THE SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER

The Incredulity of Saint Thomas by Caravaggio.

The gospel lesson for the 2nd Sunday of Easter every year is thestory of Thomas, the one disciple who refused to believe the otherdisciples’ account of the resurrection without seeing it for himself.While the epistle tells of apostles who were filled with courage andthe Holy Spirit as they proclaimed the story of Jesus in spite ofopposition from the authorities. These disciples simply could notkeep silent about their resurrected Lord. May we too be filled withwonder and awe while we yet struggle with doubt and fear.

THE RINGING OF THE BELLS AND THE WELCOME

OPENING HYMN: ALLELUIA HEARTS TO HEAVEN (477)Alleluia! Alleluia!Hearts to heav'n and voices raise;sing to God a hymn of gladness,sing to God a hymn of praise:he who on the cross a victimfor the world's salvation bled,Jesus Christ, the King of Glory,now is risen from the dead.

Christ is risen, Christ the first-fruitsof the holy harvest field,which will all its full abundanceat his second coming yield:then the golden ears of harvestwill their heads before him wave,ripened by his glorious sunshinefrom the furrows of the grave.

Alleluia! Alleluia!Glory be to God on high;alleluia to the Savior,who has won the victory;alleluia to the Spirit,fount of love and sanctity.Alleluia! Alleluiato the Triune Majesty.

INVOCATION

Pastor: In the name of the Father, the Son, and of theHoly Spirit.

People: Amen.

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

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

People: But if we confess our sins, God, who isfaithful and just, will forgive our sins andcleanse us from all unrighteousness.

(SILENT PRAYER) (MOMENTO DE ORACIÓN PERSONAL)

Pastor: Señor, ten piedad de nosotros. People: Señor, ten piedad de nosotros.

Pastor: Cristo, ten piedad de nosotros. People: Cristo, ten piedad de nosotros.

Pastor: Señor, ten piedad de nosotros.People: Señor, ten piedad de nosotros.

Pastor: Let us then confess our sins to God:People: Most merciful God, we confess that we are

by nature sinful and unclean. We havesinned against You in thought, word, anddeed, by what we have done and by what wehave left undone. We have not loved Youwith our whole heart; we have not loved ourneighbors as ourselves. For the sake of YourSon, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us.Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that wemay delight in Your will and walk in Yourways 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 Son and of the Holy Spirit.

People: Amen.

RESPONSE: THIS IS THE FEAST

This is the Feast of victory for our GodAlleluia, 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 mightBe to God and the Lamb forever. AmenThis is the feast of victory for our God.Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

For the Lamb who was slainhas begun His reign. Alleluia.This is the feast of victory for our God.Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

THE PRAYER OF THE DAY (La Oración del Día)Risen Christ, for whom no door is locked, no entrancebarred: open the doors of our hearts, that we may seekthe good of others and walk the joyful road of sacrificeand peace, to the praise of God the Father. AMEN

THE SCRIPTURE READINGS (SEE INSERT) (After each reading:)

Reader: This is the Word of the Lord.People: Thanks be to God!

Acts 5:29-4229Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God, notmen. 30The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from death, after youhad killed him by nailing him to a cross. 31God raised him to hisright-hand side as Leader and Saviour, to give the people of Israelthe opportunity to repent and have their sins forgiven. 32We arewitnesses to these things—we and the Holy Spirit, who is God’s giftto those who obey him.” 33 When the members of the Council heardthis, they were so furious that they wanted to have the apostles putto death. 34But one of them, a Pharisee named Gamaliel, who wasa teacher of the Law and was highly respected by all the people,stood up in the Council. He ordered the apostles to be taken out fora while, 35and then he said to the Council, “Fellow-Israelites, becareful what you do to these men. 36You remember that Theudasappeared some time ago, claiming to be somebody great, andabout four hundred men joined him. But he was killed, all hisfollowers were scattered, and his movement died out. 37After that,Judas the Galilean appeared during the time of the census; hedrew a crowd after him, but he also was killed, and all his followerswere scattered. 38And so in this case, I tell you, do not take anyaction against these men. Leave them alone! If what they haveplanned and done is of human origin, it will disappear, 39but if itcomes from God, you cannot possibly defeat them. You could findyourselves fighting against God!” The Council followed Gamaliel’sadvice. 40 They called the apostles in, had them whipped, andordered them never again to speak in the name of Jesus; and thenthey set them free. 41As the apostles left the Council, they werehappy, because God had considered them worthy to sufferdisgrace for the sake of Jesus. 42And every day in the Temple andin people’s homes they continued to teach and preach the GoodNews about Jesus the Messiah.

