Opening Hymn
Opening Sentences
Christ yesterday, today, tomorrow
the beginning and the end,
Alpha and Omega, all time belongs to Christ, and all ages;
to him be glory and power, through every age and forever. Amen.
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and to you no secrets are hid. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may truly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Christ our Lord. AMEN.
Lighting the Easter Candle
Member of the Congregation:
Light breaks through the darkness — death does not get the last word.
Love is stronger than fear, and life rises where we thought all was lost.
People:
Christ is alive and so are we!
An acolyte or child lights the Easter Candle.
Easter Canticle
The Collect of the Day
Our God is with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
Living God,
to truly know you is life that never ends.
Help us to know Jesus deeply—
as the way we walk,
the truth we trust,
and the life that sustains us.
Give us courage to follow where he leads,
on the path that brings life in its fullness.
We pray in the name of Jesus,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and always. Amen.
The Ministry of the Word
Acts 7
Stephen continued to preach and speak the truth, but at that point the crowd lost it, a rioting mob of catcalls and whistles and invective. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, hardly noticed—he only had eyes for God, whom he saw in all his glory with Jesus standing at his side. He said, “Oh! I see heaven wide open and the Son of Man standing at God’s side!”
Yelling and hissing, the mob drowned him out. Now in full stampede, they dragged him out of town and pelted him with rocks. The ringleaders took off their coats and asked a young man named Saul to watch them.
As the rocks rained down, Stephen prayed, “Master Jesus, take my life.” Then he knelt down, praying loud enough for everyone to hear, “Master, don’t blame them for this sin”—his last words. Then he died.
Saul was right there, congratulating the killers.
Hear what God’s Spirit is saying to you. To you! I am listening!
Psalm 31
I run to you, God; I run for dear life.
Don’t let me down!
Take me seriously this time!
Get down on my level and listen,
and please—no procrastination!
Your granite cave a hiding place,
your high cliff nest a place of safety.
You’re my cave to hide in,
my cliff to climb.
Be my safe leader,
be my true mountain guide.
Free me from hidden traps;
I want to hide in you.
I’ve put my life in your hands.
You won’t drop me,
you’ll never let me down.
Desperate, I throw myself on you:
you are my God!
Hour by hour I place my days in your hand,
safe from the hands out to get me.
Warm me, your servant, with a smile;
save me because you love me.
Don’t embarrass me by not showing up;
I’ve given you plenty of notice.
1 Peter 2
So clean house! Make a clean sweep of malice and pretense, envy and hurtful talk. You’ve had a taste of God. Now, like infants at the breast, drink deep of God’s pure kindness. Then you’ll grow up mature and whole in God.
Welcome to the living Stone, the source of life. The workmen took one look and threw it out; God set it in the place of honor. Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering Christ-approved lives up to God. The Scriptures provide precedent:
Look! I’m setting a stone in Zion,
a cornerstone in the place of honor.
Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundation
will never have cause to regret it.
To you who trust him, he’s a Stone to be proud of, but to those who refuse to trust him,
The stone the workmen threw out
is now the chief foundation stone.
For the untrusting it’s
. . . a stone to trip over,
a boulder blocking the way.
They trip and fall because they refuse to obey, just as predicted.
But you are the ones chosen by God, chosen for the high calling of priestly work, chosen to be a holy people, God’s instruments to do his work and speak out for him, to tell others of the night-and-day difference he made for you—from nothing to something, from rejected to accepted.
Hear what God’s Spirit is saying to our community. We are so grateful!
Gradual Hymn
John 14
The Awesome News of our Saviour Jesus Christ according to John.
Glory to you, Lord Christ.
Jesus said, “Don’t let this rattle you. You trust God, don’t you? Trust me. There is plenty of room for you in my Father’s home. If that weren’t so, would I have told you that I’m on my way to get a room ready for you? And if I’m on my way to get your room ready, I’ll come back and get you so you can live where I live. And you already know the road I’m taking.”
Thomas said, “Master, we have no idea where you’re going. How do you expect us to know the road?”
Jesus said, “I am the Road, also the Truth, also the Life. No one gets to the Father apart from me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him. You’ve even seen him!”
Philip said, “Master, show us the Father; then we’ll be content.”
“You’ve been with me all this time, Philip, and you still don’t understand? To see me is to see the Father. So how can you ask, ‘Where is the Father?’ Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you aren’t mere words. I don’t just make them up on my own. The Father who resides in me crafts each word into a divine act.
“Believe me: I am in my Father and my Father is in me. If you can’t believe that, believe what you see—these works. The person who trusts me will not only do what I’m doing but even greater things, because I, on my way to the Father, am giving you the same work to do that I’ve been doing. You can count on it. From now on, whatever you request along the lines of who I am and what I am doing, I’ll do it. That’s how the Father will be seen for who he is in the Son. I mean it. Whatever you request in this way, I’ll do.
The Gospel of Our Jesus. Praise to you, Lord Christ.
The Sermon
A Contemporary Creed
Because We Believe
Words adapted from Because We Believe, Don Moen
We believe in God the Father
We believe in Christ the Son
We believe in the Holy Spirit
We are the Church
And we stand as one
Holy holy, Holy is our God
Worthy worthy, Worthy is our King
All glory and honor are His to receive
To Jesus we sing, because we believe
We believe in the Living Scriptures
We believe in all peoples’ worth.
We believe in the resurrection, That Christ calls us
To protect the Earth.
Holy holy, Holy is our God
Worthy worthy, Worthy is our King
All glory and honor are His to receive
To Jesus we sing, because we believe.
We believe it’s love that saves us
That we’re all meant for divine rebirth.
