Bread and More Soup Kitchen continues to serve a free to-go meal every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 5:30-6:15.
April 2026
There will be a joint board meeting following church services this Sunday. There will be no coffee hour.
Sunday School: Please call our church office at 631-727-2621 if you would like your child to join. Sunday School is held during church services at 10:00.
Bible Study: Bible Study is held on Fridays from 10:00am - 11:00 am. Call the church office for the information. 631-727-2621 You can also join us on Zoom. All are welcome.
Thrift Shop: The thrift shop hours are Tuesday and Thursday 10-2 and Saturday 9-1. Clothing, knickknacks, and other small household items are accepted. No furniture or children's clothing. Please bring your donations only when we are open. Thank you for your support.
If you would like to join us on Zoom, please follow the link
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86897065711?
pwd=a0FZcDg5MnRqKz-JMQXRLVzIBTGZFQT09 to start or join a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Meeting ID: 850 1493 9172
Pass code: 727262
Third Sunday of Easter
A Service of the Word
April 19, 2026 ✦ 10am
OPENING WORDS:
We open our hearts to the presence of God and worship together.
PRELUDE: Allemande from English Suite No. 2 J.S. Bach
(Once the music begins we ask that you would please maintain respectful silence)
*CHORAL INTROIT:
We are here this day to share God's love;
We have come with burdens and cares,
For within this place, we are bound as one
In this fellowship, we share.
*CALL TO WORSHIP:
One: God has called us together for this time of worship.
God is listening to our thoughts and to our speaking.
Many: God inclines an ear to us and hears us.
God knows us better than we know ourselves.
One: Let us open our hearts to the One who gives us life.
Let us set our faith and hope in God.
Many: In one another’s presence, we renew our vows.
Together we offer our thanksgiving sacrifice.
One: God’s promises to us are ancient and ever new.
God is with us here and on all the roads we travel.
ALL: Together we lift our voices in songs of praise.
This is a day to do the works of God.
*HYMN: Joy Dawned Again on Easter Day No. 241
https://youtu.be/IAvYNiK4IlA
WELCOME
PRAYER OF INVOCATION
Wondrous God, present with us when we do not know it, valuing us when we do not care for ourselves, planting in us the seed of your word even when the soil of our hearts is hard and unyielding, open our eyes to recognize you here. May we sense your presence next to us. May we hear your voice. May we know your touch. May we see you in one another and in the beauty all around us. May your reality emerge deep inside each life, transforming our thoughts and deeds and our relationship with one another. Amen.
PASSING OF THE PEACE
ANNOUNCEMENTS, CELEBRATIONS & CONCERNS
Joint Meeting: On Sunday, April 26, we will be having a Joint Meeting immediately after service in the Fellowship Hall.
Friday Bible Studies: Please join us in person or via zoom on Fridays
for our Adult Bible Study Classes. Fridays 10:00-11:00 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall.
CHILDREN’S TIME
A TIME OF PRAYER:
❖ Pastoral Prayer
…God of love and judgment, who made Jesus both Sovereign and Messiah, and who welcomed us into your family through the waters of baptism, we seek once again to know the risen Christ in our midst and to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, that we might be obedient to your truth and genuine in our love for one another. May the new birth provided by your living and enduring word send us forth today as deeply committed messengers of good news…..
❖ Silent Prayer
❖ Lord's Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in
heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive
us our debts as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not
into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is
the kingdom, the power, the glory, now and forever.
Amen.
OFFERING: The Artist Craig Courtney
* DOXOLOGY AND BLESSING OF GIFTS:
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures here below;
Praise God above, you heavenly host:
Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost.
SCRIPTURE LESSONS:
❖ Acts 2:14a, 36-41 NT Page 103
❖ Psalm 116 HYMNAL Page 699
❖ 1 Peter 1:17-23 NT Page 205
❖ Luke 24:13-35 NT Page 78
SERMON: “Give It a Minute”
Have you ever noticed that once you thought you were done and over with a challenge, the universe or at least the human condition, apparently with God's permission, sends you more of the same? For me, it’s been the test of patience.
My mom was the queen of patience. My dad was not. I’m decidedly more like my dad in that regard.
Ah, patience. We live in a world that often promises instant – or at least quick --gratification, such as faster internet without needing to wait for things to load, instant messaging, and instant meals via the microwave. Maybe we learn to wait for a few seconds but true patience, of waiting hours, days or even weeks doesn’t really get much practice, and when we need it, it’s a bit rusty. Admittedly, I’m suffering from some of that rust these days.
