Easter Sunday
Worship
Come, Let Us Worship
Prayers And Worship Aids For The Church Year
Call To Worship
Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Glory and honor, dominion and power be to God for ever and ever. Christ is risen! Alleluia!
Invocation
God of life, the women came to the tomb on the first day of the week, hands laden with the spices of sadness. So we come this morning, hearts broken by the sin of the world. You met them in resurrection power, and sent them running down the path to tell others that the tomb was empty. Meet us this morning in our songs and story, in scripture and sermon. Reveal to us the risen Christ so that we too may tell the good news that life is stronger than death. Amen.
Ritual Of Friendship
The Joy of Easter is a Joy that must be shared. Will you turn to your neighbors now and tell them how glad you are they are here to share with you this joyous celebration!
Offertory Sentences
The Good News of the Resurrection must be proclaimed from the rooftops, explained in the living rooms, taught to children, and punctuated with justice and kindness throughout the world. To the spreading of that glad message let us now offer our gifts.
Offertory Prayer
We know, Father, that the Good News of the Resurrection is not to be kept a secret, hidden away as the private promise to a few. Rather, it is to be a universal communication of hope and joy to all people; and to that world-wide proclamation we dedicate our gifts today. Amen.
Benediction
For this amazing day, may God's name be praised! And may the creative love of God, the power of Jesus' resurrection, and the sustaining grace of the Holy Spirit be with you and with the ones you love, wherever they may be, this day and always. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
Our heavenly Father, we thank you for these springtime days when all the earth preaches a glad Easter gospel. As the great stone was rolled away from Christ's tomb, cold winter has been pushed aside by the angel of spring, and we behold a resurrection.
Crocuses, daffodils, and tulips break forth from the earth. Buds and blossoms burst on limbs of shrubs and trees. The sad, dark soil becomes flushed with color as grasses awaken to the sun's tender touch. All that seemed dead comes alive.
Singing winds, chanting choruses of returning birds, and the laughter of children set free of winter wraps proclaim the glorious new life you have given and the promise of a more abundant life to come in springtime and summer days, now drawing near. For these earthly mementos of the resurrection we are grateful.
For Easter's reminder of Christ's victory over death, we praise you. Now we know that, if the Easter gospel is true, the seal on the tomb is forever broken on his tomb and ours, and death has lost its power to destroy our hope and joy.
Let us remember that after Calvary Jesus showed himself alive only to those who truly loved him, and only by loving him can we ever know the power of his resurrection. Let us gladly claim his resurrection that his presence may companion all our days; that his example may be the living center of all our thinking and acting; and his love may govern our behavior toward all your children.
For our beloved dead who live with you, we thank you. When we remember Easter we cannot weep in bitter anguish beside a loved one's grave, for Easter truth mixes gladness with sorrow. We thank you for the better life dear ones inherit, for the fuller wisdom they now know, for the greater joys and broader fellowships they experience, and that they are now nearer to you than ties of earth ever allow. For faith that triumphs over grief, for trust in you that illumines loneliness and makes rainbows for our tears, we praise you.
We thank you, Lord, for the change that Easter hope makes in all our days. Through Easter we see that even the most awful tragedy like Calvary, is made by you into ultimate triumph. Through Easter we know that earth's temporary victories, like the Roman nails, are final defeats, and earth's seeming defeats are often your mighty victories.
Our Father, let us look at all of life in the clear light of Easter Day, valuing most highly those things that death cannot corrode or snatch from us.
Let the full circle of our days have its center in you, and be perfected by holding to your purpose for us, as was so of Christ, who came from you and returned to you. Thus may the truth, beauty, and goodness of Easter touch all our tomorrows, and may we live all our days in the glory of that morning.
We pray in the name of our Risen Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer II
Almighty and everlasting God, we hail you in the Risen Christ who brings to our dark world the glory of an eternal morning. Above the crosses of sin your deathless life shines, bursting through the tombs of death, and is reflected by the beauty of springtime.
O Lord, you appeared to your disciples when the world seemed desolate. Quicken, we pray, your people everywhere with a sense of your eternal goodness which rises anew after evil has had its empty day. Roll away the stones of doubt and fear which keep us from a strong faith and a bold witness. We, who live in darkness, come to you beseeching you to show us the empty tomb. Show us that in you death becomes resurrection, that through your power we can rise from our dead selves and live a full life free from the bondage of sin and fear.
