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(Voices are indicated by the numbers 1-3. Unison is number 4.)

1: Behold, I show you a mystery

2: In the beginning there was the Word

3: The Word was with God and the Word was God

4: The Word was Jesus Christ

1: The Word became flesh

2: The Word became human

3: The Word became a child born at Star's end

1: The Word became a carpenter from Nazareth

4: The Word became Jesus Christ

3: Who lived among us full of grace and truth

2: And from whom we have received grace upon grace

1: He is the Son of the Living God

2: He is the Christ of our human needs

3: He is the firstborn of the New Creation

4: He is the Word of God

1: Behold, I show you a mystery

4: And Jesus said:

2: I am the Bread of Life

3: Any who come to me shall never hunger

2: And all who believe in me shall never thirst

1: And he came to those by the sea

2: And he said:

4: Follow me

3: He came to a blind man

2: And he restored his sight

1: He came to a lame man

2: And he restored his legs

3: He came to a dead man

4: And he restored his life

1: Behold, I show you a mystery

4: And Jesus said:

2: I am the Light of the world

3: Whoever follows me shall never walk in darkness

2: But have the light of life

1: Glory be to God and to his Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ

2: In his great mercy God has given us a new birth into a living hope

3: Through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, we find our hope

1: With this hope we have an inheritance that cannot perish, spoil, or fade

3: Though you have never seen him

2: You love him

3: Though you have never seen him

2: You know you are loved by him

4: For God is love

1: If you have felt this love in any small measure

2: Then you know the importance of the church

4: The Body of Christ

1: It is through the church that God brings forth his love

2: The church is God's instrument of grace

3: The church is God's covenant people

1: The church is God's fellowship of the Holy Spirit

4: The church is the Body of Christ

1: Behold, I show you a mystery

4: And Jesus said:

2: I am the Alpha and the Omega

3: I am the first and the last

1: I am the Living One

2: I was dead and behold, I am alive for ever and ever

3: Now the dwelling place of God is with humanity

2: They will be his people and he will be their God

1: And God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes

4: And death shall be no more

1: Neither mourning

2: Nor weeping

3: Neither pain

2: Nor sorrow

1: For the old order has passed away

4: And behold

2: God is making all things new

1: We are no longer children of Adam

3: But brothers and sisters of a Living Christ

1: Sin no longer has a hold on us

2: We are a part of God's New Creation in Christ

3: We may be hard pressed on every side

4: But not crushed

2: We may be confused and doubtful

4: But not driven to despair

1: We may be hurt by the adversity of life

4: But never abandoned

3: We may be struck down

4: But never destroyed

2: As Christ lives, so shall we all

1: Behold, I show you a mystery

4: And Jesus said:

2: I am the Good Shepherd

3: The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep

1: Therefore, there is no condemnation for those who are in Jesus Christ

2: If God is for us

4: Who can stand against us?

1: He who did not spare his own Son

3: But gave him up for love of us

2: Will he not also give us all things with him?

1: Who shall separate us from the Love of God?

2: Shall trouble and distress?

3: Shall adversity and pain?

2: Shall doubt and confusion?

1: Shall death and denial?

4: NO!

1: For we are more than conquerors through him who loves us

2: For I am sure that neither death nor life

3: Neither powers in heaven nor powers on earth

1: Neither conflicts of today nor conflicts of tomorrow

2: Neither adversity, misfortune, or loss

3: Can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord

1: Behold, I show you a mystery

4: And Jesus said:

2: I am the Way, The Truth, and the Life

3: Let not your hearts be troubled

2: Neither let them be afraid

1: Trust in God, trust also in me

2: In trusting God there is great love

3: And because of this great love for us

4: God

1: Who is rich in mercy

2: Made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in sin

3: It is by grace that we have been saved

2: And God raised us up with Christ through God's own desire and not our own

1: It is by God's grace that we are saved, and through no merit of our own

4: Salvation

3: Which is God's gift

2: Which is God's righteous desire

1: Which is God's final judgment

4: Is ours

1: And we embrace this gift through faith

2: It is God's gracious gift for we are God's beloved

3: Created in Christ Jesus to express goodness and truth

2: We are the New Creation

4: Founded on grace

1: And expressed through faith

2: Therefore, we are no longer foreigners and aliens

3: But fellow citizens with God's people

2: Members of God's household

4: How can this be?

