Welcome and Introductions

Good morning, dear friends and seekers in Jesus Christ! On behalf of the members of the First Church of Squantum, welcome to another of our COVID worship services. In case I haven’t had the chance to meet you yet, my name is Rev. Doug Gray—please just call me Doug. I have the great blessing and joy of being pastor to one of the most loving bunches of people around. Normally, I’m a big fan of worshiping in each other’s physical presence, but we are not living in normal times, and the power of God is greater than any of our pre-conceived notions. Wherever you are today, I pray that as we worship, God would come to you.

I should also welcome you to the second Sunday in Easter, what in Orthodox churches is actually Easter Sunday. We celebrate with our Orthodox sisters and brothers today. In the ancient church, Christians would gather on Easter and a leader would say, “He is risen!” to which the congregation would respond, “He is risen indeed!” and then everyone would say together, “Alleluia!” which means “Praise God!” So let’s bring this ancient tradition alive with our new technology today. I’ll say “He is risen!” You say, “He is risen indeed!” and we will all say, “Alleluia!” Shall we try it? Here we go!

He is risen!

He is risen indeed!

Alleluia!

Let us worship God!

**Heart-Opening Song Come, Now Is the Time for Worship

Words and Music by Brian Doerksen

Chorus

Come, now is the time to worship. Come, now is the time to give your heart.

Come, just as you are to worship. Come, just as you are before your God. Come!

Verse

One day every tongue will confess You are God. One day every knee will bow.

Still the greatest treasure remains for those who gladly choose You now.

**Call to Worship

One: Our lives are filled with uncertainty because of COVID—what about work? what about our neighborhood? what about our kids, our parents, our friends?

Many: Whatever is happening in our lives, what we long for is that God would come to our hearts—to bring true peace the uncertain world cannot know.

One: We are facing the very question: what shall we fill our lives with?

Many: And we have lots of answers, but not all of them will truly satisfy our hungry hearts. Only You, O God. Only You!

One: He is risen!

Many: He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Opening Hymn To God Be the Glory

Words by Fanny Jane Crosby / Music by William Howard Doane.

Verse 1

To God be the glory great things He has done
So loved He the world that He gave us His Son
Who yielded His life an atonement for sin
And opened the life gate that all may go in

Chorus

Praise the Lord praise the Lord
Let the earth hear His voice
Praise the Lord praise the Lord
Let the people rejoice
O come to the Father through Jesus the Son
And give Him the glory great things He has done

Verse 2

O perfect redemption the purchase of blood
To every believer the promise of God
The vilest offender who truly believes
That moment from Jesus a pardon receives

Verse 3

Great things He has taught us
Great things He has done
And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son
But purer and higher and greater will be
Our wonder our transport when Jesus we see

Used by permission. CCLI # 11151618

Opening Prayer

Gracious Lord, we are uncertain about so many things. Yet we are certain of one thing, that what we are is not enough. So breathe on us, gentle Lord, and set within us new and right hearts. Come, Jesus, into our worship to renew and sustain our lives with Your promises. Hear us as we pray in Jesus’ name the prayer He still teaches disciples to pray, saying “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. Amen.”

Worship Song Trading My Sorrows

Verse 1

I’m trading my sorrows; I’m trading my shame—

I’m laying them down for the joy of the Lord

I’m trading my sickness; I’m trading my pain

I’m laying it down for the joy of the Lord

Chorus:

I said: Yes Lord, Yes Lord Yes Yes Lord; Yes Lord, Yes Lord Yes Yes Lord

Yes Lord, Yes Lord Yes Yes Lord; Amen

Verse 2

I’m pressed but not crushed; Persecuted not abandoned—

Struck down but not destroyed

I’m blessed beyond the curse; For his promise will endure;

That his joy’s gonna be my strength

Bridge

Though the sorrow may last for a night; His joy comes with the morning

Used by permission. CCLI License # 11151618

Stewardship Reminder

Did you ever go to church as a kid? I know I wondered about a lot of things I saw and did there. One of the things I really wondered about was the offering. I guess I thought it was when people paid for what we were doing, but the beauty on some people’s faces made me wonder if there was something more. Not until I was in my 20s and married, did I come to understand giving more deeply, that it was about how much of God’s grace I’d experienced, how grateful I was, and how much I needed to give to express the love I had for God. Is that Spirit working in you today? Would you be willing to take just a moment to pause this and go to our church’s website, firstchurchsquantum.org and make a donation? One of the things I love about worshiping this way is that wherever you are and however you are with God, you get to experience the grace of just worshiping, and receiving God’s beauty today. Thanks for your help and for your prayers!

Prayer Song Come Just As You Are

Words and music by Joseph Sabolick

Verse 1

Come just as you are, Hear the Spirit call.

Come just as you are

Come and see. Come receive. Come and live forever.

Verse 2

Come just as you are. Hear the Spirit call

Come just as you are

Come, receive. Christ, the King. Come and live forevermore.

Chorus

Life everlasting, and strength for today.

Taste the Living Water, and never thirst again.

Old Testament Psalm 16 (God’s Word Translation)

Psa. 16:1 Protect me, O God, because I take refuge in you.

2 I said to the LORD,

“You are my Lord. Without you, I have nothing good.”

3 Those who lead holy lives on earth

are the noble ones who fill me with joy.b

4 Those who quickly chase after other gods multiply their sorrows.

I will not pour out their sacrificial offerings of blood

or use my lips to speak their names.

Psa. 16:5 The LORD is my inheritance and my cup.

You are the one who determines my destiny.

6 Your boundary lines mark out pleasant places for me.

Indeed, my inheritance is something beautiful.

Psa. 16:7 I will praise the LORD, who advises me.

My conscience warns me at night.

8 I always keep the LORD in front of me.

When he is by my side, I cannot be moved.

