**Please note this service is based on the format of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada. Unless otherwise indicated, all prayers come from Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW). Hymns and other prayers have been sourced to give appropriate credit.
**NRSV translation used for the readings, unless otherwise stated.
Introduction to the day
In
spite of all we have heard and all we have seen, it is often hard to believe.
Because it is hard to believe, we will invest ourselves in the Easter mystery
for fifty days (a week of weeks). Because it is hard to believe, John the
evangelist will provide sign after sign celebrating Jesus’ victory over death.
Because it is hard to believe, the risen Jesus will return to us again and
again in the mystery of holy communion, inviting us to touch and taste his
presence, and offering us his peace.
Thanksgiving For Baptism
Alleluia!
Christ is risen.
Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia!
In the waters of baptism,
we
have passed over from death to life with Jesus Christ,
and
we are a new creation.
For
this saving mystery, and for this water, let us bless God,
who
was, who is, and who is to come.
We
thank you, God, for your river of life,
flowing
freely from your throne:
through
the earth,
through
the city,
through
every living thing.
You
rescued Noah and his family from the flood;
You
opened wide the sea for the Israelites.
Now
in these waters you flood us with mercy,
and
our sin is drowned forever.
You
open the gate of righteousness
and
we pass safely through.
In
Jesus Christ, you calm and trouble the waters.
You
nourish us and enclose us in safety.
You
call us forth and send us out.
In
lush and barren places, you are with us.
You
have become our salvation.
Now
breathe upon this water
and
awaken your church once more.
Claim
us again as your beloved and holy people.
Quench
our thirst; cleanse our hearts; wipe away every tear.
To
you, our Beginning and our End,
our
Shepherd and Lamb,
be
honor, glory, praise, and thanksgiving,
now
and forever.
Amen.
Gathering Song – Christ Is Alive! Let Christians Sing (ELW #389)
Greeting
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.
Canticle of Praise
Prayer of the Day
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 Saviour and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
Readings
A
reading from the Book of Acts 5:27-32
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.
Thanks be to God.
Psalm 118:14-29
The
Lord is my strength and my might;
he has become my salvation.
There
are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous:
“The
right hand of the Lord does valiantly;
the right hand of the Lord is exalted;
the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.”
I
shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the Lord.
The
Lord has punished me severely,
but he did not give me over to death.
Open
to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the Lord.
This
is the gate of the Lord;
the righteous shall enter through it.
I
thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
The
stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
This
is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
This
is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Save
us, we beseech you, O Lord!
O Lord, we beseech you, give us success!
Blessed
is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
We bless you from the house of the Lord.
The
Lord is God,
and he has given us light.
Bind
the festal procession with branches,
up to the horns of the altar.
You
are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God, I will extol you.
O
give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures forever.
A
reading from the Book of Revelation 1:4-8
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.
Thanks be to God.
Gospel
Acclamation
The
Lord be with you.
And
also with you.
The
Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John 20:19-31
Glory to you, O Lord.
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.
The
Gospel of the Christ.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
May only truth be spoken, and truth received. Amen.
Today’s
reading is one of four post-resurrection stories in the Gospel of John.
The
first is the Easter morning narrative, in which Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb
and finds the stone removed. She notifies Peter and the Beloved Disciple, who
then come but leave for their homes.
The
second story in John’s Gospel relates the appearance of the risen Jesus to Mary
Magdalene. Those two scenes are verse 1 through 18 in chapter 20.
The
next two stories make up the reading for today, the Second Sunday of Easter.
The
first takes place on the evening of Easter Day, an appearance of Jesus to his
disciples, when Thomas is absent. This scene opens with the disciples gathered
at a house in the evening of Easter Day in or near Jerusalem.
The
second narrates an appearance of Jesus to his disciples a week later when
Thomas is present.
No
explanation is given for the gathering of the disciples. The reason for the
disciples to meet behind locked doors is fear, but the effect upon us as we
hear the story is that we anticipate a miracle. We are not disappointed. The
resurrected Jesus appears miraculously.
