April 11, 2026
Divine Mercy Sunday
Responder:
Presider: Nick
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87935930592?pwd=qZlKA506MIS9okXQQxBkaKsyhsZJDV.1
We Are Called Marty Haugen
https://youtu.be/ITJYbi6b0e8?si=mxtvbajoXhCs_00C
Opening Prayer:
Loving God, you gather us as the first disciples were gathered—
to learn from one another,
to break bread together,
and to hold all things in care and compassion.
Into our locked rooms and fearful hearts
your Risen Christ comes among us, saying, Peace be with you.
Breathe your Spirit upon us today,
that we may be a community of courage and welcome,
trusting even when we struggle to believe.
May we, like the early followers of Jesus,
live with generous hearts, share what we have, witness to your love in the world.
We pray in the Spirit of the Risen One
who calls us to peace, faith, and community.
Amen.
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles. 2 :42-47
The community of disciples devoted themselves to the apostles' instructions and the communal life, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. A reverent fear overtook them all, for many wonders and signs were being performed by the apostles. Those who believed shared all things in common; they would sell their property and goods, dividing everything on the basis of each one's need. They went to the Temple every day, while in their homes they broke bread. With exultant and sincere hearts, they took their meals in common, praising God and winning the approval of all the people. Day by day, God added to their number those who were being saved.
The Word of God. R/. Thanks be to God.
Psalm 118
A reading from the first letter of Peter.
Praised be the God of our Savior Jesus Christ, who with great mercy gave us new birth; a birth unto hope which draws its life from the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead; a birth to an imperishable inheritance incapable of fading or defilement, which is kept in heaven for you who are guarded with God's power through faith; a birth to a salvation which stands ready to be revealed in the last days.
There is cause for rejoicing here. You may for a time have to suffer the distress of many trials; but this is so that your faith, which is more precious than the passing splendor of fire-tried gold, may by its genuineness lead to praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ appears. Although you have never seen Jesus, you love Jesus, and without seeing, still you believe, and rejoice with inexpressible joy touched with glory because you are achieving faith's goal, your salvation.
The Word of God. R/. Thanks be to God.
Gospel Acclamation: Jesus Christ is Resen Today
https://youtu.be/PsSGjkocjMI?si=zspuRYubupVq_o3L
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.20:19-31 Margaret
In the evening of that same day, the first day of the week, the doors were locked in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Temple authorities. Jesus came and stood among them, and said, "Peace be with you." Having said this, Jesus showed them the marks of crucifixion.
The disciples were filled with joy when they saw Jesus, who said to them again, "Peace be with you. As Abba God sent me, so I am sending you." After saying this, Jesus breathed on them and said,
"Receive the Holy Spirit.
If you forgive anyone's sins, they are forgiven. If you retain anyone's sins, they are retained."
It happened that one of the Twelve, Thomas — the name means "Twin" — was absent when Jesus came. The other disciples kept telling him, "We have seen Jesus!" Thomas' answer was,
" I’ll never believe it without probing the nail prints and without putting my finger in the nail marks and my hand into the spear wound."
A week later, the disciples were once more in the room, and this time Thomas was with them.
Despite the locked doors, Jesus came and stood before them, saying, "Peace be with you." Then, to Thomas, Jesus said, "Take your finger and examine my hands. Put your hand into my side. Do not persist in your unbelief, but believe!" Thomas said in response, "My Savior and my God!" Jesus then said,
"You have become a believer because you saw me.
Blessed are they who have not seen and have believed."
Jesus performed many other signs as well — signs not recorded here — in the presence of the disciples. But these have been recorded to help you believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Only Begotten, so that through this faith you may have life in Jesus' name.
The Good News of Salvation!
R. Glory and praise to our Savior Jesus Christ!
Homily Nick /followed by reflections from the community
Statement of Faith:
Juanita:
In the midst of fear and uncertainty, the Risen Christ comes among us and says, Peace be with you.
All: We believe Christ is alive among us, bringing peace to our hearts and our world.
Penny:
Christ breathes the Spirit upon us and calls us to live in love and forgiveness.
All: We believe the Spirit guides us to be a people of compassion, reconciliation, and hope.
Karla:
The first followers devoted themselves to prayer, learning, and the breaking of bread.
All: We believe we are called to be a community that gathers, prays, shares, and welcomes all.
Nick:
They held all things in common and cared for those in need.
All: We believe faith is lived through generosity, justice, and care for one another.
Margaret:
Like Thomas, we sometimes struggle with doubt and longing for deeper faith.
All: We believe Christ meets us in our questions and invites us to trust in love.
Melissa:
And so we go forth as people of the resurrection.
All: We commit ourselves to live as a community of peace, sharing life, breaking bread, and witnessing to the living Christ among us.
Amen.
Prayers of the Community
Presider: As we prepare for the sacred meal, we voice our intentions beginning with the words, “We bring to the table…..”
