Easter 2006

Easter Day: The Word

Notes:

Lights off. Shades down (if any). No candles lit.

Baptismal Font covered with “pall”. An unlighted candle is placed in or on the Font where all can see it. If your Font is portable, you might consider placing it near the front or center of the room.

Processional Cross and Pascal Candle will be carried into the sanctuary.

Obviously, the instructions re the lights and shades are based on this physical plant. You will have to adapt the instructions to your sanctuary's lighting, etc. Basically, the point is to start as if this were an Easter Vigil and bring the lights and mood up to the full Easter celebration by the end of the Easter Proclamation. I always visualize dawn breaking the horizon.

Order for Worship

Prelude

Silence

Pastor and Assistant and Acolyte enter the sanctuary with the lighted Pascal Candle and processional cross and process to before the Baptismal Font. They turn to face the people.

P: Into the silence of the void the Creator spoke, and the world came into being. The Word of God in the vastness brought light from darkness, matter from nothing, flesh from dust, life from lifelessness.

The Pall is removed.

A: In the quiet of a small town in Palestine the Word of God came to us. Even though of one being with the Creator, Jesus our Christ, taking on human form, was born, lived, and walked among us, speaking the words of life. He was crucified, died, and was buried. He rose from the dead and speaks to us today. He is the one who saves us from ourselves.

Water is poured into the Font.

P: In the stillness of our souls the Spirit of God, who is one with the Creator and the Christ, whispers the Word, and calls us back to the Creator, back to the Christ, back to the wholeness of everlasting life in the unity of the Creator, Christ and Spirit.

The Font Candle is lighted from the Pascal Candle.

A: O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.

P: O give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever.

A: O give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever;

P: Who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever;

Who by understanding made the heavens, for his steadfast love endures forever;

Who spread out the earth on the waters, for his steadfast love endures forever;

Who made the great lights, for his steadfast love endures forever;

The sun to rule over the day, for his steadfast love endures forever;

the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever;

A: It is he who remembered us in our low estate, for his steadfast love endures forever;

P: And rescued us from our foes, for his steadfast love endures forever

A: Who gives food to all flesh, for his steadfast love endures forever.

C: O give thanks to the God of heaven, for his steadfast love endures forever.

Psalm 136:1-9, 23-26

During the singing of the Easter Refrain the lights are brought up to “high dim”. Peace and Altar candles are lighted. The Pascal Candle and the Processional Cross are placed in their stands. The Pastor and Assistant move to behind the altar.

Easter Refrain: “Alleluia Psalm Refrain - O Give Thanks For He Is Good.” (Music: Easter Refrain)

Sing verse 1, then verse 2. Repeat as necessary.

Verses may be sung together in harmony.

1. O give thanks....

2. Alleluia....

A: Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

P: Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; listen, so that you may live. I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.

A: See, I made him a witness to the peoples, a leader and commander for the peoples.

P: See, you shall call nations that you do not know, and nations that do not know you shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.

A: Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake their way, and the unrighteous their thoughts; let them return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

P: For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there until they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

Isaiah 55:1-11

P: I will take you from the nations, and gather you from all the countries, and bring you into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances. Then you shall live in the land that I gave to your ancestors; and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.

Ezekiel 36:24-28

During the Easter Refrain the first window blind is opened.

Easter Refrain: “Alleluia Psalm Refrain - For He Is My Chosen Portion”

Sing verse 1, then verse 2. Repeat as necessary.

Verses may be sung together in harmony.

1. For He is my chosen...

2. Christ is risen!...

P: Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak.

A: The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it.

P: I will deal with all your oppressors at that time. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the LORD. Zephaniah 3:14-20

A: As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me continually, "Where is your God?"

C: These things I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I went with the throng, and led them in procession to the house of God, with glad shouts and songs of thanksgiving, a multitude keeping festival. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.

P: My soul is cast down within me; therefore I remember you from the land of Jordan and of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. Deep calls to deep at the thunder of your cataracts; all your waves and your billows have gone over me. By day the LORD commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life. I say to God, my rock, "Why have you forgotten me? Why must I walk about mournfully because the enemy oppresses me?" As with a deadly wound in my body, my adversaries taunt me, while they say to me continually, "Where is your God?"

C: Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.

Psalm 42

During the Easter Refrain the second window blind is opened.

Easter Refrain: “Alleluia Psalm Refrain - O Give Ear, O Israel”

Sing verse 1, then verse 2. Repeat as necessary.

Verses may be sung together in harmony.

1. O give ear, ....

2. Alleluia....

P: Surely God is my salvation;

C: I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the LORD God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. With joy I will draw water from the wells of salvation. And I will say in that day: Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Isaiah 12:2-6

A: O sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things. His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory. The LORD has made known his victory; he has revealed his vindication in the sight of the nations.

C: He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

P: Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises. Sing praises to the LORD with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody. With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the LORD.

C: Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who live in it.

