Worshipping at Home 16th April 2023
Home Worshipping 

16th April 2023

Welcome to Home Worshipping 16th April 2023!

Bible Reading

This week’s bible readings

1 Peter 1 vs.3-9

John’s Gospel Ch.20 vs. 19-31         


On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.


Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.  If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’ Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.’ A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’ Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’


Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.  But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Thought for the Day

You could say that Thomas is one of the disciples who is best known for all the wrong reasons. It’s almost impossible to think of him without inserting the word “Doubting” in front of his name. There are only fleeting mentions of him in the gospel stories.

In John’s gospel we are offered two brief glimpses into his character and personality.
In the first of these Jesus receives word that his close friend Lazarus has died, and after a delay of a couple of days, Jesus decides to go to Bethany with the purpose of raising him to life again.

The disciples, however, are only too well of the risks involved given that the Jews there recently tried to stone their master. Their reluctance is understandable but once Jesus has said that’s where he is going Thomas responds by saying “Let’s go too that we may die with him.”

Maybe these words were spoken in the gloomy tones of Eeyore the donkey in the Winnie the Pooh stories. Or perhaps he, more than the others, was beginning to realise what following Jesus would really involve.

In the second episode Jesus is preparing his disciples for his departure and trying to reassure them that they need not worry about the future. He tells then that he is going ahead to prepare a place for them and that they know where he is going. But Thomas is having none of it. He jumps straight in and says, “We haven’t a clue where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

So, we can feel it’s the very same character who, when told by the other disciples that they have seen the Lord, thinks they are hallucinating and blurts out “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my hand into his pierced side I will NOT believe.

I wonder if some of you, like Thomas, have doubts about whether Jesus really did physically rise from the dead. Thomas wasn’t convinced by all the talk. He only believed when he SAW Jesus for himself. But there is some compelling evidence to help us in our journey of faith. If you want to think this through then there are many books on the subject, including Professor Norman Anderson’s “The Evidence for the Resurrection”

There is an older book “Who moved the Stone” the title of which raises one of the important issues. To put it another way “where was the body?” If the Jews or the Romans had moved it then they would surely have produced it to quell the rumours that were circulating. If the disciple had done so then it is hardly likely that they would have been changed overnight from quivering wrecks, hiding out of sight, into bold and inspired individuals who turned the world upside down by their preaching.

There are compelling eye witness accounts: appearances not only to the faithful but other sceptics as well as Thomas - for example to the zealous Saul setting out to persecute the Christians but brought up short by Christ’s appearance to him on the Damascus road. And Saul, now Paul, tells us that Jesus appeared to more than 500 people on one occasion, most of whom were still alive at the time his letter was written.

And then there is the witness of the church – nearly 2000 years during +which countless billions of people have encountered the risen Christ for themselves.

Let us Pray

Heavenly Father we often think of you in our worldly terms of today. So many others around us raise doubts in our minds as we struggle to live out our faith against a background of completely different values and ways of life. But we know Lord that the teachings, examples and truths of your Son Jesus Christ are plenty enough to deal with all that life throws at us and that through his resurrection we have limitless hope and a sure and sound footing for our faith. Send us your Spirit Lord to sustain us in our beliefs even when we swim against the tide of popular opinion. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Amen

Prayer for the interregnum of the Parish of Beaudesert with Henley and Ullenhall (to be said during intercessions).
Almighty and everlasting God as we travel together through this period of interregnum we thank you for your everlasting love for us. Give us strength to accept this time of change and send us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with encouragement and hope for the future. We ask that you will help us to share responsibilities growing in faith and love with one another. We look forward to the appointment of a new Rector and believe you will send us a priest best suited to your disciples in this parish and who will encourage many to join with us on our journey of faith. 

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 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

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

Henley in Arden The incumbent   (Vacancy)
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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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