Na, na, na, na, na…. - 4/11/2021
Call to worship:
L: Let us praise God for the mighty deeds wrought through Jesus Christ.
P: Praise God for loosening the chains of sins!
L: Let us praise God for the mighty deeds wrought through Jesus Christ.
P: Let us praise God for the breaking of the bonds of death!
L: Let us praise God for the mighty deeds wrought through Jesus Christ.
A: Let us join with God’s people everywhere and praise Jesus Christ the Lord!
Opening Hymn: The Day of Resurrection #303
1. The day of resurrection!
Earth, tell it out abroad;
the passover of gladness,
the passover of God.
From death to life eternal,
from earth unto the sky,
our Christ hath brought us over,
with hymns of victory.
2. Our hearts be pure from evil,
that we may see aright
the Lord in rays eternal
of resurrection light;
and listening to his accents,
may hear, so calm and plain,
his own "All hail!" and, hearing,
may raise the victor strain.
3. Now let the heavens be joyful!
Let earth the song begin!
Let the round world keep triumph,
and all that is therein!
Let all things seen and unseen
their notes in gladness blend,
for Christ the Lord hath risen,
our joy that hath no end.
Opening Prayer:
O Christ, whose birth means nothing unless we be born of love, whose life means nothing unless we die unto self, and whose resurrection means nothing unless we rise unto newness of life, we praise your holy name. Let our lips utter no desire that does not proceed from a committed heart. And let our mouths express no thought that does not spring from a faithful spirit.
Epistle Reading: Acts 4: 32-35
32 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. 33 With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 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. 35 They laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
Hymn: Christ is Risen #307
1 Christ is risen!
Shout Hosanna!
Celebrate this day of days.
Christ is risen!
Hush in wonder;
all creation is amazed.
In the desert
all-surrounding,
see, a spreading tree has grown.
Healing leaves of
grace abounding
bring a taste of love unknown.
2 Christ is risen!
Raise your spirits
from the caverns of despair.
Walk with gladness
in the morning.
See what love can do and dare.
Drink the wine of
resurrection,
not a servant, but a friend;
Jesus is our
strong companion.
Joy and peace shall never end.
3 Christ is risen!
Earth and heaven
nevermore shall be the same.
Break the bread of
new creation
where the world is still in pain.
Tell its grim,
demonic chorus:
"Christ is risen! Get you gone!"
God the First
and Last is with us.
Sing Hosanna everyone!
Prayer of Dedication:
O God, who in Jesus sent your life to earth and on Easter revealed your power over death, we bless you in the name of Christ our Lord. We cannot know the risen Christ as Thomas demanded to know him. We cannot touch the print of the nails in his hands or gaze at the wounds in his side. But we can know him in the power of his resurrection. Jesus left us, but he did not leave us alone. Before taking his leave of earth, he breathed your spirit on his disciples, enabling them to recall his words and deeds and to interpret them.
That spirit is still at work within us and we are here to praise you for your love and encouragement as we endeavor to live out your mission during our time. Amen.
Gospel Reading: John 20: 19-31
19 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.” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
24 But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 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.”
26 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.” 27 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.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 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.”
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 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.
Sermon Title: Na, na, na, na, na….
Na, na, na, na, na
If chocolate is ground and blended with sugar, and caramel is melted for its gooey texture, and flavors are coated to form a lollipop, then how is it that you make a lemon drop?
YOU DROP IT...
Today is Holy Humor Sunday and we are laughing at the devil because he lost and Jesus Christ won, which means that we won as well!
John 15: 5 – “He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” The key is to be and then remain connected to Jesus. We need this connection in order to bear fruit upon our branches.
The passage that we read from John today tells us the story of “doubting Thomas.” Of course he was dubbed with that name because he wanted to see the proof before he fully committed to believing that Jesus had risen from the dead. And so from that time on, anyone who doubts, is thought of as a doubting Thomas.
The thing we can take away from this, though, is that doubting is not always a bad thing. Thomas didn’t ask to see proof because he didn’t believe in Jesus and his miracles, he wanted it to make sure that he was not going in the wrong direction. There had been others before Jesus who had proclaimed that they were the Messiah or that God had called them to a special mission or whatever; and each of them had been proven to be deviant, or at least lying, every time. And each time this happens, people are less likely to believe in the next one who comes along making the same kind of claims.
A popular children’s lesson is “the boy who cried wolf.” It is explained to children, and adults too, that if you declare an emergency too many times when there is not one, you will likely not receive the reaction you need when there really is a threat to yourself or others.
So what is our take away in this lesson? God is not above or below your scrutiny. In fact, He welcomes your questions just as surely as He welcomes your faith. It is a constant learning and building scenario with God and the grace of Jesus’ death and resurrection. It is a well known fact that if any relationship, even a relationship with God, is going to survive and hopefully thrive, it must grow. And that growth happens through education, trust, belief, and asking questions to get answers.
Thomas was not afraid to ask questions and Jesus did not hide the answers from him, but showed him and allowed him to touch for himself the holes in his hands and side.
We, too, must not be afraid to ask questions, but like Thomas, when the truth is presented to us, we must accept it and be grateful for it.
Love knows no bounds in God’s heart;; neither should it in ours. Amen.
Closing Hymn: Christ is Alive #318
1 Christ is alive! Let Christians sing.
His cross stands empty to the sky.
Let streets and homes with praises ring.
His love in death shall never die.
2 Christ is alive! No longer bound
to distant years in Palestine,
he comes to claim the here and now
and dwell in every place and time.
3 Not throned afar, remotely high,
untouched, unmoved by human pains,
but daily, in the midst of life,
our Savior in the Godhead reigns.
4 In every insult, rift, and war,
where color, scorn, or wealth divide,
he suffers still, yet loves the more,
and lives, though ever crucified.
5 Christ is alive, and comes to bring
good news to this and every age,
till earth and all creation ring
with joy, with justice, love, and praise.
