Trinity United Church

“Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” Colossians 3:14 (NRSV)

Worship: Sunday April 12, 10:45 a.m.  Communion, Second Chance Band

Scripture to Ponder:

Scripture to Ponder – April 6, 2026

Second Week After Easter

Texts: Acts 2:14a, 22–32; Psalm 16; 1 Peter 1:3–9; John 20:19–31

On the evening of that first Easter day, the disciples were gathered behind locked doors—held not only by fear, but by the collapse of meaning. The crucifixion had undone their expectations of God. What they thought they knew of power, salvation, and hope had been shattered. And so they gathered, not as a triumphant community of faith, but as a fragile community of uncertainty.

And it is precisely there—within that theological disorientation—that the risen Christ appears. Not outside their fear, but within it. Not after their faith has been restored, but while it is still trembling. “Peace be with you,” he says—not as a greeting alone, but as a re-creation of their very being.

A week later, the doors are still closed. Resurrection has not erased their anxiety. The wounds of Good Friday still echo in their lives. And Thomas—often reduced to a symbol of doubt—enters the scene. But perhaps Thomas is not the problem. Perhaps Thomas is the truth-teller. He refuses a secondhand faith. He resists inherited certainty. He longs for an encounter that is real, embodied, and honest.

And again, Christ comes. Not to correct Thomas, but to meet him. Not to condemn questioning, but to inhabit it. “Put your finger here… Do not doubt but believe.”

This is not a command to suppress doubt, but an invitation to move through it—toward relationship. The Greek movement here is not from doubt to blind certainty, but from isolation to encounter, from abstraction to embodied knowing.

And it is within the gathered community—still imperfect, still uncertain—that Thomas makes his confession:

“My Lord and my God.”

This raises a deeper question for us today:

Is our faith becoming thinner—reduced to habit, to memory, to inherited language that no longer carries weight?

Or is there another way—a way not of returning to certainty, but of rediscovering depth?

John’s Gospel suggests that faith does not deepen by avoiding doubt, but by engaging it within community. The absence of Thomas is not condemned, but his presence becomes transformative. For it is in presence—within the shared life of discipleship—that Christ is encountered anew.

Perhaps the thinning of faith in our time is not because people question too much, but because we have lost spaces where questioning can be held, honored, and accompanied. When faith is reduced to answers alone, it becomes fragile. But when faith is lived as relationship—as participation in the living Christ—it becomes resilient.

Resurrection, then, is not simply an event to be believed. It is a reality to be entered. It is the ongoing work of God breaking into locked rooms—into fear, into doubt, into communities that are still trying to make sense of it all.

There are still many locked doors among us. Doors shaped by grief, by injustice, by disillusionment with institutions, even by silence in the face of suffering. And we might wonder: where is Christ in all of this?

The Gospel answers—not by removing the doors, but by revealing a presence that is not contained by them. Christ comes through them. Christ stands among us. Christ breathes peace into spaces where faith feels thin.

And perhaps the renewal of faith does not begin with stronger belief, but with deeper presence.

Presence with one another.

Presence with our questions.

Presence within a community that dares to gather even when certainty is absent.

For it is there—again and again—that Christ meets us.

And over time, not through force but through encounter, something begins to take shape within us. Not borrowed words, not inherited phrases, but a confession that emerges from lived experience:

“My Lord and my God.”

Let us pray.

Risen Christ,

you come to us in the midst of fear,

through the doors we have closed,

and into the places we try to hide.

Speak your peace into our restless hearts.

Meet us in our questions and our doubts,

and draw us gently back into community—

where we can see, and hear, and believe together.

Hold us in your grace

when faith feels fragile,

and lead us, step by step,

toward trust, toward hope,

and toward that deep confession of love:

My Lord and my God. Amen.

Trinity Sew and Sews will be holding their Quilt Show on Friday May 8 from 4:30 to 8:30 pm, and Saturday May 9 from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm.  

