April 15 – Second Sunday of Easter

 

Worship materials for the Second to Fifth Sundays of Easter were contributed by Karen Boivin of St. Paul’s United Church and Dunrobin United Church, Carp and Dunrobin, Ontario.

 

Acts 4:32–35

The believers shared everything in common.

 

Psalm 133 (VU p. 856)

How pleasant it is when God’s people are together.

 

1 John 1:1—2:2

God is light; walk in the light.

 

John 20:19–31

Jesus appears to the disciples; Thomas is not there.

Spark

Decorate the sanctuary with textiles, household items, and pictures from a Latin American country and have folk music from the country playing before the service begins. Consider featuring the hymns of Pablo Sosa for the service.

Theme Engagement Question

What do we share in common within other faith communities today?

With Children

Ask the children to consider their favourite toy and whether they would prefer someone to take it away, borrow it, or share it with them and why. Discuss the importance of being careful with the things we borrow out of respect for the owners. Ask them what the benefits are of sharing and how we learn about sharing and respectful borrowing of both things and ideas in church. Connect this with the Acts passage, in which the believers shared everything in common.

Sermon Starter

Together Pablo Sosa (Psalm 133, VU p. 856) and C. Michael Hawn brought the important message to a Calvin Worship Symposium that we should know the stories of the people whose hymns we sing. Sometimes the upbeat hymns we enjoy were written to help liberate the oppressed. The tune of Pablo Sosa’s “Gloria” (VU p. 895) would be recognized by many Latin Americans as the cueca, the folk tune to which the Chilean women danced with pictures of family members who had disappeared. Hawn’s book, Gather into One: Praying and Singing Globally,^[1] helps us to explore the stories behind the hymns we sing from a variety of cultures. Our stories are one of the things we as a universal church should share in keeping with the Acts reading. In so doing, we show each other our wounds, we recognize Christ in each other more fully, and therefore we walk more fully into the light of loving relationship with each other and with God.

Hymns

Book of Acts

VU 595            “The Servant Song”

VU 606            “In Christ there is no east or west”

VU 678            “For the healing of the nations”

MV 1               “Let us build a house”

MV 154            “Deep in our hearts”

 

Psalm

VU p. 856            “Behold how pleasant/¡Miren qué bueno”

 

Epistle

VU 87              “I am the light of the world”

VU 679            “Let there be light”

MV 82             “Bathe me in your light”

MV 209            “Go, make a diff’rence”

 

Gospel

VU 183            “We meet you, O Christ”

VU 185            “You tell me that the Lord is risen”

MV 215            “Peace be with you”

 

Other Hymns connected with Latin America or Pablo Sosa

VU 230            “Heaven is singing for joy”

VU 563            “Jesus, you have come to the lakeshore”

VU p. 895            “Gloria”

VU p. 951            “¡Santo, santo, santo”

MV 68             “Kyrie eleison”

MV 76             “If I have been the source of pain”