In the lesson we read from Acts, it seems that immediately following Peter’s sermon three thousand people were baptized. Now there definitely had to be some waiting involved. Some probably hesitated, wondering how cold the water in that river was, or asking themselves “Should I really do this? Is what they say really believable?” The amazing thing about God’s grace is that it doesn’t rush anyone. There’s room for people who act fast and for those who need more time. Peter’s message shows us that change can happen instantly, but it can also take a while. Faith isn’t one-size-fits-all, and that’s totally okay. Sometimes, God’s advice to us is simply, “Give it a minute.”
Yet the bigger “Give it a minutes comes with the gospel lesson. Two disciples are walking to Emmaus after Jesus’s resurrection. They’re confused and sad, talking about what just happened, likely trying still to process all the morning events. And then Jesus shows up, but somehow, they don’t manage to recognize him until quite a while has past.
This story certainly brings a few lessons in patience. Jesus doesn’t show up with a host of heavenly angels or any great flash of light. He just appears like another journeyer and asks about their discussion. In my read Cleopas’ retort was certainly less than patient: "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” As if to say, “how inattentive have you been?!”
Mind you, in my read, Jesus’ response to them after hearing their account was considerably less that patient, too: "Oh, how foolish you are and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared!”
One lesson is that, perhaps, even as we occasionally need a minute to process things, we would do well to be a little more patient with others who seem a bit slow on the uptake. I’d like to think I’m better at that, but I know well, I’m not always as patient as I should be. I am glad that my German friends are… as I struggle to remember a word I had long-ago learned. Rather than “Wait a minute,” they taught me that they just use “moment.” Seems like the older we get, the more we need the “moment.”
Another lesson is that sometimes, we have to wait for understanding to come long after the journey has begun. Being patient isn’t just sitting around, it’s active, hopeful, and thoughtful. Like those disciples, we need to give our faith, doubts, and prayers some room to grow, trusting God’s timing.
Waiting is part of being human, but it’s often less than easy. Think about being stuck in traffic. I’m thinking not all of us simply stay calm and patiently wait. Admittedly, I tend to continually check the GPS for some hope of movement or at least some explanation of what’s going on. Or when waiting for an important email, how often and how quickly after the last do we check again. I’m definitely guilty of that as this house hunting adventure has taught me. And I’m still doing it, even as I wait for a contract to be sent our way.
Yet, it does come back to faith. Faith is kind of like baking bread. If you peek too soon, it stays flat; but if you wait, you get something delicious. Maybe you’re waiting for healing, reconciliation, or guidance. Maybe you’re hoping God will show up at your table. Sometimes answers come quickly, but more often, we just need to “give it a minute.”
In “Great Expectations,” Charles Dickens shows how Pip is always waiting and hoping for a better future, but it rarely shows up as fast as he wants. Pip, like all of us, figures out that the best things in life—love, forgiveness, understanding—take patience. Homer’s “Odyssey” is about Odysseus’s ten-year journey home. It’s tough, but he learns a lot along the way, and in the end, it’s worth it. Sometimes, it’s the journey that teaches us the most.
Leo Tolstoy once said, “The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” That’s particularly true with spareribs or any slow roast. Sometimes, in life and faith, the best results happen when we let things simmer and unfold on their own.
“Give it a minute.” Perhaps we can learn to wait with hope, not frustration. In Acts, some people were quick to respond; others took their time. On the road to Emmaus, the big reveal happened after a long walk. In our lives, answers might not come right away, but God is always there—walking with us, listening, and eventually sharing a meal.
Patience. We’re called to be patient with each other and patient with God, even as God is patient with us. We learn not all of life walks as at the same pace. There are some things that are definitely slower to develop than we’d like them to be. It’s not that the hope won’t be realized, it just that it’ll take a bit more time than we desired.
Remember, God is on your side. God answers prayer. Trust, wait, give thanks, and know that patience isn’t easy, but good things do come to those who wait.
*HYMN: Open My Eyes, That I May See
https://youtu.be/GDceaG7kFQA
*BENEDICTION
CHORAL BENEDICTION:
May the light of God shine on us today.
May the light of God shine on us today.
May it show us where to travel.
Lead us back if we should stray.
May the light of God shine on us today.
POSTLUDE: Basse de Tierce Lambert Chaumont
Second Sunday of Easter
Service of Word and Sacrament
April 12, 2026✦ 10am
We open our hearts to the presence of God and worship together.