Jesus
appears in the midst of the disciples and gives them the common Jewish
greeting: “Peace” (or “Shalom”). He identifies himself by showing his hands and
side. The reaction of the disciples is one of rejoicing.
A
commissioning follows. Jesus says that he had been sent by God, which leads
into the “Johannine Pentecost”.
According
to the Fourth Evangelist, the gift of the Spirit was bestowed on the evening of
Easter Day itself, not on Pentecost some seven weeks later, as Luke has it. The
disciples are immediately commissioned and given the Spirit as a power that
will enable them to witness to Christ.
Then
the authorization to forgive sins completes the series of events on Easter Day.
All
of these events are quite important, but it is the next scene that I’d like to
examine today.
That
scene opens with the disciples gathered again in the house on the following
Sunday, but this time Thomas is present.
After
Jesus first appeared to the disciples, they told an absent Thomas that they had
seen the risen Lord. Thomas was emphatic about not believing unless he had the
same experience.
When
Jesus later comes again to the house where the disciples were hiding, he
invites Thomas to see and touch the wounds in his hands and side.
He
does not humiliate Thomas but gives him what he needs.
Thomas
confesses: “My Lord and my God!”
The
final verse of the scene is a bit tricky. Jesus’ lays out a final beatitude, “Blessed
are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”
Is
Jesus rebuking Thomas for not believing without seeing?
But
Thomas didn’t doubt Christ, he doubted his followers.
He
doubted those that gave witness to the risen Christ, perhaps because they
showed no evidence.
Thomas
gets a lot of flak for doubting Jesus’ return, but the rest of the disciples
were no different.
They
didn’t believe Mary when she announced that she had seen Jesus. Instead, two of
them ran to the tomb to see it with their own eyes.
They
didn’t believe Jesus when he appeared to them in the room. They needed him to
show his scars.
Even
after encountering the risen Christ, they were locking themselves in a room. Is
there any wonder that Thomas didn’t believe them?
He
had to ask questions; he had to make sure.
So,
is Thomas really all that different from the rest of the disciples?
John
doesn’t say why Thomas isn’t in the room for the initial appearance of Jesus.
It
is assumed that Thomas was a doubter and lost his faith when Jesus died on the
cross.
But
put yourself in Thomas’ shoes.
How
would you feel after watching your teacher, mentor, friend die such a gruesome
death?
Maybe
Thomas preferred to grieve alone so chose not to go to the upper room with the
rest of the guys?
What
if Thomas, after watching Jesus die on the cross, wasn’t in the room with the
others because he had already gone back to his life?
Does
that make Thomas a doubter, or a realist?
Thomas
has been told by Jesus himself that by seeing Jesus he has seen God. So, when
the disciples tell him three days after the crucifixion that they have seen
Jesus alive, is it any wonder he wants to see for himself?
He
knows what seeing Jesus means. Seeing Jesus means seeing God.
Ah,
yes, you might say, but he doesn't just want to see him, he says he will not
believe until he does see him.
But,
here again, we see Thomas actually being faithful to Jesus. Because Jesus has
told the disciples, "Beware that you are not led astray; for many will
come in my name and say, 'I am he!' and 'The time is near!' Do not go after
them." (Luke 21:8).
Thomas
will not be led astray. He's going to test. He must see for himself. After all,
seeing is believing. He must ask questions; he must make sure.
Ultimately,
Thomas is both the one who sees and believes that Jesus has risen and
the one who has not seen, but believes beyond seeing that Jesus is Lord.
I
can relate to Thomas. I am a questioner, a doubter. My path to standing here
today is full of doubt, and questions, and searching. I have never stopped
asking questions.
Does
that make me less faithful to Christ, to God? Some might say so, but Jesus
himself tells us to not accept things on blind faith.
Truly,
doubt is the pathway to faith.
When
we doubt, we probe, question, and search.
Perhaps
Thomas started with doubt, but he ended with the greatest testimony of the
disciples, “My Lord and my God!”
