Doubting Thomas Call to Worship

This Call to Worship was written for the Second Sunday of Easter and is based on the story in John 20: 24-29.  The responses alternate between the pastor and the congregation.  They link Thomas’s skepticism to our own (and often healthy) versions of it, while highlighting our spiritual need to have faith.

P:  Let us gather in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen.

P:  Thomas said:

C: “Unless I see the mark of the nails and put my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

P:  We are often skeptical people, driven by our senses, relying on that which we can hear, see or prove.

C:  Our Lord asks us to see the invisible, to trust in the spirit, to have faith. Lord, give us faith!

P:    Sometimes we get carried away by our emotions, by wishful thinking and by popular trends that pull us in.

C:  Lord, help us to be bold in our beliefs, but also careful as Thomas was. Move us beyond mere trust in ordinary things and open our eyes for spiritual realities.

P: Jesus said: “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

C: Amen.

Leader: Let us come together and sing a new song to the Lord!

People: We praise you with gospel and hymnody.
We recognize you in prayers and meditation.
We meet you in the most holy sacraments.
You are holy.

Leader: Let us recognize the miracles of creation! What science unveils, what research finds, the great wisdom of creation and its mysterious order, we give thanks to its author!

People: Words are not enough to describe you, Lord. Even songs can only hint at the grandeur of your presence. You are holy.

Leader: Let us bring an offering of thanksgiving and bless God in acts of compassion and service. Let us sing a new song to the Lord, a song that goes through our hands and feet, our minds and souls.

People: We praise you O Lord. May our songs hint at your glory and our prayers proceed to your heart. You are holy. Amen.