Worshipping at Home 11th April 2021
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Easter Sunday 2                           11th April 2021

The Service

The above video is 17 minutes & 6 seconds long
The First Hymn
Welcome!

There is talk, these days, of vaccination passports as a means of getting into some venues. We don’t need any such document in order to attend church – not even a faith passport! Church Services are always open to anyone who might wish to attend. Some will come because of their faith, and some, just like Thomas the Disciple, will come seeking faith. All are welcome, united in our desire to meet Jesus.  


Psalm 133 

How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!
It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes.
It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore.

Acclamation

Our Lord Jesus Christ, 
risen from death,
we praise you 
for the gift of life and hope.
You came to Mary 
in the garden,
And turned her tears into joy.
The came to the disciples 
in the Upper Room,
and turned their fear into courage.
For your love and mercy 
we give you thanks.

The Collect 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.

Sharing the Peace

We are the Family of God;
In the one Spirit we were all baptised
into one body.
Let us then pursue all that makes for peace
and builds up our common life.

(At this point please think of others
and in your heart send them
the message: Peace be with you.)

Bible Reading

John 20:19-31 (Thomas meets the risen Lord.)

 

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.


Thought for the Day

The Italian painter, Caravaggio, captured the encounter between Thomas and the risen Jesus. It is a fascinating painting. It is quite gruesome in that Thomas has his finger in the wound where a spear had pierced Jesus’ side. Thomas had memorably said that he needed to touch Jesus’ wounds in order to believe. Well, he got his opportunity a week after the resurrection. Caravaggio, however, adds a non-biblical, though reasonable, detail. We see Jesus holding Thomas’ hand as his finger enters the wound. It is as though when the moment came, Thomas had to be helped – persuaded – to touch. What Caravaggio caught on canvas has been experienced on so many occasions over the years. On our search for faith we set out a list of objections that need to be overcome before we dare to believe. And then, as the final objection is satisfied, we hesitate because we are struck by the enormity of that final step. Thomas knew that by touching the wounds of Jesus, and finding them to be genuine, he would be compelled to kneel down and exclaim, ‘My Lord, and my God’. In the same way, we hesitate to accept that the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection are true because we know the consequences of having ticked all the objections on our list. 

Poor Thomas has been singled out as the only disciple who needed convincing that Jesus had truly been raised from the dead. But Caravaggio takes another liberty and paints two more disciples peering over Thomas’ shoulder. The message is that no-one can take the Easter story in their stride. We are all confronted with something unbelievable which, nevertheless, turns out to be true. According to Caravaggio, even the other disciples did a double-take. This is not a disrespectful thought, but wholly understandable. When confronted with an astonishing claim it is only natural to say, ‘What! Run that past me again!’. 

I love the resurrection stories in the Gospels because they are so full of humanity. There is astonishment, disbelief, doubts, anxieties, amazement and excitement. Not all the details match up, but there is an authenticity about the stories. It is as though the witnesses to the resurrection are rushing up to us and falling over their words in their eagerness to share what has happened. 

One by one the Gospels answer our questions, but how do we know when we have found the truth? That answer is found not in the response of the head, nor of the heart. It’s the knee. We know we have moved from doubting to believing when we find ourselves kneeling before Jesus. 

Let us Pray

O God, your Son remained with his disciples after his resurrection, teaching them to love all people as neighbours. As his disciples in this age, we offer our prayers on behalf of the universe in which we are privileged to live and our neighbours with whom we share it:

Open our hearts to your power moving around us and between us and within us, until your glory is revealed in our love of both friend and enemy, in communities transformed by justice and compassion, and in the healing of all that is broken. Amen.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen.

(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.)
The Blessing

God the Father, by whose glory Christ was raised from the dead, strengthen you to walk with him in his risen life; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you, and remain with you always.


Amen.

 The Second Hymn

Bible Readings for the Week

Monday: Daniel 3:1-30; 1 John 2:3-11

Tuesday: Daniel 6:1-28; 1 John 2:12-17

Wednesday: Isaiah 26:1-15; Mark 12:18-27

Thursday: Daniel 9:1-19; 1 John 2:18-25

Friday: Daniel 10:2-19; 1 John 2:26-28

Saturday: Acts 3:1-10; Luke 22:24-30

If you have any thoughts, questions or concerns, please contact us

Henley in Arden The incumbent/priest in charge John Ganjavi
telephone 01564 792570 or email Incumbent/ Priest in charge

For a full list of church contact details please click here
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I believe if you keep your faith, you keep your trust, you keep the right attitude, if you're grateful, you'll see God open up new doors.
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