SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER

HE IS RISEN!

April 11, 2021

These Things Are Written So That You May Believe

We tend to look for things to make faith easier. Signs, wonders, or just little hints here and there would help. But the disciples had all these things and heard Jesus promise His resurrection, and still they gathered behind the locked doors of their fears. What we do have is Christ, His Word that bestows and sustains our faith, and His Holy Sacrament wherein He feeds us with His body and blood. Though we have not seen with our eyes, we see with faith and join with doubting Thomas to confess, “My Lord and my God!”

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HE IS RISEN!

+ PREPARATION +

EASTER ACCLAMATION

Pastor: Alleluia! Christ is risen!

People: He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

OPENING HYMN: The Strife Is O’er, the Battle Done

INVOCATION

Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the X Son and of the Holy Spirit.

People: Amen.

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION 1 John 1:6–10

Pastor: If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness,

People: we lie and do not practice the truth.

Pastor: But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another,

People: and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.

Pastor: If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

People: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Pastor: If we say we have not sinned,

People: we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

Pastor: Almighty and everlasting God, for our many sins we justly deserve eternal condemnation. In Your mercy, You sent Your dear Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who won for us forgiveness of sins and everlasting salvation. Grant us a true confession that, dead to sin, we may be raised up by Your life-giving absolution. Grant us Your Holy Spirit that we be ever watchful and live true and godly lives in Your service; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

People: Amen.

Silence for reflection.

Pastor: Let us then confess our sins to God our Father.

People: 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.

Pastor: 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 X Son and of the Holy Spirit.

People: Amen.

Pastor: May the Lord, who has begun this good work in us, bring it to completion in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

People: Amen.

+ WORD +

INTROIT Psalm 105:1–5, 8; antiphon: 1 Peter 2:2–3 (spoken responsively)

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation—

if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;

make known his deeds among the peoples!

Sing to him, sing praises to him;

tell of all his wondrous works!

Glory in his holy name;

let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice!

Seek the Lord and his strength;

seek his presence continually!

Remember the wondrous works that he has done,

his miracles, and the judgments he uttered.

He remembers his covenant forever,

the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations.

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.

Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to salvation—

if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

KYRIE

Pastor: Christ, the Lamb of God, who saved us while we were still sinners,

People: have mercy on us.

Pastor: Christ, the Lamb of God, once lifted upon the tree of the cross,

People: have mercy on us.

Pastor: Christ, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,

People: have mercy on us and grant us Your peace. Amen.

SALUTATION and PRAYER OF THE DAY

Pastor: The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Pastor: 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.

People: Amen.

FIRST READING Acts 4:32–35

(The believers were of one heart and soul.)

³²The full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. ³³And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. ³⁴There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold ³⁵and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.

Lector: This is the Word of the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God.

GRADUAL – adapt fromMatthew 28:7; Hebrews 2:7; Psalm 8:6

Christ has risen from the dead.
[God the Father] has crowned him with glory and honor.
He has given him dominion over the works of his hands;
he has put all things under his feet.

EPISTLE 1 John 1:1–2:2

(If we sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ.)

¹That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— ²the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— ³that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. ⁴And we are writing these things so that our joy may be complete.

⁵This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. ⁶If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

¹My 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. ²He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

Lector: This is the Word of the Lord.

People: Thanks be to God.

VERSE – Romans 6:9; John 20:29b

Alleluia. We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him. Alleluia. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed. Alleluia.

HOLY GOSPEL –John 20:19–31

(Blessed are those who have not heard and yet believe.)

Pastor: The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the twentieth chapter.

People: Glory to You, O Lord.

¹⁹On 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.” ²⁰When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. ²¹Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” ²²And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.”

²⁴Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵So 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.”

²⁶Eight 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.” ²⁷Then 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.” ²⁸Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

³⁰Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; ³¹but 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.

Pastor: This is the Gospel of the Lord.

People: Praise to You, O Christ.

HYMN OF THE DAY: O Sons and Daughters of the King

SERMON: These Things Are Written So That You May Believe

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.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

After each petition:

Pastor: … Lord, in Your mercy:

People: hear our prayer.

At conclusion:

Pastor: … through Your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

People: Amen.

LORD’S PRAYER Matthew 6:9–13

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.

CLOSING PRAYER

Pastor: Let us pray.
Lord, we are too easily captive to fear and the shadow of death. Break through the closed doors of our hearts and shine Your light into our darkness, that knowing the forgiveness of our sins, we may no longer be bound by any anxiety or afflicted by any doubt; through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

People: Amen.

BENEDICTION Hebrews 13:20–21; Numbers 6:24–26

Pastor: Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.

People: Amen.

Pastor: 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 X give you peace.

People: Amen.

DISMISSAL

Pastor: Go in peace! Serve the Lord!

People: Thanks be to God.

SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER – HE IS RISEN!!! Online Church at Home Bulletin