1: Behold, I show you a mystery

4: And Jesus said:

2: I am the resurrection and the life

3: Even though you die, yet shall you live

4: This is our hope

1: In the darkness of night

4: This is our hope

2: In our struggles over sin

4: This is our hope

3: For all that is yet to come

1: Through faith in God and our redeemer Christ

4: Death is not the final word

2: We shall not sleep

3: We shall be changed

4: In a flash

1: In the twinkling of an eye

2: In a moment of glory

3: Death is swallowed up in victory

1: Where, O death, is now your victory?

2: Where, O death, is now your sting?

3: The sting of death is sin

2: The sting of death is not trusting in God

1: The darkness of death is not trusting in Christ

3: The power of sin is a faithless heart

2: The sting of death is believing that death is the final word

1: The darkness of death is believing that God does not love us

2: That God does not embrace us

3: That God does not forgive us

1: The power of sin is the faithless heart that does not believe in the mystery of Christ

2: How One so abundantly alive with the presence of God

4: Could become a part of God

3: How One so abundantly alive could be crucified, dead, and buried

2: And yet not perish in the darkness of death

1: How One so close to God could reach out with spiritual arms

2: And embrace the world that denied him

4: Betrayed him

3: Beat and wounded him

1: Behold, I show you a mystery

2: "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do"

3: God's love for us extends beyond faith to God's own desire

1: How God in Christ could take a loaf of bread

4: Bless and break it

2: And give it to the world as a symbol of his abundant life

1: How God in Christ could take the cup

4: Bless it and share it

3: And call it his blood

1: The life essence of a New Creation

4: A new relationship

2: A new expression of faith not founded on merit

3: But founded on God's love for us

4: For God so loved the world

1: The bread and cup are shared forever in remembrance of Jesus Christ

2: In remembrance of who Jesus was

4: And who we are

3: In remembrance of God's eternal promise to be with us forever

1: Behold, I show you a mystery

2: On the first day of the week very early in the morning

3: The women took the spices they had prepared

4: And went to the tomb

1: They found the stone had been rolled away

2: They found the tomb was empty

4: They were frightened

3: They thought someone had stolen the body

2: But voices were heard to say:

4: Do not be afraid

2: I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified

1: Dead

3: And buried

4: And he is not here

1: He is not dead

4: He is alive

2: He has gone on before you to prepare the way

3: He has gone on before you as the Light that shines in darkness

1: He has gone on before you as the Gift that conquers death

4: And Thomas said:

2: I will not believe until I have touched him

3: Blessed are those who believe but have not touched him

1: Behold, I show you a mystery

2: You may not have touched the Living Christ

3: But the Living Christ has touched you

4: He has claimed you as his own

3: Through his wounds you are healed

2: Through his grace you are forgiven

1: Through his love you are a child of God

4: Through his death you will live forever

3: I once was blind but now I see

2: I once was lost but now am found

1: Thanks be to God who gives us this victory over sin and death

4: Thanks be to God

1: Amen

2/3: Amen

4: Amen



Caterpillars And Butterflies
An Easter Reading For Three Voices

(Voices are indicated by the numbers 1-3. Unison is number 4.)