In
Thomas, we see the pattern of Christian evangelism established from the
beginning of John’s Gospel. One person encounters Jesus. Then they share their
experience with the next person, who may express some reluctance. Then that
person experiences Jesus on their own and becomes convinced about him and then
shares the news about Jesus with the next person.
Andrew
tells Peter.
Philip
tells Nathanael.
The
Samaritan woman tells the townspeople.
“Come
and See” is the refrain.
With
respect to the witness of the resurrected Jesus, Mary Magdalene starts it off.
She encounters Jesus, shares the news; the others don’t really buy it until
they have their own experiences so that they can own the experience.
They
become convinced and then share it with Thomas. Like the other disciples,
Thomas doesn’t come to the fullest faith until he has his own experience.
Then
the story moves through the chain, and you and I are up next.
Thomas
makes his confession and, through this text, testifies to us. Now what will we
do?
Will
we hang in there with some level of interest and commitment until we encounter
Jesus in a way that moves us to the next level?
What
evidence do we show that there is a risen Christ?
If
all we do is lock ourselves in rooms (sanctuaries, churches, institutions),
then why would anyone believe that we have been changed by a miraculous
experience?
Do
we actually believe that Jesus breathes the Spirit into us, asking to work on being
disciples ourselves and then going into the world to talk about the faith and life
we have in Christ?
Or
do we prefer to sit in our locked rooms commiserating about what used to be?
If
nothing else, I hope that the story of Thomas shows us that Jesus’ plan is not
for us to sit in a locked room by ourselves.
In
the end, it’s not Thomas’s doubting that matters; it’s his believing.
Everybody
doubts; not everyone believes.
Jesus
addresses us who have not been eyewitnesses to the resurrection. We are also
blessed when we believe.
As
John affirms, the whole of the gospel is given to us to help us believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and to have new life in his name.
If
we are unable to talk openly and clearly about the life Christ has called us
to, then we will never be able to share that message with friends, family,
neighbours, and others that we meet each day.
We
will be less likely to believe the promise of new life that Jesus gives us.
And
we will be unable to share with others why our faith is meaningful to us.
A
life of discipleship calls us to our own spiritual growth, but also to sharing
that faith.
We
need to unlock the doors and stop hiding in familiar spaces hoping the rest of
the world won’t bother us. If we take resurrection seriously, then we need to
boldly and faithfully walk into the world knowing that God is waiting for us,
working with us, and blessing us as we minister to all of God’s creation.
And
we need to trust in the promise that God has already brought us into a new
life.
I pray that we become a believing Thomas. That while we may start in doubt, we become awestruck and moved to proclaim to world “My Lord and my God!”
Amen.
Hymn
of the Day – Robe of Calvary
Nicene
Creed
Let us confess our faith as we say together the Nicene
Creed.
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and
unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the
Father,
God from God, Light from
Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were
made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy
Spirit and the virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified
under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was
buried.
On the third day he rose
again
in accordance with the scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right
hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no
end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father
and the Son,
who with the Father and the
Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the
prophets.
We believe in one holy
catholic and apostolic church.
We acknowledge one baptism
for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection
of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Prayers
of Intercession
Set free from captivity to sin and death, we pray to the God of resurrection for the church, people in need, and all of creation.
Holy One who acts
righteously, equip your church as witnesses of your goodness to go and tell
others of your abundant love, that they may believe that Jesus is our salvation
and life.
God, in your
mercy,
hear our prayer.
Renew your
people’s commitment to use resources responsibly and to live well with your
creation. Invite us to recognize and nurture signs of resurrection life in the
natural world.
God, in your
mercy,
hear our prayer.
Direct those who
are given human authority to lead with humility and compassion. We pray
especially for our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and our Premier Heather
Stefanson. By your Holy Spirit channel their attention toward serving those who
are most in need.
God, in your
mercy,
hear our prayer.
Uphold your
children who cry out to you. Wherever people are overcome by the fear of death,
breathe into them your life and peace.
God, in your
mercy,
hear our prayer.