A: Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing together for joy at the presence of the LORD,

C: For he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.

Psalm 98

During the Easter Refrain the third window blind is opened.

Easter Refrain: “Alleluia Psalm Refrain - Sing A New Song To The Lord”

Sing verse 1, then verse 2. Repeat as necessary.

Verses may be sung together in harmony.

1. Sing a new song....

2. Christ is risen!....

A: When Israel went out from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language, Judah became God's sanctuary, Israel his dominion. The sea looked and fled; Jordan turned back. The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.

C: Why is it, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back? O mountains, that you skip like rams? O hills, like lambs?

A: Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turns the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of water.

Psalm 114

P: Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin. For whoever has died is freed from sin. But if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. The death he died, he died to sin, once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Romans 6:3-11

During the Easter Refrain the fourth window blind is opened.

Easter Refrain: “Alleluia Psalm Refrain - O Give Thanks For He Is Good.”

Sing verse 1, then verse 2. Repeat as necessary.

Verses may be sung together in harmony.

1. O give thanks....

2. Alleluia....

Stand

Easter Proclamation:

P: (moving into the midst of the congregation) In the beginning, God began creating the world. In the beginning, was such love as the world no longer knows. Such light as the world no longer sees. Such life as the world no longer feels. Yet, even in that beginning, we were given our freedom. Our freedom to choose. To choose life or death. God or loneliness. And we chose. We chose loneliness and death.

However, in the beginning when God began creating the earth there was the Word. The Word of life for all creation. The Word of our salvation. The Word that would free us from our loneliness. Free us from our death. And that Word was Jesus.

Jesus is the Word of all life. The Word of all love. The Word of all light. Jesus who came to us as a human. Died our death. Jesus who destroyed all death now and forever. Jesus who is our Christ, the Chosen One of God, the Messiah, the Savior. Jesus who is, was and always will be... Alive.

All the lights are turned on.

Praise Song: Fanfare for Easter (Jay Althouse) - Choir

with Jesus Christ is Risen Today - congregation

Text: Latin carol, 14th cent., sts. 1-3; Charles Wesley, 1707-1788, st. 4; tr. Lyra Davidica, London, 1708, sts. 1-3

Music: Lyra Davidica, London, 1708

Tune Name: EASTER HYMN

Choir: .... Alleluia. Alleluia.

P: Christ is risen!

C: He is risen indeed!

Jesus Christ is ris'n today, Alleluia!

Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!

Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!

Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!

Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!

Unto Christ, our heav'nly king, Alleluia!

Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!

Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!

Sing we to our God above, Alleluia!

Praise eternal as his love; Alleluia!

Praise him, all you heav'nly host, Alleluia!

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Alleluia!

Choir: .... Alleluia. Alleluia.

Sit

First Lesson: 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."

Psalm Refrain: This Is the Day Verse 1

Text & Music: Natalie Sleeth, 1976, Copyright Administrator: Hinshaw Music, Inc.

(Can be found in the collection, LifeSongs Songbook, from AugsburgFortress Press)

Refrain: This is the day that the Lord has made!....

Christ has conquered...dawns the morning clear and bright!

A: (spoken over music) O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever! Let Israel say,

C: "His steadfast love endures forever."

A: The Lord is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous:

C: "The right hand of the Lord does valiantly; the right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord does valiantly."

A: I shall not die,

C: but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.

A: The Lord has punished me severely,

C: but he did not give me over to death.

A: Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.

C: This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.

A: I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.

C: This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24

Psalm Refrain: This Is the Day Verse 2

Text & Music: Natalie Sleeth, 1976, Copyright Administrator: Hinshaw Music, Inc.

(Can be found in the collection, LifeSongs Songbook, from Augsburg Fortress Press)

Refrain: This is the day that the Lord has made!....

Jesus lives...songs of gladness let us sing.

Second Lesson: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you-unless you have come to believe in vain. For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them-though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.

Stand

Gospel Song: Christ Has Been Raised

Text & Music: Ray Makeever, 1987, Copyright Administrator: Augsburg Fortress Press

(from the songbook, Dancing At The Harvest, Augsburg Fortress Press)

Christ has been raised... the Lord has been raised.

P: The Easter Gospel is Mark 16:1-8.

C: Glory to you, O Lord.

The Holy Gospel is read

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you." So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

P: The Word of the Lord.

C: Praise to you, O Christ.

Gospel Song: Christ Has Been Raised

Text & Music: Ray Makeever, 1987, Copyright Administrator: Augsburg Fortress Press

(from the songbook, Dancing At The Harvest, Augsburg Fortress Press)

Christ has been raised... the Lord has been raised.

Sit

Message

Stand

Theme Song: Christ Is Alive! Let Christians Sing

Text: Brian A. Wren, b. 1936, alt., 1975 Copyright Administrator: Hope Publishing Company (ASCAP)

Music Source: Music: T. Williams, Psalmodia Evangelica, 1789

Christ is alive... his love shall never die.