O Unseen Presence, we would touch you with the hands of our doubts and behold you with the eyes of our faith. Stir our souls with joy as you move among us. Let us, like Mary, hear you calling us by name in the midst of waiting and sorrow and longing loneliness. Where our hearts have ceased to sing, let Easter songs of victory awaken new melodies of hope. Be the living Master who goes before us, healing the wounds of sin and lifting up the truth of life that would claim our love.
We beseech you, O Savior, to give some gracious sign of recognition and mercy to all whom we name in our hearts before you: ... Strengthen them where ways seem hard and painful. Hallow and fulfill our imperfect hopes and prayers for them. Be merciful unto the dying. Give us anew the promise that with the final Easter Dawn we shall behold an imperishable joy on the faces of all whom we have loved here and entrust to your leading beyond the grave.
Thanks be unto you, O God, for the victory you have given us in Jesus Christ. Keep us as your own in life and in death, and forevermore. Amen.
Second Sunday Of Easter
Call To Worship
As flowers turn to the sun, as rivers run down to the sea, as trees reach upward to the sky, so we lift up our souls toward God. Lift up your hearts and voices as we worship together.
Invocation
God of mercy and power, love and holiness, we ask that you will reach down and meet our needs. If we need physical healing, grant us health. If we need spiritual healing, grant us pardon. If we are confused, grant us guidance. If we are depressed, grant us encouragement. This we ask in the name of him whom you sent to walk among us, doing miracles and signs of the kingdom, even Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
Ritual Of Friendship
As we affirm our faith in God, so let us affirm our fellowship with one another as we reach out and greet one another at this time.
Offertory Sentences
With joy and thanksgiving let us offer our gifts unto God.
Offertory Prayer
O Christ, with joy and thanksgiving we offer to you these symbols of our lives, and pray that you will use them to your glory. Amen.
Benediction
May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
O Lord, our God, the resurrection rejoicings have faded into distant echoes over this work-a-day week. The Easter lily blooms have dropped onto the carpet, the chocolate bunny stains have all been washed away. We are back to normal. And yet, in the midst of this back-to-normal feeling, we find ourselves looking for the resurrected Lord. Make yourself known to us, Lord; help us to sense your presence. Accompany us now on lonely and troubled ways. Make us one with others in a fellowship which reaches across the separations of sin and death. Lift our eyes beyond buried hopes and dying dreams to your life of righteousness and love that reigns forever. Begin with us and with your Church in making a new heaven and a new earth. Make us blessed in not having seen, yet believing you to be the Lord of an everlasting Kingdom.
We thank you, Lord, for all evidences of your resurrection; for the forces of good which are now at work in the world; for the heroism of those who fear not death nor prison in spreading your gospel of peace and goodwill; for your Church which is your body of faithful and loving ones in action; for the power of truth to crush evil and to abide; for times when our hearts burn with questions; for the sharpness of your Word which convicts our consciences; for the communion of believers in heaven and on earth; and for the vigilance of the Spirit that keeps us searching until we are found of you.
Abide with us now, our living Redeemer, and lift our faith so that we shall not stoop to things dishonorable. Save us from murmuring against hard or monotonous duties. Illumine our spirits in the darkness of temptation and the mood of discouragement. Lead us into the way of service and steadfastness until we run with joy to find that you do meet each of us with the glorious power of God.
We ask it all in your Holy Name. Amen.
Third Sunday Of Easter
Call To Worship
We are called to life by the power of God's Word. We are inspired in life by the power of God's Spirit. We are empowered for life by the power of God's resurrection of Jesus from the dead. So come, let us worship the Lord our God.
Invocation
Gracious God, in this season of resurrection, we gather in the hope of new life. Come and stand among us in this place, even as the risen Christ stood among his disciples. Open our eyes to new glimpses of your truth; open our minds to new understandings of your Word; open our hearts to new avenues of witness, that we might go out from this place into all the world, bearing the good news of Jesus Christ, our risen Lord. Amen.
Ritual Of Friendship
The Lord has touched your life with his wonder; let us now reach out and touch the lives of those about us with the gifts of fellowship and friendship!