This does not happen without a lot of preparation and lots of volunteers.

You are invited to assist us in various ways, as you are able–from sitting and supervising the silent auction table, to making 2 dozen cookies, to helping with sales of our (“famous”) Flea Market goods. There are lots of jobs!!! and it is a lot of fun!!!  Just think of all the people you will get to see and chat with!!!

From Outreach: After church on April 26 the Winnipeg Police Service will present their Just Hang Up scam awareness presentation. Snacks will be provided by Outreach. We think you will find this an informative presentation. 

Trinity Book Sale –   Have you read all your Xmas gift books?  Bring them to Trinity’s book sale/exchange in time for spring break.  (Puzzles also welcome!).  Pay what you please or what you think they’re worth.  Sale will run for 6 weeks, ending May 3rd.

Guess Who’s Coming for Dinner – 6th edition Bidding starts on Sunday, April 19th at 10:15 AM and continues until Sunday, May 3rd at noon, unless we are SOLD OUT with the Buy it Now pricing. 2/3 of your bid price will be tax receipted. ie Bid $60 on a share of a dinner and you receive a tax receipt for $40.

7 Great Choices Presented by your Dinner/Lunch hosts: 

1.Mystery Picnic lunch for 4 guests

2.Canadian fun and games night for 6 guests

3.Superb Salmon for 6 guests

4.Quiche lunch for 4 guests

5.House Church BBQ and cottage adventure for 6 guests

6.Western theme BBQ and fun for 4 guests

7.Backyard BBQ and Pool party for 6 guests

Questions? Talk with Dale Kendel or call 204 -269-0764

In our Prayers:

From Prairie to Pine Region: 
Please hold in prayer the following community of faith:  North Kildonan Pastoral Charge

Programs at Trinity: All are welcome to attend

Trinity Yoga on Zoom: Saturday 10:00 a.m.

Worship: Sunday April 12 10:45 a.m.  Communion 

Bible Study:  Monday 1:30 p.m. at Trinity           

Yoga: Southside Community Group – In Person and Zoom: Wednesday 10:30 a.m. at Trinity
Trinity Walkers:  From Maryann – Even though the weather has changed I am still walking. Contact me if you are interested in having a walking partner. 

Electronics Recycling – Bring your small electronics for recycling – recycle items that fit into the blue box in the narthex. 

Opportunities to serve: There are many volunteer opportunities in the ministry at Trinity. If you are able to offer the gift of time, please let us know. There are opportunities, to serve on committees, to help with one time special events, help serve at funeral lunches and fellowship coffee, to help with technology, read scripture, offer prayers, sing in the choir, to work at bombers games, help with Sunday School and Youth, etc.

Please prayerfully consider these opportunities and be in touch with the office (204 269 1632) tuc@mymts.net 

We are grateful for every gift given and appreciate all you do for Trinity. We’re always grateful for enthusiastic volunteers to help with worship and other ministries at our church. If you feel called to lend a hand, please stop by the News Board in the Narthex and add your name to the sign-up sheet. Your generosity truly makes a difference.

Office Hours at Trinity United Church are Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  Summer office hours effective May 1 will be Monday to Thursday. 

“Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”  Colossians 3:14 (NRSV)

Here is the Worship Link for Sunday, April 5, 2026:  https://youtu.be/yasXon5s-Ec

Scripture to Ponder – April 6, 2026

Second Week After Easter

Texts: Acts 2:14a, 22–32; Psalm 16; 1 Peter 1:3–9; John 20:19–31

On the evening of that first Easter day, the disciples were gathered behind locked doors—held not only by fear, but by the collapse of meaning. The crucifixion had undone their expectations of God. What they thought they knew of power, salvation, and hope had been shattered. And so they gathered, not as a triumphant community of faith, but as a fragile community of uncertainty.

And it is precisely there—within that theological disorientation—that the risen Christ appears. Not outside their fear, but within it. Not after their faith has been restored, but while it is still trembling. “Peace be with you,” he says—not as a greeting alone, but as a re-creation of their very being.