PRELUDE: Allemande BWV 815 J.S. Bach
*CHORAL INTROIT:
We are here this day to share God's love.
We have come with burdens and cares,
For within this place, we are bound as one
In this fellowship we share.
*CALL TO WORSHIP:
One: We come again to celebrate resurrection.
God gives us a new birth into a living hope.
Many: Death has no power over us.
Christ goes before us in the new life God offers.
One: Blessed be the God of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Our faith, tested by fire, is renewed.
Many: Our hearts are glad, our souls rejoice.
God shows us the path of life.
One: Again, Jesus says to us: Peace be with you.
Come to receive life in Christ’s name.
ALL: We rejoice in God’s amazing good news.
In God’s presence, we find fullness of joy.
*HYMN: Yours Is the Glory, Resurrected One! No. 253
https://youtu.be/y1pQvwPPwUU
WELCOME
PRAYER OF INVOCATION
Your Easter people gather to praise you, amazing God. Continue to make your ways known to us. Fill us with your presence. We cannot live apart from you. Your counsel and instruction are with us day and night. We have only to open ourselves to your direction. Inspire in us fullness of joy, we pray, as we respond in faith to the risen Christ and embrace the tasks you set before us. Build up our sense of community that we may truly care for one another through all life’s trials. Amen.
PASSING OF THE PEACE
ANNOUNCEMENTS, CELEBRATIONS & CONCERNS
A TIME OF PRAYER:
❖ Pastoral Prayer
God of peace, by whose breath the Holy Spirit enters our lives and transforms our community of faith, come to us now, whether we have opened or locked our doors. Lead us to faith beyond doubt, deeds beyond words, that we may live as your forgiven and forgiving children, leading the way for realization of your peace among us and in all the world….
❖ Silent Prayer
❖ Lord's Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, the power, the glory, now and forever. Amen.
CHILDREN’S TIME
OFFERING & OFFERTORY ANTHEM: Softly and Tenderly
Raymond Brown
(arr. Fettke)
*DOXOLOGY AND BLESSING OF GIFTS:
Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures here below;
Praise God above, you heavenly host:
Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost.
SCRIPTURE LESSONS:
❖ Acts 2:14a, 22-32 NT Page 102
❖ Psalm 16 Hymnal Page 628
❖ 1 Peter 1:3-9 NT Page 205
❖ John 20:19-31 NT Page 101
*GLORIA:
Glory to the Creator, the Christ, the Holy Spirit,
Three -in-one; as it was in the beginning
Is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen. Amen.
SERMON: “Look to the Joy Beyond the Doubt”
This is one of those sermons that’s basically a big pep talk to me. As many of you know, I’ve been house hunting. It’s been slim pickings and high prices. Great for the sellers; not so much for anyone looking to buy a home. So far, we’ve lost three bids. The last two were particularly nice homes. Now as we’re poised to put in another bid on a nice house, I’m wondering if we’ll actually manage to get it. The doubt. And yet, I am kinda’ pretty certain that eventually we’ll be able to find a decent place to call home.
Eventual joy is the vision, but doubt is tough company to shake. Joy and doubt. They walk into our lives like an old married couple—one smiling, one grumbling, both insisting they belong. Such is faith. Scripture never pretends that faith is a straight line. It’s more like a winding path with potholes, scenic overlooks, and the occasional “Are we there yet?” from the back seat.
Today’s readings dive into the doubt but call us to move on past it. They call us to look through doubt, beyond doubt, and ultimately past doubt, toward a joy that is deeper, sturdier, and more surprising than anything we could manufacture on our own.
We get a look at Peter in our reading from Acts. This is the same Peter who, not long before, denied Jesus three times. The same Peter who sank in the water. The same Peter who often spoke first and thought later. And yet here he is, standing in front of a crowd, preaching with boldness, clarity, and conviction. If you ever feel like God can’t use you because you’ve messed up, just remember: Peter is basically the patron saint of “I didn’t think this through.”
Peter proclaims that Jesus—crucified and risen—is the One whom God has made both Lord and Messiah. And Peter points to joy—not a shallow happiness, not a “things are going great” kind of joy, but a joy rooted in the resurrection. A joy that says: even when life looks like Good Friday, God is already working on Easter.
Then we turn to 1 Peter, where the apostle writes to believers who are suffering, confused, and unsure of what comes next. He tells them that through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, they have been given a “living hope.” Not a dusty hope. Not a “hope stored in the cellar next to the Christmas decorations.” A living hope—something breathing, active, and stubbornly persistent.
