Worship Service for May 5, 2024

May 5, 2024 – Sixth Sunday of Easter

Introit

Prelude

Lighting of the Christ Candle

This is the Christ Candle. We light the candle to help us remember that Jesus Christ, the light of the world, is with us in every place and every time.

Call to Worship

One: Let us sing to the Lord a new song,
All: for God has done marvellous things.

One: Let us make known the Lord’s victory,
All: for God’s steadfast love covers the whole earth.

One: Let us sing joyful praises,
All: and join all creation to worship God’s holy name.

Opening Hymn

“Let there be light” (Book of Praise 1997, Hymn 727). Words by Canadian poet and hymnwriter Frances Wheeler Davis (1936–). Music (1967; tune: “Concord (Fleming)”) by Canadian composer and organist Robert James Berkeley Fleming (1921–1976). Words copyright © Frances Wheeler Davis; music copyright © 1975 Margaret Fleming.

Prayers of Approach and Confession, & Lord’s Prayer (sins)

Holy God,
the power of your love is beyond comprehension, the breadth of your compassion without measure, the depths of your wisdom knows no bounds. In Jesus Christ, you meet us in the midst of life’s joys and challenges to show us what it means to love and be loved. And so we offer you our love and loyalty, and our prayers and praise; through the power of your Spirit, draw us closer to you and closer to each other as friends and followers of Christ, our Risen Lord.

Merciful God,
We often find it difficult to love others as you command. We seek our own security before the wellbeing of others. We fulfill our own desires rather than act for the common good. Forgive us. Redirect our priorities, and renew our commitment to live out your love, even when that demands more of us than we expect.

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and forever.
Amen.

Declaration of Pardon

Hear the good news! Who is in a position to condemn us? Only Christ — and Christ died for us; Christ rose for us; Christ reigns in power for us; Christ prays for us. Friends, believe the good news of the gospel. In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven and made new by God’s generous grace.
All: Thanks be to God!

The Peace

One: The Peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
All: And also with you.

The Life and Work of the Church (Announcements)

Mission Moments

(The Mission and Outreach committee: Knox College)

GCPC Senior Choir Presents

A Special Dedication: “The Prayer with Lead Us Lord”. A combination of the song “The Prayer” (1998), with words by American lyricist Carole Bayer Sager (1944–) and music by Canadian composer David Foster (1949–), as performed by Canadian singer Celine Dion (1968–) and Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli (1958–); and the hymn “Lead me, Lord” (for example, Book of Praise 1997, Hymn 575), with words from Psalm 4:8 and Psalm 5:8 and music (1861; tune: “Lead me, Lord”) by English composer and organist Samuel Sebastian Wesley (1810–1876). “The Prayer” words and music copyright © 1998 Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. “Lead me, Lord” words and music public domain. This arrangement “The Prayer with Lead Us Lord” words and music copyright © 2008 Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp.

Fun with the Young at Heart (children’s story)

(Dr. Laura Alary)

We sing verse 1 of “Jesus loves me this I know”.

“Jesus loves me, this I know” (Book of Praise 1997, Hymn 373). Words (1859 or 1860) by American writer Anna Bartlett Warner (1827–1915). Revisions to v2 and v3 by Canadian Anglican priest David Rutherford McGuire (1929–1971). Music (1862; tune: “Jesus loves me”) by American musician William Batchelder Bradbury (1816–1868). Words, revisions, and music in the public domain.

Scripture Reading

John 20:19–25  <– this links to on-line text of the NRSV bible

Click here for additional scripture readings from today’s lectionary. Links courtesy of the Revised Common Lectionary, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library.

John 20:19–25

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors were locked where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 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.”

Sermon

“See the Lord again and open the door of your heart!”

Today we welcome the Rev. Dr. Ernest van Eck (MA [Greek]; DD), to deliver the sermon. Rev. Dr. van Eck is the Principal of Knox College, which is part of Toronto Theological School, affiliated with the University of Toronto. Before being appointed as the Principal of Knox College, he served in the Netherdutsch Reformed Church of Africa as an ordained minister from 1984 to 2023. From 2006 to 2022 Dr. van Eck was associated with the Department of New Testament and Related Literature, Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria, where he served as a Professor in New Testament and Related Literature, as Department Head (2011-2022), and as Deputy Dean: Research and Postgraduate Studies (2017-2022). In his research, he focuses on the socio-scientific and ideologically critical interpretation of the parables of historical Jesus, gender studies, sexuality in ancient texts, the Gospels, Paul, postcolonial hermeneutics, the anti-imperial interpretation of the New Testament, narratology, and literary theories.

The church of Christ started with a few scared men in an upper room somewhere in Jerusalem. These men, Jesus’ closest followers, followed Him for three years. Also, they just heard from Mary Magdalene that Jesus was alive. And what do they do? They sit afraid in the dark. Afraid, scared and quiet. And the bravest thing they can do is to get up and lock the door.

