Scripturally Based Worship Resources

Easter 02C
Prayers for Personal Devotions or Corporate Worship

Call to Worship: (adapted from Psalm 150)

L: Praise God everywhere and in all circumstances!
P: In this sanctuary and even to the highest heaven, praise God!
L: Praise God for all God does!
P: For mighty deeds and God’s surpassing greatness, we praise God!
L: Praise God in word and song!
P: With trumpet sound, and lute and harp; with tambourine and dance, with strings and pipe, with clanging cymbals, with clashing cymbals, let us praise God!
U: Let everything that breathes praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!

Prayer of Preparation: (Psalm 118:14, 19, 22-23, 28-29, adapted)

The LORD is my strength and my might; God has become my salvation. Open to me the gates of righteousness that I may enter through them and give thanks to the LORD. I thank you, O God that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is your doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you. I will give thanks to the LORD, for God is good, God’s steadfast love endures forever. Amen.

Lessons for Personal Reading and Reflection

Acts 5:27-32
John 20:19-31

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An Offering of Random Thoughts and Mediations on the Lectionary Texts for Easter 02C

What does it mean to be the Church? What are we to do with the knowledge of Jesus’ teachings about God’s gracious love for the world and all creation? What are we to make of the Jesus’ death, why he died, and for what purpose?

These are questions that we can answer. We know about great teachers and preachers. Our present culture is full of those who inspire us to lose weight, get in shape, get rich! So, yes, we can give Jesus the nod as a good and effective teacher of useable wisdom. We also know about the power of martyrdom for a good cause. Gandhi gave his life for the liberation of his country from British colonial rule. Martin Luther King gave his life for the equal rights of his race within the country that proclaims liberty and justice for all.

But, what of the Resurrection? Was it wishful thinking on the part of the disciples, or a great marketing scheme thought up by the apostles? We can certainly imagine this. We might applaud the clever minds that thought this up, even if we were also taken in by it. We can read The DaVinci Code or other purveyors of conspiracy theories and be reassured by the humanity of the Church.

A bumper sticker advertising the fundamentalist independent church near where I used to serve as a pastor posed the question, “What if it’s true?” If it is, then the Resurrection becomes the story of the key moment that transformed a group of very human disciples into a Divinely inspired and empowered life mission – the Church of Jesus Christ.

The stories that we will read from the lectionary texts throughout the season of Easter depict how this transformation happened. This week Jesus appeared to the apostles in the Upper Room on the night of the Resurrection, and appeared to them and Thomas a week later. In Acts Peter and the apostles were called to account by the Jewish Council (the Sanhedrin) for preaching about Jesus. The reading from the Revelation of John provides a Benedictus (statement of blessing) to the God who was, who is and ever shall be.

In these lessons we see how the apostles grew into an understanding of what it meant to be Christ’s body – the Church – in the aftermath of the Resurrection.

They began to think as God thinks (just as Jesus taught). If we (and they) were to think only as humans think, then we might call them rebels for disobeying the authorities, or bold for standing up for what they believed. Boldness in working for what is right and Civil disobedience in fighting against evil are respected strategies for those who seek justice. But, I think there is more that boldness and civil disobedience at work here.

The apostles were transformed by what they experienced between Good Friday, Easter and Pentecost. No longer were they stifled by the fear of persecution or death. They were somehow changed by the power of God at work in their hearts. "We must obey God rather than any human authority.” They responded. “And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him." What is it that we proclaim through our life together in the Church? Is the power of God at work in our hearts as we worship, study, pray, and serve?

They were transformed by what they saw. Thomas wanted to place his hands in the wounds of Christ before he would believe in the Resurrection, or so he thought. When he came face to face with the resurrected Christ, all he could do was exclaim, “My Lord and my God!” Suddenly, questions of touch and belief were forgotten. And, we realize that it’s not about us! It’s about God. God has called us to be the church for God’s sake. How does the way we do business, reflect God’s purpose for the church?

They were transformed by what they came to understand. In envisioning the Holy City with God enthroned in the middle, John proclaimed a faith in the One who was, is and shall always be. In other words we don’t have to worry about what humans will do next. The future is assured. God is there, already waiting for us. The life that God prepares is abundant in mercy and great joy. How does our life together in the church express God’s abundance?

What do you think? What is it to be the Church?

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Collect (a meditation on John 20:19)

Ah, for the peace that Christ gives! By a mere glance, a touch, a breath, and peace is ours. Peace be with you, he said. Grant that peace, that joyful harmony, that purposeful repose, that compassionate presence, that tranquil energy, that fearless resolve to do your will and embrace your love. On the evening of the Resurrection you gave that peace to the disciples. The gift beyond measure, a most precious treasure, that gives us the eyes to see eternity in each moment, the heart to forgive others wrongs, the love to serve those who driven by hate. Please open the gates of your peace to us, too, now, today, and in this very hour. In the name of our precious savior, Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Departing Blessing (Revelation 1:4-8)

L: Grace to you and peace from the One who is and who was and who is to come, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
P: Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen.
L: "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. Go in peace, to love and serve our God.
P: Amen.

Blessings,

Rick