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Second Sunday of Easter • Year A
April 12, 2026
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Historical Collect
Help us, almighty God, that our joyful celebration of the resurrection feast may be reflected in our daily work and conversation. Grant this, we pray, through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Gelasian Sacramentary, 7th Century)
Thematic Collect
Living God, you are our life, our hope, our strength. Grant that we who have not seen may have the faith to trust in you through all things, that we might receive the peace of Christ; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
The Common Thread
Watching basketball on television, one will sometimes hear the commentator say that one team has imposed their will on the game, that they will not be defeated. Sometimes it seems that the devil is winning, or that our sins are so great that salvation is uncertain. But the devil cannot frustrate God’s will—nor can we. Even our sin does not overpower the All Powerful. Look to his hands and side. See! It is finished. God has imposed his divine will on the game through his Christ, and his Spirit is the seal of this great salvation.
First Reading • Acts 5:29-42
Nothing can frustrate the will of God. No one will spoil the triumph of his kingdom. God does not quit, and there is no power able to defeat his will. These are encouraging words. The apostles knew how to be invigorated by such thoughts even during pretty rough times. Here in our lesson, they are beaten for their testimony about Jesus, and their response is twofold: they rejoice to suffer for the Name, then continue to teach and preach that Jesus is Messiah. We too, may be emboldened, knowing that no one will defeat our testimony because it is God who is at work in us.
Psalm • Psalm 148:1-14
See how the psalmist knows the power of God’s will. God establishes something and it cannot be overthrown. His will endures forever. See also how the whole earth sings of the power and praiseworthiness of the Almighty. It is this same God who is near his people. Verse 14 cannot possibly mean that Israel drew near to God; the Scriptures teach otherwise. The Almighty God, then, has drawn near to us.
Second Reading • 1 Peter 1:3-9
It is because of the great mercy of God that he has caused us to be reborn. Nothing we did or will ever do causes this clemency. It is simply the great love of God for us that causes him to be merciful. This is what we must preach; this is law and gospel in a nutshell. We deserve a terrible fate, but God, being rich in mercy (Ephesians 2:4), has extended grace instead. This is why Christ came to earth. It is why he died and rose again — so that through the preaching of this pure Gospel, people may be saved through faith and so be born again. This is God’s will; his will be done.
Gospel • John 20:19-31
Under ordinary circumstances, this would not have been an exchange that would lend peace. Jesus appears out of nowhere. This alone might have caused racing heartbeats. So he says, “Peace be with you.” Then he shows them his hands and side. Again, this probably would have been more cause for fear than for peace. They saw what had been done to their Lord and must have felt all the more justified for having shut and locked the doors. They feared the same might happen to them. So, again Jesus says to them, “Peace be with you.” Then the most frightening thing of all happens: Jesus tells his disciples that just as the Father had sent him into the world, so he was sending them. At this point, Jesus gives them his Spirit to remind them of his peace when they were sent into the world. Without his Spirit, his peace would not have been received.
Resources
Links to Worship Resources for this Service
