St John the Evangelist

EASTER 5

Sunday, 03/05/2026

SENTENCE FROM SCRIPTURE:

Let your face shine on your servants and we shall be saved. (Psalm 31)

GREETING

Grace and peace to you from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

COLLECT FOR PURITY

Almighty God,
to whom all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from whom no secrets are hidden:
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

SUMMARY OF THE LAW

Our Lord Jesus Christ said: The first commandment is this:

Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is the only Lord. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength.”

The second is this: “Love your neighbour as yourself.” There is no other commandment greater than these. Amen. Lord, have mercy.

CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

God is love and we are God’s children. There is no room for fear in love. We love because God loved us first.

Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith.

SILENCE

God our Father,
we confess to you
and to our fellow members in the Body of Christ
that we have sinned in thought, word and deed,
and in what we have failed to do.
We are truly sorry.
Forgive us our sins,
and deliver us from the power of evil,
for the sake of your Son who died for us, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

ABSOLUTION

God, who is both power and love,
forgive you and free you from your sins,
heal and strengthen you by the Holy Spirit,
and raise you to new life in Christ our Lord. Amen.

GLORIA sung by Sue St Joseph

COLLECT

O God,
who alone can bring harmony to the minds of your faithful people:
give us grace to love the things you command,
and to desire the things you promise;
that, amid the uncertain changes of this world,
our hearts may be firmly fixed
where true joys are to be found;
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, world without end.

Amen

PROCLAIMING & RECEIVING GOD’S WORD

FIRST READING Acts 7.55–60, read by Carolynne Sorrrell

Standing before the high priest and the council, ⁵⁵ Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ⁵⁶ ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’ ⁵⁷ But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. ⁵⁸ Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul.

⁵⁹ While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ ⁶⁰ Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he died.

SECOND READING 1 Peter 2.2–10, read by Kate Lidwell

² Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation – ³ if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good. ⁴ Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight. ⁵ Like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶ For it stands in scripture: ‘See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’ ⁷ To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner,’ and

⁸ ‘A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall.’ They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. ⁹ But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

GRADUAL HYMN

GOSPEL John 14.1–14 , read by Rev Chris Wren

Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John, Chapter 10, beginning at verse 1

Glory to Christ our Saviour

Jesus said to his disciples: ¹ ‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. ² In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?

³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴ And you know the way to the place where I am going.’ ⁵ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’

⁶ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’ ⁸ Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.’ ⁹ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, “Show us the Father”? ¹⁰ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. ¹¹ Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. ¹² Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.’

Give thanks to the Lord for his glorious Gospel
Praise to Christ our Lord.

SERMON

NOTES FOR READINGS EASTER 5

Acts 7. 55-60

www.opendoorsuk.org

These few verses recall the death of the deacon, Stephen, the first martyr of the Christian Church. His feast, on Boxing Day, reminds us that while “Love came down at Christmas”, Christians inhabit a dangerous, and hostile world. Our preacher at St John’s today, who represents, “Open Doors” will be sharing with us stories about how many Christians in the world still face persecution. Martyrs, like Stephen, are certainly not confined merely to biblical times.

What is striking in this narrative is that the words recorded on the part of Stephen as he met his death, are very close to the words that Jesus himself used. Both pray for forgiveness for those who are killing them, and Stephen and Jesus commend their spirit to the Lord, with whom they know they are forever in safe hands.

In the Gospel for today Jesus declares that he is “The Way, the Truth, and the Life”, and Stephen’s martyrdom stands as testimony to the truth about Jesus, for which he was prepared to die.

1 Peter 2. 2-10.

One of the reasons Stephen was put to death was because his accusers claimed he was guilty of blasphemy about the temple. In the Passion narrative we read that when Jesus died, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Mark 15.38). This is symbolic language for the fact that, with Jesus, the holy place was no longer confined to the temple. There had been a relocation of the holy to the Body of Christ in the world.

This is the idea which lies behind St Peter’s encouragement here to Christian people, “as living stones”, to “let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

It is striking that the sentence, “The stone the builders have rejected has become the head of the corner” (Matthew 21.42), records exactly the same words that Jesus used. They raised the indignation of his opponents during the week of his Passion so much so that they plotted to do away with him. They too, like Stephen’s persecutors, would have interpreted these words as an assault on the sacredness of the temple.

The hymn, “Christ is made the sure foundation” which reminds is that the Church is founded on Jesus Christ himself, picks up the theme of this passage.

John 14. 1-14.

It is often said that the best-loved verse of the Bible is, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (John 3.16), but Jesus’ saying in today’s Gospel, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life” is also one which stands out in the same sort of way.

Many churches (there are a numberof these in Carlisle), display what are known as “Wayside Pulpits” – posters fixed prominently on the outside of the building which use a biblical text such as this.

What is so astonishing about these words is that they affirm the exclusivity which is at the heart of the Christian faith. St John is telling us that Jesus is not merely to be regarded as one of the ways or spiritual paths we can follow, not one truth among different versions of the same, and nor is he one means, among many others, to the life that is in God.

Why is this? It rests on the reality of the Incarnation, that, as the same Evangelist tells us, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father” (John 1. 14).

THE CREED

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one substance with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father.
With the Father and the Son,
he is worshipped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

PRAYERS

Let your face shine on your servants and we shall be saved.

We pray first of all for those closest to us: for family, friends, neighbours, colleagues, communities, giving thanks for love, friendship, fun, generosity and support.

Let your face shine on your servants and we shall be saved.

Next we give thanks for churches and faith communities everywhere; thinking especially today of those parts of the world where expressing Christian faith is dangerous: Iran, Libya, Pakistan, Nigeria, Syria, Eritrea, Sudan, Yemen, Somalia and North Korea. We give thanks, particularly today, for the work of Open Doors UK…

And here in the UK, we remember the distress of Jewish communities and, in their case and in others, may we always remember to distinguish between the actions of governments and the lives of private citizens.

Let your face shine on your servants and we shall be saved.

We remember those governments, both at home and abroad, and those who exercise power in any situation. May they become increasingly aware of their accountability to you; and what you require: to act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with you, our God.

Let your face shine on your servants and we shall be saved.

We remember the sick, the weak, the afraid, the poor, the imperilled. Those who don’t know where their next meal is coming from, where they will sleep tonight, or whether they will be safe there. We remember those known to us and name them in our hearts […]. We give thanks for the lives of those known to us who have recently died; particularly among our own community here at St John’s. We give thanks for Jesus’ promise that in your house there are many rooms and that he has gone ahead to prepare them for us. And we ask your comfort for those families and friends who have been left behind. And to all of those people, may we bring the light of your face.

Let your face shine on your servants and we shall be saved.

And lastly we pray for ourselves, our own wants and needs and give thanks for Jeus’ words, ‘Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s great pleasure to give you the Kingdom.’  And we can take a moment to name those concerns and wants before our Father. […]

Merciful Father accept these prayers for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ who taught us to pray together

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Do not bring us
to the time of trial
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power
and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen.

BLESSING

Christ the Son of God gladden your hearts with the good news of his kingdom; and the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

DISMISSAL

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord
In the name of Christ. Amen