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Posts Tagged "Intercessions for Second Sunday of Easter Year A":

Intercessions for Second Sunday of Easter Year A: 27 April 2014

doubt

The Collect

Almighty Father, you have given your only Son to die for our sins and to rise again for our justification: grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness that we may always serve you in pureness of living and truth; through the merits of your Son Jesus Christ 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 2.14a,22-32

On the day of Pentecost, Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: ‘You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know – this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. For David says concerning him,
“I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover, my flesh will live in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One experience corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.” ‘Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying, “He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption.” This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses.’

Psalm 16

Refrain: The Lord is at my right hand; I shall not fall.

Preserve me, O God, for in you have I taken refuge; *I have said to the Lord, ‘You are my lord, all my good depends on you.’
All my delight is upon the godly that are in the land, * upon those who are noble in heart.
Though the idols are legion that many run after, * their drink offerings of blood I will not offer,  neither make mention of their names upon my lips.
The Lord himself is my portion and my cup; * in your hands alone is my fortune.
My share has fallen in a fair land; *indeed, I have a goodly heritage.R
I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel, *and in the night watches he instructs my heart. I have set the Lord always before me; *he is at my right hand; I shall not fall.
Wherefore my heart is glad and my spirit rejoices; * my flesh also shall rest secure.
For you will not abandon my soul to Death, * nor suffer your faithful one to see the Pit.
You will show me the path of life; in your presence is the fullness of joy * and in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.

Refrain: The Lord is at my right hand; I shall not fall.

Second Reading: 1 Peter 1.3-9

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith – being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire – may be found to result in praise and glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Gospel Reading: John 20.19-31

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked 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 side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.” A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.


Poor Doubting Thomas! We have all surely been in his position at some time or another, hence the modern illustration. What lies behind this incredulity? Well, perhaps fear of the unknown, or even fear of being thought gullible – a resurrected Jesus breaks all the laws of physics known to everyman. Not that he doesn’t want to believe the evidence of his own eyes, he does. The RSCM says:

The Holy Spirit may be self-effacing (pointing always to the work of the Father and the Son) but is not well-mannered. The Spirit that moved over the waters at the creation, that overshadowed Mary, has an earthy reality, a buoyant insistence and a dynamic peace that is more than mere absence of conflict. The Spirit blows to clear a space in which Thomas can wrestle with his doubts, and wrestles with him.

Prayers of Intercession

Give to us, Lord Christ, the fullness of grace, your presence and your very self, for you are our portion and our delight, now and for ever. Alleluia, alleluia. or
I am the first and the last, says the Lord, and the living one; I was dead, and behold I am alive for evermore.  Alleluia.

¶The Church of Christ

Lord, we pray for the body of Christ that is your Church. In this life, we can see the light of your kingdom only through the prism of our understanding: truly we have made you in our own image, but we can do no other. We have created a Tower of Babel in which at times we seem to be talking a completely different language from our fellow believers. Help us all to understand that our vision of you is imperfect but that, through faith, we can make the same leap as did Thomas through trusting in you until we pass through the door to your kingdom that is death.

Lord, we believe, help our unbelief: in your mercy, hear our prayer

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

Lord, help us to understand that faith is not the same as certainty. We ask you to stimulate discussion and exploration in all areas of our national life, acknowledging that this will open us up to uncertainty and doubt. Then, trusting in your faithfulness, may we keep looking forward. We do not ask for a light that we may tread safely into the unknown; rather may we step out into the darkness, putting our hands into yours, knowing that will be better than light, and safer than a known way.

Lord, we believe, help our unbelief: in your mercy, hear our prayer

¶The local community

Lord of the living, help us to unite our community on the goal of our journey, that through our day to day dealings with each other, we may serve you as you deserve. May we bear any perceived slights for your sake, and through the breath of your Spirit, help us to understand each other and interpret each other’s actions in the most charitable possible light. And may we delight in those moments of fellow feeling which bring us such joy.

Lord, we believe, help  our unbelief: in your mercy, hear our prayer

¶Those who suffer

Lord, our refuge and our strength, preserve us from lasting harm. In the silence of the darkest of hours, we open our ears to the whisper of your voice. As we tremble on the narrowest of paths, the steadying of your hand gives us courage. Again and again we affirm, in times both of doubt and of trust, You are our faithful Creator, in you alone is our bliss.*

Lord, we believe, help  our unbelief: in your mercy, hear our prayer

¶The communion of saints

Lord, we thank you for all those people whose lives give you glory. We thank you for all those people through whose lives we have been helped by your Holy Spirit at work. And we thank you for the promise that you will not give us over to the power of death, or let your faithful ones see the pit, but embrace us into union with you and the pioneer of our salvation, Jesus Christ.

Lord, we believe, help  our unbelief: in your mercy, hear our prayer

*This prayer is based on the words of Jim Cotter, whose death has just been announced. I never met him, but drew inspiration from his writing. Here is a tribute to him by Kevin Holdsworth, Provost of St Mary’s Cathedral, Glasgow.

Copyright acknowledgement (where not already indicated above): John 20.19-31 © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Pub. Hodder & Stoughton Some material included in this service is copyright: © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ, USA Some material included in this service is copyright: © The Archbishops’ Council 2000 Collect (2nd of Easter) © The Crown/Cambridge University Press: The Book of Common Prayer (1662)

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