19th April 2020 Low Sunday
Call to Worship
All you works of God, all you mighty heavens,
Worship and praise your Maker.
Sun, moon and stars; wind, rain and thunder,
All: Worship and praise your Maker.
Mountains and forests, streams and waterfalls,
All: Worship and praise your Maker.
Whales beneath the seas, birds throughout the skies,
All that leaps or crawls, all folk who worry and wonder,
Let us worship and praise our Maker together.
Collect for today:
Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ’s Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Prayer of Adoration and Confession
O God our Maker, we wait in our homes, but in fellowship with our family and friends and all your people throughout the world thanking you for the wonder and glory of your creation in all its detailed perfection. The springtime buds and flowers greet us with the joy of resurrected life reminding us of the beauty and potential of a newborn child, filling us with hope for the days to come. We see a resurgence of life as animals, insects and birds rebound while we retreat and wait for the healing and restoration of our life and our society. It is right that we worship you and trust you, for yours is the gift of life to us.
May the story of the Risen Christ lift our hearts today,
that we too may discover him among us making all things new with the springtime of your Spirit. Amen
Prayer of Confession
Father, in raising Jesus from the dead, you revealed your power
to defeat all that brings fear and sorrow to our lives.
In his resurrection, Jesus has promised to be with us always.
Yet we confess we are sometimes uncertain about how to find him.
Like Thomas, we are unsure if we can trust the promise of resurrection for ourselves.
Forgive us when our faith is weak, and we forget the power of the new life within us.
You have promised to add your strength to our weakness, thereby perfecting it. Your grace brings forgiveness, relief and blessing as we acknowledge our sins and failings
Breathe your Spirit upon us and give us the peace Christ promised.
Dear friends, the risen Christ is with us speaking words of peace and forgiveness to us now. Receive his gift of forgiveness. Be at peace with yourself and with one another. Amen.
Prayer for Understanding
Gracious God, as we reflect on your Word, increase our understanding of it by the power of your Spirit. May our lives be shaped by your wisdom and inspired by your love through Christ Jesus the living Word. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer (in the words most familiar to you)
The Readings
Psalm 16
A miktam* of David.
1 Keep me safe, my God,
for in you I take refuge.
2 I say to the Lord, ‘You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing.’
3 I say of the holy people who are in the land,
‘They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.’
4 Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
or take up their names on my lips.
5 Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
11 You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
*Meaning unknown, may be a musical direction or a golden psalm worth inscribing on a golden tablet.
John 20:19-31
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, ‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.’ 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.’
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord!’
But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.’
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’ 27 Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’
28 Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’
29 Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe[b] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
1 Peter 1:3-9
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, 5 who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. 7 These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
Sermon
The first Sunday after Easter has been given many names. The commonest is Low Sunday, thought to be a corruption of Laudes the opening word of an ancient Christian rite which begins with the command to praise God. This Sunday is also known as White Sunday from the custom of clothing new converts in white for their baptism. Yet another name is Divine Mercy Sunday, and strangest of all, in the Orthodox Churches the equivalent Sunday (next week) is known as Antipascha (Greek, not Italian!) Sunday which means the re-dedication of the Resurrection of Christ, when they also commemorate the event of the Holy Apostle Thomas’ touching the wounds of Christ.
There is also a widespread tradition of it being a Sunday of laughter, Holy Humour Sunday, in which people play tricks and give each other gifts. We do not have much time for laughter, as we noted last week, but instead today we consider some Easter gifts which Jesus gave to his disciples when he appeared to them a week after his resurrection. Today let’s leave Thomas aside. He overcame his scepticism and became one of the most productive of apostles carrying the gospel far away to India.
In today’s Gospel reading Jesus offers his disciples peace three time (vv 19, 21 and 26). This giving of the “peace” was more than an ordinary Middle Eastern greeting. It meant far more than just “May you be saved from trouble.” We must not forget that Jesus’ followers were still cowering in fear in the Upper Room. They had seen just how ruthless and vicious the Roman and Temple authorities had been in their destruction of Jesus. Roman justice combined with religious hypocrisy had done their worst and it seemed that evil had triumphed. As yet they did not know the power of the resurrection and the extent of Jesus’ victory over sin. They feared that that same hatred might be directed at them now that Jesus was gone. Did they fear the next knock on the door in the night?