What went through their minds while they were sitting there? We can only guess. Maybe the first thing on their minds was the promises they made to Jesus which they did not keep. Those promises they broke so easily. Or maybe they realized that all their bragging and bravado, all their promises of commitment towards Jesus were now lying in pieces at the gates of Gethsemane. Because when the soldiers arrested Jesus, they ran away as quickly as possible.

We do not know where they fled to, but we know what they took with them: a memory. A disturbing memory of a man who called Himself no less than God in the flesh, a man who they simply could not get out of their minds, no matter how they tried. Because every time they saw a man with leprosy, they thought of this man’s compassion, when they saw a storm, they thought of the time He stilled one, when they saw a child on the street (one of the many who were thrown out of the house in their time), they thought of the day when He held one. Yes, every time they saw a Pharisees praying on a street corner, they thought of a man who did not hesitate to take on hypocrisy and dishonesty where he saw it.

No. They could not forget Him. That is why they came back. That is why they got together again. And that is why the church of Christ started with a group of scared men somewhere in an upper room in Jerusalem, behind a locked door.

The tragic thing is that things have not changed much in two thousand years. Because how many believers proverbially speaking do not still find themselves scared somewhere in an upper room? Yes, they have enough religion in them to say they believe, to come together Sunday after Sunday, but there is not any enthusiasm to live out their faith in such a way that it makes a difference wherever they are. The doors are not locked, but in essence, they are. They do not turn their backs on Christ, but they do not turn towards Him either. They want to do something for the Lord but are not sure what.

Upper room fear. Confused children of God behind closed doors. What will it take to unlock the door for them? For us? What is needed for them, for us, to go out and live out our faith in such a way that people can see God is alive, God is amongst us, that God is with his people? That God can make this world new, that God can change this world for the better?

Exactly what sent the apostles out, that what made them unlock the door of the upper room and step outside. And started to proclaim the gospel with word and deed. What was it that made them do that? Let us answer this question by looking briefly at the passage we read together.

Imagine the scene that John describes for us in this passage: There they sit, John, James, Peter and the other disciples. They sit there, waiting, because they hope that God may forgive them for what they have done, or that maybe God would somehow in some way show them what they had to do. And then, just when one of them mumbled ‘Let us leave this place, there is nothing left’, they heard a voice: ‘Peace be with you’.

And there Jesus stands. The grave could not hold Him. Nor the door of the upper room. And what does He bring with him? What they needed most: peace. Peace as a gift without reproach. So amazing is this moment that a few weeks later Peter publicly proclaimed in the same Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified: God has made this Jesus whom you crucified Lord and Christ! And three thousand came to faith!

What made them unlock the door? What unlocked the doors of their hearts? The answer is simple. They saw Jesus. That night in that upper room, they met the resurrected Christ. Their sins collided with the Savior, and the Savior won. The one who was betrayed came back to find his betrayers, not to judge, but to send out. Not to condemn them for forgetting Him and running away, but to instruct them to remember Him. Remember that He who was dead is alive and that those who were guilty are forgiven, and now can live too!

But this too, brothers and sisters, is not new. As we also, like the disciples that night, at times have sat somewhere scared and afraid in an upper room, so we also have seen the Lord. Or at least, I hope so! But how you may ask, have we seen the Lord?

We see God every day. We see God when we stop for a moment, how brief it may be, and realize how many things God gives us. Then we see the Lord. When we look at our children and loved ones, whom God has given us to fill our lives, then we see the Lord. Those moments in which we are grateful that we are healthy and able to work, then we see the Lord. Every time we pick up His Word and read it, and the Spirit works in our lives to make us new, we see the Lord. When my loved one recovers from cancer, we see the Lord. When we felt that there was nothing to live for anymore, because of all our worries and seemingly unsurmountable troubles, and we suddenly saw the light at the end of the tunnel, started to feel alive again, felt the bounce in our step again, and realized that everything was going to turn out for the best, we see the Lord. And if we do not see God in all of this, we might just be looking at our lives in the wrong way.

Do we see God present like this in our lives? Can you and I still remember when God came and stood right in front of us, so to speak, and made everything new? When we were stained with sin, did something that not even ourselves could believe we had done when we deserved nothing, and instead of judgment heard the words: ‘Peace be with you!’. Do we remember all the other times God was with us? In our moments of misery, in our moments of joy, in our deepest moments of sorrow and pain, but also in our happiest moments?

When was the last time that we, like Thomas, sincerely expressed the desire: I want to see the Lord? When was the last time we stopped for a moment and marvelled at God’s indescribable divinity, and our describable human sinfulness? And that He, although being God, became human and came to suffer so that we can live?

