Second Sunday Of Easter
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series VII, Cycle A
Object:
Seasonal Theme
Jesus out of the grave and alive and with us.
Theme For The Day
Jesus' appearance to the disciples and Thomas' proof which led to faith.
First Lesson
Acts 2:14a, 22-32
Peter Preaches
These three weeks we will be reading as the first lesson Peter's sermon on Pentecost recorded in Acts 2. Today is the first part of the Jerusalem sermon which resulted in 3,000 baptisms and the birthday of our Christian Church. The content is straightforward: Peter tells them Jesus of Nazareth, a person who proved his miraculous power as proof God was working through him, was crucified by them (v. 32).
God raised from the dead this same one they killed. This was exactly what their God had promised them through the lineage of David. Their famous and admired David died and is still in his tomb. He had told them about this Jesus (v. 31) and how he would be raised up. And Peter says he and the other disciples are witnesses to the fact it actually happened! (v. 32). How's that for a powerful beginning to his sermon?
We find in this preaching of the Kerygma a pattern which is told over and over in the New Testament.
1. What happened in Jesus' life was a fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy.
2. In Jesus, the Promised Messiah and his kingdom had arrived.
3. This Jesus was in the lineage of David and he did many miracles, was crucified, raised from the dead, and now was with God. And he would return and it is through him alone is salvation. If we believe, the Holy Spirit will come.
New Testament Lesson
1 Peter 1:3-9
Hope Through Resurrection
Peter here gives encouragement to a frightened people who were facing all kinds of hardships. Their hope is through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (v. 3). The New Testament theme of new birth is here. Christ's resurrection from the dead was a certainty seen over and over in New Testament preaching. We are confident of our resurrection in the afterlife and that gives us hope in the meantime. We already have a taste of heaven (see 2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; and Ephesians 1:14) because of this hope promised. Our inheritance is kept in heaven for us and it is guarded here by faith. The result of their faith is salvation which is divine action in the past, our present experience, and the future hope. So we can rejoice even if our lot is that of faithful suffering.
The Gospel
John 20:19-31
Resurrection Continued
We continue reading John's account of the resurrection from last week beginning where we left off: Mary Magdalene told the disciples, "I have seen the Lord" (John 20:19). So next comes Jesus' appearance to his disciples in the upper room. His after-Easter message seemed to be twofold: bringing peace to them (v. 21) and receiving the Holy Spirit (v. 22). Then the assurance they can forgive sins (v. 23). It is their message to announce as a church. The receipt of the Holy Spirit by its breathing on them harkens back to the creation story (Genesis 2:7). We have a similar picture in Ezekiel and the Valley of Dry Bones (Ezekiel 37:9).
Now comes "doubting" Thomas. He was not with the disciples the first time. So a week later, he was there, touched Jesus, and then believed (v. 28). What a lesson here. In times of doubt and bitter disappointment, the best place for us to be is with the other believers. His mistake was to pull away from them when he needed them most. Sound familiar?
There were some good things we admire in this disciple. He was honest. He wouldn't say he believed when he did not. And when he was certain, he was gung ho (v. 28)! No half way for him; either he believed or he did not. He doubted to be sure. That's okay with me.
The Thomist Church in South India traces its roots to Thomas' missionary efforts there. And don't try to tell my Indian students in Hong Kong, like Father Rajan George and Geddada Sarah Joy, that he may not have actually traveled there! They are certain and so pleased with that heritage.
Verses 30 and 31 give an interesting distillation of the purpose of this Gospel. It never claimed to give a full account of Jesus' life. It merely tells us examples of what he was always doing. It was meant, however, to persuade others to take Jesus as Savior. The ultimate aim was not so much to have a history of Jesus but to give life in Jesus (v. 31).
Preaching Possibilities
A. Depending on what we did on Easter 2 last year, we can go with all three readings or any one of the three. If it is the former, the sermon might have these moves:
1. Introduction: We take up where we left off last week (Easter) by continuing the story and celebrating again Jesus out of the grave.
2. The Acts account teaches us the power of announcing the story when it is done forthrightly.
3. The Second Lesson tells us of the great hope which is ours because of Easter.
4. The Gospel assures us of peace and the Holy Spirit and then gives us a careful doubter, not convinced easily, who also eventually believed and became a great witness because of it.