Imagine them all huddled in a room doing their best to be as quiet as possible. In hushed tones are they trying to figure out how they can get out of Jerusalem as quietly and safely as possible? The farther they can get away from the Romans and the Temple authorities the safer they will all feel. It’s time to go home and see what they could do with the rest of their lives. Perhaps James and John were already making plans to get back into the fishing business. Was Matthew already thinking if he could get back his job as a tax collector?
Then in a moment Jesus appeared to them and the very first thing he did was to give them this wonderful gift of peace. Jesus understood the fear and terror that has gripped their hearts. He still knows first-hand how anxiety and apprehension can overwhelm a person. And so, with one little word Jesus changed the whole atmosphere of the room. Jesus’ gracious gift of shalom brought and still brings about a spirit of peace, calm and tranquillity.
It is very much like what happened in Matthew 8:23 – 27 when the disciples were afraid for their lives during the storm. Remember that story? The wind was howling, and the waves were threatening to swamp their boat while Jesus was asleep seemingly unaware the danger they were facing. Matthew tells us that the disciples quickly woke Jesus for him to do something. I wonder what they expected Jesus to do. Perhaps they wanted him to bail out some of the water or to grab an oar. All we know is that they believed that they are in mortal danger and they didn’t think that Jesus should be asleep. Matthew tells us that Jesus gets up, rebukes the wind and everything became calm. At the word of Jesus, the winds died down, the water became calm and peace entered the boat and into the lives of his disciples.
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” – Philippians 4:7
Whilst we are enduring the Covid-19 lockdown we all have our own fears, frustrations and anxieties. Life is on pause. For some there are huge challenges others may be seeing less of an upheaval. We all surely wonder what life will be like after this is over.
Peace is Jesus first gift to his disciples; he will bring calm to the storms that arise in and around us. It is a peace Paul describes as “surpassing all understanding” when it looks like our whole world has been turned upside down. We can be like the ancient Israelites who sang Psalm 46 when they found themselves overwhelmed with fear and anxiety – God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Our eyes are directed upwards in that Psalm to the river of life flowing around the city of God – there is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells.5 God is within her, she will not fall; God will help her at break of day.
Today, if you are going through a time of anxiety don’t attempt to ride out the storm alone. As we must stay behind our doors, imagine your home as the City of God surrounded and sustained by the river of eternal life and let it fill you with his peace. Right now, as you are sitting here in His Presence receive the same wonderful Easter Gift of peace that Jesus gave to His disciples 2,000 years ago. Don’t live another moment in a spirit of anxiety, fear or terror. Accept the peace that Jesus offers.
The second gift is of Assurance. The disciples no longer had to worry about their lives or their future. Any lingering doubts about who Jesus was are dispelled because his resurrection is the greatest gift of assurance the world has ever received.
When Jesus appeared, he was not some ethereal being. The person standing in front of them was real, not a shadow or ghostly figure. Jesus’ body had form, content, and substance. The disciples could see him, they could feel his hands, they could feel his side and they could welcome him with a big Middle Eastern hug. Jesus was real. He was alive. Yes, it was true that Jesus could suddenly appear and disappear before them, but He was alive. He was standing right there in front of them smiling and granting peace and assurance.
During the previous three and a half years they had listened to his every word and they had done their best to imitate him. They had poured all they had into following Jesus. But for the past few days, they had thought all that time had been wasted. They had wondered if they had wasted their time, their energy and put their lives in danger for nothing. But with Jesus standing beside them, they knew that the Cross and death had not been the end but the beginning. They no longer doubted that Jesus was the Son of God and Israel’s Holy Messiah.
