God Gathers Us
Call to Worship
To be read aloud by someone in your home
John 20:1-9
1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)
Opening Prayer
Pray a prayer of thanksgiving, thanking God for the saving work of Jesus on the cross, the triumphant hope of His resurrection where He triumphed over death, and the promise of eternal life that He gives to all who trust in Him.
God Saves Us
Congregational Singing
We encourage you to sing – make a joyful noise! If you play an instrument, play! If you have some favorite hymns or choruses, pick one or two and sing! Or make use of other technology to play some music, and listen and sing along.
Below is a video you can use, provided by the Mahar family and the Stevens family.
Easter testimony
This fall, Marissa Paquette was one of four people baptized at Penney, proclaiming her faith in Christ. We were planning on having Marissa share her testimony this Easter – and then social distancing efforts went into effect making everything … difficult.
But thanks to the technology of Zoom (and the efforts of John and Christine McEwan and Marissa!) Marissa was interviewed and her testimony edited and prepared, so we can share it with you.
Offering
During this time when we can't gather on Sundays, we can still receive your offerings a couple of ways:
You can drop your offering in the locked mailbox outside the church office entrance
Or, you can mail them to the church at 393 Water Street, Augusta ME 04330.
Thank you for your continued support of Penney and its ministries!
Scripture Reading - John 20:24-31
Read aloud this morning’s Scripture reading:
Jesus Appears to Thomas
24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
The Purpose of John’s Gospel
30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe] that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.