Presider: We pray for these and all unspoken intentions. Amen.
Sign of Peace:
May the radiant light of Christ, revealed on the mountain, shine within us and between us.
Let us offer one another a sign of that transforming peace.
Offering of the bread and wine:
Hold up your bread and wine together:
: We bring this bread and this cup to the table of our community.
They are gifts of the earth and the work of many hands.
In offering them, we offer our lives—
our hopes, our struggles, and our love.
Bless these gifts and bless this community, that together we may become bread of compassion and a cup of peace for the world. Amen
Liturgy of the Eucharist:
Eucharistic Prayer: Called to follow God’s mercy
Presider: Holy One be with you.
R: And also with you.
Presider: Lift up your hearts.
R: We lift them to the Holy One.
Presider: Let us give thanks.
Holy One, God of boundless mercy,
you gather us at this table as one community.
In Jesus, you revealed compassion stronger than fear,
forgiveness deeper than our wounds,
and mercy wide enough to embrace the whole world.
Send your Spirit among us now.
Open our hearts to your healing grace,
that we may become people of mercy—
welcoming, forgiving, and restoring one another in love.
And so, with all who have known your compassion—
with saints and seekers, angels and ancestors—
we lift our voices in praise and sing:
Holy: Sarah Hart
https://youtu.be/ZfN2yeIosaw?si=9lPYDT-4pKoWgnHK
: Holy One, we see around us the work of your hands, the fruit of your wisdom and love. The unfolding story of creation witnesses unceasingly to your creative power. We, your creatures, often deviate from that wisdom, thus hindering your creative presence in our midst.
:Sending among us Jesus, our brother, you birth afresh in our world the power of Sophia-Wisdom, and in the gift of Your Spirit, your creative goodness blooms anew, amid the variety and wonder of life.
Presider: Please extend your hands in blessing.
We invoke Your Spirit upon the gifts of this Eucharistic table, bread of the grain and wine of the grape, that they may become gifts of wisdom, light and truth which remind us of our call to be the body + of Christ to the world.
Presider: On the night before he faced his own death and for the sake of living fully, Jesus sat at the Seder supper with his companions and friends. He reminded them of all that he taught them, and to fix that memory clearly within them, he bent down and washed their feet.
All lift their plate and pray the following:
When he returned to his place at the table, he lifted the Passover bread, spoke the blessing, broke the bread and offered it to them saying:
ALL: Take and eat; this is my body which has been given to you.
All lift their cup and pray the following:
Presider: He then raised high the cup of the covenant, spoke the grace, and offered it to them saying:
Take and drink.
Whenever you remember me like this, I am among you.
Presider: What we have heard with our ears, we will live with our lives,
As we share communion, we will become communion
Both Love’s nourishment and Love’s challenge.
Please share the bread with the words: You are the Body and blood of Christ
Communion Song: Hidden Hallelujah by Christopher Grundy
https://youtu.be/gCoRaoBlLLQ
In faith and hope we are sustained; in grace and dignity reclaimed. In praise, we thank you.
In union with all peoples living and dead, we unite our thoughts and prayers, asking for mercy, wisdom, and courage:
- to discern more wisely your call to us in the circumstances of our daily lives;
- to act justly and courageously in confronting the pain and suffering that desecrates the Earth and its peoples;
- to take risks in being creative and proactive on behalf of the poor and marginalized;
- and to love all people with generosity of heart, beyond the labels of race, creed and color.
And may we ever be aware and alert to the new things Your Spirit makes possible in us, as our world unfolds amid pain and beauty, into the fullness of life to which all are called, participating in the wise and wonderful work of co-creation.
Like Jesus, we will open up wide all that has been closed about us, and we will live compassionate lives, for it is through living as Jesus lived, that we awaken to your Spirit within, moving us to glorify you, O Holy One, at this time and all ways.
Amen.
: Let us pray the prayer of Jesus:
O Holy One, who is within, around and among us,
We celebrate your many names.
Your Wisdom come.
Your will be done, unfolding from the depths within us,
Each day you give us all we need;
You remind us of our limits, and we let go.
You support us in our power, and we act with courage.
For you are the dwelling place within us,
the empowerment around us,
and the celebration among us, now and forever. Amen
(adapted by Miriam Therese Winter)
Presider: Final Blessing. Please raise your hands to bless each other.
May the God of mercy and compassion
open our hearts to the suffering of our world.
In a world torn by violence and division,
may we be people of justice,
bearers of mercy, and builders of peace.
May Christ walk with us in courage and hope, and may Sophia Wisdom strengthen us to bring compassion wherever there is pain.
And may the blessing of the Holy One—
Source of Justice, Mercy, and Peace—
be with us and remain with us always. Amen.
Dismissal: Margaret
Let There Be Peace on Earth
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