9 That is why my heart is glad and my soul rejoices.

My body rests securely

10 because you do not abandon my soul to the grave

or allow your holy one to decay.

11 You make the path of life known to me.

Complete joy is in your presence.

Pleasures are by your side forever.

New Testament John 20:19–31 (God’s Word Translation)

John 20:19 That Sunday evening, the disciples were together behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jews. Jesus stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you!” 20 When he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were glad to see the Lord.

John 20:21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 After he had said this, he breathed on the disciples and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 Whenever you forgive sins, they are forgiven. Whenever you don’t forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

John 20:24 Thomas, one of the twelve apostles, who was called Didymus, wasn’t with them when Jesus came.

John 20:25 The other disciples told him, “We’ve seen the Lord.”

Thomas told them, “I refuse to believe this unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my fingers into them, and put my hand into his side.”

John 20:26 A week later Jesus’ disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Take your hand, and put it into my side. Stop doubting, and believe.”

John 20:28 Thomas responded to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!”

John 20:29 Jesus said to Thomas, “You believe because you’ve seen me. Blessed are those who haven’t seen me but believe.”

John 20:30 Jesus performed many other miracles that his disciples saw. Those miracles are not written in this book. 31 But these miracles have been written so that you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and so that you will have life by believing in him.

Devotion Catching God’s Breath

In our passage for today, we find the disciples desperately needing to catch their breath. In the span of a few short days, they had had their world turned upside down. On Thursday night, they had a wonderful evening with Jesus that turned into a nightmare when he was arrested and the next day crucified. All but a few of them ran away and hid on Friday, and Saturday doesn’t seem to have been any better. Sunday morning came with strange reports of Jesus’ body going missing, of Peter and John running to see the empty tomb, of Mary Magdalene meeting the risen Jesus by the tomb, and going to tell the others. It seems Jesus’ students gathered at last on Sunday, trying to sort out what was happening and what it all meant. Most of us have had times in our lives when we have just wanted to catch our breath, perhaps when our emotions are swirling and we are having trouble catching up, or maybe we just aren’t sure what to do. We think to ourselves, “If only I could just catch my breath.” Well, this morning you can take a breather, and while you are catching your breath, let’s explore the gifts Jesus wants to give us.

The first gift Jesus wants to give us is his Presence. In verse 19, we read, “On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them…” Sure, Jesus can and does come to us as individuals any time of the day and night, but in some extraordinary way, when we are together we find Jesus is Present. In Matthew 18:20, Jesus even says, “Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” This reminds us that we cannot worship by ourselves—that’s devotions. To worship takes at least two or three…why? To be witnesses! In order to have true worship, it takes two or three to witness to what God does with us. When we gather together, Jesus comes into our midst and gives us the gift of his Presence.

When Jesus gives the gift of his Presence, the gift of peace comes. In verse 20, John writes, “Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you!’” This peace is the deep peace. It does not ignore the awful realities of this world. Instead, it sees beyond them. Only someone who has been through hell and come back can have this kind of peace. That’s why Jesus can offer peace, because no matter how bad our lives get, Jesus has seen worse, and he’s lived to tell about it. Jesus comes to give us peace.

Jesus’ third gift is joy. John writes in verse 20, “The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.” They recognize him by the wounds in his hands, feet and side. So, too, when we recognize the pain Jesus is still willing to bear for us, we realize what a marvelous gift he has given, a gift which turns to joy in us. Just as the peace Jesus gives is more than the world can give or understand, so this joy is not the fleeting happiness of the world. Even when the world tries to freeze the river of our lives with ice, joy this deep and this strong becomes the undercurrent for Jesus’ followers that can still move and refresh us and those around us.

Jesus’ final gift is the Holy Spirit. In verse 22, Jesus breathes on the disciples and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” What a tender intimate thing! When do you notice someone’s breath? How close do they have to be? Imagine then, that for Jesus to give the disciples (and us!) the Holy Spirit, how close he has to come. Jesus does not hold us at arms’ length, but comes in and loves us with a deep and intimate love, a love that shares the Holy Spirit with us. In John, Jesus talks about how this Spirit “will guide us into all Truth.” When we don’t know what to say or how to pray or what to do, if we will allow it, the Holy Spirit will lead us in the way God wants us to go, and give us what we need to go there.

When we need to catch our breath, what we really need to do is catch God’s breath. When we are hard-pressed on every side, overwhelmed by all that’s happening, perhaps we need to realize that Jesus is much closer to us than we think. Perhaps we need to allow him to breathe on us, to catch Jesus’ breath, the Holy Spirit, so that we can face what comes with the same peace and joy that seem so evident in the disciples after this experience. But Jesus adds this: “As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” The more we catch God’s breath, the more we realize that the incredible peace and astonishing joy are meant for others. We are meant to love as Jesus loved us, to give peace as Jesus gave it, to forgive as Jesus forgave. In the shadow of COVID, God is blowing his love and forgiveness through us into our lives and our neighborhoods to change our community in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Pastoral Prayer

Closing Hymn — #368, Because He Lives

Words and Music by Gloria and William J. Gaither

Verse 1

God sent His Son they called Him Jesus
He came to love heal and forgive
He bled and died to buy my pardon
An empty grave is there to prove
My Savior lives

Chorus

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

Verse 2

How sweet to hold our newborn baby
And feel the pride and joy he gives
But greater still the calm assurance
This child can face uncertain days
Because Christ lives

Verse 3

And then one day I'll cross that 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 reigns

CCLI License # 11151618

Benediction

We gathered in hope today, and now we head into the rest of our lives. We trust that You will go with us, Jesus, and that Your guidance and strength will come when we most need it. May others see Your grace shining through us, and know the power of the new life we are finding in You. Amen.