B. Another way to organize would be to use the author's names as witness to this greatest of all events.
1. First Lesson -- Luke's account for Theophilus
2. Second Lesson -- Peter's account for scattered Christians who were suffering
3. Gospel -- John's account so we could have new life
C. Of course Peter's preaching on Pentecost is a powerful message which can be done in two or three parts, this week as "What they have done to Jesus" (Acts 2:22-24), and next week "What Jesus has done for them" (Acts 2:37-42). The following week could even be part 3 with "What they now do for each other" (vv. 43-47). But the "doubting Thomas" story is what our people would like to hear again, for we doubt too!
Possible Outline Of Sermon Moves
1. Introduction: Thomas' other name, Didymus, meant "twin." So we can ask today, "Twin to whom?" Perhaps twin to us for he had to see for himself. He wanted proof. He sounds like a person from Missouri, the "Show Me" state.
a. Thomas withdrew from the fellowship just when he needed it most. Outside, by himself, he just could not come to believe Jesus was alive again. In his grief, he had tried to be alone but what he needed most was to be with the others of the little band of believers. (Is this our twin?) It is in the fellowship of other believers we are most likely to meet the Christ and believe as Thomas eventually did. The willingness of the Christ to have his nail prints investigated banished his doubts and gave Thomas assurance. And because of this truth, we need be concerned about those who have absented themselves from our fellowship as well.
b. There is a positive side to Thomas' behavior also. Because of his tendency not to believe until he saw it for himself, we have a stronger witness to the resurrection. This had not been just a vision or even hallucination -- one with his feet firmly on the ground whose tendency was not to believe unless proved was convinced. (Is this our twin?)
c. Thomas' doubt was turned to all-the-way belief. He had refused to say he believed but now that he had touched and seen with his own hands and eyes he was convinced. (Is this our twin?)
d. Thomas (our twin) went to India as an evangelist. So the disciple who had to be sure was so sure he traveled to far-off India with the good news of Jesus's resurrection. There is a beautiful apocryphal book called The Acts of Thomas which claims to have the history of this doubter become believer and his great witness. (Is this our twin?) We also have a witness to make and in so doing we also can become stronger and stronger in our faith.
e. If you have communion at this service, you might draw here the analogy that in the sacrament of the altar we also, as a twin of Thomas, may touch and experience the real presence of the resurrected Christ in the midst of the believers. And we have also the love to be shared with each other because of his presence. (Is this our twin?)
2. End the sermon by making the above points in reverse order and then tell how legend says Thomas died in the faith. Or use verses 5, 6, and 7 of the French hymn, "O Sons And Daughters Of The King," by Jean Tisserand of the fifteenth century.
When Thomas first the tidings heard
That they had seen the risen Lord
He doubted the disciples' word. Alleluia!
My pierced side, O Thomas, see
And look upon my hands, my feet;
Not faithless, but believing be. Alleluia!
No longer Thomas then denied;
He saw the feet, the hands, the side;
"You are my Lord and God!" he cried. Alleluia!
-- translated by John M. Neale, 1818-1896 [Tune: O Filii Et Filiae]
Prayer Of The Day
Help us to be honest, dear God, and face our doubts like our twin, Thomas. Give us the courage to question that our faith would be even stronger when we meet you face to face here in the company of other believers. We celebrate again today your mighty resurrection and all it means to us and to these disciples gathered here to worship you. In the name of the Easter Christ. Amen.
Possible Stories
In a television movie titled A Time To Live, the son was dying of muscular dystrophy. When he knew he was dying, he asked to be placed in an "impudent" position. They sat him up in bed and he died. Impudent is sometimes defined as presumptuously confident and self-assured. We face death like that also because we anticipate Easter and our resurrection.
Five grown children kept the remains of their mother in her bedroom more that eighteen months after she died, filling the room with presents and flowers in the belief that she would be resurrected. Blanche Riley, 56, died in March, 1990, in a second floor bedroom. A niece of Mrs. Riley in Florida grew suspicious about the family's claim that she was unavailable and had been sleeping a lot. Family members cleaned the remains daily, changing the bedclothes and disinfecting the room to mask the odor (Oakland Tribune, September 22, 1991). Easter people have a better hope!
There is a small church called Saint Peter in the Parish of Saint Andrew about one-half hour from Kingston, Jamaica, near Fort Charles where the tombstone of one Lewis Gadly reads as follows:
Here lies the body of Lewis Gadly who departed this life in Port Royal the 22nd of December, 1739, aged 80. He was born in Montpelier in France, but left that country for his religion and came to settle in this island where he was swallowed up by the great earthquake in this year 1692. By the providence of God was he by another shock thrown into the sea and miraculously saved until a boat took him up. He lived many years after in great reputation. Beloved by all that knew him and much lamented at his death.