This is the power of the risen Lord, and it is a power which we have inherited. We must not doubt that God is fully aware of all that is happening in this world. We may not know the providence behind this plague. We are not the first generation, nor will we be the last, to experience plague and disruption, grief and loss. The gospel declares the love and mercy of God in the face of this universal experience. We are assured in Jesus Christ that our lives and our experience have meaning and purpose.
That purpose is summed up in Psalm 16 9 Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,
10 because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead, nor will you let your faithful one see decay.11 You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence. Peter declares this is a prophecy of the resurrection of Jesus, but it is also a forth-telling of the destiny of each of us may know, no matter how terrible our experience of this earthly life. Trust this assurance and be at peace.
The third gift that evening is the Holy Spirit.
Jesus breathed upon his disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
He knew that His followers did not possess either the spiritual experience or the physical ability to carry the Good News. He knew all too well that even though the spirit of man is willing, the flesh of man is far too weak. In their own strength there was no way for His followers to fulfil the purpose of their lives in him, so he breathed new life into them.
Somehow, mysteriously, the energy of life transforms the elements of this universe into living beings. And the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” For all our knowledge of chemistry, physics and biology, we still cannot explain life and consciousness. These are gifts we have received. We have no choice, we are here. Spiritual life comes about in the same way, it is God’s gift to us, and in Jesus Christ, eternal, God-filled life is a gift. We don’t have to be grateful for physical life, though mostly we are. The gift of eternal life however requires grateful acceptance and along with peace and assurance it gives us new power.
More than buildings, finances or anything else today we in the Body of Christ (the Church) desperately need the breath of God’s Holy Spirit. Even as breath is important to the human body, so too is the breath of the Holy Spirit vital for God’s Church. We have no power without the Holy Spirit. If we want to see souls saved, healings, anointings and lives transformed we need the breath of the Holy Spirit in us today. We cannot be the true Church of Jesus Christ without the gift of the Holy Spirit.
And that means that the most important aspect of any church is its prayer life, its ability to surrender to the will and leading of the Holy Spirit. That means that as brothers and sisters of Christ we are to:
Be open to receive God’s gift of the Holy Spirit. We are to possess the spirit that Jesus shared with us in His Sermon on the Mount – “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” (Matthew 5:6)
Surrender our lives to the Lord. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sister, by the mercies of God to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (Romans 12:1)
Live out daily Spirit-filled life – “If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”
When we do these things, our lives are then useful to God as his people in the world. And as Jesus gave his disciples a purpose, so too he commissions us and gives us the same responsibility to take His place in our world. This gives us a privilege of being able to live as genuine human beings whom God can use to reach out to others in love and so participate in the restoration all of creation. Like the early followers of Jesus, we too have all the privileges, all the protection, and all the responsibilities that Jesus had during his earthly ministry.
Jesus took a group of disillusioned and frightened followers who had scattered and abandoned him. When he was being beaten at the Stone of Scourging, they had scattered like sheep as far away as they could go. When Jesus had needed them most, they denied abandoned and deserted him. None of them stepped up and declared that they wanted to join him on the cross. None of them dared to challenge either the Romans or the Temple authorities on Jesus’ behalf; he was on his own.
Afterwards, the Bible tells us that none of those closest to him were brave enough to claim Jesus’ dead body. Instead, they allowed Joseph of Arimathea, Nicodemus and others to take care of his body. Even though his closest disciples had walked with Jesus for more than three and a half years, when it really got down to the crunch, they were either on the side-lines or they were hiding behind closed doors.
As we read each of the Gospels, we also know that none of his disciples truly believed Jesus’ promise of a bodily Resurrection. There is no account of them setting up tents and waiting for Jesus to come out of the tomb. Not one of them was there that Resurrection morning to help him take off his grave clothes. Jesus died on the cross alone and he arose from the dead alone. As far as his closest disciples were concerned Jesus was dead, and his mission was dead as well. Yet it was they whom Jesus commissioned to carry the gospel to the world. He had called them and loved them and prepared them because he would not let them go despite their failures.
