Newton Heath All Saints

Sunday 27th April 2025

The First Sunday after Easter

9.00 am Said Holy Communion (BCP 1662)
10.00 am Sung Holy Communion (BCP 1662) 

Faith and doubt; the desire for proof; and the necessity of mystery.

‘Doubting Thomas’ is a bit unfair. ‘Double-checking Thomas’ would be fairer, after all his quibbles are perfectly reasonable. If he also queried how Jesus just appeared like that when the room was locked, we have yet to find a record from somewhere else, which either John did not know about or chose to omit.

How Jesus was able to be present in that room is also a mystery, even a miracle, but a lesser one than his being raised from the dead and physically experienced. Thomas comes to understand the why, hence his response ‘My Lord and my God’ and lets rest the how. It remains a mystery. His faith, our faith, is intact.

Christian belief and Christian life are continual acts of faith: that what we cannot ‘see’ is true. The mystery is inexhaustible, even as what we live out, despite our doubts, ‘proves’ the truth of the mystery. There will always be more, because the love for us in God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who lives and dies and rises again is everything, and more, and has to be. 

Fr A.

Music before the service

Christ lag in Todesbanden BWV 277 J.S, Bach
Christ lay in death’s bonds

Introit Hymn

Jesus shall reign where'er the sun
does his successive journeys run;
his kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
till moons shall wax and wane no more.

People and realms of ev'ry tongue
dwell on his love with sweetest song,
and infant voices shall proclaim
their early blessings on his name.

To him shall endless prayer be made
and praises throng to crown his head;
his name like incense shall arise
with ev'ry morning sacrifice.

Let ev'ry creature rise and bring
peculiar honours to our King;
angels descend with songs again,
and earth repeat the loud amen.

Isaac Watts (1674-1748)

Collect

Almighty Father, who hast given thine only Son to die for our sins, and to rise again for our justification: Grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness, that we may alway serve thee in pureness of living and truth; through the merits of the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Reading for the Epistle

Acts 5.27-32

27And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,
28Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.
29Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
30The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
31Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
32And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.

Gospel

John 20.19-31

19Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
20And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
21Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
22And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
23Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
24But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
25The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
26And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
27Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
28And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
29Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
30And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:
31But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.

Prayer Cycle

Our Bishops
David, Mark and Matthew
The Anglican Communion
The Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean
The Porvoo Communion
Church of Sweden: Diocese of Gothenburg
Scottish Episcopal Church: Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway (Bishop Designate Canon Nick Bundock*)
Schools
All Saints, St Wilfrid’s, Briscoe Lane, Christ the King, Oldham Bluecoat, Trinity High School,
Co-op Academy Broadhurst, St Ambrose College, Loreto College.
Streets
Errwood Street, Erwin Street, Exbridge Walk, Falsgrave Close, Falside Walk, Fenchurch Avenue.
Book of Remembrance
Rita Fletcher; Enid Barlow; Ivy Horrocks; Edward Price; George Brickell-Bowers; Susan Brierley; Edith Gibbons.

Music after Communion

Open thou mine eyes and I shall see:
Incline my heart and I shall desire:
Order my steps and I shall walk in the ways of thy commandments.

O Lord God, be thou to me a God
and beside thee let there be none else,
no other, naught else with thee.

Vouchsafe to me to worship thee and serve thee
according to thy commandments
in truth of spirit,

in reverence of body,
in blessing of lips,
in private and in public.

Lancelot Andrewes (1555-1626)

Music: Margarat Rizza

Sung by St Martin’s Voices

(CCLI 7182162)

Hymn

All hail the power of Jesus' name!
Let angels prostrate fall.
Bring forth the royal diadem,
and crown him (x3)
Lord of all!

Crown him, ye martyrs of your God,
who from his altar call;
praise him whose way of pain ye trod,
and crown him
Lord of all.

Ye prophets who our freedom won,
ye searchers, great and small,
by whom the work of truth is done,
now crown him
Lord of all.

Ye seed of Israel’s chosen race,
ye ransomed of the fall,
hail him who saves you by his grace,
and crown him
Lord of all.

Let ev’ry tribe and ev’ry tongue
to him their hearts enthral;
lift high the universal song
and crown him
Lord of all.

Edward Perronet (1726 – 1792)
Tune: Miles Lane William Shrubsole (1760 – 1806)

Voluntary

Chant de joie Jean Langlais (1907-1991)
Song of joy

* The Reverend Canon Dr Nick Bundock leaves Didsbury this weekend to move to Glasgow where he will be consecrated and enthroned as Bishop of the United Diocese of Glasgow and Galloway, in St Mary’s Cathedral, next Sunday 3rd May.) 

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Authorised Version of the Bible and Collects
(Book of Common Prayer, 1662)
© Crown and Cambridge University Press