Christ is alive...conquer ev'ry place and time.

Not throned afar,....Savior with the Father reigns.

In ev'ry insult, rift,....lives, though ever crucified.

Christ is alive!... all on earth displayed.

Testimony of Faith: Nicene Creed (inclusive language)

We believe in one God the Creator Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Creator before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Creator by whom all things were made; who for us, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sits on the right hand of the Creator. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Creator and the Son, who with the Creator and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Anthem:

Prayers of the Church

Greeting of Peace

P: Before the foundation of the world Christ forgave us, and forgives us still today. Let us forgive as we have been forgiven and share the peace of Christ. Peace be with you.

C: And also with you.

All may share a greeting of peace.

Sit

Offering

Optional Anthem

Stand

Offering Song: Oh, What Shall I Render

Text: Martin A. Seltz, based on Psalm 116, 1998, Copyright Administrator: Augsburg Fortress

Music: FOUNDATION, early North American

Oh, what shall I render... faithfulness, new ev'ry day.

My hands take the cup...your goodness proclaim.

Offering Prayer:

A: We come to you, O God, filled with gratitude and love.

C: We come to you blessed with life, blessed with faith, blessed with gifts of the spirit, blessed with gifts of the mind, blessed with talents of the body. We come blessed with homes, blessed with money, blessed with possessions, and blessed with time. All these things come from you and to you they belong. We return all that we are and have back to you, O God. Accept us, use us, and lead us to do your will so that others may be blessed by you through us. Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer:

P The love of God flows among us: a never ending stream, cascading down, running joyfully over the streambeds of our lives, washing us clean, filling our souls with the life-giving waters of salvation from Christ Jesus, the source of all life and the fount of all nourishment.

For in the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus Christ, took the bread, and after giving thanks, blessed it, broke it, giving it to all to eat saying, “This is my body which is broken for you.”

After the supper, taking the cup, he blessed it and gave it to all to drink saying, “This is the new covenant in my blood which is shed for you.”

As we have died with Christ so have we risen with him. Remembering this life saving grace and resurrection, we join with all creation in praising your name, now and forever.

C: Amen.

Communion Song: Alleluia! Jesus Is Risen! Verses 1,2,5

Alleluia! Jesus is risen!... miracle God has in sight!

Refrain: Jesus is risen and we... Alleluia!

Walking the way, ... Jesus our blessing, our constant surprise. Refrain

City of God, Easter ... creation to God the I AM! Refrain

The Lord’s Prayer:

P: Let us pray the prayer Jesus taught us,

C: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours now and forever. Amen.

Sit

Distribution of Holy Communion

Stand

Dismissal from Holy Communion:

P: May the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ be for you the food and drink of everlasting life, sustaining, upholding and keeping you always in the grace of God.

C: Amen.

Thanksgiving Song: Thine Is the Glory LBW 145

Text: Edmond Budry, 1854-1932; tr. R. Birch Hoyle, 1875-1939

Music: George F. Handel, 1685-1759, adapt.

Tune Name: JUDAS MACCABAEUS

Thine is the glory,

risen, conqu'ring Son;

endless is the vict'ry

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, conqu'ring Son;

endless is the vict'ry

thou o'er death hast won!

Lo, Jesus meets thee,

risen from the tomb!

Lovingly he greets thee,

scatters fear and gloom;

let his church with gladness

hymns of triumph sing,

for the Lord now liveth;

death hath lost its sting!

Refrain:

No more we doubt thee,

glorious Prince of life;

life is nought without thee;

aid us in our strife;

make us more than conqu'rors,

through thy deathless love;

bring us safe through Jordan

to thy home above.

Refrain

Post Communion Prayer:

A: Almighty God, you have wrought for us salvation through the suffering, death and resurrection of your Son, Jesus the Christ.

C: In thanksgiving and joy we rejoice in the newness of life which you have graciously provided for us. Celebrating with all the universe and all the peoples throughout all the ages the wonder of an eternity with you. May we carry that living water and food to everyone we meet. Amen.

Blessing:

P: May the Word of love fill your days.

May the Light of the universe guide your ways.

May the Source of all life course through your deeds.

May the God of all, Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

Keep you always in the joy of God’s gift of life.

C: Amen.

Sit

Community Announcements

Stand

Sending Song: Christ the Lord Is Risen Today; Alleluia! LBW 128

Text: Latin sequence, c. 1100; tr. Jane E. Leeson, 1807-1882, alt.

Music: Robert Williams, c. 1781-1821

Tune Name: LLANFAIR

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!

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!

Hail, the victim undefiled, Alleluia!

God and sinners reconciled, Alleluia!

when contending death and life, Alleluia!

met in strange and awesome strife. Alleluia!

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!

P: Christ is risen!

C: He is risen indeed!

A: Go in peace. Serve the risen Lord!

C: Thanks be to God!

Postlude