Easter 2 Morning Worship at St Laurence

Hymn – Alleluia, Alleluia Give Thanks to the Risen Lord

Preparation

The night has passed, and the day lies open before us; let us pray with one heart and mind.

Grace mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you

All: And also with you.

This is the day that the Lord has made.

All: Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

We have come together in the name of Christ to offer our praise and thanksgiving to hear and receive God’s holy word, to pray for the needs of the world, and to seek the forgiveness of our sins, that by the power of the Holy Spirit, we may give ourselves to the service of God.

All: We say Sorry

Jesus says, ‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand.’

So let us turn away from our sins and turn to Christ, confessing our sins in penitence and faith.

All: Lord God, we have sinned against you;

We have done evil in your sight.

We are sorry and repent.

Have mercy on us according to your love.

Wash away our wrongdoing and cleanse us from our sin.

Renew a right spirit within us and restore to us the joy of your salvation;

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

May the Father of all mercies cleanse us from our sins, and restore us in His image to the praise and glory of His name through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Blessed is the Lord,

All: For He has heard the voice of our prayer;

Therefore shall our hearts dance for joy

All: And in our song will we praise our God.

Blessed are you, Lord our God, creator and redeemer of all;

to you be glory and praise for ever.

From the waters of chaos you drew forth the world, and in your great love fashioned us in your image. Now, through the deep waters of death, you have brought your people to new birth by raising your Son to life in triumph.

May Christ your light ever dawn in our hearts as we offer you our sacrifice of thanks and praise.

Blessed be God, Father Son and Holy Spirit.

All: Blessed be God for ever.

Hymn – Through The Night Of Doubt and Sorrow

Through the night of doubt and sorrow
onward goes the pilgrim band,
singing songs of expectation,
marching to the promised land.

Clear before us through the darkness
gleams and burns the guiding light;
pilgrim clasps the hand of pilgrim,
stepping fearless through the night.

One the light of God’s own presence
o’er his ransomed people shed,
chasing far the gloom and terror,
brightening all the path we tread:

One the object of our journey,
one the faith which never tires,
one the earnest looking forward,
one the hope our God inspires:

One the strain that lips of thousands
lift as from the heart of one;
one the conflict, one the peril,
one the march in God begun

One the gladness of rejoicing
on the far eternal shore,
where the one almighty Father
reigns in love for evermore.

Onward, therefore, Christian pilgrims,
onward with the cross our aid;
bear its shame, and fight its battle,
till we rest beneath its shade.

Soon shall come the great awaking,
soon the rending of the tomb;
then the scattering of all shadows,
and the end of toil and gloom.(by Bernhard Severin Ingemann – 1789 – 1862)

Collect for the Second Sunday of Easter – 12^th April 2026

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.

All: Amen

Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead.

All: And Christ shall give you light.

You have died and your life is hid with Christ in God.

All: Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead.

Set your minds on things that are above,

not on things that are on the earth.

All: And Christ shall give you light.

When Christ our life appears

you will appear with him in glory.

All: Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light.

Hymn – When We Walk with the Lord

When we walk with the Lord

in the light of his Word
What a glory he sheds on our way!
While we do his good will,

he abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Chorus– Trust and obey,

for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,

but to trust and obey.

Not a shadow can rise,

not a cloud in the skies,
But his smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear,

not a sigh nor a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.

Chorus- Trust and obey,

for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,

but to trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear,

not a sorrow we share,
But our toil he doth richly repay;
Not a grief nor a loss,

not a frown or a cross,
But is blest if we trust and obey.

Chorus– Trust and obey,

for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,

but to trust and obey.

But we never can prove

the delights of his love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favour he shows,

and the joy he bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.

Chorus- Trust and obey,

for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,

but to trust and obey.

Then in fellowship sweet

we will sit at his feet,
Or we will walk by his side in the way;
What he says we will do,

where he sends we will go,
Never fear, only trust and obey.

Chorus- Trust and obey,

for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,

but to trust and obey. . (by John Henry Sammis – 1846 to1919)

Our First Reading is taken from Acts Chap: 2

14 Then Peter stood up with the other eleven apostles and in a loud voice began to speak to the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, listen to me and let me tell you what this means.

34 For it was not David who went up into heaven; rather he said, “The Lord said to my Lord: Sit here at my right side

35 until I put your enemies as a footstool under your feet.’

36 “All the people of Israel, then, are to know for sure that this Jesus, whom you crucified, is the one that God has made Lord and Messiah!”

37 When the people heard this, they were deeply troubled and said to Peter and the other apostles, “What shall we do, brothers?”

38 Peter said to them, “Each one of you must turn away from your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven; and you will receive God’s gift, the Holy Spirit.

39 For God’s promise was made to you and your children, and to all who are far away – all whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

40 Peter made his appeal to them and with many other words he urged them, saying, “Save yourselves from the punishment coming on this wicked people!”

41 Many of them believed his message and were baptized, and about three thousand people were added to the group that day.

42 They spent their time in learning from the apostles, taking part in the fellowship, and sharing in the fellowship meals and the prayers.

