A prayer of approach:
Generous God, who shares our life,
pouring out the Spirit of Jesus, afresh this Easter
open our hearts and hands to reach out
to one another, and to those we live or work among in caring and service, love and compassion. Vibrant God, call us afresh today
Amen.
Come People of the Risen King
Come, people of the Risen King
Who delight to bring Him praise
Come all and tune your hearts to sing
To the Morning Star of grace
From the shifting shadows of the earth
We will lift our eyes to Him
Where steady arms of mercy reach
To gather children in
Rejoice, rejoice! Let every tongue rejoice!
One heart, one voice; O Church of Christ, rejoice!
Come, those whose joy is morning sun
And those weeping through the night
Come, those who tell of battles won
And those struggling in the fight
For His perfect love will never change
And His mercies never cease
But follow us through all our days
With the certain hope of peace.
Rejoice, rejoice! Let every tongue rejoice!
One heart, one voice; O Church of Christ, rejoice!
Come, young and old from every land
Men and women of the faith
Come, those with full or empty hands
Find the riches of His grace
Over all the world, His people sing
Shore to shore we hear them call
The Truth that cries through every age:
“Our God is all in all”!
Rejoice, rejoice! Let every tongue rejoice!
One heart, one voice; O Church of Christ, rejoice!
Prayer of confession
Response after each line: Lord, forgive us.
For our greed and self-centeredness:
For our failure to see the needs of those around us:
For our failure to be generous with our time:
For our failure to share when we have more than enough:
For our failure to see that often our lifestyle choices harm and disenfranchise others:
For our failure to love as you have loved us:
For these and all our failings:
Remember the Lord, our God, is merciful and kind to all, and says to each one of us who has confessed their sins, failings and shortcomings:
‘My child, I love you, I live with you; your sins are forgiven.’
Amen.
Bible Readings
Acts 4:29-35
31 After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.
The Believers Share Their Possessions
32 All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. 33 With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all 34 that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.
Psalm 133
A song of ascents. Of David.
1 How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity!
2 It is like precious oil poured on the head,
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
down on the collar of his robe.
3 It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
even life for evermore.
1 John 1:1-2:2
The incarnation of the Word of life
1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched – this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. 2 The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. 3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 4 We write this to make our joy complete.
Light and darkness, sin and forgiveness
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.
2 My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
John 20:19-31
Jesus appears to his disciples
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’
Jesus appears to Thomas
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’
But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.’
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ 27 Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’
28 Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’
29 Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’
The purpose of John’s gospel
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Prayers of Praise
Praise to God who from the birth of time
has enriched the world and all its people.
Whose love is poured out in abundance
for each and every one of us. Who calls us and guides us as a shepherd to his sheep. Who has unending patience and perseverance.
Praise to God for forgiveness and renewal, and the world around us, rich and diverse.
For the community of people around us
For the gift of insight, and hearts feeling strangely warmed. For the gift of the Holy Spirit, to dwell with us and within us. Praise to God, Praise to God.
Amen.
Prayers of intercession
Eternal, Everlasting God Help each of us to show patience and perseverance with others; and with this prayer in our hearts and on our lips, we pray for those we know and love and hear us this day. God, in whom we believe: Bless them.
For those struggling to accept the Easter message of resurrection; for those who long to have faith but miss the final step; who long to see Jesus but doubt what they see, seeing only as if in a mirror dimly; who long to hear your word, but grasp only a muffle and murmur; who yearn to feel your presence but shy away from contact; for those who need convincing of the truth in an age of fake news and skewed views. God, in whom we believe: Bless them.
For those whose health and well-being teeter on the edge of uncertainty or insanity, pain, disfigurement and anguish; for those living with illness in all its forms, for those whose treatment is delayed and who are ground down by the mental and physical pain that can’t yet be treated;
for those who live with darkness and dread bombarding their waking moments.
For those without meaning and purpose in their lives, who wake to the morning light and dread the empty day that lies ahead;
for those who dread the dark nights of wakefulness, tossing and turning; for those who feel there is no hope for tomorrow, no vision for the future, no plan for their lives; for those without a stable home life,
without meaningful work and prospects. God, in whom we believe: Bless them.
For those without the shelter of a home, with no roots to a place, who are constantly forced to move on, change direction through war or violence, political unrest, prejudice, religious hatred and so much more; for those who seek refuge in new places and new lands with new languages and new ‘norms. God, in whom we believe: Bless them.
The disciples gathered behind closed doors not only for fear of the Jewish authorities but they gathered to grieve the loss of their friend, their leader, their visionary, their Lord. We pray for those who mourn the loss of family or friends and especially those who have had to grieve alone without the support of those who love them – may the gentle lengthening of the days bring them light and hope for the life ahead. God, in whom we believe: Bless them.
The Lord's Prayer
Please use the version that you prefer
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,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
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 for ever.
Amen.
Time to reflect:
Luke gives a brief description of life in the new Christian community. No-one claimed exclusive ownership of their possessions or wealth; everything was held in common. Property and land were sold to make sure no-one was left in need. And, supported by this, the apostles were able to preach powerfully the message of the risen Christ. Even after Peter and John were threatened by the authorities and told ‘not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.’ The believers then prayed that they may speak with boldness while ‘signs and wonders are performed’ in the name of Jesus.
They were again ‘filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness’. This second outpouring of the Holy Spirit, in response to prayer, encourages us to think of Pentecost not only as a past event but also a present experience for a people of prayer. The first outpouring in Acts is particularly associated with evangelism and this second outpouring is associated with the generous sharing in today’s passage that follows on immediately.
There is a strong connection established here, between evangelism, speaking with boldness, and healing, performing signs and wonders. This is not surprising given the squalor in which so many people lived. Poverty and disability, pollution and sickness, social exclusion and malnutrition, unemployment and mental affliction are interlinked. This is the important social context of the wondrous signs of the healing power of God.
They are securely rooted in the common life of the apostolic community. The preaching of God’s word is accompanied by the embodiment of God’s generosity.
So, isolation gives way to time together, hunger is satisfied by shared meals, and basic needs are met by the distribution of possessions This description of the Early Church in Jerusalem is both attractive and challenging. Our context today is different, but this does not prevent us from recapturing something of the vibrant generosity found within the Church and in its outreach.
At a time when so many suffer from insecurity, economic anxiety and loneliness, we need to show that ours is a welcoming and generous faith, one that listens, cares, acts, and engages with people where they are.
StF 611 – Brother, sister, let me serve you.
Brother, sister, let me serve you; let me be as Christ to you; pray that I may have the grace to let you be my servant too.
We are pilgrims on a journey, and companions on the road; we are here to help each other walk the mile and bear the load.
I will hold the Christ light for you in the night-time of your fear; I will hold my hand out to you, speak the peace you long to hear.
I will! weep when you are weeping; when you laugh, I’ll laugh with you; I will share your joy and sorrow, till we’ve seen this journey through.
When we sing to God in heaven, we shall find such harmony, born of all we’ve known together
of Christ’s love and agony.
Brother, sister, let me serve you; let me be as Christ to you; pray that l may have the grace to
let you be my servant too.
A going out prayer:
So now we go out with confidence in you; our loving God who leads us; You know our weaknesses and our strengths. Lord call us, guide us, and strengthen us in your service.
Amen.
