Come as You Are: Faith, Doubt, and the Scars that Speak
A Personal Invitation from Pastor Jon
Dear Friends,
Have you ever felt like you needed to have all the answers before walking through the church doors? Have you ever felt that your questions or your doubts made you an outsider to the Easter story?
If so, I want to invite you to join us this Sunday, April 12, at St. John’s Presbyterian Church.
Our service for the Second Sunday of Easter is designed specifically for those of us who are "wrestling." Whether you are feeling "more than a conqueror" or you are feeling a bit like Jacob, limping away from a long night of struggle, there is a place for you here.
Why Join Us This Sunday?
- A Space for Honesty: Our Call to Worship acknowledges that we often carry questions we aren’t sure we’re allowed to ask. At St. John’s, we believe God isn’t surprised by our doubt; God meets us right in the middle of it.
- A Message of Hope: My sermon, "Scars That Speak," explores the moment Jesus appeared to Thomas. We’ll look at why Jesus kept his wounds even after the resurrection and what those "glorious wounds" have to say to our own pain today.
- Beautiful Music: From the stirring organ prelude by Alina Klimaszewska to the triumphant "Thine Is The Glory," our music will lift your spirits and give voice to your faith.
- A Community of Peace: In a world of "locked doors" and fear, we gather to hear the risen Christ say once again: "Peace be with you."
Service Details
- Date: Sunday, April 12, 2026
- Time: 11:00 AM
- Location: St. John’s Presbyterian Church
- Scripture Focus: Genesis 32 (Jacob wrestling the angel) and John 20 (Jesus meeting Thomas).
You do not have to arrive with everything settled.
You only have to arrive. Whether you are full of faith or full of questions, come and worship the God who meets us exactly where we are—doubt and all.
Peace be with you,
Pastor Jon Burnham
St. John's Presbyterian Church, Houston
5020 West Bellfort Avenue Houston, TX 77035
(713) 723-6262 / stjohnspresby.org
P.S. The service will be live-streamed
on our church website
and on our St. John's Facebook page.
St. John's Presbyterian Worship Bulletin
April 12, 2026 Second Sunday of Easter
Gathering
Prelude, Alina Klimaszewska, organ
*Call To Worship, The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham
We come this morning
carrying doubt alongside our faith.
We come carrying questions
we are not sure we are allowed to ask.
God is not surprised by our doubt.
God has met doubters before.
God met one in a locked room
and offered him the wound to touch.
We do not have to arrive here with everything settled.
We only have to arrive.
Then let us worship the God
who meets us where we are — doubt and all.
Let us worship the God
whose wounds are still speaking.
Opening Prayer
*Hymn 238 Thine Is The Glory
1 Thine is the glory,
risen, conquering Son;
endless is the victory
thou o'er death hast won.
Angels in bright raiment
rolled the stone away,
kept the folded grave-clothes
where thy body lay.
Refrain:
Thine is the glory,
risen, conquering Son;
endless is the victory
thou o'er death hast won.
2 Lo! Jesus meets us,
risen from the tomb;
lovingly he greets us,
scatters fear and gloom.
Let the church with gladness
hymns of triumph sing,
for the Lord now liveth;
death hath lost its sting. (Refrain)
3 No more we doubt thee,
glorious Prince of life!
Life is naught without thee;
aid us in our strife.
Make us more than conquerors
through thy deathless love;
bring us safe through Jordan
to thy home above. (Refrain)
Prayer of Confession, Bill Ehrenstrom, Liturgist
Lord, we confess that we have locked the doors of our hearts and hidden there, afraid to hope again after what has disappointed us. We have demanded proof we did not expect to receive, and kept our distance as a way of protecting ourselves from further grief. Forgive us for the faith we have withheld and the doors we have kept locked. Open us again to your risen presence. Amen. (Silent Confession)
Assurance of Pardon
*Glory Be to the Father, Hymn 581
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
*Passing the Peace
Children’s Time. Allen Barnhill
The Word
Prayer for Illumination
First Scripture Reading, Genesis 32:22–32
The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, "Let me go, for the day is breaking." But Jacob said, "I will not let you go, unless you bless me." So he said to him, "What is your name?" And he said, "Jacob." Then the man said, "You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed." Then Jacob asked him, "Please tell me your name." But he said, "Why is it that you ask my name?" And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved." The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. Therefore to this day the Israelites do not eat the thigh muscle that is on the hip socket, because he struck Jacob on the hip socket at the thigh muscle.
