Easter Day
Easter 2B
Easter 3B
Easter 4B
Easter 5B
Easter 6B
Easter 7B
Pentecost
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Easter Day LECTIONARY GENERATED LITURGY Easter Day, Year B. Acts 10: 34-43 or Isaiah 25: 6-9; Ps.118:1-2,14-24; 1Corinthians 15: 1-11 or Acts 10: 34-43; John 20:1-18 or Mark 16:1-8. Recommended text - NRSV. Hymns: The Australian Hymn Book (AHB) or Together in Song (TIS) or as indicated. Worship Leader - normal type. Congregational responses - bold type Permission is granted to churches to use this material in services of worship. This liturgy remains the property of Moira B Laidlaw Additional resources for Easter Day: Flowers; The Symbols of the Resurrection- see below; A large Easter egg shape containing a couple of toy chickens; Scripture in Song .CMC Australasia, Unit 9/147 Marshalltown Road Grovedale, Victoria 3216; Uniting In Worship, Leader's Book, Uniting Church Press, JBCE, Melbourne,1988; Uniting In Worship, People's Book, Uniting Church Press, JBCE, Melbourne,1988; Australian Prayers. Bruce D Prewer, Lutheran Publishing House, Adelaide,1983 Flower vases are placed in their normal position - maybe more vases than usual - and are filled with water only. As people enter the church, they are handed a flower ,or flowering or leafy branch which they are asked to retain until invited to come forward ( during hymn 303) to place in the vases. If your congregation is too large to hand flowers out to everyone, hand flowers etc out to (e.g.) every fifth or tenth person according to size of vases and number of flowers available. CALL TO WORSHIP Based on Psalm 118:vv1-2,14-24 Give thanks to the Lord our God, whose goodness and steadfast love endure forever! Israel said and we say: " God's steadfast love endures forever". The Lord is my strength, my power, and my salvation. God's steadfast love endures forever. Glad songs of victory resound among the righteous for the Lord has done great things. I shall not die, but I shall live and give witness to the great deeds of God. For even though I endured great suffering, God did not give me over to death. Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to God. This is the entrance to the house of God, through which the righteous will come. I thank you, O God, for you answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord our God's doing and it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day that that the Lord has made Let us rejoice and be glad in it. or CALL TO WORSHIP: Psalm 118:24 This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. SCRIPTURE IN SONG 40: "This is the day that the Lord has made" TIS 368: TUNE 114: "This is the day the Lord has made" TIS 74 - REFRAIN : "This is the day the Lord has made" TIS 156/AHB 91: "Morning has broken" As the chorus or hymn is being sung, the symbols of the resurrection are processed in - include children/youth - everyone remains standing THE SYMBOLS OF THE RESURRECTION THE SHROUD: A loosely folded white cloth is placed on the communion table with these words: This reminds us of the cloth in which they wrapped the body of Jesus. On Easter morning it was found empty, lying in the tomb where Christ's body had been placed. Alleluia! Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! THE FRAGRANT OIL A jar filled with fragrant oil is placed it on the communion table with these words: This fragrance reminds us that very early on Easter Day some women came to the tomb to prepare Jesus' body for proper burial. The women were the first to hear of Jesus' resurrection. Alleluia! Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! THE STONE: A stone is placed on, or in front of, the table with these words: This stone reminds us that on the resurrection morning, the stone which sealed the tomb was rolled away. Alleluia! Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! THE BREAD: A large round wholemeal loaf (home baked if possible) is placed on the table with these words: This bread reminds us that on the first Easter evening, Jesus walked and talked with two of his followers on the road to Emmaus. It was not until he broke bread with them that they recognised who he was. Alleluia! Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! THE WINE: The chalice and communion trays are placed on the table with these words: This wine, representing Christ's blood, helps us to remember that Jesus died for us. Alleluia! Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! THE CROSS: A rough hewn cross is placed against the front of the table with these words: The cross you see is an empty cross. Jesus is not dead. He is risen. Alleluia! Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! THE CANDLE: A lit 'Christ candle' is placed on the table or candleholder stand with these words: This candle reminds us that Jesus Christ is the light of the world. Alleluia! Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! (This has been adapted from a liturgy by Norman Hogg W.A. It was published in 'On the Move' some years ago) TIS 380/AHB 303 "Yours be the glory" Invite people to bring their flowers forward during the singing of this hymn and place in the vases provided. People should know the hymn well enough to sing as they move forward and then back to their seats. PRAYER OF ADORATION AND PRAISE Yours is the glory, O God, for raising Jesus from the darkness of death. Yours is the glory, O Christ, for being prepared, through your love and your sacrifice, to conquer death and give us the gift of eternal life. And, as if that were not enough, you greet us by name, as you greeted Mary in the garden, and transform our lives forever with your Easter life. Risen Lord, we worship and adore you; and we pray that the Holy Spirit, your life in us, will so conform us to your image, that we radiate your glory here, through our rejoicing and praise, and in all the places where people's lives are still affected by the powers of death and sin. Yours is the glory, O God, for showing us the human face of your love in Jesus, your Son, our risen Lord. Yours is the glory, risen Lord Jesus, and we rejoice that 'endless is the victory that you over death have won'. Alleluia! Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Amen If you have a CHILDREN'S TIME today - try to get a container shaped like a large Easter egg - one that may have contained chocolates or sweets. Buy or borrow a couple of toy chickens and put inside the egg. This is probably the symbol that children recognise! Ask the children what they may have eaten a lot of over Easter - invite them to look at this lovely egg you have - what might be in the egg...probably say chocolate etc. Show chickens - what did they expect? Then explain that eggs have come to be a symbol of Easter because eggs contain life - they remind us of the tomb, which contained not death, but life - contained the news that Jesus was alive again in a very special way. We receive gifts of eggs on Easter Day, and before long, they're gone, finished, but Jesus has given us a very special gift, the gift of his love and his life and they last for ever. TIS 390: "Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord" GOSPEL: John 20: 1-18 PRAYER OF CONFESSION O God, like the first witnesses of the resurrection, we too, come to the empty tomb with a variety of responses. We hear the good news that Jesus has risen, but so often the evidence for this is difficult to detect in our lives. Forgive us when we fail to make the risen Christ evident through our words, our actions - our lives . For so many people, the only good news of this weekend is that it provides the opportunity for a holiday in pleasant Autumn weather. Forgive us if we feel that this time of worship is an interruption to our planned holiday activities. As we come to the empty tomb seeking forgiveness for all our faults and shortcomings, help us to re-order our priorities so that we put the risen Christ first in our lives at all times. Forgive us when we forget that the tomb is forever empty because Jesus is here and is wherever Christians live and worship. Help us always to remember the costly act of Jesus Christ which led to victory over sin and death, an act which gives us the gift of a new beginning - guilt free and graced by love. The tomb is empty because Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia. Amen! ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS Jesus "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." (Acts 10: 42b,43) Hear, believe, and live the good news. In Jesus Christ we are forgiven! Thanks be to God! OLD TESTAMENT: Isaiah 25: 6-9 EPISTLE: Acts 10: 34-43 SERMON TIS 362/ AHB280: "Jesus Christ is risen today" A Congregational Reaffirmation of Baptism may follow. This can be found on page 49 of Uniting in Worship Leader's Book and page 30 of the People's Book. Hymn following the Recollection of Baptism: TIS 487/ AHB 414: "Lord Jesus Christ, on this your day of light" Verses 1 and 4. Alternative tune TIS161/AHB 109 Woodlands, OFFERING OFFERTORY PRAYER Loving God, we thank you for this Easter Day - with its promise of new life, and new opportunities. Use us, and our gifts, to love and to serve you, and to witness to Christ whom you have raised. Amen Prayers of the People can be taken from the Leader's Book Reaffirmation of Baptism, page 55 or Bruce Prewer's prayers "Easter" Page 54f. in 'Australian Prayers' or 'Easter' Page 115 in 'Australian Psalms' THE PEACE The peace of the risen Christ be with you. And also with you. Invite people to share a sign of peace with those round about. TIS 524/ AHB 442: " Come, risen Lord, and deign to be our guest" TIS 543: "God's Paschal Lamb is sacrificed for us" TIS 511/ AHB 433: "Let us break bread together with the Lord" - GREAT PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to God. It is right to give God our thanks and praise. Living God, on this most joyous day we offer our thanks and praise to you; creator of heaven and earth creator and lover of all humanity. Even when we turned away from you, you never rejected us. You spoke words of mercy and love through the prophets; promising to swallow up death forever and to host a banquet for all people; a feast of life-giving sustenance And so, with all the company of heaven and earth we praise your holy name saying: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest Holy God, this meal which we share today is indeed the celebration that death has been defeated forever. We celebrate also how the language of your love became audible through the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ, your beloved Son, our beloved Lord; and how the nature of your love became visible through his life and sacrificial love. He graced lives with healing and hope, with compassion and power and as if that were not enough, he gave his very life for us. On the night of his betrayal, as he sat at the table and broke bread with his friends, he said: 'Take and eat; this is my body which is broken for you. Remember me each time you do this.' After they had eaten, he took the cup, and said: 'Remember me as you drink from this, for it is my life, poured out for you - the beginning of a new relationship with God.' God of all power, breathe your Holy Spirit upon us, and upon these gifts of bread and wine, that they may be for us the life of Christ and that we may make that life visible through our faithful witness to him. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen THE LORD'S PRAYER BREAKING THE BREAD We break this bread and take this cup so that we can all share in the life of Christ. God's gifts for God's people. LAMB OF GOD DISTRIBUTION OF THE ELEMENTS PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION This has been no ordinary meal. It has been one in which we have been fed and nourished with the life of Jesus, our crucified and risen Lord. May we go from here, refreshed and eager, to share that life with others. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen TIS 531: "Sent forth by God's blessing, our true faith confessing" TIS 525: "You we praise, high priest and victim" TIS 495/AHB 416: "Father, we give you thanks, who planted..." BENEDICTION Go in peace to love and serve our living Lord. We go in the power of Christ's resurrection! Alleluia! May God, the creator of all life, Jesus Christ, the source of eternal life, and the Holy Spirit, the power in each and every life, bless you, this day and every day. TIS 362/AHB 280 - FINAL VERSE: "Sing we to our God above - Alleluia!" |