And then Peter says something that feels almost intangible: “Although you have not seen him, you love him… and you rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy.” Indescribable joy. Joy that doesn’t always make sense. Joy that shows up even when circumstances don’t justify it. Joy that sneaks in the back door of your heart when doubt is busy arguing at the front.
Which brings us to Thomas. Ah, Thomas. The disciple who has been branded for 2,000 years as “Doubting Thomas.” If Thomas had a PR team, they would have rebranded him by now. “Thomas the Thorough.” “Thomas the Honest.” “Thomas the Patron Saint of People Who Want Just a Little More Information Before Making a Major Life Decision.”
Thomas gets a bad reputation, but let’s be fair: all he asked for was the same thing the other disciples got. They saw Jesus. They touched him. They heard his voice. Thomas simply wanted the same experience. And honestly, who among us hasn’t prayed, “Lord, I believe—sort of—could you help me out a little here?”
When Jesus appears again, he doesn’t scold Thomas. He doesn’t shame him. He doesn’t say, “Really? After all we’ve been through?” Instead, Jesus invites Thomas closer. “Put your finger here. See my hands.” Jesus meets Thomas right in the middle of his doubt.
And Thomas responds with the most profound confession in the entire Gospel of John: “My Lord and my God.”
Doubt didn’t disqualify him. Doubt led him to deeper faith.
And that’s the heart of today’s message: Look to the joy beyond the doubt. Not instead of doubt. Not pretending doubt doesn’t exist. But beyond it. Because doubt is not the opposite of faith. Fear is the opposite of faith. Apathy is the opposite of faith. Doubt is simply the doorway we walk through on the way to deeper trust.
If faith were a rehab facility, doubt would be the treadmill. Nobody loves the treadmill. But it strengthens you. It builds endurance. It prepares you for better journeying. And joy—real joy—is the fruit that grows when faith has been strengthened by wrestling honestly with doubt.
Think about the disciples in that locked room. They were terrified. Confused. Hiding. But Jesus brings peace (although it’ll likely take a minute for them to get it). He breathes the Holy Spirit on them. He gives them purpose. He gives them joy. And he does all of this before they fully understand what’s happening.
Joy doesn’t wait for us to have everything figured out. Joy doesn’t require perfect faith. Joy is a gift of the risen Christ, given freely, generously, and often unexpectedly.
So what does it mean for us to look to the joy beyond the doubt?
It means being honest with God. God is not threatened by your questions. God is not offended by your uncertainty. If Jesus can handle Thomas, he can handle you. Bring your doubts to God. Bring your fears. Bring your “I’m not sure about this.” God meets us where we are, not where we pretend to be.
It means remembering that resurrection joy is stronger than present fear. Peter preached boldly because he knew the tomb was empty. The worst thing that could happen had already happened—and God had overcome it. That same resurrection power is at work in your life. Joy is not the denial of suffering; it is the declaration that suffering does not get the last word.
It means trusting that joy grows slowly but surely. Peter says our faith is being refined like gold. Refining is not a quick process. It takes heat. It takes time. But the result is something precious. Joy grows in the soil of perseverance, honesty, and hope.
It means recognizing Jesus in the middle of locked-room moments. We all have locked rooms – places in our hearts where fear keeps the door shut. But Jesus walks right in. He brings peace. He brings presence. He brings joy. Even when we’re not expecting him.
It means celebrating the joy that comes from relationship, not certainty. Thomas didn’t need perfect theology. He needed Jesus. And when he saw Jesus, joy followed. Our faith is not built on having all the answers. It’s built on the One who is the answer.
So today, if you find yourself wrestling with doubt, take heart. You are in good company. Peter doubted. Thomas doubted. The disciples doubted. And yet God used them to change the world.
Your doubt is not a dead end. It is a doorway.
Look through it. Look beyond it. Look past it.
Because on the other side of doubt is a Savior who still says, “Peace be with you.”
On the other side of doubt is a hope that is living and active.
On the other side of doubt is a joy that is indescribable. A joy that can be ours—not because we have perfect faith, but because Christ is perfectly faithful.
So look to the joy beyond the doubt.
It’s already reaching out to you.