You may not think there is much you can do, given the limitations of your abilities, circumstances or faith, but with the power of the Holy Spirt you may yet be surprised at how God may use you. He may use you to be a healer, a reconciler, an enabler
Let’s go back again to that illustration of the Holy Spirit as breath in our bodies. One of the best spiritual disciplines and exercises that any of us can do is to take time to breathe in God’s Holy Spirit. We can do this by sitting down and simply begin to breathe. With each breath we may ask for one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:23-24). For example, We:
Breathe in love as we exhale hatred, malice and sin.
Breathe in joy as we exhale sorrow, pain and anxiety
Breathe in peace as we exhale hate, discord and frustration
Breathe in patience as we exhale indifference, intolerance and impatience.
Breathe in kindness as we exhale hostility, meanness and harshness
Breathe in goodness as we exhale cruelty, evil and wickedness
Breathe in faithfulness as we exhale falseness, inconsistency and disloyalty
Breathe in gentleness as we exhale hardness, roughness and callousness
Breathe in self-control as we exhale instability, rashness and self-centeredness
Think of how much that will heal us and heal those around us.
A frightened and desperate world needs peaceful, assured, spirit-filled healers, especially at this time. You and I are called to be such people. We don’t need to be frightened of the virus, or of the collapse of the economy to the extent that we create further fear, division and hatred as we are seeing in so many places. The world needs peace-filled, assured, spirit empowered healers who will pray for and seek reconciliation and healing. It was people like that whom Jesus sent out to live and declare the gospel. We are called to be of their number, and we have the gifts of Easter to help us. Amen.
Our Offering
In this season of Easter, we celebrate God’s most precious gift to us in Christ’s dying and his rising. As we bring our gifts this morning, may our generosity reflect God’s goodness to us and the hope we have in Christ Jesus.
Prayer of Dedication
Giver of every good and perfect gift, in Christ we see the power of sacrifice, and trust the hope of resurrection. We devote our gifts to you in gratitude for all we have received in him. Bless them and our lives which we commit to serve our risen Lord. Amen.
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
God our Father, we thank you for the gifts of Easter to us, twenty-first century your disciples. Let your peace engulf us, your assurance steady us, and your spirit empower us to take up your commission to be your agents of healing and reconciliation on this earth in such a time as this. Strengthen our faith and enable us to live with hope and trust in you every day.
We are grateful that you give us courage to face our fears and struggles, patience to endure moments when the way ahead is not clear, and resilience in the face of hard reality.
Loving God, we pray for the many places of brokenness in our world. We think especially of those suffering in the COVID-19 outbreak, those who are ill with the disease, the heart-broken who have lost loved ones, those working hard to respond to the pandemic, and those who have lost work, income or purpose. In this moment of quietness, we name people and circumstances on our minds today, all those places in need of your restoration.
(Take time to offer your own prayers)
We ask that the whole earth will experience your gift of new life and hope. Dispel fear, aggression, division and panic. Give our leaders clear thinking, patience and grace in dealing with daunting situations and face difficult decisions. Provide for the needs of those who are lacking protection, treatment, encouragement, comfort and healing. Have mercy upon our world.
We pray for those whom we know who are grieving for a loved one, for those who are dying that peace and assurance may be theirs in Jesus Christ. May they sense your nearer presence and surrender to your love.
We pray for those who struggle with their experience of the church. Open them to your love and grace so that any pain the church has caused will be healed. Guide us with your Spirit of wisdom to know how to live our faith in ways that create openings instead of barriers to your grace.
We pray for our own congregations. for The Church of Scotland, and for the Church of Jesus Christ in every country and culture. Guide our ministers and elders as they look for ways to minister effectively in these days of unexpected challenge, when worship and fellowship have been disrupted. Strengthen our trust in you and our concern for others. Make us good stewards of this time apart to reflect on your presence with your people in circumstances of deep challenge. Help us maintain the joy we know in the Risen Christ.
We also pray for ourselves, that we may prove faithful in love and service. Heal us, supply our needs and minister peace to our souls.
(Silence for 10-15 seconds)
We are glad that we can place all our worries and our hopes into your hands, O God, knowing that you will hear us and respond in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Sending out and Benediction
“The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the companionship of the Holy Spirit is with us!