Offertory Sentences
As we give let us remember those who have never heard the name of Jesus, those who need a Bible in their own language, those who desperately need a word of comfort, and all those who properly look to the church for help.
Offertory Prayer
Lord, as we present our offerings, we remember how the church began with a small group of believers gathered in the upper room, and how it became a worldwide fellowship which includes every nationality, race, and tribe. We give these gifts in order for that church to continue to thrive. Amen.
Benediction
May God's love be evident in your speech, your actions, your thoughts this day and forevermore, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
Heavenly Father, every day you have richly provided us with all we need for our life. You have given us food and clothing, shelter and work. You have made the sun to rise on us, and under the shadow of your wings we have found refuge.
Forgive us that we have often taken your gifts for granted. Forgive us for not seeing in them the signs of your mercy and not letting your goodness lead us to repentance.
Eternal Father, we confess ways that we hurt those whom we should love. We can be inconsiderate, not intentionally, and yet in ways that we need not continue. In our own homes it is easy to brush over the feelings of one another, or not sense the importance of what a son or daughter, mother or father, husband or wife, is saying. In our places of work, we walk by those who carry burdens of worry, and do not notice. We can be selfish and careless. Forgive us, and take from us the lack of sensitivity which makes us hurt the feelings of others, and never even realize that we are doing so.
As we begin this morning a new week, help us to take advantage of new opportunities. We know that this week will give us the opportunity to do some useful work. We know that this week will afford us the opportunity to learn something new and expand our minds. We know that this week will have new opportunities to give expression to your love and mercy. We know that this week will provide new ways of helping someone in need of friendship. Opportunity knocks. Open our ears to hear, and our hearts to respond.
We remember before you, O Lord, those who are in pain, sorrow, loneliness, or the bitterness of self-imprisonment. May your heart, unveiled at Calvary, be their comfort and deliverer. Grant that they, and we, and all who have looked upon you in your passion, may bear the marks of the Cross upon us and live in that love which believes, hopes, endures all things, and never fails.
We pray, too, for the peace of the world. Remove the weeds of bitterness that have strangled our sensitivity to the needs of other people. Show us what reconciliation really means. Especially do we pray that you will be with the leaders of our nation.
All this we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Fourth Sunday Of Easter
Call To Worship
We are the people of God, the sheep of his pasture, the children of the Most High. Therefore it is fitting that we should gather here and magnify the Lord together. Come let us worship!
Invocation
Lord, you know that we come here in differing states of mind. For some, worship has been a way of life for many years. For others, it is a new experience. Some are confident and sure of their faith; others are wavering and uncertain. Some feel good about themselves, while others are almost drowning in personal and family problems. But whatever our state of mind and heart, we are pleased that you have invited us to be here, and we anticipate your blessing; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Ritual Of Friendship
It is through each one of us that the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit are made known. In that spirit let us greet one another at this time.
Offertory Sentences
As we offer our gifts, let us also offer our lives in renewed dedication to Christ and his Church.
Offertory Prayer
O Lord, in response to the new life of your Word, we bring our gifts and offerings with hearts full of gratitude. We are thankful for the opportunity to give and dedicate them and ourselves to your creative purpose. Bless them and us that all may be used for your honor and glory. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Benediction
Go in peace, and in the knowledge that God's gift of new life in Jesus Christ is yours. Let your faith make a difference. Encourage one another; and may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all forevermore. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
Eternal God, deep beyond our understanding and high above our imagining, we worship you. We thank you that we cannot comprehend you, for if you could be caught in our nets, if we could run the lines of our weak thought around your being and your ways, you would be too small a God. We glory in your greatness and your depth beyond our comprehension.
Be to us, we beseech you, what the souls of persons across the centuries have sought to find in you. Be to us a refuge. For the storms of life are heavy, the tempests beat upon our ships, and we need harborage and anchorage. Throw your greatness around our littleness. Be to us the citadel of the eternal amid the anxieties of time, and let some hearts in this company rejoice that you are our refuge and that underneath are the everlasting arms.
Be to us our judge. For when we compare ourselves with ourselves and others, too easily self-complacency takes possession of us. O Spirit of all beauty, truth, and goodness, be our Judge. Expect of us more than we expect of ourselves. Humble us with some fair vision of loveliness in character and in deed that will shame us from our self-contentment. Grant that some souls here may see you high and lifted up, and in contrition amend their life.