OUR ORDER OF COMMUNION
The Invitation and Time of Confession:
❖ Call to Confession
❖ Silent Confession
❖ Unison Prayer of Confession:
Forgive us, God, for seeking to limit your truth to what
we can understand. Forgive us for chasing after gods of
our own making. We are so busy with them that we
forget to open ourselves to your larger reality. We reduce
the circles of connection and caring that Jesus demonstrated.
Goodness is crucified by our narrow prejudices, and our
doubts plunge us into despair. Be to us a refuge, granting
us courage to face the questions that haunt us until they
lead to deeper understanding. Amen.
❖ Words of Assurance
Thanksgiving:
Pastor: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Pastor: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them up to the Lord.
Pastor: Let us give thanks to God Most High.
People: It is right to give God thanks and praise.
Pastor: We give you thanks, God of majesty and mercy,
for calling forth the creation and raising us from dust
by the breath of your being.
We bless you for the beauty and bounty of the earth and for the vision of the day when sharing by all will mean scarcity for none.
We remember the covenant you made with your people Israel, and we give you thanks for all our ancestors in faith.
We rejoice that you call us to reconciliation with you and all people everywhere and that you remain faithful to your covenant even when we are faithless.
We rejoice that you call the entire human family to this table of sacrifice and victory.
We come in remembrance and celebration of the gift of Jesus Christ, whom you sent, in the fullness of time, to be the good news.
Born of Mary, our sister in faith, Christ lived among us to reveal the mystery of your Word, to suffer and die on the cross for us, to be raised from death on the third day, and then to live in glory.
We bless you, gracious God, for the presence of your Holy Spirit in the church you have gathered. With your sons and daughters of faith in all places and times, we praise you with joy as we say together:
All: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of hosts,
Heaven and earth are full of Thy glory,
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Words of Institution and Communal Proclamation:
Pastor: We remember that on the night of betrayal and desertion,
and on the eve of death, Jesus gathered the disciples for a shared meal of preparation.
Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks to God, broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying: “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
In the same way, he took the cup after supper.
Again he gave God thanks and praise and said:
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as
often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
Therefore, we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
All: Christ’s death, O God we proclaim.
Christ’s resurrection we declare.
Christ’s coming, we await.
Glory be to you, O God.
Prayers of Consecration:
Pastor: Eternal God, we unite in this covenant of faith, recalling Christ’s suffering and death, rejoicing in Christ’s resurrection, and awaiting Christ’s return in victory. We spread your table with these gifts of the earth and of our labor. We present to you our very lives, committed to your service on behalf of all people. We ask you to send your Holy Spirit upon this bread and wine, upon our gifts, and upon us. Strengthen your universal church that it may be the champion of peace and justice in all the world. Restore the earth with your grace that is able to make all things new.
All: Be present with us as we share this meal,
and throughout all our lives, that we may know you as
the Holy One, who with Christ and the Holy Spirit,
lives forever. Amen.
Sharing the Bread and Cup:
Pastor: Alleluia! Christ our Passover is offered for us.
People: Therefore, let us keep the feast.
Pastor: The gifts of God for the people of God.
We celebrate the grace of God in our midst.
Unison Prayer of Thanksgiving:
We give you thanks, Almighty God, that you have refreshed us at your table through the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Continue to heal us, we pray, and strengthen our faith. Increase our love for one another, and send us forth into the world in courage and peace, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit; we ask these things in the Name of Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
*HYMN: Not with Naked Eye, Not with Human Sense
*PASTORAL BENEDICTION
CHORAL BENEDICTION:
May the light of God shine on us today.
May the light of God shine on us today.
May it show us where to travel,
Lead us back if we should stray,
May the light of God shine on us today.
POSTLUDE: This Little Light of Mine (arr. Rick Modlin)
(please remain seated for the postlude)
We're biblical, traditional, yet progressive.
We honor and take pride in our
Congregational roots.
We covenant with one another and with God,
as revealed
in Jesus Christ through the illumination of
the Holy Spirit.
We endeavor to walk humbly with God and
strive for justice and peace.
My house shall be called a house of prayer for all people.
Isaiah 56.7
We are an open and affirming congregation in which all persons regardless of race, ethnic background, economic status, gender, age, or personal ability, are equally affirmed into membership, leadership and employment
and joyfully welcomed.
Our church office is open for phone calls at 631-727-2621. Pastor Sean will return your calls. Our secretary is in the office Wednesday and Thursday mornings.
Our church office is open for phone calls at 631-727-2621. Pastor Sean will return your calls. Our secretary is in the office Wednesday and Thursday mornings.
.jpg/:/rs=w:370,cg:true,m)