Anthem
Sermon Scripture, John 20:19–31
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’
But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.’
A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
Sermon, Scars That Speak
The Rev. Dr. Jon Burnham
*Hymn 817 We Walk by Faith and Not by Sight
1 We walk by faith and not by sight;
with gracious words draw near,
O Christ, who spoke as none e'er spoke:
“My peace be with you here.”
2 We may not touch your hands and side,
nor follow where you trod;
but in your promise we rejoice,
and cry, "My Lord and God!"
3 Help then, O Lord, our unbelief;
and may our faith abound
to call on you when you are near
and seek where you are found.
4 And when our life of faith is done,
in realms of clearer light
may we behold you as you are,
with full and endless sight.
The Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God the Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth,
And in Jesus Christ, his only Son our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried;
he descended into hell;
the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand
of God the Father Almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge
the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost;
the holy catholic Church;
the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
Prayers of the People and 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; and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Welcome and Announcements
Offering
*Doxology, Hymn 609
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.
Praise God, all creatures high and low.
Alleluia, alleluia!
Praise God, in Jesus fully known:
Creator, Word, and Spirit one.
Alleluia, alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
*Prayer after the Offering
Sending
*Hymn 254 That Easter Day with Joy was Bright
1 That Easter day with joy was bright;
the sun shone out with fairer light
when, to their longing eyes restored,
the apostles saw their risen Lord.
2 He bade them see his hands, his side,
where yet the glorious wounds abide,
the tokens true which made it plain
their Lord indeed was risen again.
3 From every weapon death can wield,
your own redeemed forever shield;
O Lord of all, with us abide
in this our joyful Eastertide.
*Benediction and Postlude
Announcements
Men of the Church. The next meeting of the Men of the Church will be April 15 at 6:30 PM in the Session Room. Come for a time of study and service projects that benefit the church.
Healing Hearts for April. Healing Hearts will meet on Monday, April 27, at 11:00 am. St. John’s is proud to support this healing ministry.
Faith in Action Committee Meeting. We will gather for a Faith in Action Committee meeting following worship today. If you have a heart for mission or simply want to learn more about how we serve our community, you are welcome to join us.
One Great Hour of Sharing Special Offering. Around the world, millions of people lack access to sustainable food sources, clean water, sanitation, education, and opportunity. The work done in support of the causes supported by One Great Hour of Sharing (OGHS) — disaster, hunger, poverty, climate change, and immigration/migration and refugees — serves individuals and communities in need. This work provides people with safety, sustenance, and hope. This offering helps to improve the lives of people in these challenging situations. Envelopes are at the back of the sanctuary.
New Sermon Series! This Easter season at St. John's, we're going to be honest about that tension. The sermon series is called "Resurrection Disruption: When Death Gets Interrupted," and the central claim is this: Easter Sunday announces something more specific than "death lost." What it announces is that death got interrupted. Mid-sentence. A clause inserted into the story that changes everything after it, without pretending the story was never started. That might sound like a small distinction. I promise it isn't. We're going to spend eight Sundays together, from Easter all the way through Pentecost in mid-May, tracing this pattern across both the Old and New Testaments. Ezekiel in a valley of dry bones. Thomas with his hand near a wound. Three men walking out of a furnace not smelling of smoke. Disciples huddled in a locked room while the risen Jesus stands in the middle of them. Each week is a disruption story. Each week God shows up for someone who wasn't ready, wasn't expecting it, and probably wasn't facing the right direction when it happened.
That pattern matters. Because most of us, if we're honest, aren't facing the right direction most of the time either. The series runs Easter Sunday through the Day of Pentecost, and the eight messages follow the shape of grief in a way that surprised even me when I saw it. We start with the disorientation of early Easter morning and end, eight weeks later, with the disciples finally breathing out what God breathed into them. The arc moves from receiving to sending, from silence to fire, from a sealed tomb to a wide-open street. If you've ever wondered whether faith has anything real to say to people who are actually suffering, these eight weeks are going to give you a lot to hold onto.
Bring a friend. Bring whoever in your life is carrying something heavy this spring. We'll start where we always start, at an empty tomb, and see where the risen Christ takes us from there.
