Second Sunday of Easter, April 19, 2020
THE SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER
April 19, 2020
ST. PAUL’S LUTHERAN CHURCH, FALLS CHURCH, VA
DIVINE SERVICE ONE
✠ ✠ ✠
THE ENTRANCE RITE
PRELUDE These Things Did Thomas Count as Real Setting: Robert J. Powell
WELCOME
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
ENTRANCE HYMN # 472 These Things Did Thomas Count as Real
1 These things did Thomas count as real:
The warmth of blood, the chill of steel,
The grain of wood, the heft of stone,
The last frail twitch of flesh and bone.
2 The vision of his skeptic mind
Was keen enough to make him blind
To any unexpected act
Too large for his small world of fact.
3 His reasoned certainties denied
That one could live when one had died,
Until his fingers read like braille
The markings of the spear and nail.
4 May we, O God, by grace believe
And thus the risen Christ receive,
Whose raw imprinted palms reached out
And beckoned Thomas from his doubt.
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
In the name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
But if we confess our sins, God, who is faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Silence for reflection on God’s Word and for self-examination.
Let us then confess our sins to God our Father.
Most merciful God, we confess that we are by nature sinful and unclean. We have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We justly deserve Your present and eternal punishment. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your holy name. Amen.
Almighty God in His mercy has given His Son to die for you and for His sake forgives you all your sins. As a called and ordained servant of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
KYRIE
In peace let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace from above and for our salvation let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the church of God, and for the unity of all let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Help, save, comfort and defend us, gracious Lord.
Amen.
HYMN OF PRAISE
This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain, whose blood set us free to be people of God.
This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Power, riches, wisdom and strength, and honor, blessing, and glory are His.
This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Sing with all the people of God, and join in the hymn of all creation.
Blessing, honor, glory, and might be to God and the Lamb forever. Amen.
This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
For the Lamb who was slain has begun His reign. Alleluia.
This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
THE PRAYER OF THE DAY
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray. Almighty God,
grant that we who have celebrated the Lord’s resurrection may by Your grace confess in our life and conversation that Jesus is Lord and God; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
✠ ✠ ✠
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
FIRST LESSON Acts 5:29–42
But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.
When they heard this, they were enraged and wanted to kill them. But a Pharisee in the council named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law held in honor by all the people, stood up and gave orders to put the men outside for a little while. And he said to them, “Men of Israel, take care what you are about to do with these men. For before these days Theudas rose up, claiming to be somebody, and a number of men, about four hundred, joined him. He was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing. After him Judas the Galilean rose up in the days of the census and drew away some of the people after him. He too perished, and all who followed him were scattered. So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!” So they took his advice, and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ. (ESV)
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALM 148
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his hosts!
Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars!
Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!
Let them praise the name of the Lord!
For he commanded and they were created.
And he established them forever and ever;
he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.
Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all deeps,
fire and hail, snow and mist,
stormy wind fulfilling his word!
Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
Beasts and all livestock,
creeping things and flying birds!
Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and maidens together,
old men and children!
Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted;
his majesty is above earth and heaven.
He has raised up a horn for his people, praise for all his saints,
for the people of Israel who are near to him. Praise the Lord!
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit;
As it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen.
SECOND LESSON 1 Peter 1:3–9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (ESV)
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
CHILDREN’S SERMON
ALLELUIA VERSE
Alleluia.
Lord, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
Alleluia, alleluia.
GOSPEL John 20:19–31
The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the 20th chapter
Glory to You, O Lord.
On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.”
Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, 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 in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, 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; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, 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 believed.”
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (ESV)
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to You, O Christ
SERMON
“Into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,” St. Peter says of our blessed future rooted in Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. In the midst of fearing defilement, and with a future that seems so uncertain, the Apostle’s words are so especially precious right now. He reminds us that pandemic and quarantine do not get to have the last word. As Peter also says, we are “…protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time…” How easy it is to be only fearful. Or at least very human! How frightening to be both separate from others and yet worried lest anyone get too near. The twin perils of loneliness and fear of danger posed by others, makes it seem as if everything is about me. All alone; just me. But I am not alone. Not now, not ever. God’s love is big enough, Peter says, to cover even our kind of fear and danger. Our God does not just talk the talk; He gave, for us, His only Son.
Not in all my 50 years of ministry have I celebrated an Easter like this one. I’m sure that is also true for you. But if we are grip the full meaning of Easter, then “Christ is risen; He is risen indeed!” isn’t just a dialog with which we greet the days of Easter. It is the substance, the power, the content of all that we are because Christ rose from the dead. You don’t have to be gathered in the same place to be lambs of God’s flock. You don’t have to have hundreds of people next to you to be blessed by singing with saints and angels, “Jesus Christ is risen today!” We are an Easter people. He lives and we shout it to each other: Because He lives, we shall live too! In fact He offers that resurrection life to all who put their trust in Jesus.