Let us go in peace to love and serve the Risen Lord.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Hymns
Here are some hymn suggestions to check on YouTube if you wish to sing along. Some may not be as familiar as their titles suggest:
This joyful Eastertide
Blessed be the everlasting God
Because He lives
In Christ alone
All hail the power of Jesus Name
O for a thousand tongues to sing
For Children
There is a very interesting book called “Believe It or Not” by Robert Ripley. Mr. Ripley enjoyed collecting strange and amazing bits of information which, although they seem unbelievable, were true. Let me read some examples of some of the amazing things you will find in his book.
A man by the name of James Cook once had a chicken that laid a perfectly square egg. Now, I’ve seen white eggs, brown eggs, even spotted eggs, but I have never seen a square egg. Have you? I think I’d have to see it to believe it!
Joann Barnes was a 15-year-old from California, and she once swung a lot of hula-hoops on her body at the same time! How many do you think she swung on her body? (Take guesses until kids say 68.) Can you believe that? I can’t even keep one hula-hoop going. I think I would have to see that to believe it!
Here’s one I’ll bet you didn’t know. How long do you think the world’s largest sausage was? (Take guesses until kids say 3,000 feet.) The world’s largest sausage was over 3,000 feet long, weighed 885 pounds, and took 103 butchers to carry it! Now that’s a lot of baloney! I would have to see that to believe it!
This book is filled with things that are very hard for us to believe. But do you know what? If it’s true, it’s true—whether we believe it or not!
In today’s Bible lesson we learn that on the Sunday that Jesus rose from the grave, He appeared to a group of His disciples. One of the disciples, whose name was Thomas, was not with them. When the disciples told Thomas that they had seen Jesus and that He was alive, Thomas said, “I won’t believe it until I see it with my own eyes. I want to put my finger in the nail-prints in His hands—and place my hand where the spear was thrust into His side.
A week later, Thomas saw Jesus. Jesus invited Thomas to touch His hands where the nails had been. He told Thomas to put his hand in the wound in His side. Then Thomas believed! Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
A lot of people today won’t believe that Jesus really rose from the grave because they haven’t seen Him with their own two eyes. Do you know what? It is true whether they believe it or not! You and I have never seen Jesus, but we believe. We accept Him by faith. We don’t have to see him to believe him!
Dear Jesus, thank You that You help us accept by faith that You have risen from the grave and that You are alive. In your holy name, Amen.
Jesus is alive!
Jesus is Alive.
Christ arose!
Christ Arose
Comic Link
A Prayer in a Time of Distress
Almighty and everlasting God, you are strength to those who suffer and comfort to those who grieve. Let the prayers of your children who are in trouble rise to you. Hear our prayer. We claim your promises of wholeness as we pray for those who are ill or are suffering loss and long for your healing touch. Hear our prayer. Make the weak strong, the sick healthy, the broken whole, and confirm those who serve them as agents of your love. Hear our prayer. To everyone in distress, grant mercy, grant relief, grant refreshment. Hear our prayer. When we begin to rebuild, we commend our neighbourhoods to your care. Give us strength of purpose and concern for others, that we may create a community where your will may be done. Hear our prayer. God of compassion, you watch our ways, and weave out of terrible happenings wonders of goodness and grace. Hear our prayer. Surround those who have been shaken by tragedy with a sense of your present love and hold them in faith. Though they are lost in grief, may they find you and be comforted; Through Jesus Christ who was dead, but lives and rules this world with you. Amen
Intimations
I am sorry to intimate the passing of our member, Mrs Sheila Connelly, formerly of Hillfield Crescent Inverkeithing and Lindsay House, Lumphinans. Her funeral will take place at Dunfermline Crematorium on Friday 24th at 2:45 pm with only her immediate family in attendance. Please remember her family Vivien, Stuart and Allison and their children and grandchildren in their grief.
Life and work
During this challenging period, Life and Work is committed to helping keep our Christian community connected and so we have made the May 2020 issue freely available on our website. This can be accessed by clicking here or visiting