ST ANDREW’S CHURCH

April 24^th, 2022           2^nd Sunday of Easter

 

LIGHTING OF THE CHRIST CANDLE

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

• Thank you to the Rev. Jim Statham for leading our worship today. We pray this hour may be a blessing to us all and bring glory and praise to God; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
• A written text of the sermon was not available at the time of publishing but the video recording of the sermon will be added later Sunday afternoon, Lord willing. We apologize for this inconvenience.

 

CALL TO WORSHIP

In life, in death, and in life beyond death,

The Risen Christ is Lord.

 

In success and discouragement, in fear and in hope,

The Risen Christ is Lord.

 

Of the poor and broken, of the sinner and the sinned against,

The Risen Christ is Lord.

 

In Church and community, in our hearts and our homes,

The Risen Christ is Lord, and so we gather to worship in his name.

 

 

HYMN #249 The day of Resurrection

 

 

PRAYER OF ADORATION

God of yesterday, today, and tomorrow,

we rejoice in this new day you have made.

We praise you for the abundant life with which you bless us,

and for all the beauty that surrounds us as spring takes hold again.

We praise you for your Son Jesus,

and the power of new life promised in his resurrection.

We praise you for your Spirit at work in human history,

to restore and redeem our hope with that power of new life.

God of steadfast love,

we worship you with the Spirit and the Son,

and claim your gift of new life,

even in the face of any doubt or danger within the world you love.

All praise, honour and glory be yours, O God,

now and evermore.

We come before you  with our prayer of confession …..

 

 

UNISON PRAYER OF CONFESSION

O God of might and mercy,

in raising Jesus from the dead, you showed us your power

to defeat all that brings fear and sorrow to our lives.

In his resurrection, Jesus promised to be with us everywhere and always.

Yet we confess we are sometimes uncertain about your promises.

We doubt the promise of resurrection for our own lives.

Upheaval and anxiety eat away at our peace.

Forgive us when we struggle to trust your goodness

and your steadfast love for us. Amen

 

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

Hear and believe the good news of the Gospel.

In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven and set free from sin and sorrow.

In Jesus Christ, God offers us the gift of peace.

May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ fill your hearts this day.

 

THE PEACE

 

HYMN    Will you come and follow me

 

 

 

SCRIPTURE READINGS

John 21: 1-19

21 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee.^[a] It happened this way: ² Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus^[b]), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. ³ “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

⁴ Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.

⁵ He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”

“No,” they answered.

⁶ He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.

⁷ Then the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. ⁸ The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.^{[c] 9} When they landed, they saw a fire of burning coals there with fish on it, and some bread.

¹⁰ Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” ¹¹ So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. ¹² Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. ¹³ Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. ¹⁴ This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Jesus Reinstates Peter

¹⁵ When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

¹⁶ Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

¹⁷ The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. ¹⁸ Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹ Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

SERMON

HYMN #252 He is Lord

 

OFFERING

In this season of Easter, we celebrate God’s most precious gift to us in Christ’s dying and rising. As we present our offering today, let us give with thankful hearts, trusting that God can do amazing things through the gifts we offer in Jesus’ name.

 

DOXOLOGY

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;

Praise him all creatures here below

Praise him above ye heavenly host.

Praise Father Son and Holy Ghost

 

OFFERTORY PRAYER

Generous God,

Along with our gifts we offer you our thanks for your steadfast love, our foundation when things around us seem uncertain. Bless these gifts and the ministry of our congregation; and bless the mission we undertake as part of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. May what we offer spread the blessings we know to others, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Risen Lord.

Amen

 

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

We give thanks to you, O God, for you are good,

Your steadfast love endures forever.

 

We thank you, God, for the many ways you provide for our needs:

for air and water, for food and shelter, for work to do and rest to sustain us.

We pray for your creation, too often at risk because of the choices we’ve made.

Help us care for the earth and all its creatures and relationships.

Show us how to cherish the gifts you have given

and protect them for future generations.

 

We give thanks to you, O God, for you are good,

Your steadfast love endures forever.

 

We thank you, God, for family:

the families we were born or adopted into,

the families we married into,

and other families who welcomed us into their midst

as friends and neighbours.

We pray for those who have lost family members and relationships,

and for any who know abuse and pain within the family circle.

 

Keep a brief silence

 

God, we also thank you for friendship:

for friends who have supported us through months of pandemic restrictions

and for those who bring us joy and wise counsel.

Help us extend the gift of friendship

to those who are experiencing isolation, loneliness or grief.

 

We give thanks to you, O God, for you are good,

Your steadfast love endures forever.

 

We thank you, God, for the peace and freedom we enjoy in Canada,

and pray that the conflict over what these gifts mean

will be soothed with deeper understanding among us all.

We pray for those who know neither freedom nor peace:

those living under oppressive regimes or in conflict zones,

and those who have fled their homelands, in search of safety.

 

Give us courage to stand up for people who cannot stand up for themselves,

so that they too will know peace and freedom.

 

We give thanks to you, O God, for you are good,

Your steadfast love endures forever.

 

We thank you, God, for your Church,

for our congregation and its leaders,

and for all who volunteer time, talent and energy

to the work we undertake in Jesus’ name.

By your Spirit, guide us as we regroup after the months of pandemic

and inspire us with new insight into mission and ministry.

We pray for other churches in our community and in our presbytery,

and the sense of mission that guides each one into service.

 

 

Fill us with a deeper sense of unity

so that we can model relationships that transcend differences

in this divided world.

 

We give thanks to you, O God, for you are good,

Your steadfast love endures forever.

 

O God, thank you for the gift of your Son,

whose resurrection empowers us to look to the future with hope.

Thank you for the gift of your Spirit

who draws us into unity with you and one another,

as together we offer the prayer Jesus taught us:

 

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.  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 #260 Alleluia, Alleluia give thanks to the risen Lord

 

BENEDICTION

Go forth  into the  community sharing the  blessings poured out upon you  through the love and grace of  our eternal God  May the grace of God, the love of Jesus and the gifts of the Holy Spirit  be with you  now and always

 

CLOSING SONG