Inspire those
who lead your people in worship and praise. We pray for the National Lutheran
Bishop Susan Johnson, the Anglican Primate Linda Nicholls, the Interim Indigenous
Archbishop Sidney Black, the MNO Synod Bishop Jason Zinko, the Diocese of
Rupert’s Land Bishop Geoff Woodcroft, and all clergy and lay leaders within our
parishes. With joyful motion and sound, send us forth with praise that we
cannot keep to ourselves.
God, in your
mercy,
hear our prayer.
Give us the
words of your saints who, like Thomas, boldly confessed your Son as Lord and
God. With Jesus our leader, empower us to live according to his ways.
God, in your
mercy,
hear our prayer.
In your mercy, O
God, respond to these prayers, and renew us by your life-giving Spirit; through
Jesus Christ, our Saviour.
Amen.
Peace
The peace of Christ be with
you always.
And also with you.
Offering Hymn – Alleluia! Jesus
Is Risen! (ELW #377)
Offering
Prayer
Let us pray.
Blessed are you, O God, ruler
of heaven and earth. Day by day you shower us with blessings. As you have
raised us to new life in Christ, give us glad and generous hearts, ready to
praise you and to respond to those in need, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and
Lord.
Amen.
Great Thanksgiving
Dialogue
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the
Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Preface
It is indeed right, our duty
and our joy,
that we should at all times
and in all places
give thanks and praise to
you, almighty and merciful God,
for the glorious resurrection
of our Savior Jesus Christ,
the true Paschal Lamb who
gave himself to take away our sin;
who in dying has destroyed
death,
and in rising has brought us
to eternal life.
And so, with Mary Magdalene
and Peter and all the witnesses of the resurrection,
with earth and sea and all
their creatures,
and with angels and
archangels, cherubim and seraphim,
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
Holy,
Holy, Holy
Thanksgiving
at the Table
Holy, living, and loving God,
we praise you for
creating the heavens and the earth.
We bless you for bringing
Noah and his family through the waters of the flood,
for freeing your
people Israel from the bonds of slavery,
and for sending
your Son to be our Redeemer.
We give you thanks for Jesus
who, living among
us,
healed the sick,
fed the hungry,
and with a love
stronger than death,
gave his life for
others.
In the night in which he was
betrayed,
our Lord Jesus
took bread, and gave thanks;
broke it, and gave
it to his disciples, saying:
Take and eat; this
is my body, given for you.
Do this for the remembrance
of me.
Again, after supper, he took
the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it for
all to drink, saying:
This cup is the
new covenant in my blood,
shed for you and
for all people for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance
of me.
Remembering, therefore,
his life-giving
death and glorious resurrection,
we await your
promised life for all this dying world.
Breathe your Spirit on us and
on this bread and cup:
carry us in your
arms from death to life,
that we may live
as your chosen ones,
clothed in the
righteousness of Christ.
Through him all glory and
honor is yours,
Almighty Father,
with the Holy Spirit,
in your holy
Church,
both now and
forever.
Amen.
Lord’s
Prayer
Gathered into one by the Holy
Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who
sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen
Invitation to Communion
This is the table of Christ. It is made ready for those who love him, and for those who want to love him more. Come, whether you have much faith or little, have tried to follow, or are afraid that you have failed. Come. Because it is Christ's will that those who want to meet him, might meet him here. These are the gifts of God for the people of God.
Share in the Eucharist.
Table Blessing
The body and blood of our Lord
Jesus Christ strengthen you and
Keep you in his grace.
Amen.
Prayer After Communion
As we have feasted around the table, let us pray.
We give you thanks, generous God,
for in this bread and cup
we have tasted the new heaven and earth
where hunger and thirst are no more.
Send us from this table as witnesses to the resurrection,
that through our lives, all may know life in Jesus’ name.
Amen.
Blessing
God, the Author of life,
Christ, the living Cornerstone,
and the life-giving Spirit of adoption,
☩ bless you now and forever.
Amen.
Sending Song – A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing! (ELW #393)
Dismissal
Alleluia! Christ is risen.
Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Go in peace. Tell what God has done.
Thanks be to God.
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