Peace be with you 11 April 2021 Knox Bayfield Rev Dolson
The Lord be with you … and also with you. Welcome to worship at Knox Presbyterian Bayfield on the Second Sunday of Easter.
Call to Worship
We gather with joy as Easter continues. We celebrate the presence of the Risen Christ among us. Let us offer our prayers and our praise with humble, hopeful hearts.
Hymn# 528 Jesus calls us here to meet him
Assurance of Pardon
Hear the words of the risen Christ: Peace be with you. Receive the peace and forgiveness of Christ. Rejoice in his gift of new life this day and every day. Thanks be to God. May the peace of Jesus Christ be with you. And also with you.
Prayer For Illumination
1 John 1:1; John 20:27–28
God of all who doubt and believe, by the gift of your Spirit enable us to hear with our ears, to see with our eyes, and to touch with our hands your Word of life—Jesus Christ— our Lord and our God. Amen.
Readings
Acts 4:32–35; Psalm 133; 1 John 1:1–2:2; John 20:19–31
May God bless our understanding of this, God’s holy word. The Word of the Lord.
Hymn # 258 Thine be the glory
Peace be with you
During this time of the Easter season we celebrate the biggest mystery of faith. The paschal mystery, the death and resurrection of Christ is central to our faith. The liturgical year devotes seven weeks to the Easter season. The Sundays during this season are Sundays of Easter. The fifty days are set aside as a time to live into the reality of the resurrection. A time to reflect on what it means to be a community shaped by Christ. Sounds simple, but the reality is anything but simple.
We look to the scriptures and discover that Jesus was crucified, died and resurrected. We find that the original disciples were confused, afraid, and hiding behind locked doors. We are able to look back and see the unfolding events. The disciples were living without the knowledge of how it would be resolved. In his death, Jesus was able to physically demonstrate his resurrection and his divinity, even to the most skeptical among his followers. We are looking back at their accounts of events that have encouraged people through the centuries to see Jesus more clearly. Events such as healing miracles, walking on water, and the resurrection.
In this account of the resurrection, Thomas and the others provide us with reassurance that faith can include questions and doubt. Isn’t this the way that many of us have come to our faith? We were not there two thousand years ago to see the events as they unfolded. We did not see or touch the wounds. We heard, read, and experienced that which allowed our faith to blossom. We heard the stories of Jesus in a way that invited us to explore our faith. Something spoke to us, as if calling our name. There was a sermon, a passage, a prayer. We discovered the love of God in nurturing relationships and generous acts. Our faith is typically not grounded in logical argument or debate. The ebb and flow of our faith is reinforced when we are open to God’s presence in our midst.
When Thomas heard of the extraordinary event, that Jesus was resurrected, he was not convinced. He wanted proof. It sounded too good to be true and Thomas was hesitant to believe. We live in a culture that tends to favor doubt over faith. Theologian Lesslie Newbigin pointed this out when with our use of language. We use terms like “honest doubts” and “blind faith”. Belief is often spoken of as inferior to “science” or “objective truth. However, Newbigin points out, “one does not learn anything except by believing something, and — conversely — if one doubts everything one learns nothing. On the other hand, believing everything uncritically is the road to disaster. The faculty of doubt is essential. But as I have argued, rational doubt always rests on faith and not vice versa. The relationship between the two cannot be reversed. ”
In our reading this morning, Thomas was not present when time Jesus first appeared in the room with the disciples. A week later, Thomas was present when Jesus appeared. He said nothing. Can you imagine his mind racing as he searched for clarity. It seems that Jesus already knew of his doubts, of his search for evidence in which to ground his faith. When Jesus directed Thomas to touch his wounds, Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God.” Jesus seems to give us what we need.
Jesus said, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” What is it for you to see and to believe? We are invited to the Lord’s Table, to open our empty hands, to touch and taste for ourselves. The elements of communion – bread, wine or juice – remind us that Christ is evident in the elements of life. All of life is provided by God for us to see and taste and for our faith to blossom. Yet, doubt arises and the peaceful still waters that we seek are stirred up.