1 Peter 1:3-93 Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!Because of his great mercy he gave us new life by raising JesusChrist from death. This fills us with a living hope, 4 and so we lookforward to possessing the rich blessings that God keeps for hispeople. He keeps them for you in heaven, where they cannot decayor spoil or fade away. 5 They are for you, who through faith are keptsafe by God’s power for the salvation which is ready to be revealed

at the end of time. 6 Be glad about this, even though for a little whileyou may have had to suffer many kinds of trials. 7 These troublescome to show that your faith is genuine. Even gold, which can bedestroyed, is tested and purified by fire; and so also your faith,which is much more precious than gold. So when your faithremains strong through many trials, it will bring much praise andglory and honor on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 Youlove him, although you have not seen him, and you believe in him,although you do not now see him. So you rejoice with a great andglorious joy which words cannot express, 9 because you arereceiving the salvation of your souls, which is the purpose of yourfaith in him.

John 20:19-31 19 It was late that Sunday evening, and the disciples were gatheredtogether behind locked doors, because they were afraid of theJewish authorities. Then Jesus came and stood among them.“Peace be with you,” he said. 20 After saying this, he showed themhis hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy at seeingthe Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As theFather sent me, so I send you.” 22 Then he breathed on them andsaid, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive people’s sins, they areforgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” 24 Oneof the twelve disciples, Thomas (called the Twin), was not withthem when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “Wehave seen the Lord!” Thomas said to them, “Unless I see the scarsof the nails in his hands and put my finger on those scars and myhand in his side, I will not believe.” 26 A week later the discipleswere together again indoors, and Thomas was with them. Thedoors were locked, but Jesus came and stood among them andsaid, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put yourfinger here, and look at my hands; then stretch out your hand andput it in my side. Stop your doubting, and believe!” 28 Thomasanswered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Doyou believe because you see me? Blessed are those who believewithout seeing me!” 30 In his disciples’ presence Jesus performedmany other miracles which are not written down in this book. 31 Butthese have been written in order that you may believe that Jesusis the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through your faith in himyou may have life.

THE APOSTLE’S CREED

I believe in God, the Father Almighty maker of heavenand earth.

And in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who wasconceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary,suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and wasburied. He descended into hell. The third day he rose againfrom the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at theright hand of God the Father Almighty. From thence he willcome to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, thecommunion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, theresurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

SERMON HYMN: Cantad al SeñorCantad al Señor, we sing Him a new song. (3 veces)

¡Cantad al Señor, cantad al Señor!

Porque el Señor ha hecho prodigios. (3 veces) ¡Cantad al Señor, cantad al Señor!

Cantad al Señor, we praise Him with music. (3 veces) ¡Cantad al Señor, cantad al Señor!

Es él que nos da el Espíritu Santo. (3 veces) ¡Cantad al Señor, cantad al Señor!

Jesus is our Lord! ¡Amén, aleluya! (3 veces) ¡Cantad al Señor, cantad al Señor!

CHILDREN’S SERMON

SERMON

THE PRAYERS

PADRE NUESTRO /THE LORD’S PRAYER (958)Padre Nuestro, que estás en el Cielo

Santificado, santificado sea tu nombre

Vénganos tu reino, Señor. Hágase tu santa voluntad En la tierra como en el Cielo se hace tu santa voluntad. Padre nuestro.....

Danos hoy, danoslo Señor, nuestro pan, el pan de cada día. Y perdona nuestras deudas así como nosotros perdonamos. Padre nuestro.....

No nos dejes caer en tentación, antes bien líbranos del mal. Nonos dejes caer en tentación, líbranos del mal.

Padre nuestro.....

THE BLESSING Pastor: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of

God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be withyou always. / La gracia del Señor Jesucristo, elamor de Dios, y la comunión del Espíritu Santosean con todos ustedes.

People: Amen

CLOSING HYMN: ALLELUIA! JESUS US RISEN! (#474)Alleluia! Jesus is risen!Trumpets resounding in glorious light!Splendor, the Lamb, heaven forever!Oh, what a miracle God has in sight!Jesus is risen and we shall arise:give God the glory! Alleluia!

Walking the way, Christ in the center,telling the story to open our eyes;breaking our bread, giving us glory:Jesus, our blessing, our constant surprise.Jesus is risen and we shall arise:give God the glory! Alleluia!

Jesus the vine, we are the branches;life in the Spirit the fruit of the tree;heaven to earth, Christ to the people,gift of the future now flowing to me.Jesus is risen and we shall arise:give God the glory! Alleluia!

Weeping, be gone; sorrow be silent:death put asunder, and Easter is bright.Cherubim sing: "O grave, be open!"Clothe us in wonder, adorn us in light.Jesus is risen and we shall arise:give God the glory! Alleluia!

City of God, Easter forever,golden Jerusalem, Jesus the Lamb,river of life, saints and archangels,sing with creation to God the I AM!Jesus is risen and we shall arise:give God the glory! Alleluia!