Croeso and welcome to our blog worship today.
Our first hymn is The Lord of the Dance
+ In the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit AMEN
Alleluia! Christ is risen,
He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Heavenly Father, all hearts are open to you.
No secrets are hidden from you.
Purify us with the love of your Holy Spirit
That we may love and worship you faithfully,
through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen
Lord, have mercy Lord, have Mercy
Christ, have mercy Christ, have mercy
Lord, have mercy Lord, have mercy
Heavenly Father,
we have sinned in thought, word and deed,
and have failed to do
what we ought to have done.
We are sorry and truly repent.
For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ
who died for us, forgive us all that is past,
and lead us in his way
to walk as children of light. AMEN
May God our Father,
who by the Lord Jesus Christ
has reconciled the world to himself
and forgives the sins of all who truly repent,
pardon and deliver us from all our sins,
and grant us the grace and power of the Holy Spirit. AMEN
The Collect for Easter 2
Almighty Father, you have given your only Son to die for our sins and to rise again for our justification: grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness that we may always serve you in pureness of living and truth; through the merits of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. AMEN
Reading
John 20:19-31
19 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.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin[a]), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 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.”
26 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.” 27 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.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 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.”
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may come to believe[b] that Jesus is the Messiah,[c] the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
I am pleased today to welcome the reflection from our own Sue Moll, Reader in the Parish. Thank you Sue.
I suppose it’s the quietness that hits you. Usually in the mornings there is quite a bit of traffic about, people rushing off to work, taking children to school and all the other comings and goings that contribute to the bustle of early morning on a residential road. But now – nothing. Cars parked in driveways, families locked down at home, no children kicking balls around or racing round on bikes or scooters; perhaps the occasional dog walkers or people taking their one hours allowed daily exercise stroll, but apart from that – nothing.
These are strange times indeed, life seems to be lived online, a virtual life, so different from the way things used to be, before the world was changed by a new and unforgiving pestilence that came into our lives. A few short months ago we had never heard of the corona virus or covid-19, but now those simple words dominate our very being. Nobody is immune, even our leaders succumb only too easily, and we feel vulnerable and afraid. We wonder if life will ever return to normal, whatever “normal” might mean in times to come.
Even our Churches are closed, those much-loved sanctuaries that have provided comfort and solace down the centuries. Even world wars could not close their doors, but this new contagion has achieved the seemingly impossible, and we are denied access to the house of God.
But though the building may be denied to us, we must never believe that God is denied to us. God is always there, a very present help in trouble. He looks with sorrow on his suffering world, and weeps with those who mourn. And God is calling us to be his hand, his feet, his voice in a suffering world. We must be his church. Even though we can’t meet in person, this situation has highlighted the importance of the church acting like the church. Let’s bind together and pray as if everything depends on God, because, at the end of the day, it does!
Intercessions
Lord God you are the Father of all people and we come before you today with our prayers knowing that you will hear us, help us and guide us. Lord today we pray for our world. We realise there is so much we don't know. How we need to care about what we have given . We remember those who are victims of our abuse for victims of fire, flood, earthquake, war, famine or disease. For those whom disasters have left homeless, injured, needy or bereaved . Lord in your mercy Hear our prayer We pray for people who are frightened because I ask your prayers for Ian and family, for Rick and Alexander,
We pray for those who care for the poorly: GPs, doctors, nurses, teachers and all key workers in these strange days.
For those who in these tense times. who suffer from abuse and neglect in the home and worry about the future. Lord in your mercy, Hear our prayer Heavenly Father, we pray for those whose hearts have been saddened by the death of someone close and dear to them, for members of our families who have died and whose anniversary we recall. We pray for all those who have died due to Coronavirus. I ask your prayers for Ken, Leslie. May they rest in peace and rise in glory. Help us to experience the comfort of the Holy Spirit within us, and the fellowship of the church family, until we are reunited once more in your heavenly kingdom. Lord in your mercy Hear our prayer Be with us Lord in the week ahead as we experience another week of lockdown, fear of the unknown and maybe deep loneliness. Help us to be more caring, more thoughtful and challenged to serve you through the people around us.
Lord in your mercy Hear our prayer
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
Hymn: Thine be the glory
The Grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all now and ever more. AMEN
