​Come, let us find the risen Lord.
Come with your whole self,
with your worries and your successes,
your fears and your joys,
your questions and your answers.
Come, all who are excited and all who are anxious.
Come, all who are confident and all who are searching.
God will meet us here.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!
He is Risen indeed! Alleluia!
Welcome to this reflection for the Second Sunday of the Easter season. Today we will
hear of Jesus appearing twice to the disciples, greeting them with “Peace be with you”
and, according to John in his Gospel, breathing the Holy Spirit into them. But, on the
first occasion, one disciple is missing - Thomas and missing out leaves him with many
questions.

Meditation​ - Thomas reflecting 
I expected him to give me a row,
not - as you might think -
for doubting.

We all had doubted, at different times,
and he was never angry.

Indeed, he doubted himself, sometimes,
or, if he didn’t,
he certainly understood how it felt,
because he would sing the Psalms of doubt
with great fervour.

Doubt wasn’t an enemy to him.
He could stand us doubting.
It was indifference he couldn’t stand:
indifference and apathy.

(Pause)

I expected him to give me a row
perhaps for making conditions.

I did do that and I won’t deny it.

‘If only I see this and do that ….. then I’ll believe.’

Fancy me,
thinking I could make conditions with God,
but he didn’t take me to task.

He saw that I was happy because I had seen
and he said that they were also happy
who believed without making conditions,
without saying ‘if only’ or ‘unless’.

(Pause)

I expected him to give me a row
because I wasn’t there when he came.

The others were present, I was absent.
It wasn’t their fault or his fault.
It was mine.
I had - for whatever reason -
decided that it was all finished.

He came back to say it was all beginning.

(Pause)

I expected him to give me a row.
But he didn’t.
He gave me his hand
and, more than that,
he gave me his peace.
from ‘Stages on the Way’, John L Bell and Graham Maule, Wild Goose Resource Group

This act of worship has been prepared for you by the Revd John Rowe to use at home. We invite you to spend a few moments with God, knowing that other people at Kingswood Methodist Church are sharing this act of worship with you.

Welcome and Call to Worship
This is the day that the Lord has made
This is the day — Easter Day! 
Alleluia - CHRIST IS RISEN! - He is Risen indeed  -  Alleluia!

A prayer of  adoration
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, on this Easter morning we adore you. 

We praise you for the good news of the resurrection,
for the way it spread first to the disciples and now to us.
Help us to hear it afresh today as though we were those first disciples.
Help us to understand the difference it made to them and to their lives.
And help us, today and always, to live as resurrection people
and as people who give thanks for the good news and share with those around us. 
Amen.

A Prayer of confession
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
for the times when we have failed to live as Easter people,
in your mercy, 
Lord, forgive us.
For the times when we have doubted the good news,
in your mercy, 
Lord, forgive us.
For the times when we have acted as though there was no good news, in your mercy, 
Lord, forgive us.
For this morning, above all mornings, we claim for ourselves Jesus' promise, that in him our sins are forgiven.
Thanks be to God. 
Amen.

Bible Readings:
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
Mark 16:1-8

Prayers for Others
In our time of prayer there is an opportunity to bring before God the things on our hearts and minds using the following themes:
Holy God, 
we come to you today with our prayers:
We pray for our world… 
We pray for the Church…
We pray for all those striving for justice…
We pray for those who are unwell…
We pray for those grieving the loss of loved ones… (Time of silence)

The Lord’s prayer  
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours. Now and for ever.
Amen

Blessing
Lord God, we have seen the clues that pointed to your son Jesus being alive.  As we leave this place and go out into the world, help our lives to be clues pointing to you.
Amen.
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

​Though Jesus visited Jerusalem several times, this was the only day when Jesus did something unexpected during his earthly life, entering into the city riding on the donkey.

Opening Prayer :
Loving God, we thank you for the special season of lent and the reminders of events that happened in Jesus’ life when he entered Jerusalem. May our time of worship reflect our gratitude and love for you. Amen

Let us pray together
Lord Jesus,
you journeyed to Jerusalem many times,
as a child and as a man,
touching many lives along the way as you taught and healed and challenged.
Thank you for inviting us 
to journey with you today,
for showing us the depth of your courage and the power of your love.
Thank you, Lord, for being our King and Saviour – and our friend. 
You are worthy of all our praise. Amen.

We are sorry, Lord Jesus, for the moments
when our hosannas are loud 
but lacking in love, 
when we chase the lure of worldly power, 
but miss the signs of heavenly glory,
when we choose popularity over integrity,
when we would silence those who speak the truth and are silent when we could speak out.
Forgive us, and inspire our steps as we follow you to the Cross…and beyond. Amen.
Prayers from Roots worship, 10th April 2022

A time of prayer
As Jesus wept over Jerusalem and cleansed its Temple, let us pray for our cities and our churches today.
Help us know what will bring us peace, O Lord.
We pray to you for cities in conflict, where dictators hold on to power and oppress their own citizens, and the voice of the people is not heard. Especially for Ukraine…
Help us know what will bring us peace, O Lord.
We pray to you for cities in economic trouble 
where the current Covid crisis has put many out of work, new businesses cannot get loans to start, and people do not feel they are all in it together. 
Help us know what will bring us peace, O Lord.
We pray to you for cities suffering natural disaster, where storms, tsunamis, flooding or fire have destroyed the infrastructure and rebuilding has been slow and inefficient. 
Help us know what will bring us peace, O Lord.
We pray to you for all those suffering poor health, personal disaster, or the death of a loved one. Make us faithful in praying, visiting and caring for those in difficulties. 
Help us know what will bring us peace, O Lord.
We pray to you for churches of all denominations, as what unites us this week is so much bigger than what divides us.
May we love one another, so the world may know you are among us. 
Help us know what will bring us peace, O Lord. Amen.
 Prayers adapted from Roots Worship, 10th April 2013 

The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father ……

A prayer of blessing
May God grant us
exuberance of the Palm Sunday crowd,
and the humility of Jesus riding a donkey;
the energy and excitement of the crowd, 
and the calm holiness of Jesus;
the expectation of the crowd, 
and the understanding heart of Jesus
who journeyed to Jerusalem for love of us all. Amen.
Prayer from Roots Worship, 10th April 2022
Original Materials by Rev. Nutan Sandhya Joseph Suray

You may be at home or travelling, the members of Kingswood Methodist Church, hope you can join in and sing along (quietly if you are on a bus or train!) with this special Worship at Home Service which has been prepared for you by Revd Christine Fox and Jessica Bullett celebrating 52 years of the Toddlers group at Kingswood.

A Children's Prayer for Ukraine
Loving God, we pray for peace in Ukraine.
Help keep people safe and protect them from being hurt.
Please care for children separated from their families,
Please help people who have had to leave their homes.
We pray for love and peace, everywhere.
In the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace,
Amen.

Bible reading ‘storytime’ let the children come...selected from Luke 18:15-17 

 The Lord’s prayer  
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your Name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours. Now and for ever.
Amen

Toddlers Prayers at the Service
Christine sharing the prayers written for the Toddlers.  The table in the front of the image has photos over the years at Toddlers.

Blessing
The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine on you and be gracious to you, and give you peace.  Amen