Alleluia! Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Theme Prayer
Risen Christ, for whom no door is locked, no entrance barred:
open the doors of our hearts,
that we may seek the good of others
and walk the joyful road of sacrifice and peace,
to the praise of God the Father. Amen.
Confession
Jesus Christ, risen Master and triumphant Lord,
we come to you in sorrow for our sins,
and confess to you our weakness and unbelief.
Where we have lived by our own strength,
and not by the power of your resurrection, in your mercy, forgive us.
Lord, hear us and help us.
Where we have lived by the light of our own eyes,
as faithless and not believing, in your mercy, forgive us.
Lord, hear us and help us.
Where we have lived for this world alone,
and doubted our home in heaven, in your mercy, forgive us.
Lord, hear us and help us.
God forgives us: be at peace. [Pause] Rejoice and be glad, for Christ is resurrection and reconciliation for all the human race. Amen.
God’s Word - John’s Gospel, chapter 20, verses 19 to the end :-
Late that same day, the first day of the week, when the disciples were together behind locked doors for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them. ‘Peace be with you!’ he said; then he showed them his hands and his side. On seeing the Lord the disciples were overjoyed. Jesus said again, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father sent me, so I send you.’ Then he breathed on them, saying, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit! If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you pronounce them unforgiven, unforgiven they remain.’
One of the Twelve, Thomas the Twin, was not with the rest when Jesus came. So the others kept telling him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails on his hands, unless I put my finger into the place where the nails were, and my hand into his side, I will never believe it.’
A week later his disciples were once again in the room, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them, saying, ‘Peace be with you!’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Reach your finger here; look at my hands. Reach your hand here and put it into my side. Be unbelieving no longer, but believe.’ Thomas said, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Because you have seen me you have found faith. Happy are they who find faith without seeing me.’
There were indeed many other signs that Jesus performed in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. Those written here have been recorded in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this faith you may have life by his name.
Thanks be to God, for this his holy word. Amen.
A Reflection on the Reading
Have you ever stopped to wonder just why Thomas wasn’t there with the others on that first Easter evening? The disciples were frightened and very confused. Something had happened, but they didn’t know what. One thing they all did know - it wasn’t safe for any of them out there. The doors were closed and locked. The sooner they could get out of Jerusalem, the better.
So why wasn’t Thomas with them? Here’s what I think. Someone had to find out what was going on, what the word was on the street if you like, maybe get provisions too - and Thomas was the one with guts enough to do it. So please don’t think of him as weedy and half-hearted, even if he did refuse to believe what the others told him had happened while he was out.
What did they tell him? That, despite the doors being locked, somehow Jesus was suddenly there with them. Not some angel masquerading as Jesus, but Jesus himself, with the wounds he had received visible in his hands and his side. He is there to reassure them, to speak a word of peace; and he is there to breathe his Holy Spirit upon them, and to commission them in his service. Here, in St John’s telling of the story, is where the Church begins.
Thomas very much wants to believe, but it’s too big a thing. He doesn’t trust himself to join the others in their delight. How crushed he would be if it turned out they were all mistaken after all! Notice that he doesn’t say he can’t believe it, but that he won’t believe it. I have to know for myself, to see for myself, to put my own fingers into the marks of the nails - so he tells them.
Thomas stands for all of us in his refusal to believe. However sure we may be in our Christianity, in the end it rests on faith and not on proof - except that for Thomas, that proof is wonderfully granted. One week later, today if you like, the Sunday after Easter Day, there is Jesus again, with all the proof Thomas needs. In the end he has no need to put his finger into the marks of the nails. “My Lord and my God,” he says - and those words are the only full acknowledgement of Jesus as divine spoken by anyone in the Gospels.
John tells us that these appearances both happened on Sundays. The early Church broke and shared the bread of communion on a Sunday, as one day we will do again, when our churches re-open. Whatever the actual date, that first Sunday back will be a celebration of Easter - as is every Sunday: that’s why we meet to worship on this day. And I think John wants us to know that, though we shall not see him and touch him as Thomas could, the risen Jesus meets us when we meet at his table. He shares himself with us in bread and wine, when we celebrate the new life his friends discovered that wonderful Sunday.
Anthem
1 You are worthy, our Lord and our God: ♦
to receive glory and honour and power.
2 For you have created all things: ♦
and by your will they have their being.
3 You are worthy, O Lamb who was slain: ♦
for by your blood you ransomed for God saints from every tribe and language and nation.
4 You have made them a kingdom of priests to serve our God: ♦
and they will reign with you on earth.
To the One who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb
be blessing and honour, glory and might, now and for ever. Amen.
Prayers
Pray for peace and co-operation among nations in this time of stress and challenge, and pray for poorer nations that lack the resources they need, and for refugees and those who are homeless. Pray for countries seeking to come out of lock-down, that they may do so safely.
Pray for the Church everywhere, and for its ministry of care and of praise throughout this Easter season. Pray for the churches of Ireland, and for the Anglican Church of Ireland. In our own Diocese, pray for the Leominster Deanery. Pray too for hospital chaplains and all who support them.
Pray for those in need today: for all who grieve, for the worried and anxious, and for those who are alone. Pray for all who are ill, and especially for those infected by Covid-19. Give thanks for the commitment and courage of health workers and carers, and pray they may be kept safe from harm and infection.
Pray for our own communities and for our families and friends. May we act with care and responsibility, and look out for our neighbours. Give thanks for all who have offered themselves as volunteers, locally and nationally.
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.
Prayer for today and Blessing
May the light of Christ, rising in glory, banish all darkness from our hearts and minds. Amen.
May God our Father,
by whose glory Christ was raised from the dead,
strengthen us to walk with him in his risen life.
And may almighty God bless us, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
now and for ever. Amen.
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