Second Sunday of Easter
April 24, 2022
Prayer of the Day
O God of life, you reach out to us amid our fears with the wounded hands of your risen Son. By your Spirit’s breath revive our faith in your mercy, and strengthen us to be the body of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Scripture
Acts 5:27-32
Psalm 118:14-29
Revelation 1:4-8
John 20:19-31
Sermon
“Witnesses of our Wounded and Risen Savior”
Acts 5:27-32; John 20: 19-31
They have gone back inside. The disciples retreat behind locked doors. Safety is elusive. Fear has gripped them. In despondent confusion they try to make sense of what Mary had said but how could it be true? It is precisely in that moment that the risen Jesus walks into that closed room and back into their lives. He draws near to them. He comes close. He breathes on them the Holy Spirit, shows them his wounds, offers them peace and forgiveness. Trapped inside our own hearts by sin and death we recognize the grip of fear and uncertainty, confusion, and grief. Not just inside us. It is all around us. Here, Jesus comes close. He pulls us into his embrace and gives us himself. In those wounded hands we have been carried from death to life. The Holy Spirit, alive within those same hearts of ours, has a way of sending us outside. Now, at peace we cannot help but bear witness to who we have seen.
Hymns
Come, You Faithful, Raise the Strain, LBW 132
Before the Ancient One, Christ Stands, ACS 953
O Sons and Daughters of the King, LBW 139
Good Christian Friends, Rejoice and Sing! LBW 144
In our prayers we remember Lutheran Child and Family Services of Illinois.