Service Sunday April 27th, 2025
All are Welcome!
Watch a video recording of the whole service using YouTube below.
Worship Leader: Rev. Max Ward
Music Director: Melissa Stephens
(For a Printer Friendly PDF version click this link)
The Gathering
WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS:
FOCUSING ON THE LIGHT OF CHRIST:
LIGHTING THE OF CHRIST CANDLE:
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF TERRITORY: In Unison
Each part of creation reveals unique aspects of God the Creator, who is both in creation and beyond it. All parts of creation, animate and inanimate, are related. All creation is good. We sing of the Creator, who made humans to live and move and have their being in God. In and with God, we can direct our lives toward right relationship with each other and with God. We can discover our place as one strand in the web of life. We acknowledge that our sacred space is found on the Indigenous territories of the Anishinaabe peoples. With thankfulness and respect for their stewardship of creation, we seek to live into right relations with all. Written by Ruthanne McLagan, Calvary U.C., London, Ont.
Gathering, Lent-Easter 2023, p.29. Used with permission.
THE APPROACH
CALL TO WORSHIP:
One: We gather on the first day of the week to glorify Jesus and the events of the resurrection.
ALL: We give thanks for the forgiveness we have received and the hope of new life that is ours in Jesus Christ.
One: We are blessed to worship freely; the doors of our church are open wide to all who enter.
ALL: No doors are locked to Christ, who hold the keys to every heart.
One: In our worship this day, may Jesus come amongst us and gift us with his spirit and with his peace.
Written by Taylor Croissant, Southminster U.C, Lethbridge, Alta.
Gathering, Easter*Lent 2025, p.44. Used with permission.
HYMN: “Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Give Thanks” VU #179
Refrain Hallelujah, hallelujah.
Give thanks to the risen Christ;
hallelujah, hallelujah!
Give praise to God's name.
1 Jesus is Lord of all the earth,
firstborn of all creation. Refrain
2 Spread the good news o'er all the earth:
Jesus has died and is risen. Refrain
3 We have been crucified with Christ,
now we shall live for ever. Refrain
4 Come let us praise the living God,
joyfully sing to our Saviour. Refrain
A SONG OF FAITH: Read In Unison
We sing of Jesus, a Jew, born to a woman in poverty in a time of social upheaval and political oppression. He knew human joy and sorrow. So filled with the Holy Spirit was he that in him people experienced the presence of God among them. We sing praise to God incarnate. Jesus announced the coming of God’s reign — a commonwealth not of domination but of peace, justice, and reconciliation. He healed the sick and fed the hungry. He forgave sins and freed those held captive by all manner of demonic powers. He crossed barriers of race, class, culture, and gender. He preached and practised unconditional love — love of God, love of neighbour, love of friend, love of enemy — and he commanded his followers to love one another as he had loved them. Because his witness to love was threatening, those exercising power sought to silence Jesus. He suffered abandonment and betrayal, state-sanctioned torture and execution. He was crucified. But death was not the last word. God raised Jesus from death, turning sorrow into joy, despair into hope. We sing of Jesus raised from the dead. We sing hallelujah.
MINISTRY OF MUSIC
LEARNING TOGETHER:
HYMN: “You Tell Me That the Lord Is Risen” VU #185
1 You tell me that the Lord is risen,
that you have seen his face.
Then tell me why you crouch in fear
and hide within this place.
You say that he spoke words of peace
and stood just as before.
But 'til I touch his very flesh
I will not trust your joy.
2 You claim a resurrection here,
that God has broken death.
No easy words like these will soothe
the pain that tears my breath.
How well do I recall his face,
compassion, strength in fear.
How deep my grief that he should die.
Spare me your words of cheer!
3 'Now peace be with you. Come, my friend,
my wounded body see.
Let the rich courage of your doubt
bring you to fresh belief.
Fear not to wonder at the Word,
to search the depths of grace.
Reach out and touch, here is my hand.
Receive the gift of faith.'
4 'How blest are they, how fortunate
who know without the sight.
But Thomas, you are favoured too,
for searching yields its light.'
So may each pilgrim in the Way,
each road to Christ be blest,
'til lips declare, 'My Lord and God!',
Christ's body one at last.
