Easter 2
Collect for Easter 2
Almighty Father, you have given your only Son to die for our sins
and to rise again for our justification: Grant us so to put away the leaven
of malice and wickedness that we may always serve you in pureness of living and truth;
through the merits of your Son.
1 John 1: 1-4
John 20: 19-29
Witnesses to the resurrection
Mary Magdalene in the garden John 20:18 ‘I have seen the Lord’
Disciples on the road to Emmaus Luke 24:31 ‘Their eyes were opened and they recognised Him’
Disciples on the beach. John 21:7 ‘It is the Lord’
In the locked upper room John 20: 20 ‘ On seeing the Lord, the disciples were overjoyed’
Thomas 20:28 ‘My Lord and my God’
On the road to Damascus Acts 9:4,5 Saul fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ He asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.’
Stephen the martyr (Acts 7:56): But filled with the Holy Spirit, he gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’
You and me: John 20:29 ‘Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’
We can take lessons from Thomas and Stephen
From Thomas: to see the Lord on our own terms – what proof do we need in order to believe?
From Stephen: after the Resurrection, in the Power of the Spirit
We are challenged to decide what we need to ‘see’ to believe – and then to seek it in the power of the Holy Spirit. And when we have seen, ‘to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that He has commanded us. And remember, He is with us always, to the end of the age.’ Matthew 28:19, 20
Previous Posts
Praying Together 10th August 2025
And while we think of the things we value most, do we remember that we are of such value to God, that His Son was prepared to go into the flames for us?
Praying Together 27th July 2025
In a word, it is all prayer, a rich sequence, choreographed in different moments of gathering, praise, listening and communion.
Praying Together 20th July 2025
Jesus comes to us in many ways and with many faces. Are we aware we may ‘entertain Angels without knowing it?
Praying Together 13th July 2025
May we never miss meeting your gaze,
in the eyes of our sibling, the stranger.
Praying Together 6th July 2025
Always remember that ‘success’ is simply doing His will – it’s not necessarily achieving the outcome we would ourselves consider to be ‘successful’. Leave that definition with Him.
Praying Together 29th June 2025
Jesus is looking for commitment. Absolute, unconditional, commitment. When I think of what that means, I’m always minded of Martina Navratilova’s remark: “The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed.”
Praying Together 22nd June 2025
As Christians, may we never regard mercy and compassion towards others as weakness, naivety or gullibility, but display the traits which demonstrate that we follow a Saviour who came to rescue those left behind.
Praying Together 15th June 2025
You couldn’t fly a kite inside a church building –for the Kite to fly you’d have to go into the windy street outside. Where does that place the need for the Spirit to act?
Praying Together 8 June 2025
Of all the strange things happening on the Day of Pentecost, perhaps the most puzzling is when God appears to have second thoughts. In Genesis 11, He makes it difficult for people to understand each other’s language
Praying Together 1st June 2025
The song by Mary Black, ‘Bless the Road’, while written as from a parent whose child is leaving home alone for the first time – maybe first day at primary school, going to college, beginning an independent life – always puts me in mind of the thoughts and blessing of Jesus as He prays for His disciples before His Ascension.
Praying Together 25th May 2025
‘Peace I give to you… do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.’
His peace is not remote and only there at the end of things – His Peace is with us now.
Praying Together 18th May 2025
So the commandment is a challenge. To love those who betray you. Those who jeer. Those who wield the whips embedded with flint, hammer in the nails, pierce your side.