O Sons and Daughters of the King, LBW 139 and ELW 386
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
1 O sons and daughters of the King,
Whom heav'nly hosts in glory sing,
Today the grave has lost its sting!
Alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
2 That Easter morn, at break of day,
The faithful women went their way
To seek the tomb where Jesus lay.
Alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
3 An angel clad in white they see,
Who sits and speaks unto the three,
"Your Lord will go to Galilee."
Alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
4 That night the apostles met in fear;
Among them came their master dear,
And said,
"My peace be with you here."
Alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
5 When Thomas first the tidings heard,
That they had seen the risen Lord,
He doubted the disciples' word.
Alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
6 "My pierced side, O Thomas, see,
And look upon my hands, my feet;
Not faithless, but believing be."
Alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
7 No longer Thomas then denied;
He saw the feet, the hands, the side;
"You are my Lord and God!" he cried.
Alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
8 How blest are they who have not seen,
And yet whose faith has constant been,
For they eternal life shall win.
Alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
9 On this most holy day of days,
Be laud and jubilee and praise:
To God your hearts and voices raise.
Alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Devotion
In so many ways, we are in the position of Thomas before he had seen and touched the risen Jesus. We, with Thomas, have the witness of those who did see him. But, if it is true that Jesus has been raised from the tomb, why has the world not changed in the ways we have hoped it would? Now 2000 years have passed since it happened. Still the world is full of violence, a lack of love, forgiveness and justice. Yet we continue to live in hope that the witnesses to our Lord were reliable. As I told a non-believer when verbally challenged by him, “I’d still follow Jesus. I’d try to live following his precepts and example, even if you turn out to be right.”
Do you think Thomas wanted his colleagues to be wrong? Why did he stay with them to see if Jesus would appear again? We have had experiences of Jesus in our lives, but we still wait in expectation for that great moment when we will meet him in eternity.
Prayer
Lord, I’ve not touched your hands or side, but treasure the words of those who did. Amen.