Order of Worship
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Hymn/Song “I Love to Tell the Story,” ELW 661, vs. 1, 2
Verse 1 I love to tell the story, of unseen things above, Of Jesus
and His glory, of Jesus and His love. I love to tell the story, because I know it's true; It satisfies my longings as nothing else would do.
Chorus I love to tell the story; 'Twill be my theme in glory To tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.
Verse 2 I love to tell the story: how pleasant to repeat What seems,
each time I tell it, more wonderfully sweet! I love to tell the story,
for some have never heard The message of salvation from God's own
Holy Word.
Chorus
Remembrance of baptism
Pastor: The water of baptism makes us the body of Christ, rich in Divine creativity. We are a community of many ages and incomes, body types and sizes, genders, races, abilities and hungers--each of us is a glimpse of God from a different angle.
All: The more of us here, the more of God here.
Pastor: (As water is poured into the font) God claims us with delight. And we claim one another as companions in faith. In the promises of baptism we say we will love and support each other, we will work together to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in all forms - within us and around us. We need each other in this shared work of enfleshing the dreams of God.
All: The more of us here, the more of God here.
Pastor: Today, we remember that the love we encounter through baptism cannot be undermined, nor broken. No one and nothing has the power to turn us away from our Creator. We cannot be kicked out, or accepted only in part. And so today, we remember who we are in our baptism--join me in making the sign of the cross traced on your forehead.
All: Because baptized in Christ we are set free: To love wildly. To claim God’s power for giving and receiving mercy, and to rejoice in the Good News that sets the captives free. AMEN
Hymn of Praise: “Now the Green Blade Rises” ELW 379 st. 1, 2
Verse 1 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:
Chorus Love is come again like wheat arising green.
Verse 2 In the grave they laid Him, Love by hatred slain, Thinking that He never would awake again, Laid in the earth like grain that sleeps unseen:
Chorus Love is come again like wheat arising green.
Prayer of the Day
Pastor: Sing praise to our Still-Laughing Easter God
Congregation: Who has rolled away the bindings of yesterday
Pastor: Immerse your anxiety and despair in the fountain of new birth.
Congregation: We place our visions and hopes on the table of wine and wheat.
Pastor: For God has taken ordinary things,
Congregation: And made them extraordinary. Thanks be to God! Amen
Children’s Message
Scripture Readings and Message
Genesis 21:5-6 Abraham, whom Paul would later describe “as good as dead” because he was too old to have children…Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Now Sarah said, “God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.” Isaac means “laughter.”
2 Kings 2:23-24 Elisha (the prophet) went up from there to Bethel; and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go away, baldhead! Go away, baldhead!” When he turned around and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord.
Numbers 22:22-34 Now Balaam was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. The donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand; so the donkey turned off the road, and went into the field; and Balaam struck the donkey, to turn it back onto the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it scraped against the wall, and scraped Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he struck it again. Then the angel of the Lord went ahead, and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam; and Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff.
Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?” Balaam said to the donkey, “Because you have made a fool of me! I wish I had a sword in my hand! I would kill you right now!” But the donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your donkey, which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I been in the habit of treating you this way?” And he said, “No.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed down, falling on his face. The angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? I have come out as an adversary, because your way is perverse before me. The donkey saw me, and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let it live.” Then Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now therefore, if it is displeasing to you, I will return home.”
John 20: 19-28 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”
Offering/Song Holy and Anointed One
Chorus Jesus, Jesus, holy and anointed one, Jesus.
Verse 1 Jesus, Jesus, risen and exalted one, Jesus. Your name is like honey on my lips, Your Spirit like water to my soul, Your Word is a lamp unto my feet. Jesus, I love You, I love You.
Verse 2 Jesus, Jesus, holy and anointed one, Jesus. Your name is like honey on my lips, your Spirit like water to my soul, Your Word is a lamp unto my feet. Jesus, I love You, I love You.
Ending Jesus, Jesus.
Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead.* On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father, and he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.
Prayers
We say, Thank you, God!
Holy Communion
Words of Institution
The Lord’s Prayer
Hymn Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing ELW 807
Verse 1 Come, thou Fount of ev'ry blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace; Streams of mercy, never ceasing, call for songs of loudest praise.
While the hope of endless glory fills my heart with joy and love,
Teach me ever to adore thee; may I still thy goodness prove.
Verse 2 Here I raise my Ebenezer: "Hither by Thy help I've come;"
And I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger, wand'ring from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger, interposed his precious blood.
Verse 3 Oh, to grace how great a debtor daily I'm constrained to be;
Let that grace now like a fetter, bind my wand'ring heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it; prone to leave the God I love.
Here's my heart, oh, take and seal it; seal it for thy courts above.
Hymn Let Us Break Bread Together ELW 471
Verse 1 Let us break bread together on our knees; Let us break bread
Together on our knees.
Chorus When I fall on my knees, with my face to the rising sun, O Lord,
have mercy on me!
Verse 2 Let us drink wine together on our knees; Let us drink wine
Together on our knees.
Chorus
Verse 3 Let us praise God together on our knees; Let us praise God
Together on our knees.
Chorus
Prayer after Communion
Pastor: Holy Mystery, we thank you for this meal and your radical embrace of us. May it strengthen us as we open our minds and hearts to joining the work you’re doing in our neighborhood. Amen
Announcements
Blessing
P: Alleluia! Christ is risen!
C: Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
The God of resurrection power,
the Christ of unending joy,
and the Spirit of Easter hope
☩ bless you now and always.
Amen
Song “I’ll Fly Away”
Verse 1 Some glad morning when this life is o'er, I'll fly away. To a home on God's celestial shore, I'll fly away.
Chorus I'll fly away, O glory; I'll fly away. When I die, hallelujah, by and by, I'll fly away.
Verse 2 When the shadows of this life have grown, I'll fly away. Like a bird
from prison bars has flown, I'll fly away.
Chorus
Verse 3 Just a few more weary days and then I'll fly away. To a land where joys
shall never end, I'll fly away.
Chorus
Ending When I die, hallelujah, by and by, I'll fly away.
Sending
Pastor: We have intentionally gathered in grace,
All: Accepting others as they are, not as we would have them be.
Pastor: Not content to leave us as we are, God is growing us in faith,
All: And changing our lives.
Pastor: In the process, God sends us to serve others in Christ's name. Go in peace. Share the Harvest.
All: Thanks be to God
Peace
Pastor: The peace of the Lord be with you always.
All: And also with you.
*Limited number of hymnals available to use at each entrance to the Sanctuary
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