This passage from John tells that Jesus appeared in a locked room and reached out to Thomas. Jesus was determined to reach him. It was Jesus who refused to let dead bolts block the outpouring of love toward the one with doubt. When doubt crowds out hope, Jesus meets us where we are, even if it is out on the edge of a faith that has forgotten how to believe.
Where are you finding support for your faith? In this world burdened with injury, sickness, and fear there is also awesome beauty, wonder, and kindness. Scriptures teach us that God prioritizes relationship with us, offering faithful love and grace … again and again. In John’s gospel we discover that Jesus seeks out Thomas in that closed room with the locked door. Jesus came along side Thomas to show him. He told him to touch the wounds, to not doubt but to believe.
In our readings today, Jesus offered his presence and he offered peace. Serene Jones writes, “When God comes, we will recognize God’s presence in those moments when peace is offered, in those moments when life’s most brutal violence is honestly acknowledged, and when, in the midst of this bracing honesty, we realize that we are not alone but have, in fact, been always, already found.”
During this time of the Easter season we reflect on what it means to be a community shaped by Christ. The passage from John’s gospel reminds us that locked doors can mean many things. Locked doors preserve privacy or boundaries and provide an assurance of safety in the dark of night. The locked door eased the fear of persecution for the disciples. The locked door helped the disciples to see the resurrected Jesus. The locked doors of the sanctuary prevent us from gathering during a pandemic and help us to see that God continues to be present in our lives.
Peace be with you.
Hymn #692 Where charity and love prevail
The Offering Of Our Life And Labour To The Lord
Quote: What I spent is gone. What I kept I lost. But what I gave will be mine forever. Tombstone Epitaph
In this season of Easter, we celebrate God’s most precious gift to us in Christ’s dying and rising. As we present our gifts to God, may our generosity reflect God’s goodness to us and the hope we have found in Christ Jesus.
Blessing Of Gifts & Prayers Of The People
Psalm 133:2–3; John 20:21–22
You are encouraged to participate in this prayer. The responsive portion begins when you hear, Lord in your mercy, and you respond with hear our prayer. We will conclude the prayer by joining our voices in the Lords prayer.
Join me in prayer:
Almighty, faithful God, we lift up our voices in praise of you. You made all things and called them good. May your planet earth be held in reverence by all people.
May its resources be used wisely and its fragile balance be respected. Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer. O Holy One, in your creation nations rise and fall. Hear our prayers for those who govern, that they may learn wisdom and truth.
We pray for your church. May your church be a living sign of the Ways of Christ,
sharing the gift of forgiveness and the gospel of reconciliation.
Guide us by your Holy Spirit, that our prayers for others may serve your will
and show your steadfast love for all.
We pray for our community. Give us a vision of the common good: not clinging to our own possessions but seeking the fullness of life for all. We pray for loved ones. We lift up those who walk in despair and anxiety. By the blessing of your Spirit, help us to live as we pray so that the world may come to know the gift of life in Christ. There are many within our church family in need of your special care at this time. We lift up Ron, Sandy, Rudy, Peggy, Betty Lou, Jane, Bonnie, Jessie, Marlene, Rob, Courtney and Kyla, and Grace’s daughter Lisa. We lift up all those who prefer to remain un-named as they face immense challenges of health and finances. Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer.
O holy One, we desire to hear your voice of love, to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and to see you clearly. By your Spirit who breathes within us, strengthen our faith, use our gifts, and work in our lives to bear witness to Christ who taught his disciples to pray, …Our Father who art in heaven, hallow’ed 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. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Hymn #484 The church is wherever God’s people
Benediction
John 20:29–31; Psalm 133:3
Let your life be a sign of Christ’s life so that others may come to believe that the Lord is risen indeed. This is the blessing the Triune God: life forevermore. Peace be with you, this day and forevermore. Amen
Postlude #623 Holy, holy, holy
Questions for Reflection
It all happened on Sunday. It was on “the first day of the week”—the same day Jesus rose from the dead —when the risen Lord appeared to a group of disciples in a locked house and offered them the gift of the Holy Spirit. Then, one week later, Jesus came again to the disciples, this time allowing Thomas to see and touch his hands and side. Think about the space where you worship during the pandemic on Sunday. Is the space open to the surprising presence of Christ and the liberating gifts of the Spirit? If not, does the Spirit still move? Does Jesus show up anyway? Are there times when your questions and doubts grow deeper? Are there times when your faith is strengthened and renewed?
