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Welcome to ROOTS at home for 19-25 April

Worship-at-home resources for everyone linked to John 20.19-31

ROOTS is a partnership of denominations and other Christian organisations and has been publishing lectionary-based worship resources online and in print since 2002.

Go to: Resources for families; Resources for adults

Copyright

You are welcome to copy this material for use in your own resources e.g. printed sheets or web pages including audio/video recordings. If you do so, please include this acknowledgement to ROOTS:
© ROOTS for Churches Ltd (www.rootsontheweb.com) 2002-2020.
Reproduced with permission.

For families

Introduction

Our passage this week is all about seeing (as well as touching, hearing etc.) to believe. We ourselves might be experiencing the lack of contact with people, as well as our regular routines, but we must continue to believe and have faith that life will return to normal again.

Into that Jesus speaks a message of peace. We hope in your worship time together this week you will experience that peace which Jesus offers.

Gather

Response line: Share your peace with us.

God our Father,
we meet together without fear:
Share your peace with us.

We meet knowing that Jesus came back
from death…
We meet because we are your Church…
Amen.

Read

Bible story

John 20.19-31: The disciples rejoice because they are able to see and embrace Jesus after his resurrection.

Action time

Teach the children actions to two key words in today’s Bible passage. First, each time they hear the word ‘peace’, ask them to be still for 10 seconds; encourage them to breathe in deeply and then exhale. Second, each time they hear the word ‘Jesus’, ask everyone to give the biggest grin possible.

Geoff Hays, www.geoffrey-hays.co.uk

The return of Jesus from the dead was all the disciples could talk about. Every one of them was so excited about it. Well, not exactly every one of them. Thomas wasn’t excited, because Thomas had missed it. ‘Unless I see the marks the nails made in his hands, I won’t believe he’s alive,’ Thomas said.

A week earlier, Jesus had appeared to 10 of the disciples. They were gathered together, hiding because they were afraid they would be killed next. Although they were in a locked room, Jesus appeared and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ As the disciples rejoiced, Jesus said, ‘As God the Father sent me, now I send you.’ Then he breathed on them, saying, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. When you forgive people their sins, they are forgiven. When you find people guilty, they are guilty.’

Thomas was with the others in the house now. ‘I’ll only believe if I put my finger in the marks and my hand in his side,’ he said. The doors were closed, just as they had been before, but again, Jesus appeared. He said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he spoke to Thomas: ‘Look at my hands and put your finger in the holes. Put your hand in the wound on my side. Do not doubt, but believe.’ Thomas was suddenly as excited as the rest of the disciples. ‘My Lord and my God!’ he cried.

Jesus asked Thomas, ‘Have you only believed because you have seen me? God blesses all those who believe even though they haven’t seen me.’ This is why the story of Jesus was written down; so that people may believe that he is the Messiah, the Son of God. All who believe in Jesus will have life through him.

Glossary
sins the bad things that people do, that go against what God wants; Messiah the ‘anointed one’, someone chosen by God to save the Jewish people, also a title used for Jesus.