We also have a new life in Christ available to us.
Jesus out of the grave and alive and with us.
Theme For The Day
Jesus' appearance to the disciples and Thomas' proof which led to faith.
First Lesson
Acts 2:14a, 22-32
Peter Preaches
These three weeks we will be reading as the first lesson Peter's sermon on Pentecost recorded in Acts 2. Today is the first part of the Jerusalem sermon which resulted in 3,000 baptisms and the birthday of our Christian Church. The content is straightforward: Peter tells them Jesus of Nazareth, a person who proved his miraculous power as proof God was working through him, was crucified by them (v. 32).
God raised from the dead this same one they killed. This was exactly what their God had promised them through the lineage of David. Their famous and admired David died and is still in his tomb. He had told them about this Jesus (v. 31) and how he would be raised up. And Peter says he and the other disciples are witnesses to the fact it actually happened! (v. 32). How's that for a powerful beginning to his sermon?
We find in this preaching of the Kerygma a pattern which is told over and over in the New Testament.
1. What happened in Jesus' life was a fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy.
2. In Jesus, the Promised Messiah and his kingdom had arrived.
3. This Jesus was in the lineage of David and he did many miracles, was crucified, raised from the dead, and now was with God. And he would return and it is through him alone is salvation. If we believe, the Holy Spirit will come.
New Testament Lesson
1 Peter 1:3-9
Hope Through Resurrection
Peter here gives encouragement to a frightened people who were facing all kinds of hardships. Their hope is through the resurrection of Jesus Christ (v. 3). The New Testament theme of new birth is here. Christ's resurrection from the dead was a certainty seen over and over in New Testament preaching. We are confident of our resurrection in the afterlife and that gives us hope in the meantime. We already have a taste of heaven (see 2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; and Ephesians 1:14) because of this hope promised. Our inheritance is kept in heaven for us and it is guarded here by faith. The result of their faith is salvation which is divine action in the past, our present experience, and the future hope. So we can rejoice even if our lot is that of faithful suffering.
The Gospel
John 20:19-31
Resurrection Continued
We continue reading John's account of the resurrection from last week beginning where we left off: Mary Magdalene told the disciples, "I have seen the Lord" (John 20:19). So next comes Jesus' appearance to his disciples in the upper room. His after-Easter message seemed to be twofold: bringing peace to them (v. 21) and receiving the Holy Spirit (v. 22). Then the assurance they can forgive sins (v. 23). It is their message to announce as a church. The receipt of the Holy Spirit by its breathing on them harkens back to the creation story (Genesis 2:7). We have a similar picture in Ezekiel and the Valley of Dry Bones (Ezekiel 37:9).
Now comes "doubting" Thomas. He was not with the disciples the first time. So a week later, he was there, touched Jesus, and then believed (v. 28). What a lesson here. In times of doubt and bitter disappointment, the best place for us to be is with the other believers. His mistake was to pull away from them when he needed them most. Sound familiar?
There were some good things we admire in this disciple. He was honest. He wouldn't say he believed when he did not. And when he was certain, he was gung ho (v. 28)! No half way for him; either he believed or he did not. He doubted to be sure. That's okay with me.
The Thomist Church in South India traces its roots to Thomas' missionary efforts there. And don't try to tell my Indian students in Hong Kong, like Father Rajan George and Geddada Sarah Joy, that he may not have actually traveled there! They are certain and so pleased with that heritage.
Verses 30 and 31 give an interesting distillation of the purpose of this Gospel. It never claimed to give a full account of Jesus' life. It merely tells us examples of what he was always doing. It was meant, however, to persuade others to take Jesus as Savior. The ultimate aim was not so much to have a history of Jesus but to give life in Jesus (v. 31).
Preaching Possibilities
A. Depending on what we did on Easter 2 last year, we can go with all three readings or any one of the three. If it is the former, the sermon might have these moves:
1. Introduction: We take up where we left off last week (Easter) by continuing the story and celebrating again Jesus out of the grave.
2. The Acts account teaches us the power of announcing the story when it is done forthrightly.
3. The Second Lesson tells us of the great hope which is ours because of Easter.
4. The Gospel assures us of peace and the Holy Spirit and then gives us a careful doubter, not convinced easily, who also eventually believed and became a great witness because of it.
