the strength of those who believe  and the hope of those who doubt. We are called to tell the truth. Those who are perfectly loved need not fear their shadows. When we speak what we fear and what we hope, silence cannot trap us and lies cannot hold us. May we, who have not seen, have faith and receive the fullness of Christ’s blessing, who is alive and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

HYMN [Blue#357][GTG#738] O Master, Let Me Walk with Thee 

1 O Master, let me walk with thee in lowly paths of service free;

tell me thy secret; help me bear the strain of toil, the fret of care.

2 Help me the slow of heart to move by some clear, winning word of love; teach me the wayward feet to stay,

and guide them in the homeward way.

3 Teach me thy patience, still with thee in closer, dearer company, in work that keeps faith sweet and strong,

in trust that triumphs over wrong.

4 In hope that sends a shining ray far down the future’s broadening way; in peace that only thou canst give,

with thee, O Master, let me live.

REPENTANCE

CALL TO CONFESSION                                                                  

SILENT CONFESSION

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Almighty God, 

in raising Jesus from the grave, you shattered the power of sin and death. We confess that we remain captive to doubt and fear, bound by the ways that lead to death. We overlook the poor and the hungry, and pass by those who mourn; we are deaf to the cries of the oppressed, and indifferent to calls for peace; we despise the weak, and abuse the earth you made. Forgive us, God of mercy. Help us to trust your power to change our lives and make us new, that we may know the joy of life abundant given in Jesus Christ, the risen Lord.

ASSURANCE OF PARDON                     

GLORIA PATRI [Blue#579[ [GTG581]     

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,

and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning,

is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.

THE WORD READ AND PROCLAIMED

1st SCRIPTURE Psalm  118:14-29

The Lord is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly; the right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.” I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord . The Lord has punished me severely, but he did not give me over to death. Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord . This is the gate of the Lord ; the righteous shall enter through it. I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord ‘s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Save us, we beseech you, O Lord ! O Lord , we beseech you, give us success! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord . We bless you from the house of the Lord . The Lord is God, and he has given us light. Bind the festal procession with branches, up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will give thanks to you; you are my God, I will extol you. O give thanks to the Lord , for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

2nd  SCRIPTURE     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.

ONE: The Word of the Lord

MANY: Thanks be to God

SERMON  “We Have Seen the Lord!”  CP Ford Dieth

 RESPONSE     

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH Apostle’s Creed

I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth,  and in Jesus Christ His only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

RECEIVING OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS

OFFERTORY 

DOXOLOGY [GTG#609]

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

Praise God, all creatures here below;

Praise God above, ye heavenly host;

Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen

PRAYER OF DEDICATION

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND 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.

HYMN [Blue #122][GTG#238] Thine is the Glory

1 Thine is the glory, risen, conquering Son;

endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won.

Angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,

kept the folded grave-clothes where thy body lay.

Refrain:

Thine is the glory, risen, conquering Son;

endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won.

2 Lo! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb;

lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom.

Let the church with gladness hymns of triumph sing,

for the Lord now liveth; death hath lost its sting. [Refrain]

3 No more we doubt thee, glorious Prince of life!

Life is naught without thee; aid us in our strife.

Make us more than conquerors through thy deathless love; bring us safe through Jordan to thy home above. [Refrain] 

PARTING PRAYER   

Blessed Sustainer, 

you built your church upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus Christ himself as the cornerstone. Join us together by their teaching, so that we may be a holy temple in whom your Spirit dwells; 

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

CHARGE AND BENEDICTION

RESPONSE [Blue#399][GTG#817] We Walk by Faith and Not by Sight

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.”

POSTLUDE                                   

*Note: the hymn lyrics in the bulletin and on the projection screen are from the Glory To God Hymnal (© 2013 Westminster John Knox Press), which we are transitioning to. Words in the “Blue” Presbyterian Hymnal (© 1990) in your pew may differ slightly. The Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved.