In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN.
Christ has risen.
Waiting for us to take notice.
Christ has risen.
Waiting for us to respond.
Christ has risen.
Christ has risen indeed!
THE EXSULTET
Rejoice now, heavenly hosts and choirs of angels,
and let your trumpets shout Salvation
for the victory of our mighty King.
Rejoice and sing now, all the round earth,
bright with a glorious splendor,
for darkness has been vanquished by our eternal King.
Rejoice and be glad now, Mother Church,
and let your holy courts, in radiant light,
resound with the praises of your people.
We pray to God the Almighty
for the grace to sing the worthy praise of his great glory;
through Jesus Christ His Son our Lord,
who lives and reigns with Him,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
LITURGY OF THE WORD
Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
The First Lesson
Acts 2:14a, 22-32
Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd, “You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know— this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. For David says concerning him,
‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken;
therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
moreover my flesh will live in hope.
For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One experience corruption.
You have made known to me the ways of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
“Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying,
‘He was not abandoned to Hades,
nor did his flesh experience corruption.’
This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses.”
The Response
Psalm 16
Conserva me, Domine
1 Protect me, O God, for I take refuge in you; *
I have said to the Lord, "You are my Lord,
my good above all other."
2 All my delight is upon the godly that are in the land, *
upon those who are noble among the people.
3 But those who run after other gods *
shall have their troubles multiplied.
4 Their libations of blood I will not offer, *
nor take the names of their gods upon my lips.
5 O Lord, you are my portion and my cup; *
it is you who uphold my lot.
6 My boundaries enclose a pleasant land; *
indeed, I have a goodly heritage.
7 I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel; *
my heart teaches me, night after night.
8 I have set the Lord always before me; *
because he is at my right hand I shall not fall.
9 My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices; *
my body also shall rest in hope.
10 For you will not abandon me to the grave, *
nor let your holy one see the Pit.
11 You will show me the path of life; *
in your presence there is fullness of joy,
and in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.
The Second Lesson
1 Peter 1:3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith-- being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire-- may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia
Give thanks to the Lord, who is good.
The love of the Lord knows no ending.
All in Israel say,
“God’s love has no end.”
2. The right hand of God raised me up.
The hand of the Lord has triumphed.
I shall never die,
I shall live, telling God’s deeds.
3. The stone which the builders rejected,
becomes the cornerstone chosen.
Praise the work of God
for this marvel in our eyes.
Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia
By the way – music to these words should be familiar. It’s called “Celtic Alleluia.” So familiar – you might even want to sing it to yourself.
The Gospel
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.
THE SERMON Fr. Nelson Gaetz
Well, here we are – the “Octave” of Easter. Eight days later, basking in the reflection of the greatest event in human history – Christ Risen from the dead. Deserves at least a week to celebrate – BUT, in fact the church gives us 50 days. The longest season of the year. The Gospel lesson has been popular over the generations, probably because it’s built around “Doubting” Thomas. I have always been uncomfortable with that. If we look, even a little bit closer, at the wider text of St. John’s Gospel you will be surprised.
Let’s start here: In the other three gospels we are told absolutely nothing at all about Thomas. It is in John's Gospel that he emerges as a distinct personality, but even then, there are only 155 words about him. There is not a lot about this disciple in the Bible but there is more than one description.
When Jesus turned his face toward Jerusalem the disciples thought that it would be certain death for all of them. Surprisingly, it was Thomas who said: Then let us go so that we may die with him. It was a courageous statement, yet we don't remember him for that. We also fail to point out that in this story of Thomas' doubt we have the one place in the all the Gospels where the Divinity of Christ is bluntly and unequivocally stated. It is interesting to me that the story that gives Thomas his infamous nickname, is the same story that has Thomas making an earth-shattering confession of faith. Look at his confession, "My Lord, and my God." Not teacher. Not Lord. Not Messiah. But God! It is the only place where Jesus is called God without qualification of any kind. It is uttered with conviction as if Thomas was simply recognizing a fact, just as 2 + 2 = 4, and the sun is in the sky. You are my Lord and my God! These are certainly not the words of a doubter.
