16th April 2023 10.30am – Second Sunday of Easter Eucharist

Posted on by St Mary's

The Readings

Acts 2.14a, 22-32

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them: ‘Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say.

‘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.

John 20.19-end

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.

Scripture Quotations are from: New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org

The Sermon
By Revd Dr Matthew Rhodes

The Prayers
Prepared by Kath

God our Father, hear us when we pray to you faith.
We give you thanks for this day, for our lives and the amazing
world you have given us to live in. Help us to be good stewards
and to look after it for this generation and the generations to
come.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Father we pray for your church throughout the world and for
those of other faiths who worship you. May we treat each other
with respect and we pray that those engaged in the inter-faith
strife currently taking place in Israel will find better ways to air
their differences.

We give thanks for all those who give their time, talents and
money for the benefit of this church and all the other churches
and the communities they serve. Be with us in our service and
help us not to lose heart when the tasks before us often seem
so large and the results of our efforts seem slow or small.
Above all, help us not to give up on prayer when we feel
unheard or unanswered. Give us the patience and vision to see
how you work in our lives.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We pray for the world and all peoples, especially those who live
in troubled places because of wars, oppression, natural
disasters, political strife, economic problems and great need for
food, shelter and safety. Father help us to find ways to live
peaceably together, sharing the earth’s resources fairly and
working together for the good of all. Bless all who strive for
these things. From individual to international situations help us
not to see each other as enemies when we don’t see eye to
eye and to genuinely seek to work through our disagreements
to fair and just solutions.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We pray for all who are ill and those who are nearing the end of
their lives. May they receive the care, comfort and compassion
they need. We pray also for those who accompany them on
their journey who also need to be supported.
We pray for Alan and for Sue
In a moment of quiet let us think of anyone known to us who is
in special need of our prayers at this time.

Let us also pray for ourselves and our own concerns and
needs.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

We remember all who have died, some recently and some long
ago. We pray that they are at peace and that those who love
and miss them will be comforted and cared for in their grief.
Especially we pray for Richard and for Martin who have died
recently.

Again in a short time of quiet let us remember those special to
us who are no longer with us.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.

Merciful Father,
accept these prayers,
for the sake of your
Son, our saviour, Jesus Christ.
Amen.