Trinity-St. Andrew’s United Church
Order of Worship
Sunday, April 12th 2026 – 1st Sunday after Easter
Prelude
Welcome & Telling Our Story
Gathering to Worship God
Lighting of the Christ Candle
Living Christ, you come among us even when doors are locked and hearts are uncertain. As this candle is lit, shine your peace into our fear, your presence into our doubt, and your light into every shadow.
Introit Jesus, We Are Here MV 189
Jesus, we are here; Jesus, we are here;
Jesus, we are here; we are here for you.
Call to Worship
When we gather with questions and wonder, Christ meets us here. When we carry hope alongside uncertainty, Christ meets us here. When fear or doubt lingers within us, Christ comes and says, “Peace be with you.” We are not turned away for our questions, but welcomed in love and grace. Come, let us worship the God who is present among us, offering peace, breathing life, and calling us to trust.
Hymn: Thine Is The Glory VU 173
- 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 the body lay.
Thine is the glory, risen, conquering Son:
endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won.
- 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
- No more we doubt thee, glorious Prince of life;
life is nought 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.
Gathering Prayer & Assurance of Grace
Gracious and patient God, you do not turn away from our questions or our searching hearts. You meet us where we are. In our fears, our hopes and our wonderings. Breathe your Spirit upon us again this day. Open our hearts to your presence, that we may receive your peace and trust your love more deeply. When we struggle to believe, when we feel distant or unsure, remind us that your grace is not withheld. You come to us again and again, offering peace, offering life, offering love.
Friends, hear and trust this good news: The risen Christ comes to us not because we are certain, but because we are loved. In Jesus, we are forgiven, renewed, and held in grace. Thanks be to God for this unconditional blessing. Amen.
Time for the Young & Young at Heart
Hymn: Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Give Thanks VU 179
Refrain: Hallelujah, hallelujah.
Give thanks to the risen Christ;
hallelujah, hallelujah!
Give praise to God’s name.
- Jesus is the Lord of all the earth,
firstborn of all creation. Refrain
- Spread the good news o’er all the earth:
Jesus has died and is risen. Refrain
- We have been crucified with Christ,
now we shall live for ever. Refrain
- Come let us praise the living God,
Joyfully sing to our Saviour. Refrain
Blessed at Table & Font
Welcoming New Member
Statement of Purpose & Presentation
The church is a community of people with varied gifts, united by the Holy Spirit. We gather to celebrate God’s presence, to discern God’s truth and to follow the way of Jesus. By our baptism we are made members of Christ’s church. We exercise this membership in the denomination to which we belong, which for us is the United Church of Canada, and locally as Trinity St. Andrews United Church. We are now to welcome one who is already a member of the church of Jesus Christ.
On behalf of Trinity St. Andrews United Church, I present Christy DaRosa whom we welcome into the membership of this community of faith.
Commitment of New Member & Congregation
Christy, will you join with us as we celebrate God’s presence, live with respect in creation, love and serve others, seek justice and resist evil? I will, with God’s help.
Dear TSA, do you pledge your support and care for Christy as she celebrates God’s presence, lives with respect in creation, loves and serves others, seeks justice and resists evil? We will, with God’s help.
Corporate Profession of Faith (VU 918)
We are not alone, we live in God’s world. We believe in God: who has created and is creating, who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh, to reconcile and make new, who works in us and others by the Spirit. We trust in God. We are called to be the Church: to celebrate God’s presence, to live with respect in Creation, to love and serve others, to seek justice and resist evil, to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen, our judge and our hope. In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God.
Welcome
In the name of Jesus Christ , we welcome you to the privilege and responsibilities of membership in this congregation. We give thanks to God for your witness among us. Friends, let us welcome Christy to this community of faith!
Thanksgiving & Offering
The risen Christ comes among us with open hands, offering peace, life, and love. In response, we are invited to open our hands as well: to share what we have been given for the work of healing, hope, and new life in the world. Let us present our gifts with gratitude.
Hymn: For the Gift of Creation VU 538
For the gift of creation, the gift of your love,
and the gift of the Spirit by which we live,
we thank you and give you the fruit of our hands.
May your grace be proclaimed by the gifts that we give.
Pastoral Prayers & The Lord’s Prayer
God of life and peace, you come to us in every season. In joy and in sorrow, in certainty and in questioning. You meet us with compassion, never turning away. We bring before you the needs of this world: places of conflict and fear, communities longing for justice and healing, and all who live with uncertainty about tomorrow. Speak your peace into these places. We pray for those who are struggling: those who are ill or in pain, those who are grieving, those who feel alone or overwhelmed. Be near to them, O God, and surround them with your comfort and care. We give thanks for signs of hope— for acts of kindness, for moments of courage, for love that persists even in difficult times. Help us to be bearers of that hope.