Be to us a guide, O Lord. For it is not in us who walk to direct our own steps. If you have no purpose, then our own purposes are vain. If you have no plan, then is our building vain. If you have no will then do our steps walk waywardly and know not where they go. We beseech you that in our worship light may fall upon some path, and some souls, confused amid the perplexities of life, may see the road that they should take.
Be to us a friend, not far off but close at hand, available for every day's most common need, so that we may but part the inward curtain of our souls and find you there. O Eternal, so great and yet so close, make us aware of your abiding presence, and be to every one of us henceforth the inner Friend, the unseen Companion of our pilgrimage.
Watch over this nation, we pray. Save us from the pitfalls of selfish pride and misused power. Guide our leaders that we may help all the nations to find the paths of peace. And upon us, one by one, so let your grace come that, facing our temptations, bearing our griefs, sustaining our anxieties, and rightly dedicating our powers, we may be true servants of yours, and of your Christ.
In his name and spirit we lift our prayers. Amen.
Fifth Sunday Of Easter
Mothers' Day
Call To Worship
Come, let us worship the God whose love is like that of a mother for her child, whose arms are ever reaching out, whose eyes are always alert, and whose hands are ever compassionate.
Invocation
We have come, O God, to celebrate the power of love: the love we know in our families, the love we experience in our church, the love we enjoy among friends and even among complete strangers. We praise you for this love, for we know that all of it has its source in your great heart and that it reached its fullest expression in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Ritual Of Friendship
Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and those who love are born of God and know God. Let us reach out and greet one another in Christian love at this time.
Offertory Sentences
Let our offerings be a generous expression of our faith, a living testimony of our devotion, and a concrete evidence of our love.
Offertory Prayer
In response to him who welcomed little children, who honored the sanctity of the home, and who provided for his own mother at the time of his death, we present these gifts in loving concern for those who are loved by Jesus Christ. Amen.
Benediction
May you be enriched by the love of your family and friends, by the beauty of the world, and by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
O God, our Father, who entrusted your Son our Savior to the love and care of a humble family, we praise you for the precious heritage of our families. Priceless treasures have flowed into our lives through the tears, laughter, and prayers of dear ones. As heirs of yours we would acknowledge that the best we have is not our own, but has been given as a holy trust.
On this Mothers' Day we remember in prayer all mothers everywhere:
For aged mothers, that they may live out their days in peace and comfort, we pray.
For expectant mothers, who are looking forward to motherhood with both apprehension and anticipation, we pray.
For unwed mothers, who are confused about the direction of their lives and are uncertain about their future, we pray.
For stepmothers, who are trying to meet the challenge of children who are not eager to accept them, we pray.
For women who are not able to have children, for whom this day brings a certain sadness, we pray.
For those mothers who have suffered the death of children, and who live with daily grief, we pray.
For those mothers who are experiencing a mixture of satisfaction and frustration as they bring their children through the various stages of life, we pray.
O Holy Spirit, restore and renew us, not only as individuals, but also as families. May our families be united, reflecting the divine plan which was yours from the very beginning.
May our families be caring, expressing the loving concern for each other that you have had for us.
May our families be honest, teaching and reflecting life's deepest values, and making very clear what is right and wrong.
May our families be godly, incorporating the importance of worship and a keen sense of the spiritual dimension of life.
May our families be loving, incorporating the values of patience, of generosity, of mutual acceptance, and of self-giving.
All this we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Sixth Sunday Of Easter
Ascension Sunday
Call To Worship
As the sun rises, bringing light and warmth and life, so the Light of the world brings the illumination of Truth, the warmth of Love, and the Life which will never end.
Invocation
Father, we come to seek truth, for life has left us confused and disillusioned. Father, we have come to seek peace, for life has left us worried and anxious. Father, we have come to seek healing, for life has left us bruised and hurt. Be with us now as we claim the promise that those who seek will find; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Ritual Of Friendship
The Bible admonishes us to love one another as Christ loves us. Let us affirm that love as we greet one another in Christ's name.
