Opening Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, on the second Sunday of Easter,
the light of Your love shines on!
Your light has come into the world, and neither darkness, nor evil, nor even death itself could overcome it.

And we (like Mary, like the disciples, like “doubting” Thomas) who have been there with You through Holy Week and the first Easter Morning
have been made witnesses to the resurrection story: wondering, bewildered, hoping, rejoicing….and sometimes doubting.

It is not always easy to believe with our minds and trust with our hearts.

Loving Christ,
Open the eyes of our faith that we may behold the work of Your redemption.
Open our minds and hearts to receive You, Lord:
Your resurrection glory, Your light everlasting.
May this time of worship, reflection and celebration
be a worthy response to Your love and Your sacrifice for us. Amen.

Children’s Time

Thomas asks questions

Confession & Words of Assurance

 

Creator God,

we confess that at times we are skeptics. At times we doubt that You exist because of the evil we have seen in the world. Oppression, marginalization, and plain hate still plague our world, and it is hard to see Your love and light. Sometimes, even those who bear Your name do not walk in Your ways. 

Help us to see Your goodness in this world. Help us to know Your love. Fill us with Your love and goodness, so that we might love one another, and lift up one another in faith.

You are not alone. Faith grows from doubt, it doesn’t quash it. Bring your questions and disbelief to Jesus. He is always waiting for you. Amen.

Scripture

 

jesus appears to his disciples

John 20:¹⁹ The disciples were afraid of the Jewish leaders, and on the evening of that same Sunday they locked themselves in a room. Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the middle of the group. He greeted them ²⁰ and showed them his hands and his side. When the disciples saw the Lord, they became very happy.

²¹ After Jesus had greeted them again, he said, “I am sending you, just as the Father has sent me.” ²² Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³ If you forgive anyone’s sins, they will be forgiven. But if you don’t forgive their sins, they will not be forgiven.”

Jesus and Thomas

²⁴ Although Thomas the Twin was one of the twelve disciples, he wasn’t with the others when Jesus appeared to them. ²⁵ So they told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But Thomas said, “First, I must see the nail scars in his hands and touch them with my finger. I must put my hand where the spear went into his side. I won’t believe unless I do this!”

²⁶ A week later the disciples were together again. This time, Thomas was with them. Jesus came in while the doors were still locked and stood in the middle of the group. He greeted his disciples ²⁷ and said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at my hands! Put your hand into my side. Stop doubting and have faith!”

²⁸ Thomas replied, “You are my Lord and my God!”

²⁹ Jesus said, “Thomas, do you have faith because you have seen me? The people who have faith in me without seeing me are the ones who are really blessed!”

Why John Wrote His Book

³⁰ Jesus worked many other miracles for his disciples, and not all of them are written in this book. ³¹ But these are written so that you will put your faith in Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God. If you have faith in him, you will have true life.

 

Sermon

 

Prayers of the People

 

(Please add your prayers aloud and in the comment Our faith in humanity mirrors our faith in You.section below)

Living Savour, it’s hard to have faith. Our doubts make it easier to relate to other people and dismiss what we can’t touch. Our questions sound like we don’t know which way to look for answers. Sometimes staying in our doubt makes us think we also lack faith.

Help us to see Your belief in us even as we struggle to believe in You. Show us Your presence in the world around us. Help us feel and know You so we can share You with everyone we meet. Our faith in humanity mirrors our faith in You.

This morning let us remember all of those who are living examples of faith in action. We pray for the medical teams all over the world who are exhausted and desperate to find answers. We pray for the political leaders who are putting their people first, helping everyone stay the course of an increasingly challenging time in our history. We pray for those often overlooked as they go about tending to our basic needs of life. In our doubting we see you standing there in love.

Call us back to the scriptures, reminding us that Your words, Your actions, even Your appearances were not all recorded. We have a chance to be in your presence so long as we widen our understanding of You working in our lives.

We pray for our community, our leaders, our loved ones, and ourselves. We offer their names out loud…

Gathering all these prayers into one, we offer the prayer tradition has taught us:

Our Father, who art in heave, hallowed be Thy name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Benediction & Commission

 

As you stay in your space

May you trust in God’s promises to all people: peace, security, blessing, even when they are difficult to believe.
May you know that God’s news is good news, nourishing, true even when people tell you it is not.
And when you encounter doubt, may you strengthen your belief, guiding you in God’s perfect wisdom and counsel.