Prayer of the Day
God of signs and wonders, you have revealed to us that Jesus Christ is your son and our Savior. Strengthen our faith, that we may have life in Christ’s name. Amen.

Welcome and Concerns of the Church
Opening Sentences
Blessed be the God of our Savior, Jesus Christ!  
God has given us a new birth in the living hope of the resurrection.
God has given us an inheritance that is imperishable and unfading.  
In this we rejoice, even when we suffer trials.  
For although we have not seen Jesus, we love him; and although we have not seen him, we believe in him.  
For the outcome of our faith is the salvation of our souls.  
Let us worship God.

1 How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
is laid for your faith in God's excellent Word!
What more can be said than to you God hath said,
to you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

2 "Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
for I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

3 "When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;
for I will be near thee, thy troubles to bless,
and sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

4 "When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
my grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
the flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

5 "The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to its foes;
that soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never, no, never, no, never forsake."

Call to Confession
God has been made known to us in deeds of power, signs, and wonders, and will not abandon us if we confess the truth about our lives.

Prayer of Confession
God, you have made known to us the ways of life.
Yet, too often, we put other things above you and turn away from the ways of life and toward the ways of death. 
Forgive us and guide us back into your presence, that we may know the fullness of joy. Amen.
 
Assurance of God’s Forgiveness

Prayer for Illumination
Lesson John 20:19-31
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were 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 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.’
A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Sermon                   Peace Be With You

1 We walk by faith and not by sight;
with gracious words draw near,
O Christ, who spoke as none e'er spoke:
“My peace be with you here.”

2 We may not touch your hands and side,
nor follow where you trod;
but in your promise we rejoice
and cry, "My Lord and God!"

3 Help then, O Lord, our unbelief;
and may our faith abound
to call on you when you are near
and seek where you are found.

4 And when our life of faith is done,
in realms of clearer light
may we behold you as you are,
with full and endless sight.

Statement of Faith                                       The Apostle's Creed

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s 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. Amen.

 
Prayers of the People, ending with the Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.  
Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, 
but deliver us from evil.  For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.  Amen.

Call for the Offering, ending with the Prayer of Dedication

Hymn— Come, Live in the Light

1 Come! live in the light!  
Shine with the joy and the love of the Lord!  
We are called to be light for the kingdom,  
to live in the freedom of the city of God!
Refrain: We are called to act with justice.  
We are called to love tenderly.  
We are called to serve one another, to walk humbly with God.

2 Come! Open your heart!  
Show your mercy to all those in fear!  
We are called to be hope for the hopeless,  
so all hatred and blindness will be no more!
Refrain: We are called to act with justice.  
We are called to love tenderly.  
We are called to serve one another, to walk humbly with God.

3 Sing! Sing a new song!  
Sing of that great day when all will be one!  
God will reign and we'll walk with each other as sisters and brothers united in love!
Refrain: We are called to act with justice.  
We are called to love tenderly.  
We are called to serve one another, to walk humbly with God.

 
Charge and Benediction