THE WORD
SCRIPTURE: John 20: 19 - 31
Leader: Hear and listen to what the Spirit is saying to the church.
ALL: Thanks be to God.
MESSAGE:
“Be A Doubting Thomas!”
Listen to an audio recording of the Message below or read it at the bottom of this page.
OUR REPSPONSE
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE and A CONTEMPORARY INTERPRETATION OF THE LORD’S PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, heavenly Mother,
Holy and blessed is your true name.
We pray for your reign of peace to come,
We pray that your good will be done,
Let heaven and earth become one.
Give us this day the bread we need,
Give it to those who have none.
Let forgiveness flow like a river between us,
From each one to each one.
Lead us to holy innocence
Beyond the evil of our days —
Come swiftly Mother, Father, come.
For yours is the power and the glory and the mercy:
Forever your name is All in One.
Amen.
HYMN: “I Danced in the Morning” VU #352
1 I danced in the morning when the world was begun,
and I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun,
and I came from heaven and I danced on the earth;
at Bethlehem I had my birth.
Refrain Dance, then, wherever you may be;
I am the Lord of the dance, said he,
and I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
and I'll lead you all in the dance, said he.
2 I danced for the scribe and the pharisee,
but they would not dance and they would not follow me;
I danced for the fishermen, for James and John;
they came with me and the dance went on. Refrain
3 I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame;
the holy people said it was a shame;
they whipped and they stripped and they hung me high,
and left me there on a cross to die. Refrain
4 I danced on a Friday when the sky turned black;
it's hard to dance with the devil on your back;
they buried my body and they thought I'd gone,
but I am the dance and I still go on. Refrain
5 They cut me down and I leap up high;
I am the life that will never, never die;
I'll live in you if you'll live in me;
I am the Lord of the dance, said he. Refrain
PRESENTATION OF OUR OFFERINGS
OFFERTORY PRAYER
Here, O God, we offer our very selves and the fruit of our labours. Bless both us and our gifts for your purpose in the world, transforming others as we are also transformed. In giving, may we also learn how to receive, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Written by Gord Dunbar, Kincardine, Ont.
Gathering, Easter*Lent 2025, p.48. Used with permission.
SUNG BLESSING: VU #161 vs 2
2 Earth with joyful welcome clothes itself for spring;
greets with life reviving our returning king:
flowers in every pasture, leaves on every bough,
speak of sorrows ended; Jesus triumphs now!
Welcome, happy morning! age to age shall say;
hell today is vanquished, heaven is won today! ©
SENDING FORTH:
A Time of Fellowship
© Music Reproduced with permission under License number A-605748, Valid for: 26/10/2024 - 25/10/2025; One License - Copyright Cleared Music for Churches.
Sermon 2025 04 27
“Be A Doubting Thomas!”
John 20: 19-31
Gracious God, be with us today in this place, in the Scriptures and in our words.
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts praise your Holy name. Amen.
Doubt: it’s part of life.
It is taught to us from an early age.
At some point an older child tells us a lie, perhaps for good reason.
But once we have discovered that we had been told a lie the seeds of doubt were planted.
The seeds of doubt grow fast and choke all in their path.
The next time the older child told us something we questioned whether it was true: we doubted.
Doubt is necessary for survival in this world.
If we believed everything we were told, we would soon be in trouble.
So, if someone tells us their product is better than another, we question their word.
If the government tells us to do something, we question their motives.
We have all been lied to, so out of self-defense we distrust; we doubt.
Doubt may be necessary in this world, but it is also dangerous.
Doubt may save us from believing a lie, but it can also keep us from believing the truth.
How many times has a person in a bad situation been told, “Take my hand; I can lead you out. Trust me.”
And because they doubted, they perished.
But worst of all doubt about ultimate things creates spiritual turmoil and pain.
A person who doesn’t know what to believe about God and the meaning of life is like one who is alone and lost.
Doubt can be like a whirlpool that threatens to pull a person under.
The prime example of doubt in the Bible is Thomas.
We often call him “Doubting Thomas,” but he is no different from us.
We all doubt as he did.
Under the same circumstances, we would doubt too.
He was gone when Jesus appeared, and he did not see him the first time. So, when he came back everyone was excited and were saying that Jesus was alive.
