This short act of worship has been prepared for you. I invite you to share in a few moments with God, knowing that other people within Paulton, Trinity and Chew Stoke Methodist Churches are sharing this act of worship with you.
Revd Martin Slocombe
Psalm 133 - The Blessedness of Unity
1 How very good and pleasant it is
when kindred live together in unity!
2 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.
3 It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion.
For there the Lord ordained his blessing,
life for evermore.
Hymn – StF 293 - All heaven declares the glory of the risen Lord - www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPkZAjA610k
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1 All heaven declares 2 I will proclaim |
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Noël Richards (b. 1955) and Tricia Richards (b. 1960) |
Our gospel reading later, recounts the story of Thomas, who doubted unless he could see for himself. Our opening prayers remind us of a God who loves us, even when we have doubts.
Prayer
Thanks be to the God who embraces us even in our times of greatest doubt.
When our thinking is clouded and our spirit bewildered, God holds sacred space for us.
Thanks be to the Son who accepts our questions without judgement.
He who was questioned by pauper and priest alike remains a touching place for us.
Thanks be to the Holy Spirit who guides us to answers in our day.
The one who breathes God’s understanding into us opens a safe place for us. Amen.
Lord, we thank you for your patience with us,
your acceptance of our doubting and questioning, and your assurance of forgiveness.
How many times do we grieve your heart with our lack of belief, and exasperate you with our lack of faith?
But like a good parent, you gather us to you, and answer our misgivings.
With you, Lord, there is infinite forgiveness. Amen.
Readings
Acts 4: 32-35
The Believers Share Their Possessions
32 Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. 33With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. 35They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
1 John 1: 1 – 2: 2
The Word of Life
1We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— 2this life was revealed, and we have seen it and testify to it, and declare to you the eternal life that was with the Father and was revealed to us— 3we declare to you what we have seen and heard so that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 4We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
God Is Light
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. 6If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; 7but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
Christ Our Advocate
2My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; 2and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
John 20: 19-29
Jesus Appears to the Disciples
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.’ 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’
Jesus and Thomas
24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25So 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.’ 27Then 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.’ 28Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ 29Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’
Reflection
We are now in a waiting season in the life of the church. We have celebrated Easter, albeit in a more subdued and personal way than usual, and now we must wait for Pentecost, and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Unlike the disciples, we know what is coming, and so we can look forward to that breath of new life which God offers to us.
As the Covid restrictions are beginning to be lifted, we are also waiting for restrictions to ease, and feel as though we are emerging from a dark time, but can start to look forward to regaining a more fulfilling life.
What I am sure we are all looking forward to at Pentecost this year, is the reopening of our churches for worship – which should always be a time of great celebration. We have spent many months apart, but the time is coming again when we will be able to meet in our churches again. What is it that you will be looking forward to most when we reopen? No doubt, the simple act of being together will be wonderful. Seeing friends we may not have seen for a year, catching up on news, but most of all, worshipping together in community.
There is something very special about being in community, about being part of a group of disparate people, who are united by faith. We have been worshipping apart, in our own homes, for a long time, and that has been great, but there is an element of worship which can only find its full meaning when worship happens together, in community. That is why people have always gathered together to worship, not always in buildings, but have found a deeper meaning in this shared devotion time. Yes, of course we want to catch up with our friends, but we also want to be uplifted by the communal element of worship, benefitting when we do it together.
Our reading from the Acts of the Apostles shows very clearly the importance of a shared community for the earliest church, where personal possessions were given up for the good of the community as a whole. They were expecting Jesus’ imminent return, and therefore had no need for personal possessions. They were free to fully embrace the Christian life of service to the needy, and accepted the sacrificial nature of placing the needs of others before their own desires.
John’s letter speaks of the importance of gathering together so that he could share his experiences of Jesus, for the benefit of those who were not physical witnesses themselves, and in his gospel places special emphasis on the importance of belief in those who were not physically present and yet believed in the testimony of those who were.
