The Collect

Almighty Father, who in your great mercy gladdened the disciples with the sight of the risen Lord: give us such knowledge of his presence with us, that we may be strengthened and sustained by his risen life and serve you continually in righteousness and truth; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

¶ The Liturgy of the Word

First Reading: Acts 9.1-6(7-20)

Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ He asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.’ The men who were travelling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ He answered, ‘Here I am, Lord.’ The Lord said to him, ‘Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.’ But Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.’ So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’

Psalm 30

Refrain: You brought me up, O Lord, from the dead.
I will exalt you, O Lord, because you have raised me up * and have not let my foes triumph over me.
O Lord my God, I cried out to you * and you have healed me.
You brought me up, O Lord, from the dead; * you restored me to life from among those that go down to the Pit.
Sing to the Lord, you servants of his; *give thanks to his holy name.
For his wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye, his favour for a lifetime. *
Heaviness may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. R
In my prosperity I said, ‘I shall never be moved. *You, Lord, of your goodness,have made my hill so strong.’
Then you hid your face from me *and I was utterly dismayed.
To you, O Lord, I cried; *to the Lord I made my supplication:
‘What profit is there in my blood, if I go down to the Pit? * Will the dust praise you or declare your faithfulness?
‘Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me; * O Lord, be my helper.’ R
You have turned my mourning into dancing; * you have put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness;
Therefore my heart sings to you without ceasing; * O Lord my God, I will give you thanks for ever.
Refrain: You brought me up, O Lord, from the dead.

Second Reading:Revelation 5.11-14

I, John, looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12singing with full voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honour and glory and blessing!’ Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing, ‘To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honour and glory and might for ever and ever!’ And the four living creatures said, ‘Amen!’ And the elders fell down and worshipped.

Gospel Reading: John 21.1-19

Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, ‘I am going fishing.’ They said to him, ‘We will go with you.’ They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, ‘Children, you have no fish, have you?’ They answered him, ‘No.’  He said to them, ‘Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.’ So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish.  That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!’ When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the lake.  But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.  When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread.  Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.’  So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred and fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn.  Jesus said to them, ‘Come and have breakfast.’ Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, ‘Who are you?’ because they knew it was the Lord.  Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.  This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead. When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my lambs.’ A second time he said to him, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ He said to him, ‘Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Tend my sheep.’ He said to him the third time, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me?’ Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, ‘Do you love me?’ And he said to him, ‘Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.’ He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God. After this he said to him, ‘Follow me.’

The RSCM offers this comment on today’s lectionary: ‘The miraculous catch of fish is a potent reminder of the providence and abundant generosity of God. That same generosity is what gives Peter a three-fold opportunity to redeem his three-fold denial. Peter can now look upon his own future with realism and with hope: Jesus is honest about what Peter’s relationship with him will lead to, and Peter is finally able to embrace that calling, replying with integrity ‘You know that I love you’.

I would amplify this by saying that today (and the remaining Sundays of Easter) are about our response to the miracle of the resurrection.

Prayers of Intercession

¶The Church of Christ

Lord, our Saviour now has no body but ours; no hands, no feet on earth but ours; ours are the eyes with which he looks in compassion on this world; ours are the feet with which he walks to do good; ours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world. Ours are the hands, ours are the feet, ours are the eyes: we are his body. Help us to reach out in His name to those who need to hear your word. Lord, as you have called us to your service, make us, the people of your Church, worthy of our calling.

Lord, you promised us that heaviness may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning; in your mercy, hear our prayer

¶Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority

Lord, we pray for the nation of which we are part. Help us to remember that we all share in the responsibility for the ethics by which we are governed for, truly, no man is an island, entire of itself, but a part of the main. Help us to strengthen our own moral standards, and thereby those of our national institutions, so that we may be  governed according to the laws you have written in our hearts.

Lord, you promised us that heaviness may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning; in your mercy, hear our prayer

¶The local community

Lord, we give thanks for those who share their lives with us, our families, our friends and our neighbours. We thank you for all those who help to hold the community together, as we build up our common life. Help us to be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem. We pray that we may  be aware of the needy and provide for those who lack food, work or shelter, particularly in these times of economic difficulty.

Lord, you promised us that heaviness may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning; in your mercy, hear our prayer

¶Those who suffer

Lord, we pray for any who are finding life difficult or distressing, for those whose relationships are in jeopardy, and for homes where there is sorrow and darkness. We ask you to look mercifully on any who are grieved with guilt because they have wronged those whom they love: restore the broken relationships and heal the wounds of past betrayals. We pray for any who are distressed by regrets and remorse, and for those who have lost confidence in themselves or the world around them. Strengthen us, we pray, to be your presence to the sick, the weak and the dying and to offer them your comfort and your hope.

Lord, you promised us that heaviness may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning; in your mercy, hear our prayer

¶The communion of saints

Lord, help us to know you as the one who raises us from death, as you raised your Son, our Saviour. We pray for those whom you have enfolded in the love and peace of your kingdom. And we pray that you will keep them in life and joy everlasting. Lord, guide us with your counsel and be the strength of our hearts, that we may not fall but rejoice in the life of your eternal city; through Jesus Christ our Mediator.

Lord, you promised us that heaviness may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning; in your mercy, hear our prayer

The illustration is New beginning by James Martin  via Veritasse. The verse on the back of the New Beginning greetings card reads, “See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be  remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy.” Isaiah 65: 17-18

The first prayer, for the Church of Christ, is of course based on the famous prayer by Saint Teresa of Avila.