A week later, the doors are still closed. Resurrection has not erased their anxiety. The wounds of Good Friday still echo in their lives. And Thomas—often reduced to a symbol of doubt—enters the scene. But perhaps Thomas is not the problem. Perhaps Thomas is the truth-teller. He refuses a secondhand faith. He resists inherited certainty. He longs for an encounter that is real, embodied, and honest.

And again, Christ comes. Not to correct Thomas, but to meet him. Not to condemn questioning, but to inhabit it. “Put your finger here… Do not doubt but believe.”

This is not a command to suppress doubt, but an invitation to move through it—toward relationship. The Greek movement here is not from doubt to blind certainty, but from isolation to encounter, from abstraction to embodied knowing.

And it is within the gathered community—still imperfect, still uncertain—that Thomas makes his confession:

“My Lord and my God.”

This raises a deeper question for us today:

Is our faith becoming thinner—reduced to habit, to memory, to inherited language that no longer carries weight?

Or is there another way—a way not of returning to certainty, but of rediscovering depth?

John’s Gospel suggests that faith does not deepen by avoiding doubt, but by engaging it within community. The absence of Thomas is not condemned, but his presence becomes transformative. For it is in presence—within the shared life of discipleship—that Christ is encountered anew.

Perhaps the thinning of faith in our time is not because people question too much, but because we have lost spaces where questioning can be held, honored, and accompanied. When faith is reduced to answers alone, it becomes fragile. But when faith is lived as relationship—as participation in the living Christ—it becomes resilient.

Resurrection, then, is not simply an event to be believed. It is a reality to be entered. It is the ongoing work of God breaking into locked rooms—into fear, into doubt, into communities that are still trying to make sense of it all.

There are still many locked doors among us. Doors shaped by grief, by injustice, by disillusionment with institutions, even by silence in the face of suffering. And we might wonder: where is Christ in all of this?

The Gospel answers—not by removing the doors, but by revealing a presence that is not contained by them. Christ comes through them. Christ stands among us. Christ breathes peace into spaces where faith feels thin.

And perhaps the renewal of faith does not begin with stronger belief, but with deeper presence.

Presence with one another.

Presence with our questions.

Presence within a community that dares to gather even when certainty is absent.

For it is there—again and again—that Christ meets us.

And over time, not through force but through encounter, something begins to take shape within us. Not borrowed words, not inherited phrases, but a confession that emerges from lived experience:

“My Lord and my God.”

Let us pray.

Risen Christ,

you come to us in the midst of fear,

through the doors we have closed,

and into the places we try to hide.

Speak your peace into our restless hearts.

Meet us in our questions and our doubts,

and draw us gently back into community—

where we can see, and hear, and believe together.

Hold us in your grace

when faith feels fragile,

and lead us, step by step,

toward trust, toward hope,

and toward that deep confession of love:

My Lord and my God. Amen.

“Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.” Colossians 3:14 (NRSV)

EASTER SERVICES:

April 2 – Maundy Thursday – TUC is invited to join the GSA service at 6:15 p.m. 

April 3 – Good Friday  – 10:45 a.m.

April 5 – Two Services –  Easter Sunday Sunrise Service at 6:45 a.m.  

                                         Easter Sunday Worship at 10:45 a.m.

We are grateful to Ruth & Arnold Graham and Edgar Rosales for cashiering this Sunday. 

Good Friday Meditation

You are invited to bring a written prayer for the world on Good Friday Service. If you wish, you may write your prayer on a piece of paper or cloth and place it at the foot of the cross as a sign of hope, lament, and trust.

Ritual at the Cross

On Easter Sunday, April 5, a remembrance board will be placed at the back of the sanctuary. You are warmly invited to write the name(s) of your beloved ones whom you wish to remember on this day of resurrection. You are also welcome to bring a flower to place on the cross as a sign of love and remembrance. A limited number of flowers will be available for those who may need them.