All of these passages point to the importance of sharing our faith and experiences of God with others. As a church community we share a wealth of experience of God engaging in our lives, and in sharing our stories we help others to understand their experiences and challenge their doubts. But being in community can also be challenging, as every family knows.
If you were asked to give up all your possessions, I hope you would be naturally suspicious. I am sure that would be a step too far for many, but community does demand sacrificial giving in many different ways. I am not convinced that God wants us to give away all our possessions, but I am equally sure that he does demand that sometimes we need to give sacrificially – putting the needs of others before our own, giving without counting the cost, giving more than we might be prepared to give. That is the challenge that God places before us as we gaze upon the empty cross, a reminder of the extent of the sacrifice that he is prepared to make for us, and does so, time and time again.
The pandemic restrictions have taught us that we can let go of many things that we thought were essential, and have given us a new realisation of what is really important to us. As we begin to emerge from the darkness of the last year, we may well be challenged to give sacrificially, to leave some things behind and embrace new ways of doing things. Covid has forced us to explore new avenues for our faith as well as our secular lives, and some of those will be hugely beneficial, whilst others may be challenging. We might have to stop doing some of the things that we used to do, to make way for the new things we have now discovered, and that may well feel like a difficult sacrifice. But we face those challenges together, caring for the anxious, letting go of what holds us back, and embracing what will lead us forwards. We may not know what lies ahead, but God will be with us, as we explore the new world as a community, united together.
Amen
Hymn – StF 462 - Come with me, come wander www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdFVsRAnA_o
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1 Come with me, come wander, come welcome the world 2 Come walk in my company, come sleep by my side, 3 Come share in my laughter, come close to my fears, 4 Come leave your possessions, come share out your treasure, |
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John L. Bell (b. 1949) and Graham Maule (b. 1958) |
Prayers for others
Eternal, everlasting God, you are eternally patient with us, and no matter what we do, you persevere with us. Help each of us to show patience and perseverance with others; and with this prayer in our hearts and on our lips, we pray for those we know and love and hear of this day, and for strangers alike.
God, in whom we believe: Bless them.
For those struggling to accept the Easter message of resurrection; for those who long to have faith but miss the final step; who long to see Jesus but doubt what they see, seeing only as if in a mirror dimly; who long to hear your word, but grasp only a muffle and murmur; who yearn to feel your presence but shy away from contact; for those who need convincing of the truth in an age of fake news and skewed views.
God, in whom we believe: Bless them.
We pray for the North East Somerset & Bath Circuit, of which we are a part, for it’s ministers, lay workers, churches and congregations – especially this week we join with the Circuit as we pray together for Keynsham, and their minister, Jane Wilson and for the staff and students at Kingswood School.
As part of Churches Together in Radstock & Westfield we pray for our brothers and sisters at St Benedict’s Catholic Church, and the community at Downside Abbey as they undergo significant changes.
We pray for our families and friends, and for all those in need at this present time
And for ourselves we pray, that we might banish shadows that hold us back and keep us fixed to what we are familiar with, when we can be afraid to step out, step on, step forward, step up – we pray that we might know the wisdom of the psalmist, the grace of God, the blessing of the Spirit, the love and companionship of each other and the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
These are our prayers this day.
Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
We say together the prayer that Jesus gave us:
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.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the
power and the glory are yours,
now and for ever. Amen.
Hymn – StF 611 – Brother, sister, let me serve you - www.youtube.com/watch?v=07FBSrx5Oq4
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1 Brother, sister, let me serve you, 2 We are pilgrims on a journey, 3 I will hold the Christ-light for you 4 I will weep when you are weeping; 5 When we sing to God in heaven 6 Brother, sister, let me serve you, |
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Richard A. M. Gillard (b. 1953) |
Blessing
The blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with you, now and always. Amen
CCLI Licence 354889
Easter crosses
Our thanks go to everyone who gave flowers, and helped with creating the crosses last weekend.
They are indeed beautiful, and a visible reminder to our local communities that our churches are still celebrating Easter, even if the doors are closed.
Easter Floral Crosses Trinity Westfield, Chew Stoke, Trinity Radstock and Paulton.