St. Peter wrote to people on the cusp of the first organized Roman persecution under Roman Emperor Nero. On the cusp, but though not yet in full fury. In the face of coming persecution Peter urges his people to do good among the Gentiles so that even their enemies would be moved to glorify God. Peter says, “our inheritance is imperishable, undefiled and unfading.” No one can take it from us. Peter’s urgent appeal is that his people not throw away an eternal treasures for a few morsels of bread and a few days of reprieve.
To be sure, persecution is not our lot. Even though some have equated the health policies that prevent the church from assembling as persecution, this is not persecution. But the terrors of this pandemic pursue us as plague pursued our ancestors. For all our medical prowess, it is amazing how much we are like them – not really knowing very much about what stalks us, and where it is now. Worse, we see its awful scope everywhere, because we are connected to the whole world. We cry out for normal days. Yet we still cannot see them.
But If you have linked much of your way of hoping to things like financial markets, good health and security in your neighborhood, then your hope feels tenuous now. The Apostle means bigger things. He has in mind what Jesus meant when he contrasted the things of the Kingdom with ordinary things that “moth and rust consume, and thieves break in and steal!” Easter calls us to hope anchored in the resurrection. And that hope lasts because it comes directly from Jesus Who has defeated death, the last great enemy of hope. Because He is risen, I too shall rise.
You have no doubt called Thomas the doubter. “Doubting Thomas” is the almost the way we say his name. Few of us remember that the NT actually calls him “Thomas the Twin!” And Thomas doubted Jesus no more or differently than any of the disciples. All of them rejected the dawn report from the women that Jesus was risen. It was the risen Christ Who passed through their locked doors Who woke them to resurrection. Thomas’ doubt was mostly of their reports of seeing Jesus. He needed to see what they had seen. That’s the origin of His stubborn, “Unless I see.” How easy it is to want God to do His miracle my way, and yet one more time. But please notice, Jesus came back again a week after Easter so Thomas could also believe.
Martin Rinkart was born in Luther’s home territory of Saxony 40 years after the Reformer’s death. He sang in the great choir at St. Thomas in Leipzig, and ultimately became the pastor of his home parish in Eilenburg. Because his city had a wall, it became a haven for refugees during the 30 years’ war. And if the terrors of seeming unending war weren’t enough, plague broke out in war-crowded Eilenburg. Most of the other Pastors and their bishop left the town, leaving Martin alone to care for the city. Sometimes he presided over 50 funerals in a single day. His wife died of the same plague that killed everywhere, and Martin himself was very ill in the exact time when his wife died. But in the midst of all that he wrote, “Now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices. Who wondrous things has done, in whom His world rejoices. Who from our mother’s arms, has blessed us on our way, with countless gifts of love and still is ours today.”
That is what Peter’s undefiled and undefeated faith looks like in the midst of suffering and unimaginable death, even of those dearest ones. It is resurrection hope that sings, “Who wondrous things has done……..and still is ours today!”
The Jesus we adore, Who we confess as Risen and Reigning, is not less a Lord because there is a pandemic. He is ever and always Lord. “From our mother’s arms, and still is ours today.” He is a Lord Who comes back especially for Thomas. He is a tenacious Lord, the anchor to which we hold.
So I call to you from the middle of this crisis to say, “Christ is risen indeed.” Though touch and closeness are things we have set on hold, yet prayers for healing and prayers for the needing and the dying are heard by a Living Lord. That our neighbors might share this hope in these hard days, don’t hide your hope under a blanket. Let others grab hold of Jesus by the shape of your hope.
I don’t know on which day or for which funeral Martin Rinkart wrote “Now Thank We All Our God.” I do know we are more likely to sing this hymn at Thanksgiving than at Easter. But today I ask you to give thanks for Martin’s saintly witness, to draw strength from him, and join Him in this song born of his pandemic. Join me as we sing, “Now Thank We All Our God.”
HYMN OF THE DAY #895 Now Thank We All Our God
1 Now thank we all our God
With hearts and hands and voices,
Who wondrous things has done,
In whom His world rejoices;
Who from our mothers’ arms
Has blest us on our way
With countless gifts of love
And still is ours today.
2 Oh, may this bounteous God
Through all our life be near us,
With ever joyful hearts
And blessèd peace to cheer us
And keep us in His grace
And guide us when perplexed
And free us from all ills
In this world and the next!