Consider this from Thomas’ point of view.
He had seen Jesus crucified.
The Romans had nailed him to a cross.
And when the Romans set out to kill someone, they finish the job.
First the women and then the rest were saying that Jesus was alive.
The physical evidence was clear.
Jesus had died.
He was pronounced dead and the certificate had been signed.
It was obvious that the disciples were the victims of some kind of group hysteria.
Their grief had driven first the women and then the men into the delusion that Jesus was still alive.
We can’t blame Thomas for doubting the resurrection.
The other disciples had doubted before they saw Jesus.
Under the same circumstances we would doubt.
It would be natural.
When someone tells us something unbelievable, no matter how much we normally trust that person, we doubt.
We should not blame Thomas for doubting.
Instead, we should acknowledge that we are more like him than we like to admit.
Then we should try to learn from him.
I have a special kinship with “Doubting Thomas.”
Just call me “Doubting Max.”
When I was in college I went through a period of serious doubt.
I left for college knowing of my call to the ministry.
I was going to study Bible, Church History, etc.
Then I met people and read books that made me doubt.
The most difficult doubt that I struggled with then and still do now on occasion is…
Why do bad things happen to good people if God really cared about us?
This question made me rethink about how I had imagined God to be like.
My initial understanding of God, maybe developed from Sunday School or movies was sort of like Santa Clause sometimes and Superman the next.
Superman could save people so surely my God could do the same thing, right?
But if that is the case then why do bad things happen to good people?
I’m not going to answer that question for you because it takes a strong commitment to reflect on the question for oneself.
The seeds of doubt were sown.
They grew fast and furious.
Someone was wrong and I didn’t know who.
Either my Sunday School teachers in the United Church I grew up in were wrong, or the United Church minister who was teaching my class was.
I almost quit because I didn’t want to be a hypocrite.
I doubted just as Thomas did.
We call him “Doubting Thomas,” but doubt is only half of his story.
The other half of the story is that Thomas came to believe.
A week after Jesus appeared to the other Apostles he appeared to Thomas.
Jesus obviously came just for Thomas’ benefit.
He came to give Thomas the proof he thought he needed to believe.
And in the end Thomas said, “My Lord and My God.”
Doubting Thomas had doubted that Jesus was even alive.
But Jesus came and changed Thomas.
In the end “Believing Thomas” confessed that Jesus was God.
God took the prime example of doubt and turned him into an example of belief.
So what happened to “Doubting Max” in College?
After sharing my thoughts with a friend, we worked it out together.
Oh, I still doubted some things.
I questioned the things I had assumed about the Bible.
I questioned my understanding of God’s Word.
But I no longer doubt the important things.
I knew that God was loving and just.
And I trusted God to lead me.
To show me what I should believe, and to forgive me when I fail to follow.
We are all doubting Thomases.
We all doubt, especially concerning religious matters.
Perhaps we doubt that we are saved.
“Do I trust enough?
Was I baptized the right way?
Is my faith enough or is there something I need to do?”
Perhaps we doubt the Bible or the way people interpret it.
And we think, “Maybe God really isn’t loving.
Maybe someone made it all up.
Maybe there is no God.”
Or maybe like Thomas we doubt the resurrection.
“Maybe Jesus didn’t rise from the dead.
Maybe he was just a good man who is dead.”
And sometimes the things preachers say make our doubts worse.
We learn two very important things about doubt from “Doubting Thomas” and “Believing Thomas.”
First of all, doubt is part of the human condition.
Don’t blame Thomas or yourself for doubting.
We all doubt and at times that doubt is even necessary.
Even Jesus didn’t condemn Thomas for doubting.
Second, God can turn doubt into belief.
God took Thomas, the prime example of doubt, and turned him into a prime example of belief.
Doubt is necessary: without it we would believe every lie people tell us.
But we don’t have to let doubt rob us of the joy God is offering us.
Jesus appeared to Thomas to take his doubt away.
Jesus ministered to me to give me faith and peace when I needed it.
When you doubt, acknowledge that doubt, and give it to God.
God can take the turmoil of doubt and transform it into the peace of faith.
God took “Doubting Thomas” and transformed him into “Believing Thomas,”
God can do the same for all of us.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