We believe that beyond our vision
Is a boundless realm of joy and mirth.
Holy holy, Holy is our God
Worthy worthy, Worthy is our King
All glory and honor are His to receive
To Jesus we sing, because we believe.
Amen.
The Prayers of the People
We know that when we center our minds and hearts and welcome God’s Presence among us, extraordinary things happen. Let us pray: May each of us be aware of the Spirit of God within us today and respond to the Good News.
God, we are praying.
Let us pray for world peace, especially in those places devastated by violence: in Palestine, Iran, Ukraine and Sudan, in homes torn by domestic violence, wherever fists and weapons are used to injure and kill.
God, we are praying.
Let us pray for inner peace. For a relief to crippling anxiety and to deadening complacency. For insight, for challenge, for comfort, for the knowledge that we are not alone.
God, we are praying.
Let us pray for an abundance of health, for prosperity, and for joy for all. For children around the world, and for the families that love them. For couples, extended families, and single persons, aunts and uncles by blood and spirit, friends and pets, work colleagues, mentors, and those whom we can influence and support.
God, we are praying.
Let us pray for the world, in this profoundly troubled time. For the leaders of this country and all countries, that they respect the rule of law, uphold civil and human rights, roll back prejudice and hatred, and truly work for the wellbeing of all and for the planet’s future.
God, we are praying!
Let us pray for those we love who may be facing troubles with health or life. For those who may be sick, suffering or troubled. For those who have lost jobs or need work For the challenges and dangers that we face. I invite you to add your own petitions, either silently or aloud.
(Silence)
Let us pray also for those we love who have died, naming them silently or aloud. (Silence) Together, let us say,
God, we are praying.
We lift up these prayers in the belief that we are bonded in God’s Spirit with everything that exists. We pray with faith and confidence.
Amen.
The Peace
Leader: Let us greet each other in the name of our Lord Christ. May Christ’s peace be with you, always.
And also with you.
Announcements
The Holy Communion
Walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God. Ephesians 5:2
During the Offertory, a hymn, psalm, or anthem may be sung.
Doxology
(Words: Isaac Watts (1674-1748), para. of Psalm 117; Music: Old 100th, melody from Pseaumes octante trois de David, 1551, alt.; harm. after Louis Bourgeois (1510?-1561?); Licensed for Use: CCLI Copyright License 20716203; CCLI Streaming License 20716210
The Great Thanksgiving
May God be with you
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to God.
Now let us give thanks to God.
Our Sustainer, Healer and Redeemer.
We give thanks and rejoice that Jesus lived, loved, died and lives on in God and among those who follow him. We rejoice that Jesus lives, as we all do, in the reality we call God.
We believe that death is not the end, but rather a transformation into new possibilities. Nothing that exists is ever completely destroyed. A star exploding or a leaf falling: both offer new possibilities and live on in ways unknown to stars and leaves.
Winter gives way to spring. What is once lifeless now abounds with life, new possibilities and delights. We, too, experience new possibilities arising from our failures or disappointments or what has come to an end.
We give thanks for all the influences in our lives that have helped us see beyond the present, that have called us to live in hope and trust whatever endings we have experienced.
We give thanks for Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus the Christ, who inspired us to put our hope and trust in Life and Love. We give thanks for the way he opened our minds and hearts to see and appreciate the deep and never-ending presence of God, who is Love.
We give thanks for the spirit of new life active in our lives as it was in the life of Jesus.
At this Easter gathering, we take bread, as Jesus took bread, and we remember, as Jesus remembered, God’s constant presence, as we say together the words he said:
Take, eat. This is my body, given for you. Do this to remember me.
We take wine and drink, as Jesus invited his friends to drink, mindful that God is love and trust, as we say together the words he said:
Drink this, all of you. This is my blood, poured out for you. Drink this to remember me.
We believe, with Jesus, that beyond pain and darkness and death is life unending, fresh, new meaning.
We believe that God sends a sacred spirit on these gifts that we offer, and turns them into God’s own body and blood.
We break and share this bread, as Jesus broke and shared it.
We share it as our pledge of openness to God in our midst, in acknowledgment of our eternal connection with the spirit of life.
Mindful of God’s great compassion, let us fill our hearts with compassion – towards ourselves and towards all living beings.
May all living beings realize that they are kin, all nourished from the same source of life.
May we ourselves cease to be the cause of suffering to each other.
May we live in a way which will not deprive other beings of air, water, food, shelter, or the chance to live.
With humility, with awareness of the existence of life, and of the sufferings that are going on around us, let us pray for the establishment of peace in our hearts and on earth.
For the journey that life has been, Amen.
for all that life is for us now, Amen.
for all that the future holds, Amen.
and for the mystery of life beyond death. Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
And now, in the words that Jesus taught us, we pray:
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.
Lead us not into temptation, and deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the Kingdom, the power and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen.
Breaking of the Bread
Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. Alleluia, Alleluia!
Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia, Alleluia!
These are the gifts of God for you, the people of God.
Post-Communion Prayer
Precious Savior, out of your abundance you have fed us what we need, sparing none of your good gifts in Jesus Christ. Thank you, Lord. Now may we live as you taught us to, open to the depth of your presence in our lives and the lives of all, and ready to follow where You lead. AMEN.
Blessing
Let’s extend our hands over one another for a final blessing:
May we all have the power to live life fully, the grace and passion to love generously, and the courage to be all we can be!
And the blessing of God, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer of all, be with you now and always. Amen.
Closing Hymn
Dismissal
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Alleluia, Alleluia!
Thanks be to God, Alleluia, Alleluia!