1: Once upon a time in a beautiful garden there lived a family of caterpillars

2: Some of them were small and slender

1: While others were large and round

3: Some were smooth

1: And some were fuzzy

2: But they were all caterpillars and lived together in this beautiful garden

4: They were happy with their garden

3: It had flowers and soft grass

1: And more than enough leaves for them to eat

2: The days were never too hot

3: Nor the nights too cold

1: It was a perfect, peaceful garden

4: And the caterpillars were very happy

2: They spent their days eating the soft, tender leaves of the plants that grew in the garden

3: They spent their nights curled up in tight little balls of fur

1: Or curled around each other, using each other's warmth as blankets

3: Every morning they would get up, locate the next tender bunch of leaves, and eat throughout the entire day

2: And every night they would curl up next to each other and sleep

1: Day after day

2: Night after night

4: The same old thing

3: As enjoyable as the garden was, some of the caterpillars began to wonder

1: Is this all there is to the meaning of life?

2: We eat

3: We sleep

2: We eat

3: We sleep

2: We eat

3: We sleep

1: And we eat some more

4: What's the purpose?

3: Suddenly something very strange happened

2: Having eaten so many leaves, the caterpillars had grown too large for their skins

3: One by one they started to rip apart down their backs

4: They were scared

1: No one told them this would happen

2: They thought they were dying

1: One of the caterpillars shouted out to the others:

3: "I told you we shouldn't have eaten so much"

1: Just as suddenly as they started to split their old skins

4: The experience was over

2: All around them were pieces of their old selves

3: They had grown so large from eating all day

4: They had grown new skins

1: They had not died

4: They had only grown

2: And they learned that growing was good and they shouldn't be afraid

1: Growing was natural and in some ways fun

2: Oh, there was a little pain as the old skins started to split

3: But the new skins were so much prettier than the old ones

1: They soon forgot the pain and began to enjoy the garden once more

3: Yet it was back to the old routine

1: Eat all day

2: Sleep all night

1: Eat all day

2: Sleep all night

4: It was boring

1: And they still wondered if this was all there was to life

3: Once when two caterpillars found themselves eating the same leaf, a fight started

1: One said that she had the leaf first

2: But the other said it didn't matter and kept eating

3: This was something new, they thought

4: Fighting over food

2: It broke the routine of eating and sleeping

3: But it scared the smaller caterpillars

1: If fighting became the rule for eating

3: Then the little ones would be left out

4: It didn't seem fair

2: The larger caterpillars said that fairness had nothing to do with it

4: It was all about survival

1: If the smaller ones couldn't keep up

2: Then they would just have to die

3: The larger the caterpillars grew

4: The nastier they became

3: Especially toward the little ones

1: Soon their new skins were growing long spikes from top to bottom

2: This made the fighting even worse

3: Friends would become enemies over the possession of the same leaf

2: They would try to spike each other to gain control of the food

1: Some of the caterpillars were badly hurt

3: And some of them even died

4: This didn't seem right

1: There was plenty of food to go around

2: It just seemed that the larger caterpillars enjoyed taking control of the garden and hurting the little ones

1: Even though this upset the balance of the garden

4: The routine never changed

3: Eat

1: Sleep

3: Eat

1: Sleep

3: Eat

1: Sleep

4: And shed their skins

2: Then one day something miraculous happened

4: The routine stopped

1: The caterpillars no longer felt like eating

2: And they didn't feel like sleeping

1: They just stopped where they were and tried to figure out what was happening

3: Some thought they were just going through another stage of shedding their skins

2: But others thought something quite new was happening

1: Then one by one the caterpillars started hanging from the branches

3: By a thin thread of silk they hung upside down

2: Then one by one they started to create a cocoon

1: They didn't know what was happening or why

3: It only seemed like the right thing to do

4: There they hung

1: Just swinging in the soft breezes of the garden

4: Waiting for something to happen

3: One day after an especially beautiful sunrise

2: The garden was bathed in the warmth of a glowing summer morning

1: It should have made a sound, but it didn't

2: One by one the cocoons started to crack open

4: The caterpillars were gone

3: The dangerous spikes that had grown on their backs were transformed into beautiful wings

1: Their hungry mouths equipped for chewing had now turned into elegant long tongues equipped for sucking nectar from flowers

2: Some of the new creatures had grown slender long antennae

3: While others grew fuzzy feathered ones

1: But the most remarkable feature of these transformed caterpillars was their wings