Offertory Sentences
Jesus, at his ascension, commanded his followers to be witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Let us, in obedience to our Lord's command, present our offerings at this time.
Offertory Prayer
O Lord, as we present these offerings we are taking seriously the commission to make disciples of all nations. May these gifts travel where our feet cannot go, and may they reach out where our hands cannot extend. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Benediction
You came as disciples, to learn; and as believers to worship. Now go forth as apostles, to share; and as servants, to help; and the blessing of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit go with you. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
Almighty God, today we are reminded of your ascended glory; we are reminded that all power is with you, that you came to us once as a human person and then left us once again. In your leaving, you call us to be the persons you have created us to be; you give us a commission to be your representatives in the world. You promise us the Spirit to empower us to fulfill your commission. Without you, good God, we can do nothing. We ask that your presence open our hearts and minds so that we, being filled with you, may be what you want us to be. Come to us, O Holy Spirit, and fill us so we may empty ourselves in our serving others, and in our service lead us into a closer and deeper love with you.
O Lord, Jesus Christ, we pray today for those courageous men and women who are striving to make life more secure and just for all.
Empower the efforts of those who seek peace among the nations, who try to bring opposing factions together at the negotiation table, who advocate international restraint in a time of volatile nationalism.
Bless those who are working hard to preserve the integrity of our environment, who view the world as a precious gift, who are trying to preserve ancient ecological systems which are threatened by greed and exploitation.
Uphold the efforts of reformers who dare to challenge the status quo, who are willing to defend the minority position, who risk much to stand with the oppressed, who stand firm in unpopular opinions.
Heavenly Father, we know that you will never abandon us, especially in those moments when we suffer. Your Spirit comforts and counsels when we are distressed and disoriented. And so we bring to you in confidence the needs of our world, our community, our families, and our inmost selves. We pray for people whose lives are torn by war and famine, the failure of economic systems and political processes. We remember those who are badly housed and who do not receive adequate medical care and education. We lift up those whose lives we touch everyday who stand in need of healing or comfort or hope. And we ask for a keen awareness of the risen Christ in our own lives, in those areas where we stand in need with our relatives, friends, and neighbors.
We pray for our church. Grant that the gifts of your Spirit may prepare us for the work of ministry in the world. Enable us to communicate the vision of the way things can be under the direction of Jesus Christ. Inspire our witness that all people may know the hope and power of his resurrection.
All this we pray in the name of the risen Christ, Jesus our Savior. Amen.
Seventh Sunday Of Easter
Call To Worship
The God we worship this day brings out of the darkness of the night the brightness of a new morning. The faith we celebrate in this place affirms that the cold chill of every winter will one day yield to the warm sunshine of a new spring. The Word we proclaim at this time declares that every ending will give way to a new beginning, and that even in death there springs forth newness of life!
Invocation
O God of light, who overcomes the darkness; O God of creation, who brings order out of chaos: bring light to our fumbling minds, and bring purpose to our floundering lives, so that, having a clear vision and an inner strength, we may become a transforming presence wherever we go. Amen.
Ritual Of Friendship
We believe that God has given us a loving community -- the Church. Let us affirm that belief as we reach out and greet one another in Christian love!
Offertory Sentences
Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them ... if service, in our serving ... those who contribute, in liberality; those who give aid, with zeal.
Offertory Prayer
Lord, we give these offerings because we wish your Church to grow, your Word to be proclaimed, your people to be enriched, and your love to be experienced. Amen.
Benediction
Let us go forth as the people of God sent into the world, and let us live in the world with joy in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
O God, who raised Jesus Christ from the dead, we confess that we have been timid witnesses to our faith in him. We have shared the fear and hopelessness of the world. We have not demonstrated our love for Jesus Christ by loving one another. Forgive us. Put to death in us the old self that clings desperately to the understandings of this world, and raise us to new life in Jesus Christ, our risen Savior and Savior of the world.
O God, we thank you for that measure of faith at work within us. We do not understand fully; but we believe. Thank you for the gift of faith. We often ignore your guiding and comforting presence; yet again and again you remind us of the Spirit in and among us. Thank you for the gift of faith. In a world that tries halfheartedly to save itself from ecological and nuclear disaster, in a world that searches for faith everywhere but in the gospel of Jesus Christ, open our eyes to see your Spirit already at work, and empower us to be bold witnesses to the faith within us.