43 Many miracles and wonders were being done through the apostles, and everyone was filled with awe.

This is the Word of the Lord

All: Thanks be to God

Benedicitus

Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel,

All: who has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty Saviour,

All: born of the house of his servant David.

Through his holy prophets God promised of old

All: to save us from our enemies, from the hands of all that hate us,

To show mercy to our ancestors,

All: and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath God swore to our father Abraham:

All: to set us free from the hands of our enemies,

Free to worship him without fear,

All: holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.

And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,

All: for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

To give his people knowledge of salvation

All: by the forgiveness of all their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God

All: the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

To shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,

All: and to guide our feet into the way of peace.

All: Glory to the Father and to the Son

and to the Holy Spirit;

as it was in the beginning is now

and shall be for ever.

Amen.

Hear the Gospel our Lord Jesus Christ According to John Chap:20

19 It was late that Sunday evening, and the disciples were gathered together behind locked doors, because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities. Then Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you,” he said.

20 After saying this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord.

21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I send you.”

22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

23 If you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (called the Twin), was not with them when Jesus came.

25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” Thomas said to them, “Unless I see the scars of the nails in his hands and put my finger on those scars and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

26 A week later the disciples were together again indoors, and Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”

27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands; then reach out your hand and put it in my side. Stop your doubting, and believe!”

28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

29 Jesus said to him, “Do you believe because you see me? How happy are those who believe without seeing me!”

30 In his disciples’ presence Jesus performed many other miracles which are not written down in this book.

31 But these have been written in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through your faith in him you may have life.

This is the word of Christ

All: Thank be to God

Sermon – Doubting Thomas

Last Sunday in the Church was, as you know, Easter Sunday and our readings last week rightly reflected the finding of the empty tomb.

But that wasn’t the only event that happened on the first Easter Day. In the afternoon, Jesus walked with two of his disciples on the road to Emeaus, and ate with them.

Then, in the evening, he appeared to his disciples as we heard in our second reading.

Now, have you ever heard something so implausible you simply couldn’t believe it? For example, snow in middle of summer, or getting a pass on an exam that you thought you had failed. “Impossible,” you might utter. “Give me proof.”

That’s exactly what happened with one of Jesus’ disciples, a little-known man named Thomas who was among the twelve closest to Jesus. And it started on the evening of the first Easter Day.

The Bible doesn’t tell us much about Thomas other than that he was also known as Didymus, the Greek word for “twin” and that, on one occasion at least, he was willing to die for Jesus.

We also know he has been nicknamed “doubting Thomas” because of the encounter he had with Christ after His resurrection.

So, who is doubting Thomas, and what does his story mean for us today?

Who Is Doubting Thomas?

The story of “doubting Thomas” starts just after Christ has risen from the dead and has appeared to the other 10 disciples in a locked room (only Judas Iscariot, the betrayer who ultimately took his life, and Thomas were absent).

The only thing we know about Thomas, other than his “twin” nickname, is that he was paired with Matthew the tax collector when Jesus sent them out in pairs to heal and drive out demons (Matthew Chap: 10 Ver: 3), and that he was the sole disciple who seemed ready to sacrifice his life when Jesus wanted to go back to Judea to heal Lazarus (John Chap: 11)). In that story, the other disciples questioned Jesus’s decision, reminding Him that the last time they were there the Jews had wanted to stone Him, but Jesus insisted.

That’s when Thomas spoke up, telling the other disciples, “Let us also go, that we may die with him” (John Chap: 11 Ver:19).

It is a statement considered both passionate and loyal.

Yet for some reason after Jesus’s death, Thomas was not among the other disciples when the resurrected Jesus first appeared to them, showing them His pierced hands and side and imparting the Holy Spirit upon them with His breath.

When Thomas learned about this encounter, we see why he was called “doubting Thomas.”

Why Is Thomas Called “Doubting”?

After Jesus visited them, the other disciples informed Thomas they’d seen the Lord, but he simply didn’t believe them. Would you? I certainly know that I wouldn’t.

“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,” Thomas told them (John Chap: 20 Ver: 25).

He doubted — he said he had to see before he believed.

A week passed, a week after Easter, which is where we are today. The disciples were again gathered in the house with the doors locked, and this time Thomas was with them.

Suddenly, Jesus appeared in the room with them.

“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!’” (John Chap: 20 Vers: 27 & 28).

Thomas had doubted that the others had seen the resurrected Jesus. But when he saw Jesus for himself, and had a direct personal experience with the risen Lord, that’s when he accepted the resurrection as truth.

Jesus then responded,

“Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (Ver: 29).

What Does This Story Teach Us about Facing Our Own Doubts?

Jesus offered tremendous grace by showing Himself to Thomas in response to Thomas’s doubts. He knew Thomas wanted evidence, and He confronted this by providing exactly what Thomas sought.

But it’s Jesus’s final words in this scene, noting the blessedness of those who believe without seeing, that is thought to be the greatest lesson of this story. It’s a statement about faith.

