Easter Sunday Worship Service on Sunday, April 12th at 10 a.m. I will launch this service at around 9:30 a.m.
These Services will be provided by Zoom again. The Zoom password that you will need if asked: 762034
We will be holding Sunday Church Services this way until further notice. Every Sunday, there will be a Church Service using Zoom.
Thank you,
Jeremy Grasby
Worship in the Home - Easter Sunday - April 12, 2020
GREETING AND PRAYER
P. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all!
C. And also with you!
Let us pray: Living God! With the women who were the first to proclaim the goodnews, we gather in our many places – in our houses, apartments, rooms, in front of computers – to meditate and to sing your praises. Through your resurrection, a door has been opened and your peace is shared. Keep us in that peace throughout these exceptional times. We ask this in the name of Jesus, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
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INVITATION INTO THE JOURNEY THROUGH WORD, PRAYER AND SONG.
We have engaged Holy Week in new ways this year, not being together physically, but deeply connected through Word and prayer and song and silence. Today is the day! Christ is Risen! Alleluia! And together we continue to proclaim that life giving mystery even as we wait to gather together. Praise be God who is with us through all trials and tribulations of this world, and having vanquished death, now renews us through the Holy Spirit given in baptism.
Christ is Risen! Alleluia!
Christ is risen, indeed! Alleluia!
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HYMN: CHRIST THE LORD IS RISEN TODAY: ALLELUIA! ELW 369
1 Christ the Lord is ris'n today; Alleluia!
Christians, hasten on your way; Alleluia!
offer praise with love replete, Alleluia!
at the paschal victim's feet. Alleluia!
2 For the sheep the Lamb has bled, Alleluia!
sinless in the sinner's stead. Alleluia!
Christ the Lord is ris'n on high; Alleluia!
now he lives, no more to die. Alleluia!
3 Christ, the victim undefiled, Alleluia!
God and sinners reconciled, Alleluia!
when contending death and life, Alleluia!
met in strange and awesome strife. Alleluia!
4 Christians, on this holy day, Alleluia!
all your grateful homage pay; Alleluia!
Christ the Lord is ris'n on high; Alleluia!
now he lives, no more to die. Alleluia!
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PRAYER OF THE DAY:
P. The Lord be with you.
C. And also with you.
Let us pray: God of mercy, we no longer look for Jesus among the dead, for he is alive and has become the Lord of life. Increase in our minds and hearts the risen life we share with Christ, and help us to grow as your people toward the fullness of eternal life with you, through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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WORD: Isaiah 25:6-9 NRSV
On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spoken. It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the Lord for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
Prayer: O God, you wipe away all tears from our faces. You have swallowed up death. Awaken and strengthen within us that hope into which you have called us: nothing will separate us from your love. Let us be glad and rejoice! We ask this all in the name of Jesus, our Saviour and Lord. Amen.
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WORD: Acts 10:34-43
[Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”]
Prayer: O God of all peoples, who shows no partiality, you invite all into your peace won for us through the resurrection of your son Jesus Christ. Embolden our work to dismantle all barriers and, in your Holy Spirit, renew our pursuit of reconciliation through Jesus, our Saviour and Lord. Amen.
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WORD: Colossians 3:1-4 "So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory."
Prayer: O God, our lives are hidden in Christ with you. Through your Holy Spirit shape us, mold us, conform us into Christ that our whole lives proclaim your justice, your compassion, and your praise. We ask this through Jesus, our Savior and Lord. Amen.
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GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (spoken):
Alleluia! Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed.
Therefore, let us keep the feast. Alleluia. (1 Cor. 5:7, 8)
GOSPEL:
P. The holy Gospel according to St. John 20:1-18
C. Glory to you, O Lord
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes. But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
The gospel of the Lord
Praise to you, O Christ.
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SERMON: Christ is Risen, Alleluia!
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HYMN - This Easter Celebration AURELIA 7.6.7.6 D (Tune “The Church’s One Foundation,” ELW 654) (A pastor, Rev. Carolyn Winfrey Gillette, who is a poet/lyricist who writes new hymn text in response to current situations based on familiar church tunes)
1. This Easter celebration is not like ones we’ve known.
We pray in isolation, we sing the hymns alone.