We pray for those whose belief in Jesus Christ is faltering under the pressures of sickness or grief or persecution. Grant that they may claim the presence of your Counselor and Comforter, the Holy Spirit.
This morning we lift our prayers on behalf of all those young people who are graduating from high school. We are thankful for parents and homes where they received the first knowledge of life and love; for their schools and teachers who in patience and wisdom inspired them to seek after truth and learn the grace of living together; for the rich heritage they have received through books, friendships, work, and play. Go with them from here, our Father, upon unknown ways. Give them a firm faith that as they follow the things that are pure, good, and true, you will use them in wondrous purposes. Make them brave against temptations which offer easy evil or would extinguish hopes and dreams. Bless them now and lead them into a life that shall become a hope and promise for a better world.
We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Glory and honor, dominion and power be to God for ever and ever. Christ is risen! Alleluia!
Invocation
God of life, the women came to the tomb on the first day of the week, hands laden with the spices of sadness. So we come this morning, hearts broken by the sin of the world. You met them in resurrection power, and sent them running down the path to tell others that the tomb was empty. Meet us this morning in our songs and story, in scripture and sermon. Reveal to us the risen Christ so that we too may tell the good news that life is stronger than death. Amen.
Ritual Of Friendship
The Joy of Easter is a Joy that must be shared. Will you turn to your neighbors now and tell them how glad you are they are here to share with you this joyous celebration!
Offertory Sentences
The Good News of the Resurrection must be proclaimed from the rooftops, explained in the living rooms, taught to children, and punctuated with justice and kindness throughout the world. To the spreading of that glad message let us now offer our gifts.
Offertory Prayer
We know, Father, that the Good News of the Resurrection is not to be kept a secret, hidden away as the private promise to a few. Rather, it is to be a universal communication of hope and joy to all people; and to that world-wide proclamation we dedicate our gifts today. Amen.
Benediction
For this amazing day, may God's name be praised! And may the creative love of God, the power of Jesus' resurrection, and the sustaining grace of the Holy Spirit be with you and with the ones you love, wherever they may be, this day and always. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
Our heavenly Father, we thank you for these springtime days when all the earth preaches a glad Easter gospel. As the great stone was rolled away from Christ's tomb, cold winter has been pushed aside by the angel of spring, and we behold a resurrection.
Crocuses, daffodils, and tulips break forth from the earth. Buds and blossoms burst on limbs of shrubs and trees. The sad, dark soil becomes flushed with color as grasses awaken to the sun's tender touch. All that seemed dead comes alive.
Singing winds, chanting choruses of returning birds, and the laughter of children set free of winter wraps proclaim the glorious new life you have given and the promise of a more abundant life to come in springtime and summer days, now drawing near. For these earthly mementos of the resurrection we are grateful.
For Easter's reminder of Christ's victory over death, we praise you. Now we know that, if the Easter gospel is true, the seal on the tomb is forever broken on his tomb and ours, and death has lost its power to destroy our hope and joy.
Let us remember that after Calvary Jesus showed himself alive only to those who truly loved him, and only by loving him can we ever know the power of his resurrection. Let us gladly claim his resurrection that his presence may companion all our days; that his example may be the living center of all our thinking and acting; and his love may govern our behavior toward all your children.
For our beloved dead who live with you, we thank you. When we remember Easter we cannot weep in bitter anguish beside a loved one's grave, for Easter truth mixes gladness with sorrow. We thank you for the better life dear ones inherit, for the fuller wisdom they now know, for the greater joys and broader fellowships they experience, and that they are now nearer to you than ties of earth ever allow. For faith that triumphs over grief, for trust in you that illumines loneliness and makes rainbows for our tears, we praise you.
We thank you, Lord, for the change that Easter hope makes in all our days. Through Easter we see that even the most awful tragedy like Calvary, is made by you into ultimate triumph. Through Easter we know that earth's temporary victories, like the Roman nails, are final defeats, and earth's seeming defeats are often your mighty victories.
Our Father, let us look at all of life in the clear light of Easter Day, valuing most highly those things that death cannot corrode or snatch from us.