Easter message video from The Right Rev. Dr. Kimberly Heath, 45th Moderator of The United Church of Canada: From Heartbreak to Hope: An Easter Message from The United Church of Canada  

Trinity United Church office will be closed Friday April 3rd and Monday April 6th.

From Outreach: After church on April 26 the Winnipeg Police Service will present their Just Hang Up scam awareness presentation. Snacks will be provided by Outreach. We think you will find this an informative presentation. 

Trinity Book Sale –   Have you read all your Xmas gift books?  Bring them to Trinity’s book sale/exchange in time for spring break.  (Puzzles also welcome!).  Pay what you please or what you think they’re worth.  Sale will run for 6 weeks, starting now. 

Guess Who’s Coming for Dinner – 6th edition Bidding starts on Sunday, April 19th at 10:15 AM and continues until Sunday, May 3rd at noon, unless we are SOLD OUT with the Buy it Now pricing. 2/3 of your bid price will be tax receipted. ie Bid $60 on a share of a dinner and you receive a tax receipt for $40.

7 Great Choices Presented by your Dinner/Lunch hosts: 

1.Charles and Judy Powell’s Mystery Picnic lunch for 4 guests

2.Leslie and Ed Johnson’s  Canadian fun and games night for 6 guests

3.Ron and Mary Mitchell’s Superb Salmon for 6 guests

4.Karen Wall’s Quiche lunch for 4 guests

5.House Church BBQ and cottage adventure for 6 guests

6.Ken and Elaine Johnson’s Western theme BBQ and fun for 4 guests

7.Susan and Doug Delaney’s backyard BBQ and Pool party for 6 guests

Questions? Talk with Dale Kendel or call 204 -269-0764

In our Prayers:

We pray for Rick and Carolyn Pierson and family on the loss of Rick’s mother.

We pray for Elaine Adam who is dealing with health issues.

We hold in prayer Sandi and Eunice Cull as they grieve the loss of their daughter, Dale. In this tender time, we lift up Eunice’s brother, Joseph Brown, who is in hospital struggling with illness. We pray for his healing, strength, and peace, and for God’s comforting presence to surround the whole family

We pray for Milt Muldrew who is dealing with health issues.

We pray for  Bernice Gregory who is dealing with health issues.

We pray for Connie Fillion who is recovering from recent surgery.

We continue to pray for Damber’s family: for Sumi as she continues her recovery and for Sumi’s three nieces, Ameera, Anupaa, and Anuka;  

From Prairie to Pine Region: 
Please hold in prayer the following community of faith:  Morris Pastoral Charge

Trinity provides Church Services at the St. Norbert Personal Care Home and the Waverley/Rosewood Retirement Community. We provide a half-hour service at St. Norbert on the first Thursday of every month at 10:30 am and at the Waverley/Rosewood on the second Wednesday of every month at 10 am. If you would like to join us please contact Nancy or Terry DeLong at (204) 254-3450 or nanter1@shaw.ca

Programs at Trinity: All are welcome to attend

Trinity Yoga on Zoom: Saturday 10:00 a.m.

Worship: Sunday April 5 – Sunrise Service 6:45 a.m and Easter Service 10:45 a.m.

                 Thursday, April 2, Maundy Thursday Service with Good Shepherd 6:15 p.m.

                 Friday, April 3, Good Friday Service – 10:45 a.m.

Bible Study: Resumes Monday April 13, 1:30 p.m. at Trinity           

Yoga: Southside Community Group – In Person and Zoom: Wednesday 10:30 a.m. at Trinity
Trinity Walkers:  From Maryann – Even though the weather has changed I am still walking. Contact me if you are interested in having a walking partner. 

Electronics Recycling – Bring your small electronics for recycling – recycle items that fit into the blue box in the narthex. 