3: Some were orange with black stripes

2: Some were red with black spots

1: Others were white and yellow and even blue

3: They were a rainbow of colors waiting in the sunlight for their wings to dry so they could stretch them out and fly

2: It was a miracle of God that little fuzzy wormlike caterpillars

3: Some with nasty tempers

2: Could be transformed into beautiful multicolored butterflies and moths

3: From ground-bound caterpillars they had become beautiful creatures that could fly and swoop and visit other gardens all over the neighborhood and beyond

1: As butterflies and moths they had discovered many new reasons for living

2: They were no longer competitive for food

1: They would no longer fight and cause harm to themselves and others

3: With their ability to fly they knew there was food to feed their need

2: They would add glorious color to the neighborhood and backyards

4: They would be admired

1: And praised for their flight and beauty

3: And they knew that this too was a part of their reason for living

2: But most importantly they would help the flowers and shrubs multiply by bringing pollen from one plant to another

1: And all over the neighborhood

2: New flowers would grow year after year

4: From caterpillars to butterflies

3: From competitive ground-bound creatures

2: To cooperative and peaceful creatures of the daylight sky

4: From caterpillars fearful of growth

1: To butterflies and moths

2: The beautiful result of faithful growth

3: From the lost to the found

2: From the blind to those who see

1: God has a way of working on our behalf to restore beauty and honor to the human soul

3: And cooperation and love to the human community

4: Where there is waste

2: We will co-create with God the resources for growth and community

4: Where there is loss

1: We will co-create with God's Spirit a climate of comfort and encouragement

4: Where there is despair

3: We will co-create with Christ the faith that transforms futility into hope

2: Darkness into light

1: Indifference into love

4: For love never fails

3: We will all be transformed from the ground-crawling caterpillars of yesterday

2: Into the beautiful sky-flying butterflies of tomorrow

3: All our prayers have taken wing

1: As Christ was raised from the dead

2: So we shall be raised from the moments of darkness and despair

1: We shall all fly with wings as eagles

2: Butterflies

3: Moths

4: We shall all be transformed

1: No one shall hurt or destroy anything God has created

3: And the living presence of our loving God shall remain with us always

4: Amen! Amen!


I Will Be With You Always
An Easter Reading For Mixed Voices

(Voices are indicated by the numbers 1-4. Unison is number 5.)

5: It was quiet

1: In the predawn stillness of slumber

4: In the silence of a sleeping world

5: It was quiet

3: As the sun peeked over the horizon

2: And the night chill rose from the earth

4: The ways of nature were changing the guard

1: Creatures of the night were settling down for the daylight rest

2: While creatures of the day were rising from nighttime slumber

3: It was quiet on that morning

5: The second morning after the death of Jesus

1: It had been a painful death

3: An eventful death

2: A death filled with wonder and grief

4: It had been a forgiving death

3: It had been a terrifying death

1/2: He cried out in thirst

3/4: He cried out in pain

5: He cried out in sorrow

4: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

1: He cried out in faith

3: "Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit."

1: He cried out in triumph

2: "It is finished!"