Very few people had the chance to see the resurrected Jesus. Today, we don’t get that opportunity—we believe because we choose to have faith, because we allow the Holy Spirit to enter us and show us the Truth.

Jesus knew He would be ascending to heaven and that His time on earth was short. His words are surely an encouragement to those of us who came after these eleven apostles, those who came to faith based on the testimony of others who shared the Gospel through the mighty power of the Holy Spirit. It’s a nod to all the other believers who came after these men – believers whose faith transformed the church from a handful to roughly 2.6 billion Christians across the globe today. Don’t let anyone tell you that Christianity is dying out.

But the point is that Jesus doesn’t criticize Thomas for his doubt. His words in the original Greek—translated here as “stop doubting and believe” are more of an exhortation to join in with the believers than a condemnation.

The whole encounter is a reminder of an earlier story in John Chap: 4, when Jesus was asked to heal an official’s son who was sick and close to death.

“‘Unless you people see signs and wonders,’ Jesus told him, ‘you will never believe’” (John Chap: 4 Ver: 48).

Jesus knew that people were doubters, filled with unbelief. He knew they needed to see miracles to accept what He was offering.

Later, He sent the Holy Spirit, whom He called “the Advocate” to enable the disciples to share Christ throughout the world.

That’s the lesson here about unbelief: it is fixed with the Holy Spirit.

When we have doubts today, we can ask the Holy Spirit to fill us with the Truth, and it will be done. We can accept that what John and the other Gospel writers recorded is a gift for us so we can understand what happened then, and give us hope for tomorrow.

We can also know that we are still loved and not condemned when we have doubts. Jesus understood this was a natural human condition. He did not condemn Thomas, but He pointed Thomas to the truth. Similarly, through the Holy Spirit, we are led to the truth.

A Prayer for When You Struggle with Doubt

If you are struggling with doubt of any sort, consider lifting up this prayer to the Lord:

Lord, we can be so weak and sinful in our separation from you. Sometimes we don’t trust others, or seeds of doubt begin to creep in because of world pressure or attacks from Satan. We become prideful and turn away.

But, at the same time, we know that the Holy Spirit lives in all of your children. Lord, please allow the Holy Spirit to show us the truth and convict our hearts of the evidence of Your goodness and Your glory. Enable us to push our own will aside in favour of yours.

Pour the Spirit within us, may He open our eyes to You and Your plan.

Remove our doubt and increase our belief. Like Thomas, help us to move away from our unbelief, to shrug off all our worries and concerns and simply rest in You, and believe.

In Your holy and precious name we pray,Amen.

Thomas can teach us a lot about the importance of faith and the gracious and compassionate love Jesus has for us all. We can always go to Him—with our doubts, our anger, our worries. And we can rest assured that He will handle it all.

Amen.

Invitation to confess

Lord, we have come here today to know you,

So, Lord, we come to taste and see the kingdom through communion with each other. But we can be full of doubts.

And so, we come to touch and believe that you are the crucified God. But we are often full of worry. So let us confess together, here, that you are “My Lord and My God” today.

(We are silent for a short period)

Prayer of Confession:

Lord. we confess that we are much more likely to remember people’s moments of doubt, then their acts of belief. We call Thomas the doubting one, when he was the one cheered Jesus’s return to Lazurus, willing to risk stoning and death. Too often we worry about our doubts, instead of embracing our triumphs. Remind us, here and now, that you are our Lord and God in times of both doubt and certainty. Let us confess you as our Lord and God, so that even when we aren’t sure, we still pray.

Assurance of Pardon:

God is faithful in all of his words, and gracious in all of his deeds.
The Lord upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down. Therefore, we can be confident in this truth

All: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven, Amen.

Blessing:

Lord, let us go into the world, ready to find and hug Jesus. Do not allow doubt to be a stumbling block, but instead, Lord, teach us how to share the love of Jesus Christ in such a way that all might hear it, so that we might be better dedicated to you we pray.

And the blessing of God almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be with us all this Eastertide and forevermore.

Amen.

Time of Silence …..

We Say Together:

The Creed.

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe 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 to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting.

All: Amen.

Prayers and Intercessions

Prayers for King Charles

Through this tritium of prayer we ask God’s continuing blessing on our new King Charles

Prayer

O God, to whom every human power is subject,
grant to your servant our sovereign Charles
success in the exercise of his high office,
so that, always revering you and striving to please you,
he may constantly secure and preserve
for the people entrusted to his care
the freedom that comes from civil peace.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.

All: Amen

Prayer for the Royal

Almighty God, the fountain of all goodness,

we humbly beseech thee to bless

Queen Camilla, William Prince of Wales, the Princess of Wales, and all the

Royal Family:

Endue them with thy Holy Spirit; enrich them with thy heavenly

grace; prosper them with all happiness;

and bring them to thine everlasting

kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

We pray for God to fill us with his Spirit.

Generous God,

we thank you for the power of your Holy Spirit.

We ask that we may be strengthened to serve you better.

Lord, come to bless us