We’re distant from our neighbors — from worship leaders, too.
No flowers grace the chancel to set a festive mood.
2. No gathered choirs are singing; no banners lead the way.
O God of love and promise, where’s joy this Easter Day?
With sanctuaries empty, may homes become the place
we ponder resurrection and celebrate your grace.
3. Our joy won’t come from worship that’s in a crowded room
but from the news of women who saw the empty tomb.
Our joy comes from disciples who ran with haste to see—
who heard that Christ is risen, and then, by grace, believed.
4. In all the grief and suffering, may we remember well:
Christ suffered crucifixion and faced the powers of hell.
Each Easter bears the promise: Christ rose that glorious day!
Now nothing in creation can keep your love away.
5. We thank you that on Easter, your church is blessed to be
a scattered, faithful body that’s doing ministry.
In homes and in the places of help and healing, too,
we live the Easter message by gladly serving you
Tune: Samuel Sebastian Wesley, 1864
Text: Copyright © 2020 by Carolyn Winfrey Gillette.
New Hymns: www.carolynshymns.com
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NICENE CREED
P. Let us profess our faith in the words of the Nicene Creed:
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,*
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
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PRAYERS FOR THE PEOPLE
P. Together, we pray for the church, the earth, the world, those in need, and all the members of God’s family.
* For our Bishops (National and Synod), Pastor Laurel and the clergy of the ELCIC in their diverse ministries, lay ministers.
• For all creation
• For peace and justice
• For those in public office
• For all suffering from COVID-19, physically and in many other ways
• For healing from all diseases, especially cancer, HIV and AIDS, malaria, dengue, and many others…
• For refugees and displaced persons
• For those who experience no hope in their darkness
• For the church that it proclaims the gospel in and out of season
• For all faith communities that wait in hope to gather once again
• For all those who have died (especially remembering Wally Tetzlaff and others we name in our hearts…)
We entrust to you, O God, all these petitions as we pray…
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LORD'S PRAYER
P Let us pray the prayer our Lord taught us:
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 trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
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HYMN (Read or sung together)
"Christ is Risen! Alleluia! (or Hallelujah)(ELW 382)
(Hymn lyrics printed under One Licence # 731166-A)
1 Christ is Risen. Hallelujah! Risen our victorious head.
Sing his praises, hallelujah! Christ is risen from the dead!
Gratefully our hearts adore him, as his light once more appears,
Bowing down in jot before him, rising up from griefs and treads.
Chorus
Christ is Risen. Hallelujah! Risen our victorious head!
Sing his praises, hallelujah! Christ is risen from the dead!
2 Christ is risen! All the sadness of our Lenten fast is o’er,
Through the open gates of gladness he returns to life once more.
Death and hell before him bending, see him rise, the victor now,
Angels on his steps attending, glory round his wounded brow. Chorus
3 Christ is risen! Henceforth never death or hell shall us enthral;
We are Christ’s, in him forever, we have triumphed over all;
All the doubting and dejection of our trembling hearts have ceased,
’Tis the day of resurrections! Let us rise and keep the feast. Chorus
For those with on line access, an instrumental version of this hymn may be heard by clicking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdwQV54AEk4
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BLESSING
P. May the One who brought forth Jesus from the dead raise you to new life, fill you with hope, and turn your mourning into dancing. Almighty God, U Father, Son and Holy Spirit, bless you now and forever. AMEN
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DISMISSAL
You are the body of Christ, raised up for the world.
Go in Peace. Share the good news. Alleluia!
Thanks be to God. Alleluia
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From Pastor Laurel: Peace and joy be with you all. Alleluia!
Material from Evangelical Lutheran Worship copyright © 2006 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America admin. Augsburg Fortress. Reproduced by permission for local use only. No further reproduction or transmission is allowed without the written permission of Augsburg Fortress. Contact copyright@1517.media. New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission.
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