Topic: Morning Prayer Easter 2
Time: Apr 11, 2021 11:00 AM Dublin
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83901686278
Meeting ID: 839 0168 6278
The service leaflet is available here: Killiskey MP Easter 2 11-04-21
or below here:
Killiskey Parish
Sunday 11th April 2021 @ 11.00am
The Second Sunday of Easter
SERVICE OF MORNING PRAYER
The Gathering of God’s People
GREETING
The Lord be with you
and also with you.
Opening Hymn: CH338 “Jesus, stand among us”
Jesus, stand among us
in your risen power;
let this time of worship
be a hallowed hour.
Breathe your Holy Spirit
into every heart;
bid the fears and sorrows
from each soul depart.
Thus with quickened footsteps
we will go our way,
watching for the dawning
of the eternal day.
William Pennefather (1816-1873) altd.
based on John 20: 19-23
SENTENCE OF SCRIPTURE
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
1 Peter 1: 3
INTRODUCTION
Beloved in Christ,
we come together to offer to Almighty God
our worship and praise and thanksgiving,
to confess our sins and to receive God’s forgiveness,
to hear his holy word proclaimed,
to bring before him our needs and the needs of the world,
and to pray that in the power of his Spirit
we may serve him and know the greatness of his love.
CONFESSION & ABSOLUTION
Let us confess our sins to God our Father.
Silence is kept.
Heavenly Father,
we have sinned against you and against our neighbour
in thought and word and deed,
through negligence, through weakness,
through our own deliberate fault;
by what we have done
and by what we have failed to do.
We are truly sorry and repent of all our sins.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ who died for us,
forgive us all that is past;
and grant that we may serve you in newness of life
to the glory of your name. Amen.
Almighty God, who forgives all who truly repent,
have mercy on you,
pardon and deliver you from all your sins,
confirm and strengthen you in all goodness,
and keep you in eternal life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Proclaiming and Receiving the Word
O Lord, open our lips
and our mouth will proclaim your praise.
O God, make speed to save us.
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and shall be for ever. Amen.
Praise the Lord.
The Lord’s name be praised.
The First Reading: Acts 4: 32-35
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. With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There 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. They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
After the reading silence may be kept.
Psalm: Psalm 133
1 Behold how good and pleasant it is ♦︎
to dwell together in unity.
2 It is like the precious oil upon the head, ♦︎
running down upon the beard,
3 Even on Aaron’s beard, ♦︎
running down upon the collar of his clothing.
4 It is like the dew of Hermon ♦︎
running down upon the hills of Zion.
5 For there the Lord has promised his blessing: ♦︎
even life for evermore.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son♦︎
and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, ♦︎
and shall be for ever. Amen.
The Second Reading: 1 John 1: 1 – 2: 2
We 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— this 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— we 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. We are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.
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. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but 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. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
My 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; and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
After the reading silence may be kept.
Hymn before the Gospel: CH270“I know that my Redeemer lives”
I know that my Redeemer lives –
what joy the blessed assurance gives!
He lives, he lives, who once was dead;
he lives, my everlasting head.
He lives to bless me with his love;
he lives, to plead for me above,
he lives, my hungry soul to feed,
he lives, to help in time of need.
He lives, and grants me daily breath;
he lives, and I shall conquer death;
he lives, my mansion to prepare;
he lives, to lead me safely there.
He lives, all glory to his name;
he lives, my Saviour, still the same;
what joy the blessed assurance gives,
I know that my Redeemer lives!
Samuel Medley (1738-99)
based on Job 19: 25
The Gospel: John 20: 19-31
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.
After the reading silence may be kept.
THE SERMON
THE APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Hymn of Faith: CH613 “Eternal light, shine in my heart”
Eternal light, shine in my heart;
eternal hope, lift up my eyes:
eternal power, be my support;
eternal wisdom, make me wise.
Eternal life, raise me from death;
eternal brightness, make me see:
eternal Spirit, give me breath;
eternal Saviour, come to me:
Until by your most costly grace,
invited by your holy word,
at last I come before your face
to know you, my eternal God.
The Prayers of the People
The Lord be with you
and also with you.
Let us pray.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
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.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.
Show us your mercy, O Lord,
and grant us your salvation.
O Lord, guide and defend our rulers
and grant our government wisdom.
Let your ministers be clothed with righteousness
and let your servants shout for joy.
O Lord, save your people
and bless those whom you have chosen.
Give peace in our time, O Lord,
and let your glory be over all the earth.
O God, make clean our hearts within us
and renew us by your Holy Spirit.
THE COLLECTS
THE COLLECT OF THE DAY
Almighty Father,
you have given your only Son to die for our sins
and to rise again for our justification:
Grant us so to put away the leaven
of malice and wickedness
that we may always serve you in pureness of living and truth;
through the merits of your Son
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
COLLECTS AT MORNING PRAYER
Go before us, Lord, in all our doings, with your most gracious favour,
and further us with your continual help;
that in all our works begun, continued and ended in you,
we may glorify your holy name,
and finally by your mercy attain everlasting life;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Heavenly Father,
in whom we live and move and have our being:
We humbly pray that your Holy Spirit may so guide and govern us
that in all the cares and occupations of our daily life,
we may never forget your presence
but may remember that we are always walking in your sight,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
INTERCESSIONS
Lord Jesus Christ,
there are times when life seems a mystery,
when we can make no sense of anything,
not even our faith,
when the events of life confuse and trouble us
so that our minds are in turmoil
and our confidence is destroyed.
Help us to know you are with us at such times.
Speak again your word of peace,
and may our souls find rest.
Remind us of the experience of your followers –
that first Easter –
how you come to them in their confusion –
each still reeling from the shock of your death,
struggling to come to terms with the suffering you had endured,
and the apparent triumph of evil over goodness –
and how you restored their faith,
rekindling their joy,
reviving their vision
and renewing their commitment.
Speak again your word of peace,
and may our souls find rest.
We thank you for your promise to be with us always,
to the end of the age,
and we rejoice that we experience the fulfilment of those words
through the living presence of the Holy Spirit.
Whatever storms may confront us,
whatever trials we may face,
we know that you will always be there,
meeting us in our confusion to quieten our hearts.
Speak again your word of peace,
and may our souls find rest.
We thank you that the day will come
When your victory will be complete
and your will accomplished –
a day when the puzzles that confound us will be resolved,
when the forces that conspire against your kingdom
will be overcome
and when harmony will be established among the nations –
a day when you will speak your word to all.
Speak again your word of peace,
and may our souls find rest.
Lord Jesus Christ,
meet with us when life and our faith is weak,
and grant the assurance that, despite appearances,
your purpose continues unchanged,
your strength remains undiminished
and your love is indestructible.
Speak again your word of peace,
and may our souls find rest.
We ask it in your name.
Amen.
Closing Hymn: CH669 “God sent his Son, they called him Jesus”
God sent his Son, they called Him Jesus;
he came to love, heal and forgive
he lived and died to buy my pardon,
an empty grave is there to prove my Saviour lives.
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow;
because He lives, all fear is gone;
because I know he holds the future,
and life is worth the living just because he lives.
How sweet to hold a new-born baby
and feel the pride and joy it gives;
but greater still the calm assurance,
this child can face uncertain days because he lives.
And then one day I’ll cross the river;
I’ll fight life’s final, war with pain;
and then as death gives way to vict’ry
I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives.
Gloria Gaither (b. 1942)
and William J Gaither (b. 1936)
Going Out as God’s People
The Lord be with you
and also with you.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
May the God of hope
fill you with all joy and peace in believing,
so that by the Holy Spirit
you may abound in hope. Amen. Romans 15: 13