Unfortunately, history has remembered him for this scene where the resurrected Christ made an appearance to the disciples in a home in Jerusalem. Thomas was not present and when he heard about the event, he refused to believe it. Maybe he was the forerunner of modern-day cynicism. Maybe the news simply sounded too good to be true. Thomas said: Unless I feel the nail prints in his hands I will not believe.
The story might not be about Thomas after all. Let me suggest that like most of the New Testament – the story is about Jesus. And, here actually alive. Not some vision, not appearing in the minds of the apostles but ALIVE. That’s important. Easter is not about a theory or a concept or even a teaching. It’s about an event. An event that really happened. And that explains a lot doesn’t it. Those first disciples went on, all but one of them, to die because of the message. It was so real, so powerful that nothing else, even their lives, mattered much in comparison.
And now that Gospel comes to us. Inviting us to believe that it was real. No, is real. Jesus IS alive and invites us to live in the light of that FACT.
Now I cannot help but notice that Thomas has separated himself from the disciples and therefore, in his solitude, missed the first resurrection appearance. I think that John is suggesting to us that Christ appears most often within the community of believers that we call the church, and when we separate ourselves from the church, we take a chance on missing his unique presence.
But the story doesn't end here. The second time Jesus made his appearance Thomas was present with the disciples and this time he too witnessed the event. This time he believed.
That’s especially challenging in this year of separation and isolation. We’ll have to work a little harder at staying connected but we can do it. Be in prayer for one another, call someone, drop a note or card to someone, let the church office know of anyone you can think of who would benefit by receiving these messages.
Christ has risen.
He is waiting for us to take notice.
Christ has risen.
He is waiting for us to respond.
Christ has risen.
Christ has risen indeed!
THE NICENE CREED
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
THE PRAYERS
Rejoicing in the resurrection of our Lord and sharing in His peace, we pray to the Lord on behalf of ourselves and all people as they have need.
Brief silence
God of mercy, keep us from the doubts and fears that cripple us and prevent us from knowing the fullness of Your saving peace and gracious presence. Teach us to trust in Your Word and to believe with all our hearts, minds, bodies and strength in Jesus Christ, crucified for our sins and raised for our justification. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of grace, bestow upon Your Church Your Holy Spirit and all the gifts that come down from on high. Grant to us faithful shepherds, Michael and DeDe, our Bishops, and Nelson, our Rector, and all who will preach faithfully and have ears to hear Your Word proclaimed. Give us boldness in our witness before the world and courage to speak Your name without fear. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of power, give courage and strength to those persecuted for the faith, and comfort the families of the martyrs. Keep Your Church from following the winds of change, and make her steadfast in the faith once delivered to the saints. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of might, counsel the nations and their leaders in the paths of peace and justice. Bless us with wise, faithful and just leaders who will defend us against all enemies, foreign and domestic. Make us wise and discerning citizens who use the gift of liberty for noble purpose. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of love, teach us to love one another as You have loved us. Guide us so that in our neighborhoods and communities we may manifest the love of Christ as well as His strength. Deliver us from all that would threaten our homes and families. Protect the police, firefighters, disaster-relief workers and medical personnel who attend to us, as well as the places where we live and work. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of comfort, give Your aid and relief to all who suffer want or need, to the sick in their afflictions, to those troubled in mind, and to those to whom death draws near. Heal and sustain them according to Your gracious will, and preserve them in faith to eternal life. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of compassion, bless us with the good gifts of the earth, with the fruits of our honest labors, and with a kind and generous heart. Accept the worship of our hearts and voices along with the tithes and offerings we present as part of our gratitude and thanksgiving. Open our eyes and hearts to the needs of the poor, that we may serve them in Your name. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
O blessed God and Lord, hear the prayers of Your people and teach us to trust in Your will to answer our prayers with all that is needful and beneficial, both for us and for all for whom we have prayed; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
So now we pray with confidence to the Father the words our Lord Jesus taught us.
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, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
AN EASTER BLESSING
The God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ, the great Shepard of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make us perfect in every good work to do His will, working in us that which is well-pleasing in His sight; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among us, and remain with us always.
Alleluia. Christ is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.
Amen.
