Jesus Christ in risen! Alleluia!
Song
‘Christ is risen from the dead’, by Stuart Townsend, Keith and Krystin Getty. If you have problems connecting, try this direct link to YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qlc0UIRkBk
Prayer
Let us pray.
Risen Christ! You are our constant presence, inviting us to be in relationship with you. To see, to hear, to feel and to know. Your resurrection is our hope and constant reality as you continue to reveal the depth of your love and wisdom to us through the Holy Spirit. Living, Loving Creator we give you thanks and praise for Jesus, the one who comes to us even behind locked doors. In Christ, Amen.
From the Bible
The Bible reading for today is from John 20:19-31. There is also a video of a dramatic re-enactment of the Gospel reading underneath.
John 20:19-31
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.
Dramatic readings from Lumo
Here is the dramatic re-enactment of the Gospel reading by the Lumo group. If you have trouble connecting you can go directly to YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxmGFQYHilI
Message
The message is brought to you by Tim Jensen of the Saltbush Community. We share our lives and experiences with the disciples after the resurrection of Jesus, as Christ continues to invite us into relationship with the living God.
I wonder what you have heard and thought from the Word today? What locked doors do you hide behind? I wonder what you heard in the Word for our church? How does the message of being in relationship with God change the way we share the Gospel?
Before a time of prayer you may like to spend some time in silence sitting still. Close your eyes lightly. Sit relaxed but alert. Simply be still and open to God. You may prefer to do this while listening to the ‘Optional reflective music’ below.
Optional reflective music
The reflective music is . If you have problems connecting, also try this link at Vimeo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-6rdRJ_As0
Prayers for Others
Let us pray,
O God, with faces touched by the light of a new day, and hearts warmed by our prayers and praises, we come before you to pray for the needs of our world.Into the light of this Easter season, we bring those places where war, violence, poverty and hunger are the experiences of everyday life. May your resurrection light shine.
Loving God, Into the light of the Risen Christ we raise those who are struggling with illness, with despair, or with a breakdown in relationships. We remember those who may be lonely, who are separated from family or mourning the loss of loves ones, or who are sick or in hospital. May they find comfort in your healing presence.
Finally, Lord God, into the light of this Easter season we bring ourselves, our private struggles, our heart’s yearnings, our hidden dreams, our unfulfilled potential. May we take time to remember your gifts to us – the gift of your life and death on the cross
and the hope of eternal life that your resurrection brings. We give thanks for the signs of new life around us. Fill our hearts and our lives with joy, so that we may live as your renewed people in all we say and do. May your light shine upon us. In the name of the Risen Christ we pray.
Blessing
Go out into the world, to love and serve the Lord. Bless us and the people we meet along the way. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Song
‘Easter Song’, by Keith Green. If you have problems connecting, try this direct link to YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3StQfGXwKQ0
Postlude
This beautiful music, ‘Hallelujah’, is sung by two sisters, Cassandra and Callahan Star. If you have trouble connecting go directly to Youtube at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-j3NZEdHQaI
Messy Easter at home activities
See link below for a PDF sheet with links to all sorts of Easter Activities that you can do at home, including YouTube video of ‘Dave the Donkey’, how to create an Easter garden, seed planting, making easter butterflies and an ‘Easter egg surprise’, and other things to do.
Resources
The sermon and opening prayer is based on content in the Saltbush service for this week, which can be found at:
https://saltbushcommunity.uca.org.au/video/the-word/easter-2a-resurrection-as-relationship-john-2019-31/