Let the full circle of our days have its center in you, and be perfected by holding to your purpose for us, as was so of Christ, who came from you and returned to you. Thus may the truth, beauty, and goodness of Easter touch all our tomorrows, and may we live all our days in the glory of that morning.
We pray in the name of our Risen Savior, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer II
Almighty and everlasting God, we hail you in the Risen Christ who brings to our dark world the glory of an eternal morning. Above the crosses of sin your deathless life shines, bursting through the tombs of death, and is reflected by the beauty of springtime.
O Lord, you appeared to your disciples when the world seemed desolate. Quicken, we pray, your people everywhere with a sense of your eternal goodness which rises anew after evil has had its empty day. Roll away the stones of doubt and fear which keep us from a strong faith and a bold witness. We, who live in darkness, come to you beseeching you to show us the empty tomb. Show us that in you death becomes resurrection, that through your power we can rise from our dead selves and live a full life free from the bondage of sin and fear.
O Unseen Presence, we would touch you with the hands of our doubts and behold you with the eyes of our faith. Stir our souls with joy as you move among us. Let us, like Mary, hear you calling us by name in the midst of waiting and sorrow and longing loneliness. Where our hearts have ceased to sing, let Easter songs of victory awaken new melodies of hope. Be the living Master who goes before us, healing the wounds of sin and lifting up the truth of life that would claim our love.
We beseech you, O Savior, to give some gracious sign of recognition and mercy to all whom we name in our hearts before you: ... Strengthen them where ways seem hard and painful. Hallow and fulfill our imperfect hopes and prayers for them. Be merciful unto the dying. Give us anew the promise that with the final Easter Dawn we shall behold an imperishable joy on the faces of all whom we have loved here and entrust to your leading beyond the grave.
Thanks be unto you, O God, for the victory you have given us in Jesus Christ. Keep us as your own in life and in death, and forevermore. Amen.
Second Sunday Of Easter
Call To Worship
As flowers turn to the sun, as rivers run down to the sea, as trees reach upward to the sky, so we lift up our souls toward God. Lift up your hearts and voices as we worship together.
Invocation
God of mercy and power, love and holiness, we ask that you will reach down and meet our needs. If we need physical healing, grant us health. If we need spiritual healing, grant us pardon. If we are confused, grant us guidance. If we are depressed, grant us encouragement. This we ask in the name of him whom you sent to walk among us, doing miracles and signs of the kingdom, even Jesus Christ our Savior. Amen.
Ritual Of Friendship
As we affirm our faith in God, so let us affirm our fellowship with one another as we reach out and greet one another at this time.
Offertory Sentences
With joy and thanksgiving let us offer our gifts unto God.
Offertory Prayer
O Christ, with joy and thanksgiving we offer to you these symbols of our lives, and pray that you will use them to your glory. Amen.
Benediction
May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
O Lord, our God, the resurrection rejoicings have faded into distant echoes over this work-a-day week. The Easter lily blooms have dropped onto the carpet, the chocolate bunny stains have all been washed away. We are back to normal. And yet, in the midst of this back-to-normal feeling, we find ourselves looking for the resurrected Lord. Make yourself known to us, Lord; help us to sense your presence. Accompany us now on lonely and troubled ways. Make us one with others in a fellowship which reaches across the separations of sin and death. Lift our eyes beyond buried hopes and dying dreams to your life of righteousness and love that reigns forever. Begin with us and with your Church in making a new heaven and a new earth. Make us blessed in not having seen, yet believing you to be the Lord of an everlasting Kingdom.
We thank you, Lord, for all evidences of your resurrection; for the forces of good which are now at work in the world; for the heroism of those who fear not death nor prison in spreading your gospel of peace and goodwill; for your Church which is your body of faithful and loving ones in action; for the power of truth to crush evil and to abide; for times when our hearts burn with questions; for the sharpness of your Word which convicts our consciences; for the communion of believers in heaven and on earth; and for the vigilance of the Spirit that keeps us searching until we are found of you.
Abide with us now, our living Redeemer, and lift our faith so that we shall not stoop to things dishonorable. Save us from murmuring against hard or monotonous duties. Illumine our spirits in the darkness of temptation and the mood of discouragement. Lead us into the way of service and steadfastness until we run with joy to find that you do meet each of us with the glorious power of God.
