The Worship Service will live stream here
Opening Hymn: Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee
Responsive Call to Worship
All you works of God, all you mighty heavens,
Worship and praise your Maker.
Sun, moon and stars; wind, rain and thunder,
Worship and praise your Maker.
Mountains and forests, streams and waterfalls,
Worship and praise your Maker.
Whales beneath the seas, birds throughout the skies,
All that leaps or crawls, all folk who worry and wonder,
Let us worship and praise our Maker together.
Prayer of Adoration
God our Maker, we come before you this day,
giving thanks for all the wonder in your creation:
for the detailed perfection revealed in a baby’s tiny fingers,
in pussy willows unzipping their jackets to greet the spring,
in each rock face worn by wind and water,
witnessing to your ancient wisdom like wrinkles around an aging smile.
These details lift our hearts to praise you.
So, let the details of the story the Risen Christ lift our hearts this day,
that we too may discover him in our midst,
making all things new with the springtime of your Spirit. Amen
Prayer of Confession
O God, in raising Jesus from the dead, you showed us your power
to defeat all that brings fear and sorrow to our lives.
In his resurrection, Jesus promised to be with us always.
Yet we confess we are sometimes uncertain about how to find him.
Like Thomas, we are unsure if we can trust the promise of resurrection for ourselves.
Forgive us when we struggle with doubt about your presence with us.
Breathe your Spirit upon us and bring us the peace Christ promised.
Assurance of Pardon
Dear friends, the risen Christ is in our midst, speaking words of peace and forgiveness to us this day. Receive his gift of forgiveness. Be at peace with yourself and with one another. Amen.
Prayer for Understanding
Gracious God, as we listen to your Word, increase our understanding by the power of your Spirit. May our lives be shaped by your wisdom and inspired by your love through Christ, your living Word. Amen.
First Scripture Reading: Psalm 16:1-11
1 Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord;
I have no good apart from you.”
3 As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble,
in whom is all my delight.
4 Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows;
their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out
or take their names upon my lips.
5 The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
I have a goodly heritage.
7 I bless the LORD who gives me counsel;
in the night also my heart instructs me.
8 I keep the LORD always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;
my body also rests secure.
10 For you do not give me up to Sheol,
or let your faithful one see the Pit.
11 You show me the path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy;
in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Hymn: Holy, Holy
Gospel John 20:19-31
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.
Sermon
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
God of new Life, Christ came speaking words of peace and understanding.
Thank you for strengthening our faith
and empowering us to live with hope and trust in you day by day.
We are grateful that you give us courage to face our fears and struggles, patience to endure moments when the way ahead is not clear,
and resilience in the face of new realities.
Loving God, we pray for the many places of brokenness in our world. We think especially of those suffering in the COVID-19 outbreak, those with the disease, those who have lost loved ones, those working hard to respond to the pandemic, and those who have lost work or lost hope. We ask that the whole earth will experience your gift of new life and hope.
We pray for those who struggle with their experience of the church. Open them to your love and grace so that any pain the church has caused will be healed. Guide us with your Spirit of wisdom to know how to live out our faith in ways that create pathways for others to find you, not barriers.
We pray for this congregation and for the Church of Jesus Christ in every country and culture. In these days of unexpected challenge, when worship and fellowship have been disrupted, strengthen our trust in you and our concern for others. Make us good stewards of time apart to reflect on your presence with your people in circumstances of deep challenge. Help us maintain the joy we know in the Risen Christ.
We also pray for ourselves, our family and friends, our neighbourhoods and community. We lay before you in silence all the people and concerns on our hearts and minds today.
(Silence for 10-15 seconds)
The Lord’s Prayer
Prayer of Dedication
Giver of every good and perfect gift, in Christ we see the power of sacrifice, and trust the hope of resurrection. We bring our gifts in gratitude for all we have received in him. Bless our gifts and our lives which we commit to serve our risen Lord. Amen.
Hymn: We Walk By Faith and Not By Sight
Thank you for leaving the service on long enough to hear the postlude. We missed the Hallelujah Chorus last week because it was shut off to soon. It would be helpful to have the words of the hymns printed in the bulletin since no one has a hymnal in front of them. The music alone is meaningless especially when it is an unfamiliar hymn. Two verses is plenty when just listening to music without words.
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