B. Another way to organize would be to use the author's names as witness to this greatest of all events.
1. First Lesson -- Luke's account for Theophilus
2. Second Lesson -- Peter's account for scattered Christians who were suffering
3. Gospel -- John's account so we could have new life
C. Of course Peter's preaching on Pentecost is a powerful message which can be done in two or three parts, this week as "What they have done to Jesus" (Acts 2:22-24), and next week "What Jesus has done for them" (Acts 2:37-42). The following week could even be part 3 with "What they now do for each other" (vv. 43-47). But the "doubting Thomas" story is what our people would like to hear again, for we doubt too!
Possible Outline Of Sermon Moves
1. Introduction: Thomas' other name, Didymus, meant "twin." So we can ask today, "Twin to whom?" Perhaps twin to us for he had to see for himself. He wanted proof. He sounds like a person from Missouri, the "Show Me" state.
a. Thomas withdrew from the fellowship just when he needed it most. Outside, by himself, he just could not come to believe Jesus was alive again. In his grief, he had tried to be alone but what he needed most was to be with the others of the little band of believers. (Is this our twin?) It is in the fellowship of other believers we are most likely to meet the Christ and believe as Thomas eventually did. The willingness of the Christ to have his nail prints investigated banished his doubts and gave Thomas assurance. And because of this truth, we need be concerned about those who have absented themselves from our fellowship as well.
b. There is a positive side to Thomas' behavior also. Because of his tendency not to believe until he saw it for himself, we have a stronger witness to the resurrection. This had not been just a vision or even hallucination -- one with his feet firmly on the ground whose tendency was not to believe unless proved was convinced. (Is this our twin?)
c. Thomas' doubt was turned to all-the-way belief. He had refused to say he believed but now that he had touched and seen with his own hands and eyes he was convinced. (Is this our twin?)
d. Thomas (our twin) went to India as an evangelist. So the disciple who had to be sure was so sure he traveled to far-off India with the good news of Jesus's resurrection. There is a beautiful apocryphal book called The Acts of Thomas which claims to have the history of this doubter become believer and his great witness. (Is this our twin?) We also have a witness to make and in so doing we also can become stronger and stronger in our faith.
e. If you have communion at this service, you might draw here the analogy that in the sacrament of the altar we also, as a twin of Thomas, may touch and experience the real presence of the resurrected Christ in the midst of the believers. And we have also the love to be shared with each other because of his presence. (Is this our twin?)
2. End the sermon by making the above points in reverse order and then tell how legend says Thomas died in the faith. Or use verses 5, 6, and 7 of the French hymn, "O Sons And Daughters Of The King," by Jean Tisserand of the fifteenth century.
When Thomas first the tidings heard
That they had seen the risen Lord
He doubted the disciples' word. Alleluia!
My pierced side, O Thomas, see
And look upon my hands, my feet;
Not faithless, but believing be. Alleluia!
No longer Thomas then denied;
He saw the feet, the hands, the side;
"You are my Lord and God!" he cried. Alleluia!
-- translated by John M. Neale, 1818-1896 [Tune: O Filii Et Filiae]
Prayer Of The Day
Help us to be honest, dear God, and face our doubts like our twin, Thomas. Give us the courage to question that our faith would be even stronger when we meet you face to face here in the company of other believers. We celebrate again today your mighty resurrection and all it means to us and to these disciples gathered here to worship you. In the name of the Easter Christ. Amen.
Possible Stories
In a television movie titled A Time To Live, the son was dying of muscular dystrophy. When he knew he was dying, he asked to be placed in an "impudent" position. They sat him up in bed and he died. Impudent is sometimes defined as presumptuously confident and self-assured. We face death like that also because we anticipate Easter and our resurrection.
Five grown children kept the remains of their mother in her bedroom more that eighteen months after she died, filling the room with presents and flowers in the belief that she would be resurrected. Blanche Riley, 56, died in March, 1990, in a second floor bedroom. A niece of Mrs. Riley in Florida grew suspicious about the family's claim that she was unavailable and had been sleeping a lot. Family members cleaned the remains daily, changing the bedclothes and disinfecting the room to mask the odor (Oakland Tribune, September 22, 1991). Easter people have a better hope!
There is a small church called Saint Peter in the Parish of Saint Andrew about one-half hour from Kingston, Jamaica, near Fort Charles where the tombstone of one Lewis Gadly reads as follows:
Here lies the body of Lewis Gadly who departed this life in Port Royal the 22nd of December, 1739, aged 80. He was born in Montpelier in France, but left that country for his religion and came to settle in this island where he was swallowed up by the great earthquake in this year 1692. By the providence of God was he by another shock thrown into the sea and miraculously saved until a boat took him up. He lived many years after in great reputation. Beloved by all that knew him and much lamented at his death.
We also have a new life in Christ available to us.