3 All praise and thanks to God
The Father now be given,
The Son, and Him who reigns
With them in highest heaven,
The one eternal God,
Whom earth and heav’n adore;
For thus it was, is now,
And shall be evermore.
Text (sts. 1–3) and Music: Public domain
APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His 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 into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
OFFERING Now Thank We All Our God Setting: Paul Manz
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH
Hear us, merciful Father, as we pray for ourselves, for the Church, for our nation and for all conditions and manner of people.
Brief silence
God of mercy, keep us from the doubts and fears that cripple us and prevent us from knowing the fullness of Your saving peace and gracious presence. Teach us to trust in Your Word and to believe with all our hearts, minds, bodies and strength in Jesus Christ, crucified for our sins and raised for our justification. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of grace, bestow upon Your Church Your Holy Spirit and all the gifts that come down from on high. Grant to us stead faith that endures in times of trouble, and ears to continue hearing Your Word. Give to us also boldness in our witness before the world and courage to speak Your name without fear. And sustain those persecuted for the faith, and comfort the families of the martyrs. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of might, counsel the nations and their leaders in the paths of peace and justice. Give them wisdom as they lead us through this time of pandemic. Guide them to protect the sanctity of life and to promote the use of liberty for noble purpose. Bless us all in our citizenship, that we may do our part to contribute to the common good of all. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of love, teach us to love one another as You have loved us. Guide us so that in our neighborhoods and communities we may manifest the love of Christ as well as His strength. Deliver us from all that would threaten our homes and families. Protect the police, firefighters, disaster-relief workers and medical personnel who attend to us, as well as the places where we live and work. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of comfort, give Your aid and relief to all who suffer want or need, to the sick in their afflictions, to those troubled in mind, and to those to whom death draws near. Heal and sustain them according to Your gracious will and preserve them in faith to eternal life. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of hope, be with those who grieve the loss of those whom they love. Point them to the promise of the resurrection and the gift of everlasting life to all who die in Christ. Deliver us from the distractions of things that do not matter, that we may focus on the needful things of Your Word and Sacraments and so be found faithful when our Lord returns in His glory. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of compassion, bless us with the good gifts of the earth, with the fruits of our honest labors, and with a kind and generous heart. Accept the worship of our hearts and voices along with the tithes and offerings we bring as part of our gratitude and thanksgiving. Open our eyes and hearts to the needs of the poor, that we may serve them in Your name. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
God of peace, give harmony and unity to Your people, both in our various vocations before the world and in our common life together. Help us to receive with joy the gifts you give us in Your Holy Word, Your blessed Absolution and in our fellowship, that we may be strengthened in faith and enjoy the gift of a clear conscience through the forgiveness of our sins. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
O blessed God and Lord, hear the prayers of Your people and teach us to trust in Your will to answer our prayers with all that is needful and beneficial, both for us and for all for whom we have prayed; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
THE LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done on earth
as it is in heaven;
give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom
and the power and the glory
forever and ever. Amen.
BENEDICTION
The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine on you
and be gracious to you.
The Lord look upon you with favor and ✠ give you peace.
SENDING HYMN #478 The Day Of Resurrection
1 The day of resurrection!
Earth, tell it out abroad,
The passover of gladness,
The passover of God.
From death to life eternal,
From sin’s dominion free,
Our Christ has brought us over
With hymns of victory.
2 Let hearts be purged of evil
That we may see aright
The Lord in rays eternal
Of resurrection light
And, list’ning to His accents,
May hear, so calm and plain,
His own “All hail!” and, hearing,
May raise the victor strain.
3 Now let the heav’ns be joyful,
Let earth its song begin,
Let all the world keep triumph
And all that is therein.
Let all things, seen and unseen,
Their notes of gladness blend;
For Christ the Lord has risen,
Our joy that has no end!
4 All praise to God the Father,
All praise to God the Son,
All praise to God the Spirit,
Eternal Three in One!
Let all the ransomed number
Fall down before the throne
And honor, pow’r, and glory
Ascribe to God alone!
Text (sts. 1–4) and Music: Public domain
ANNOUNCEMENTS
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
POSTLUDE The Day of Resurrection Setting: John Eggert
Acknowledgments
Divine Service, Setting One from Lutheran Service Book © 2006 Concordia Publishing House. Reprinted with permission.
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2006 Concordia Publishing House.
These Things Did Thomas Count as Real: Text (sts. 1–4): © 1984 Oxford University Press Used by permission: LSB Hymn License .NET, number 100012246.
