanted the same proof that the others had been given. Is that really so hard to understand? Jesus didn’t seem to be offended by this. In fact, He merely told Thomas that he should stop doubting and believe. Thomas responded by being the first to proclaim Christ’s divinity saying, “my Lord and my God!” It seems he was cured of his doubts to me. The Bible doesn’t mention Thomas much after that, but it seems, from reading other historical references and Gnostic texts, that he may have traveled to India to share the good news of Christ there. The Acts of Thomas didn’t make it into the Bible, but it’s interesting to read anyway.
Doubts can be a healthy thing. I saw an ad on the internet for a nice shed for only $80.00! I thought that was a great deal and I ordered one. A year and a half later, I’m still waiting for it to be delivered. I’m pretty sure it’s not coming. Had I paid attention to that little voice inside my head saying, “if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn’t true”, I might have saved myself some money and good deal of aggravation. Charlie Brown could use a good dose of skepticism whenever Lucy offers to hold to the football for him to kick. Working in corrections, I’ve become very skeptical of the things the people on my caseload say to me. This has served me well in most instances. Trusting a guy with a history of abusing his wife when he says he has completed his anger management classes, might not be such a good career move. I think it’s a good thing that I require some proof of the offender’s statement. Not just for me, but also for any woman he might be involved with and for society at large. Some people have even made a living preying on this human tendency to be skeptical. Although it might be legal to “short sell” a stock when you’re pessimistic about its ability to perform as promised, it’s still a sign of skepticism.
It’s human nature to have doubts. We want to know the answers when so much of faith is about mysteries that can’t be solved by human intellect. I think that Thomas truly wanted to believe, he just had a hard time getting past his need for some form of proof that what the other disciples saw was in fact Jesus Christ. After receiving that proof, however, he became one of the fullest and firmest believers in the risen Lord. Thomas overcame his doubts and became faithful unto death in his witness for God. We emerge victorious as we wait on God to reveal Himself to us. Do you have doubts? Keep doing your best to stay faithful. Keep trusting, following, serving and praying. God will reveal himself. He will show you the nail prints.
Prayers of Intercession
Alive in the risen Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, we bring our prayers before God who promises to hear us and answer in steadfast love.
A brief silence.
You shower your church with grace, O God. Grant that grace to Daniel and Elizabeth, our bishops, and Howard, our pastor, and to the whole church on earth, so that with one heart we will testify to the resurrection of Jesus Christ with power and love. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
You proclaim the blessing of life forevermore. Like dew upon the mountains, refresh your creation. Restore waters, cleanse the air, and provide revitalizing moisture to parched land. Give your whole creation the promise of new life. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
You direct the nations, O God. Guide all in authority, that they shepherd their peoples in the ways of your love. Defeat in us our impulse to war. Bestow the peace of Christ upon those in authority and breathe upon them the Holy Spirit. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
You place within the heart of the church a spirit of sharing. Give us the power of your generous Spirit, that we provide for the needs of others, especially those we remember on our prayer list, and those who we hold in our hearts. Announce your peace to those who are lonely, hurting, suffering, or afraid. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
You give us fellowship with one another in this faith community of Grace. Shine the light of the risen Christ in our life together, so that we live in love for one another and our joy may be complete. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
You share the gift of eternal life. In thanksgiving and remembrance, we recall the lives and gifts of those who now live in endless joy. Unite us with them in resurrection hope. Hear us, O God.
Your mercy is great.
In the hope of new life in Christ, we raise our prayers to you, trusting in your never-ending goodness and mercy, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Together, let us profess our faith using the words of the Apostles Creed:
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead.* On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.
And now, as our Savior, Christ is teaching us, we boldly pray:
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, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Blessing
May our glorious God grant you a spirit of wisdom
to know and to love the risen Lord Jesus.
The God of life,
Father, ☩ Son, and Holy Spirit,
bless you now and forever.
Amen.
Dismissal
Alleluia! Christ is risen.
Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Go in peace. Share the good news. Alleluia!
Thanks be to God. Alleluia!
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