If it has been a long time, we must hear again this morning: He is still here. God is still with us. He did not go away. In all our responsibilities, packed calendars, busy schedules, full of programs, confused moments, discouraged minutes and indecisive days, we will find Him. Because He became man and set up His tent among us, never to leave us alone again.

I conclude: Someone who has met the Lord in his or her life, in whatever way, can never be the same again. The person who has seen at the same moment his or her total lostness and God’s immeasurable grace must know and believe that life can be different.

On the other hand, to despair without seeing God’s mercy, is fatal. It makes us people with fear locked up somewhere in an upper room. It paralyzes us. It cripples us for life. It paralyzes the powerful witness that can go out from you and me, from this congregation, into the community. It paralyzes us in our relationships with others. It makes us believe that we are alone in our hardships. And that everything and everyone is against us.

However, to see despair and grace is to become new before God. To be born again. It is to believe, to live, with conviction, that everything is right, even when we know everything is not right. It is to believe, to know, to experience: I have seen God busy in my life yesterday, today I will have the same experience, and tomorrow, again, God will walk with me. And that is why I will never forget: He did not come to suffer in vain. He came to suffer to make us all God’s people. God’s children.

So, let us listen carefully. This morning. This moment. And we will hear God’s voice saying: ‘Peace be with you’.

Amen.

Hymn

“Open my eyes, that I may see” (Book of Praise 1997, Hymn 500). Words and music (tune: “Open my eyes”) completed in 1895 by American composer and hymn-writer Clara H. Scott (1841–1897); both in the public domain.

Offering

As Jesus gave himself for us, let us return to God the offerings of our life and the gifts of the earth.

Musical Reflection

We remind everyone that we must continue to pay our bills; in the absence of being present at Sunday worship, you may sign up for pre-authorized remittance (PAR), donate online, or drop off your offering envelope in the mailbox at the church. Do not leave a cash donation unattended in the mailbox; instead, please call the office (416.261.4037) to ensure someone will be there to receive it. The building will be checked daily for mail and phone messages. If you are not comfortable leaving an envelope, you are welcome to contact the office (once again, 416.261.4037) and someone will pick up your offering.

Dedication of our Gifts

Our offering will now be received.

Doxology 306

“Praise God from whom all blessings flow” (Book of Praise 1997, Hymn 306). Based on the tune “Old 100^th” with words (1989) by English hymnwriter Brian A. Wren (1936–). Words copyright © 1989 Hope Publishing Co.; used by permission of One License, license number 722141-A. Music public domain.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
praise God all creatures high and low;
praise God in Jesus fully known,
Creator Word and Spirit One.

Prayer of dedication

On Thursday, May 9th, the Church worldwide marks Jesus’ Ascension which assures us that he will be present with his followers throughout every generation, in every culture and context. As we offer our gifts in gratitude, remember that they continue to honour Christ Jesus as Lord of all times and places. Amen.

The Prayer of Thanksgiving and Hope

God of Wisdom and Mercy, we turn to you in these quiet moments, and offer you our thanks for the love you have shown us, seeking your blessing on our hopes for our lives. This morning we give you thanks for all those people who have shown us your face and taught us to follow you by the faithful example of their lives. We thank you for our life together in your church, as your forgiven people. May the light of Christ shine through our lives so that we become light for the world, shining examples of your love at work.

Christ of Compassion and Action, in you, we receive our call to live with purpose. From you, we learn how to love those around us. With you, we find strength to face each new day. So today we offer our prayers for those facing challenges these days and seek your guidance to respond to their cries.

We pray for those brought to mind by news headlines this week: for situations of violence and deprivation, danger and devastation…

We pray for families going through difficult times, for all who are sick or in sorrow, for any who are lonely or despairing…

We pray for those agonizing over important decisions and responsibilities, for those in leadership roles, and for those who care for the most vulnerable in our community…

We pray for ourselves and for each other, for the situations that challenge us, and the new possibilities that encourage us…

Spirit of Christ, move with us into the week ahead. Remind us each day to live according to God’s will and purpose, for we want to offer your loving presence in the lives we touch in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Closing Hymn

“Make me a Channel of Your Peace” (Book of Praise 1997, Hymn 740). Words and music (1967; tune: “Make Me a Channel”) by South-African songwriter Sebastian Temple (1928–1997). Words and music copyright © 1967 OCP Publications; used by permission of One License, license number 722141-A.

Changing the Light

Now, it is time to change the light. The light that was in one place can now be in every place and every time going with you wherever you go.

Benediction

(Rev. Dr. Ernest Van Eck)

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ (the risen Christ), the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you always. AMEN.

Blessing

“Danish Amen” (Book of Praise 1997, Hymn 780). Words and music (tune: “Amen (Danish)”) traditional. Words and music public domain.

Postlude

Copyright © 2024 Guildwood Community Presbyterian Church

Last updated 2024-05-02 20:20 – First version.