Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Second Sunday of Easter. Our Church Services today are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes' and 11.00 am at St Thomas'. If you are unable to be with us in person, you will find resources below to worship at home.
Our first hymn this morning is "God Forgave My Sin (Freely, Freely)"
Today's Gospel
John 20: 19-31Jesus Appears to His Disciples
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.
Reflection
As we begin this week’s Gospel reading we are still on Easter Day. Mary has told the disciples that that she saw Jesus alive earlier in the morning but nonetheless they are keeping their heads down, frightened of the reactions of the Jews. So they lock themselves away in a room, probably talking about the sad events of the last few days and still mourning the death of their beloved Jesus.
Then suddenly, He is with them in their midst. No one knows how he entered the locked room - but this is Jesus, so anything is possible. He greets them with the Jewish greeting ‘Shalom’, which means Peace be with you. It would be nice to think that the disciples were immediately overjoyed but that is not what is described here. Even though they have heard the miraculous news that Jesus has been seen alive, they are still doubtful, and Luke tells us that they were frightened and they thought Jesus was a ghost before He showed them his wounds. Mark goes one stage further and says that Jesus rebuked the eleven for their stubborn refusal to believe.
For this reason I have real sympathy for St. Thomas, (our patron Saint), who is also overcome with both wonder and disbelief. It is perhaps unfair, that many refer to him as ‘doubting Thomas’, because his initial doubt was no different to the other disciples. However, unlike the rest, Thomas’s reaction when he recognised Jesus is to worship and give praise to God. His faith is totally renewed, and out of his initial reservations have emerged a far stronger faith and commitment to Jesus the Lord.
What does this mean for us? As Jesus says, “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus calls us all to believe in Him.
We are truly blessed, even though we have not physically witnessed Jesus first-hand, we can feel His presence in our lives and believe in Him. Because we believe, we too can share the good news. Paul
Our Prayers
Most merciful Father,
We thank you that by the power of the Holy Spirit,
We can believe and trust in your Son, our risen Christ
To transform our lives into His likeness
and like St. Thomas, worship your infinite glory.
Amen
Our final hymn today is "Lift High the Cross"
Notices
We are now approaching the date of our Annual Parochial Church Meeting, which is where we review the reports from the previous year and elect our new Churchwardens and Parish Officers for the coming year. The Electoral Roll is now open for new additions, which is really important for the smooth running of the meeting. If you are not registered on the roll, you will not be able to vote at the meeting, stand for election to any posts, or nominate candidates. There is a list of members in each church, so please check whether you are registered, and complete the application form to be included.
