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"When the Lord returned the captives of Zion we were like those who dream" Psalm 126:1
Worship with us Sundays 10:00 am.
For those unable to come in person,
we stream online on YouTube
Sunday, April 12
The Second Sunday of Easter
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Risen Lord Appears to Thomas and the Apostles
Rome, Italy
Opening of Worship //
Call to worship the Lord
[Leader:] The Lord be with you!
[ALL:] And also with you!
[Leader:] Christ is risen!
[ALL:] He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
[Leader:] On the evening of that first day, the disciples were behind locked doors, afraid. And Jesus came and stood among them and said,
[ALL:] Peace be with you!
[Leader:] A week later, Thomas — who had not been there, who could not believe the news — was with them behind those same locked doors. And again Jesus came and stood among them and said,
[ALL:] Peace be with you!
[Leader:] He held out his hands. He showed his wounds. And Thomas answered with the deepest confession in all of Scripture:
[ALL:] My Lord and my God!
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[Leader:] Church, the God who walked through locked doors is here. He has not waited for us to come to him. He has come to us. Let us worship him.
The Second Testament //
The Acts of the Apostles
Acts 2:14a, 22-32 (NLT)
verse 14a
Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this.
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verses ​22-32
“People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. King David said this about him:
‘I see that the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
No wonder my heart is glad, and my tongue shouts his praises! My body rests in hope. For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your Holy One to rot in the grave. You have shown me the way of life, and you will fill me with the joy of your presence.’
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“Dear brothers, think about this! You can be sure that the patriarch David wasn’t referring to himself, for he died and was buried, and his tomb is still here among us. But he was a prophet, and he knew God had promised with an oath that one of David’s own descendants would sit on his throne. David was looking into the future and speaking of the Messiah’s resurrection. He was saying that God would not leave him among the dead or allow his body to rot in the grave. “God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this.
The Psalms // Sacred Songs
Psalm 16 (NLT)
A psalm of David
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Keep me safe, O God, for I have come to you for refuge.
I said to the Lord, “You are my Master! Every good thing I have comes from you.” The godly people in the land are my true heroes! I take pleasure in them! Troubles multiply for those who chase after other gods. I will not take part in their sacrifices of blood or even speak the names of their gods.
Lord, you alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine. The land you have given me is a pleasant land. What a wonderful inheritance!
I will bless the Lord who guides me; even at night my heart instructs me. I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me.
No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. My body rests in safety. For you will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave.
You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.
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Jesus, the Light of the World by Khrystyna Kvyk
Prayer for Tithes and Offerings
Because God first loved us, we are made to love one another. For the sake of the life of the world, offer yourselves, your time, and your possessions as signs of love.
Generosity & Giving
The tithes and donations you make to DreamHouse Church make a difference to our church, our community, the people of Newport News, and world missions.
There are various ways you can donate. We pass a collection plate during services and electronic giving is available for 24/7 donations. “Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops” (Proverbs 3:9).
Prayers from the Cloud of Witnesses //
Martin Bucer (14991–1551)
Almighty, gracious Father, forasmuch as our whole salvation depends upon our true understanding of your holy Word, grant that our hearts, being freed from worldly affairs, may hear and apprehend your holy Word with all diligence and faith, that we may rightly discern your gracious will, cherish it, and live by it with all earnestness, to your praise and honor, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
The Second Testament // The Epistles
1 Peter 1:3–9 (NLT)
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.
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So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.
You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls.
The Second Testament // The Gospel
John 20:19–31 (NLT)
That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”
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One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. They told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”
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Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said.
Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”
“My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.
Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”
The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.
"Drink all of it, for it is My Blood",
icon art by Ulyana Tomkevych;
Medium: egg tempera, Material: gessoed wood, 2021, LINK
The Lord's Supper // Communion
On the night he was betrayed, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke the bread, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take, eat.
This is my body, given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.
When the supper was over, he took the cup and gave thanks, saying:
Drink this, all of you.
This is my blood of the new covenant, poured out
for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this in remembrance of me.
The same Jesus who walked through locked doors to meet Thomas is here, now, at this Table.
And so we declare what we know to be true:
Christ has died,
Christ is risen,
Christ will come again.
Come, Holy Spirit, upon us and upon this bread and wine.
Make this meal what you intend it to be, a true fellowship in his body, a true participation in his blood.
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And make us, like Mary, witnesses who go and tell what we have seen.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord, with the Holy Spirit, in your holy church
— all glory and honor is yours, Almighty God, now and forever. Amen.
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The body of Christ, given for you.
Thanks be to God.
The blood of Christ, shed for you.
Thanks be to God.
The Apostle's Creed
WE BELIEVE in God, the Father Almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
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WE BELIEVE in Jesus Christ,
His only Son, our Lord:
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge
the living and the dead.
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WE BELIEVE in the Holy Spirit,
the universal Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.
Doxology and Benediction // The Sending & the Blessing
As you leave this place this day,
may God’s love sustain you,
and may you love those who surround you.
May God’s Spirit empower you,
and may you empower all those you meet.
May God’s joy fill your hearts,
and may this joy overflow
to the ends of the earth for God’s glory, now and forever. Amen