Order of Service - May 1, 2021
Confession and Forgiveness
L: If we say we have no sin we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. Let us confess our sin to God who is faithful and just and who has promised to forgive our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Silence for reflection and self-examination
L: Most merciful God,
C: Have mercy on us.
We confess to you that we have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not trusted You with our whole heart; we have not loved one another in deed and in truth. In your compassion forgive our sin and so uphold us by your Spirit that we may live and serve You in newness of life through Jesus Christ our light and our truth. Amen.
L: With joy, I proclaim to you that Almighty God, rich in mercy, abundant in love, forgives you all your sin and grants you newness of life in Jesus Christ.
C: Thanks be to God.
“Now the Green Blade Rises”
Now the green blade rises from the buried grain,
wheat that in dark earth many days has lain;
love lives again, that with the dead has been;
love is come again like wheat arising green.
In the grave they laid him, love by hatred slain,
thinking that he would never wake again;
laid in the earth like grain that sleeps unseen;
love is come again like wheat arising green.
Forth he came at Easter, like the risen grain,
he that for three days in the grave had lain;
raised from the dead, my living Lord is seen;
love is come again like wheat arising green.
When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain,
your touch can call us back to life again,
fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been;
love is come again like wheat arising green.
Text: John MacLeod Campbell Crum, 1872-1958
Text from Oxford Book of Carols © Oxford University Press 1928. All rights reserved
Duplication in any form prohibited without permission
Apostolic Greeting
L: 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.
Kyrie
L: In peace, in peace.
Let us pray to the Lord,
C: Lord have mercy, Christ, have mercy, Lord, have mercy.
L: For the Reign of God, and for peace throughout the world, for the unity of all. Let us pray to the Lord,
C: Lord, have mercy, Christ, have mercy Lord, have mercy.
L: For your people here, who have come to give you praise, for the strength to live your Word.
Let us pray to the Lord,
C: Lord, have mercy, Christ, have mercy, Lord, have mercy.
L: Help, save and defend us, O God.
C: Amen.
Canticle of Praise: Now the Feast
Now the feast and celebration,
All of creation sings for joy
To the God of life and love and
Freedom: praise and glory for
Evermore!
Now is the feast of the Lamb once slain,
Whose blood has freed and united us to be one great people of God.
Now the feast and celebration,
All of creation sings for joy
To the God of life and love and
Freedom: praise and glory for
Evermore!
Power and riches, wisdom and might, all honor and glory to Christ forever.
Now the feast and celebration,
All of creation sings for joy
To the God of life and love and
Freedom: praise and glory for
Evermore!
For God has come to dwell with us, to make us people of God;
to make all things new.
Now the feast and celebration,
All of creation sings for joy
To the God of life and love and
Freedom: praise and glory for
Evermore!
Prayer of the Day:
P: Let us pray…O God,
C: You give us your Son as the vine apart from whom we cannot live…
Nourish our life in his resurrection, that we may bear the fruit of love and know the fullness of your joy, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
First Reading: Acts 8:26-40
Psalm: Psalm 22:25-31
Second Reading: 1 John 4:7-21
Gospel Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia. Lord,
to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Alleluia!
Gospel Reading
P: The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the fifteenth chapter.
C: Glory to You, O Lord.
John 15:1-8
P: The Gospel of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
Sermon
“Alleluia! Jesus Is Risen!”
Alleluia! Jesus is risen!
Trumpets resounding in glorious light!
Splendor, the Lamb, heaven forever!
Oh, what a miracle God has in sight!
Jesus is risen and we shall arise.
Give God the glory! Alleluia!
Walking the way, Christ in the center
telling the story to open our eyes;
breaking our bread, giving us glory:
Jesus our blessing, our constant surprise.
Jesus is risen and we shall arise.
Give God the glory! Alleluia!
Jesus the vine, we are the branches;
life in the Spirit the fruit of the tree;
heaven to earth, Christ to the people,
gift of the future now flowing to me.
Jesus is risen and we shall arise.
Give God the glory! Alleluia!
Weeping, be gone; sorrow, be silent:
death put asunder, and Easter is bright.
Cherubim sing: O grave, be open!
Clothe us in wonder, adorn us in light.
Jesus is risen and we shall arise.
Give God the glory! Alleluia!
City of God, Easter forever,
golden Jerusalem, Jesus the Lamb,
river of life, saints and archangels,
sing with creation to God the I AM!
Jesus is risen and we shall arise.
Give God the glory! Alleluia!
Holy Baptism
Prayers of Intercession
Each petition ends with:
P: Hear us, O God.
C: Your mercy is Great!
Sharing of the Peace
The Great Thanksgiving
(spoken)
L: The Lord be with you.
C: And Also with you.
L: Lift up your hearts.
C: We lift them to the Lord.
L: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
C: It is right to give God thanks and praise.
Preface
L: It is our duty and delight…we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
Holy, Holy, Holy
Holy, holy, holy are you, God of power and might;
Heaven and earth are filled with your glory.
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is the One who comes in your name.
Hosanna in the highest, hosanna in the highest!
Words of Institution
Lord’s Prayer
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.
Distribution
Post-Communion Prayer
“Christ Is Alive! Let Christians Sing”
Christ is alive! Let Christians sing.
The cross stands empty to the sky.
Let streets and homes with praises ring.
Love, drowned in death, shall never die.
Christ is alive! No longer bound
to distant years in Palestine,
but saving, healing, here and now,
and touching ev’ry place and time.
In ev’ry insult, rift, and war,
where color, scorn, or wealth divide,
Christ suffers still, yet loves the more,
and lives, where even hope has died.
Women and men, in age and youth,
can feel the Spirit, hear the call,
and find the way, the life, the truth,
revealed in Jesus, freed for all.
Christ is alive, and comes to bring
good news to this and every age,
till earth and sky and ocean ring
with joy, with justice, love, and praise.
Text: Brian A. Wren, b. 1936
Text © 1975, rev. 1995 Hope Publishing Company, Carol Stream, IL 60188. All rights reserved. Used by permission. Duplication in any form prohibited without permission or valid license from copyright administrator.
Blessing
Dismissal
L: Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.