Opportunities to serve: There are many volunteer opportunities in the ministry at Trinity. If you are able to offer the gift of time, please let us know. There are opportunities, to serve on committees, to help with one time special events, help serve at funeral lunches and fellowship coffee, to help with technology, read scripture, offer prayers, sing in the choir, to work at bombers games, help with Sunday School and Youth, etc.

Please prayerfully consider these opportunities and be in touch with the office (204 269 1632) tuc@mymts.net 

We are grateful for every gift given and appreciate all you do for Trinity. We’re always grateful for enthusiastic volunteers to help with worship and other ministries at our church. If you feel called to lend a hand, please stop by the News Board in the Narthex and add your name to the sign-up sheet. Your generosity truly makes a difference.

Office Hours at Trinity United Church are Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  Summer office hours effective May 1 will be Monday to Thursday. The office will be closed Friday April 3rd and Monday April 6th.

“Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.”  Colossians 3:14 (NRSV)

Here is the Worship Link for Sunday, March 29, 2026:

Scripture to Ponder & Prayer

Holy Week

This week is Holy Week, the most significant moments in the journey of faith, witnesses, and proclamation. It is a sacred movement of mixed bitter and sweet moments: shouts of “Hosanna” and cries from the cross, silence in the tomb and joy at the dawn. These are not only historical moments but living manifestations of God’s love unfolding among us even now.

The scriptures are varied, rich, and deeply human, inviting us to walk the whole journey, from suffering to resurrection. Here are a few for your prayerful reading:

Good Friday: Isaiah 52:13—53:12; Psalm 22; Hebrews 10:16–25; John 18:1—19:42

Easter Sunday: Jeremiah 31:1–6; Psalm 118:1–2, 14–24; Colossians 3:1–4; John 20:1–18

Holy Week draws us into the deepest rhythms of faith. It does not rush us to Easter morning, it invites us to linger, to witness, to feel. We walk with Jesus through betrayal and abandonment, through suffering and silence. Psalm 22 gives voice to the cry of human anguish—“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”—a cry that still echoes in our world today.

Isaiah’s suffering servant reminds us that God is not distant from pain but is found within it—bearing wounds, carrying burdens, holding steady in the face of injustice. The cross reveals a love that does not turn away, a love that remains present even when hope feels lost.

And yet, the story does not end there.

Easter comes quietly—at first light, in a garden, with questions still hanging in the air. Mary comes with grief and finds the unexpected. The stone is rolled away, but understanding does not arrive all at once. Resurrection unfolds slowly—name by name, heart by heart.

In Acts, Peter proclaims a widening vision: God shows no partiality. Resurrection is not confined—it reaches outward, breaking barriers, calling all into new life. Jeremiah speaks of a love that endures—“I have loved you with an everlasting love.” Even after exile, even after loss, God gathers and restores.

Psalm 118 becomes our shared song: “This is the day that the Lord has made.” Not because suffering has been erased, but because God has transformed it. The stone rejected has become the cornerstone.

And Paul calls us to live differently: “You have been raised with Christ.” Resurrection is not only something we celebrate—it is something we embody. A way of living marked by hope, courage, compassion, and renewal.

This is the mystery and promise of our faith:

The cross is real.

The tomb is real.

But so is resurrection.

God does not avoid the broken places of our lives—God enters them, redeems them, and brings forth new life.

Let us pray:

Gracious and life-giving God,

In this holy journey, we walk with Christ through shadow and light—through sorrow and hope.

When the weight of the world feels heavy, remind us that you are near.

When we face uncertainty, hold us in your steadfast love.

In the cross, we see love poured out.

In the empty tomb, we see love made new.

Risen Christ, meet us in our questions and longing.

Open our eyes to your presence in ordinary moments—

in acts of kindness, justice, and quiet hope.

Raise us to live as Easter people,

bearing light, speaking peace, and embodying your love.

For we trust that nothing is beyond your redemption—

that even from death, you bring life.

Alleluia. Christ is risen.

Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia. Amen.