God, you know the quiet prayers of our hearts— the questions we carry, the longings we hold, the hopes we scarcely dare to name. Receive them all in your mercy. Breathe your Spirit into us, that we may live as people of peace, trusting your presence with us always. And now, with the confidence of your children, we pray together the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray by saying… Our Father…
Listening for God
Hymn: Nearer, My God, to Thee VU 497
- Nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
E’en though it be a cross that raiseth me,
still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to thee;
nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
- Though, like the wanderer, the sun gone down,
darkness be over me, my rest a stone;
yet in my dreams I’d be nearer, my God, to thee;
nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
- There let the way appear, steps unto heaven;
all that thou sendest me, in mercy given;
angels to beckon me nearer, my God, to thee;
nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
- Then, with my waking thoughts bright with thy praise,
out of my stony griefs Bethel I’ll raise;
so by my woes to be nearer, my God, to thee;
nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
- Or if on joyful wing cleaving the sky,
sun, moon, and stars forgot, upwards I fly,
still all my song shall be, nearer, my God, to thee;
nearer, my God, to thee, nearer to thee!
Scripture: John 20:19-31 John Wilson
Sermon
Anthem “A Change Is Gonna Come” (Sam Cooke) Mike Gorman
Sent into God’s World
Hymn: Blessed Assurance VU 337
- Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretastes of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of the spirit, washed in Christ’s blood.
Refrain: This is my story, this is my song,
praising my Saviour all the day long;
this is my story, this is my song,
praising my Saviour all the day long.
- Perfect submission, perfect delight!
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
angels descending, bring from above
echoes of mercy, whispers of love. Refrain
- Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Saviour am happy and blessed;
watching and waiting, looking above,
filled with God’s goodness, lost in Christ’s love. Refrain
Sending Forth
Go now in the peace of Christ, not because all your questions are answered, but because Jesus is with you in them. Go with courage, with compassion, and with hope, trusting that the Spirit breathes life into you each day. And may the peace of the risen Christ rest upon you and within you, today and always. Amen.
Sung Blessing: God Be With You Till We Meet Again VU 422 (v1, refrain x2)
- God be with you till we meet again;
loving counsels guide, uphold you,
with a shepherd’s care unfold you;
God be with you till we meet again.
Till we meet, till we meet,
till we meet at Jesus’ feet;
till we meet, till we meet,
God be with you till we meet again.
Postlude
The Faithfulness of Doubting
John 20:19-31
It’s been a week for us but for the disciples in the story we heard this morning it has only been 8-10 hours. It was earlier this morning when Jesus first appeared to Mary outside of the tomb. Later on in the day we find the disciples are hidden away in a locked room out of fear. Understandable, really. Not only has your movement collapsed, but also your teacher (Jesus), is no longer where he’s supposed to be. All in all, tensions are running high. What might their lives look like without Jesus? Their city? Their nation? What about the entirety of God’s Creation? And so, out of fear, worry or uncertainty they have barricade themselves in a safe house of sorts to wait out the next few days. Later in the first evening is when Jesus appears to them in this room. Now, we are told that all the disciples except for Thomas are together when this happens. They have a shared moment of the risen Christ where he seems to offer a blessing to them which leads to them being overjoyed and presumable less scared. However, Thomas wasn’t there. This fantastic life-changing experience happens to the core of his followers and Thomas isn’t there. We can imagine that for a week straight the disciples are talking about how they got to see their rabbi again, what it meant to them, what it could mean for the future of Jesus’ teaching and how they can impact the world and then you have Thomas over there with a grimace on his face. Wondering how he missed out on this, why couldn’t he have been there and can they please change the topic of conversation… So, Thomas, perhaps out of genuine curiosity or to be a bit cheeky says that unless he gets to feel and see the wounds of the crucifixion that he will not believe…
And I mean, we get it, don’t we? It’s sometimes hard to take someone’s word with something that seems so fantastic that there’s a healthy dose of doubt or of skepticism. But perhaps there’s also something else at play here. Perhaps there’s some fear from Thomas. Now, not FOMO (fear of missing out), but a real fear that maybe he now felt like he wasn’t a good enough follower, that his experience that is now different from the other disciples’ will mean that he’s less than in some way- that others will look back and be like oh yeah, Thomas was that guy who wasn’t there the first time and needed proof… I bet we can imagine what that feels like. The self-doubts that not only get amplified in our minds but somehow seem to get louder all around us?