1: He cried out his last breath

4: Closed his eyes

5: And died

3: It was a quiet morning as the women came to the tomb

2: They remembered as they walked

4: They knew it was Joseph of Arimathea who had claimed the body

3: It was Joseph and Nicodemus who brought him down from the cross

1: They were gentle so as not to break a bone

2: They were gentle for it was their Lord they carried

2/3: They were tender and gentle

4: Giving back to Jesus what they had received

3: Reminding everyone of the good news he had brought

1/2: Blessings from the mount

3/4: Gifts from the shoreline

1/3: Forgiveness from the Cross

2/4: Faithfulness from his death

1: They laid him in the tomb

5: It was Joseph's tomb

2: They laid him down with honor and grief

4: A stone was rolled across the entrance

3: Guards were placed on either side of the doorway

1: The women remembered and wondered

2: On this quiet and glorious morning they wondered

4: Who would roll away the stone

3: Who would help them anoint the body

1: Who would help them grieve their Lord

2: Who would help them release the pain of promises denied

4: Promises forsaken

3: Promises dead and buried with their Master

2: Who would help them release the pain of betrayed faith

1: Betrayed discipleship

3: Betrayed commitment

4: Who would help them forgive Judas

2: Who would help them forgive Peter

3: Who would help them forgive themselves

4: For they had all betrayed him

1: From the night he broke bread

3: And blessed the cup

1: From the night he prayed in the Garden

4: While his disciples slept

1: From the night he was arrested

2: To the day the crowds yelled

5: "Crucify him! Crucify him! Give us Barabbas!"

4: They had all betrayed their Lord

1: No one stepped forward to counter the crowd

2: No one stepped forward to claim his leadership

3: No one came to his aid but one

3/4: Simon the Cyrene

1: But even Simon did not do so with joy

2: He was grabbed by the guards

3: And ordered to carry the cross

4: You cannot carry the cross by command

1: You can only carry the cross by acceptance

4: This they remembered as they walked to the tomb

3: Yet still they wondered about the stone

1: It was quiet that morning

2: In the predawn moment before the women came

4: When the earth began to shake

3: And the tomb began to shudder

2: When the stone began to roll

1: And the guards began to faint in fear

3: It started with a low rumble

4: Then built to a roaring quake

2: As the earth split

4: And the stone rolled away from the tomb

1: Angels as light came to the entrance

2: They came to minister

3: They came to offer tender care

4: They came to announce good news of great joy

3: As they once did before when a Child was born

2: And shepherds came to the place of birth

1: As women now came to the place of death

5: And still they wondered

1: But to their unbelieving eyes

4: The stone had been rolled away

5: How had this been done

2: Who had the strength to move so large a stone

3: As they came closer they wondered

1/2: Where are the guards

4: As they came closer still

3/4: Where is the body

5: He is gone

2/3: Our Jesus is gone

1: A voice from the light embraced them

2: A voice from the light gave comfort to them

3: The One you look for is not here

1/2: He has risen

3/4: He is not dead

5: He is alive

4: The women were scared

3: They were frightened

2: They were amazed by the light

1: They were puzzled by the message

2: They had wondered who would move the stone

3: And it had been moved away

2: They had wondered who would help them

4: And the guards were gone

2: They wondered what had happened to the body

1: And Angels now told them he was not dead

2: Now they truly wondered

5: Could this be

1: Could One who died now be alive

4: Could the love of God move heaven and earth to return the Lord of Life

5: Where is he

2/3: Where is our Lord

1: He has gone on before you and will meet you on the way

4: Truer words were never spoken

3: Jesus had gone on before them

1: He had gone to prepare a place

2: He once said let not your heart be troubled

3: Neither let it be afraid

4: Now the good news of his word was being fulfilled

1: He has gone to prepare our place in the Kingdom of God

3: He has gone on before us and will meet us on the way

2: He meets us at the crossroads of our lives

4: He meets us in diversity and misfortune

3: He meets us in success and celebration

1: He meets us in the presence of new birth

5: And the presence of passing death

1: Jesus meets us wherever two or more are gathered

2: Jesus meets us in the solitude of prayer

3/4: In the loneliness of night

1/2: In the silence of the heart

1/4: In the sorrow of our days

2/3: And the sadness of our loss

5: Jesus meets us

1: For he who was dead is now alive

2: And he leads us with the cords of human kindness

4: And the ties of love

3: He makes his presence known in the worship of shared faith

1: He makes his love known in the gifts of service and compassion

4: Why do you look for the living among the dead

2: He is not here

5: He is risen

1: As he said he would

3: He is among us now

4: In the lights of candles

2: In the singing of hymns

1: In the hugs of friendship

3: And the embrace of strangers

4: In the heart strangely warmed

3: And the gift freely given

1: He is the living Son of our eternal God

2: And from his words we build our faith

5: "I am with you always

4: Even until the end of the world"