Myrtis McPhail Scholarship. Attention all high school seniors, undergraduate college, and/or technical/trade school students! St. John’s is once again ready to accept applications to the Myrtis McPhail Scholarship Fund. These funds are available to any church member or relative of a church member who will be enrolled full time in undergraduate college or a technical/trade school in the Fall of 2026. You must reapply for the scholarship each year, and you may apply for a maximum of 5 years. Applications are available by email request to Kathy Barnhill (jabarnhill@comcast.net) or Mindi Stanley (mstanley@bcm.edu) or click on this link: Applications will be accepted until May 15, 2026 and we hope to distribute funds to recipients in June.
The Scholarship Fund also is open for donations! If anyone would like to donate, please indicate the McPhail Scholarship Fund on a check or via Zelle. Thanks for Your Support
BIM Gala Tickets Coming Soon.
You should be receiving tickets soon from Eloy for BIM’s annual gala. The event is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, April 30, though we are still waiting on final confirmation. As soon as the date is set, we will pass that along.
Supporting BIM in a Critical Season.
Many of BIM’s programs are facing funding challenges right now, which makes this moment especially important. We invite you to consider a cash donation to support their work in advance of the gala or shortly after. Checks can be made payable to Braes Interfaith Ministries, with “BIM Gala Fundraiser” noted in the memo line. This is one of those quiet ways the church makes a real difference. No spotlight. Just steady care for people who need it. Thank you for being part of that work.
Happy Birthday
(April 1)
Michael Bisase, Linda Dobbin and Stephen Marshall
Tatiana Harris (April 3)
Brendan Ehrenstrom (April 4)
JoAnn Golden (April 8)
Winnie Georgiev (April 9)
Pat Ragan (April 12)
Tom Edmonsond (April 13)
Allen Barnhill and Austin Gorby (April 14)
Jenny Pennicuff (April 17)
Kennedy Muanza (April 24)
Jon Burnham (April 26)
Prayer Concerns
David Wintersgill, hip surgery
Jessica Ivete Robles, a friend of Alice Rubio,
awaits a kidney transplant
And Jessica’s sixteen-year-old son,
who is recovering from surgery
Glen Risley, recovering from hip surgery
Nyjel Bennett-LaGrone and his family, health concerns
Family of Sue Benn
Tom Edmondson, health
Holly Darr, health
Karen Alsbrook, health
Kelsey Wiltz, health
Madalyn Rodgers, Kathleen Captain's sister
Joe Sanford,
Scott Moore
Alice Rubio
St. Johns College Students
Raina Bailey and the families in our PCHAS homes
One Hope Preschool families and staff
Calendar
Sunday, April 12, Second Sunday of Easter
9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room
11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook
12:00 pm CE Committee and Fellowship and Caring Committee Meetings
1:30 pm Book Study on Zoom
4:30 pm Pack 8 Meeting, Exercise Room
Tuesday, April 14
5:00 pm Exercise Group, Building 2
7:00 pm Session Meeting, Session Room
Wednesday, April 15
6:30 pm Men’s Group, Session Room
Thursday, April 16
12:00 pm PCHAS Luncheon. Church Office Closed
5:00 pm Exercise Class in Building 2
7:00 pm Maundy Thursday service, Sanctuary
Sunday, April 19, Third Sunday of Easter
9:30 am Sunday School for Adults, Systematic Theology, Session Room
11:00 am Worship Service, live in sanctuary and on Facebook, Rev. Herron preaching
12:00 pm Brunch, hosted by the Worship Committee
1:30 pm Book Study, Zoom
3:30 pm Girl Scouts in Session Room and Room 203.
Coming Events
Mon, April 27, Healing Hearts, 11 am
Thurs, April 30, BIM Gala (tentative date)
Fri, May 15, McPhail Scholarship Applications due
Sun, May 31, CE Brunch: Senior Sunday and Teacher Appreciation
Sat, June 20, Quarterly Bible Study (new format for all ages)
2026 Session Members and Roles
Class of 2026
Ann Hardy: Stewardship and Finance
Michael Bisase: Buildings and Grounds
Jan Herbert: Christian Education
Class of 2027
Lynne Parsons Austin: Worship
Omar Ayah: Faith in Action
Marie Kutz: Personnel and Administration
Class of 2028
Mary Gaber: Christian Education
Tina Jump: Fellowship and Caring
Ann Hardy: Finance and Stewardship
Peter Sparaco: Faith in Action
Other Session Leaders and Support Staff
Jon Burnham: Moderator of Session
Lynne Parsons Austin: Clerk to Session
Tad Mulder: Church Treasurer
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