As a parent of a 6-year-old I relate to Thomas’ asking for proof. Let me tell you, our parent/child relationship is a lot of “why” to almost any imaginable statement that I make. It’s wild. We are firmly in our “show me” era. And you know what, I get it. I’m not a professor or biologist or entomologist. He should be asking me why’s. That thirst for knowledge is wonderful but also so exhausting. Folks know what I’m talking about, right? And I know how often times I want to answer that “Because I said so” … It’s so tempting. Constantly having to proof or evidence for everything is an experience but I digress. It’s easy to get caught up in the onslaught of questions and view it as a nuisance as opposed to just an admiration to want to understand, or to be able to have a conversation on the same level as someone else. And if you’re like me then perhaps this dynamic can be difficult at times. When folks express at curiosity at one thing or another and you just feel exasperated and feel they should just get it. And perhaps we are so hyper-aware of what others may think because of biases or what’s portrayed in the media that we then lock up our curiosity or questions. Or we shy away from shared experiences because of the vulnerability with them. So slowly and surely, we distance ourselves from relationships, communities and churches… Shared experiences are so important, aren’t they? They help with bonding, a common language, a strengthening of community. Shared and then remembered experiences are a big part of the human experience. To be able to reminisce and have inside jokes, you know the conversations that end with a laugh and the “guess you had to be there”. Sometimes that can feel like intentionally being deprived of something when someone else has experienced it. And then their experience can become the template for how you expect to experience something- whether a restaurant, sporting event or even Church or faith…
The good news in this text is that Jesus doesn’t disparage Thomas doubt’. He encourages it. He doesn’t say woe to you Thomas. But he provides the space and opportunity for Thomas to experience Him. It’s a bit of a process- Thomas doubt, faith and subsequent profession of faith is all part of a disciples and a believers’ journey. In John’s gospel, he never uses the noun “faith” or “belief”. Yet the verb “to believe” appears almost 100 times in 21 chapters. Underscores the act of believing, the process of it, the interaction of it as something that’s a process and not finally achieved and grasped…. Faith then, especially in John’s gospel (and arguably us today) is more of a matter of relationship than of creed. It is more something that is done in proximity and dialogue then something done in isolation. Something experienced rather than expounded upon in an essay… That is why Thomas’ asked for more than the disciples accounts. But he wanted that experience. Something that would help him continue to develop his faith and his understanding of Jesus’ ministry and what his role would be in it following the ascension. Thomas needed a personal interaction- something that was relevant to him. Something that he could relate to. And so, 8 days after Jesus’ first appearance to the disciples he appears again and invites Thomas to see him, to touch him. To experience the risen Lord. And what’s significant to me in this is that he isn’t “just” overjoyed like the disciples were. But his experience in that moment after his doubt was so much more elevated. He professes his faith in a way that even the other disciples hadn’t quite yet. And his exclamation is what offers us grace and a way of thinking theologically and being folks of faith not just within the confines of Sunday worship but in our day to day living.
After Thomas’ seeing Jesus’ wounds and hearing his voice, he confidently and ecstatically declares “MY Lord and MY God” … This exclamation makes his confession even more personal and experiential. It becomes even more relatable. Because in this moment what we are offered is a way to experience Jesus personally and relationally and not just through the reading the pages of a book or a doctrinal statement from the Church. In Thomas confession, he has just experienced Jesus as not only the great universal Lord & God but as HIS Lord and HIS God. Isn’t that something? At the same time Thomas understands that the God who created the heavens and the earth is His God as well. Jesus, who performed miracles, who laughed, who cried out on the cross and who then appeared to affirm his faithful doubting is His God but also the God of all. The universality and yet specificness of his profession of faith is so wonderful. And it’s something that you and I can take from. That God isn’t too big for our prayers or for us to encounter daily. And God, Jesus, they aren’t so personal and private that they can’t be impactfully provincially, nationally, globally or even cosmically. The Easter story suggests to us that faith is not something that one achieves but that it’s something that is revealed and experienced over time. In the life of Jesus, and the budding church the disciples start, they have the blessing to doubt and to wonder and one day be able to believe (that is participate in the act of believing) … So, recognizing that most of us are like Thomas, if not for our curiosity then for the fact that we don’t get a literal appearance of Jesus in our midst. Then, how can we experience the risen Christ in the world? It involves reading the Scriptures, seeing what others have said, discussing what you’ve read with others. We see the face of Jesus in our neighbours when we show love to them in service, friendship or grace. We can experience God each and everyday in the ways which we live out our faith- in the ways our beliefs shape how we engage with the world and with each other.
So, in the act of believing for us today it involves honest doubting. It involves curiosity- and yes, like Thomas, it involves us asking God to help us in our disbelief and in our faith. It is opening ourselves up to experience the presence and grace of God. As followers of Jesus we aren’t expected to walk into a church and believe or hear a story and believe. But it is part of that process. All that we do here on Sundays, and the rest of the week is meant to contribute to the act of believing so that we may come to have faith… It is in serving the church, loving our neighbour and searching for God that we can experience the presence of Christ in our midst. It is in that experience and its lead up that we get to have that post-Easter experience of the risen Christ. Thomas lovingly confesses “My Lord and My God” … God is with you and for you. There’s nothing in this universe that could separate you from knowing Him and Him desiring to know you. May we have the courage to faithfully doubt as we learn to believe in the resurrected Jesus. Amen.