Morning Prayer
God of light, I praise you for the gift of this new day. By the power of your Spirit
enable me to live in your light and seek the holy fellowship of Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.
Evening Prayer
Be with me, Lord Jesus, at the evening of this day. Enter into my heart and fill it with your peace so that I may rejoice and rest in your presence. Amen.
Daily Prayer
Breathe in this place, O Lord, by the power of your Holy Spirit, to open my mind,
unlock my heart, and enliven my faith so that I may welcome the risen one. Amen.
Scripture readings next week – 3rd Sunday of Easter
Acts 3:12-19; Psalm 4; 1 John 3:1-7; Luke 24:36b-48
623 Holy, holy, holy Words: traditional Music: F Schubert
Refrain: Holy, holy, holy, God almighty Lord! Holy, holy, holy, everywhere adored!
God without beginning, God eternal One
reigns and rules forever all beneath the sun [Refrain]
Power and love and wonder circling round God’s throne
Praise our God most holy, Lord of Life alone [Refrain]
#528 Jesus calls us here to meet him
Jesus calls us here to meet him as through word and song and prayer,
We affirm God’s promised presence Where his people live and care.
Praise the God who keeps his promise; Praise the Son who calls us friends;
Praise the Spirit who, among us, To our hopes and fears attends.
Jesus calls us to confess him Word of Life and Lord of all,
Sharer of our flesh and frailness Saving all who fail or fall.
Tell his holy human story; Tell his tales that all may hear;
Tell the world that Christ in glory Came to earth to meet us here.
Jesus calls us to each other: Found in him are no divides.
Race and class and sex and language: Such are barriers he derides.
Join the hands of friend and stranger; Join the hands of age and youth;
Join the faithful and the doubter In their common search for truth.
Jesus calls us to his table Rooted firm in time and space,
Where the church in earth and heaven Finds a common meeting place.
Share his bread and wine, his body; Share the love of which we sing;
Share the feast for saints and sinners Hosted by our Lord and King.
#258 Thine be the Glory
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering son, Endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won; Angels in bright raiment rolled the tone away, Kept the folded grave clothes, where thy body lay.
Refrain: Thine be the glory, risen, conquering son;
Endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won.
Lo! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb; Lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom; Let the church with gladness hymns of triumph sing, For her Lord now liveth; death hast lost its sting. Refrain
No more we doubt thee, glorious prince of life; Life is nought without thee: aid us in our strife; Make us more than conquerors, through thy deathless love: Bring us safe through Jordan to thy home above. Refrain
#484 The Church is Wherever
The church is wherever God’s people are praising, singing God’s goodness for joy on this day. The church is wherever disciples of Jesus remember his story and walk in his way.
The church is wherever God’s people are helping, caring for neighbours in sickness and need. The church is wherever God’s people are sharing the words of the Bible in gift and in deed.
#692 Where charity and love prevail
Where charity and love prevail, there God is ever found;
Brought here together by Christ’s love, by love are we thus bound.
With grateful joy and holy fear His charity we learn;
Let us with heart and mind and soul now love him in return.
Forgive we now each other’s faults as we our faults confess;
And let us love each other well in Christian holiness.
Let strife among us be unknown, let all contention cease;
Be His the glory that we seek, be ours His holy peace.
Let us recall that in our midst dwells God’s begotten Son;
As members of His body joined, we are in Him made one.
No race or creed can love exclude, if honored be God’s name;
Our family embraces all whose Father is the same.