We ask it all in your Holy Name. Amen.
Third Sunday Of Easter
Call To Worship
We are called to life by the power of God's Word. We are inspired in life by the power of God's Spirit. We are empowered for life by the power of God's resurrection of Jesus from the dead. So come, let us worship the Lord our God.
Invocation
Gracious God, in this season of resurrection, we gather in the hope of new life. Come and stand among us in this place, even as the risen Christ stood among his disciples. Open our eyes to new glimpses of your truth; open our minds to new understandings of your Word; open our hearts to new avenues of witness, that we might go out from this place into all the world, bearing the good news of Jesus Christ, our risen Lord. Amen.
Ritual Of Friendship
The Lord has touched your life with his wonder; let us now reach out and touch the lives of those about us with the gifts of fellowship and friendship!
Offertory Sentences
As we give let us remember those who have never heard the name of Jesus, those who need a Bible in their own language, those who desperately need a word of comfort, and all those who properly look to the church for help.
Offertory Prayer
Lord, as we present our offerings, we remember how the church began with a small group of believers gathered in the upper room, and how it became a worldwide fellowship which includes every nationality, race, and tribe. We give these gifts in order for that church to continue to thrive. Amen.
Benediction
May God's love be evident in your speech, your actions, your thoughts this day and forevermore, in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
Heavenly Father, every day you have richly provided us with all we need for our life. You have given us food and clothing, shelter and work. You have made the sun to rise on us, and under the shadow of your wings we have found refuge.
Forgive us that we have often taken your gifts for granted. Forgive us for not seeing in them the signs of your mercy and not letting your goodness lead us to repentance.
Eternal Father, we confess ways that we hurt those whom we should love. We can be inconsiderate, not intentionally, and yet in ways that we need not continue. In our own homes it is easy to brush over the feelings of one another, or not sense the importance of what a son or daughter, mother or father, husband or wife, is saying. In our places of work, we walk by those who carry burdens of worry, and do not notice. We can be selfish and careless. Forgive us, and take from us the lack of sensitivity which makes us hurt the feelings of others, and never even realize that we are doing so.
As we begin this morning a new week, help us to take advantage of new opportunities. We know that this week will give us the opportunity to do some useful work. We know that this week will afford us the opportunity to learn something new and expand our minds. We know that this week will have new opportunities to give expression to your love and mercy. We know that this week will provide new ways of helping someone in need of friendship. Opportunity knocks. Open our ears to hear, and our hearts to respond.
We remember before you, O Lord, those who are in pain, sorrow, loneliness, or the bitterness of self-imprisonment. May your heart, unveiled at Calvary, be their comfort and deliverer. Grant that they, and we, and all who have looked upon you in your passion, may bear the marks of the Cross upon us and live in that love which believes, hopes, endures all things, and never fails.
We pray, too, for the peace of the world. Remove the weeds of bitterness that have strangled our sensitivity to the needs of other people. Show us what reconciliation really means. Especially do we pray that you will be with the leaders of our nation.
All this we pray in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Fourth Sunday Of Easter
Call To Worship
We are the people of God, the sheep of his pasture, the children of the Most High. Therefore it is fitting that we should gather here and magnify the Lord together. Come let us worship!
Invocation
Lord, you know that we come here in differing states of mind. For some, worship has been a way of life for many years. For others, it is a new experience. Some are confident and sure of their faith; others are wavering and uncertain. Some feel good about themselves, while others are almost drowning in personal and family problems. But whatever our state of mind and heart, we are pleased that you have invited us to be here, and we anticipate your blessing; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Ritual Of Friendship
It is through each one of us that the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit are made known. In that spirit let us greet one another at this time.
Offertory Sentences
As we offer our gifts, let us also offer our lives in renewed dedication to Christ and his Church.
Offertory Prayer
O Lord, in response to the new life of your Word, we bring our gifts and offerings with hearts full of gratitude. We are thankful for the opportunity to give and dedicate them and ourselves to your creative purpose. Bless them and us that all may be used for your honor and glory. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Benediction
Go in peace, and in the knowledge that God's gift of new life in Jesus Christ is yours. Let your faith make a difference. Encourage one another; and may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all forevermore. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
Eternal God, deep beyond our understanding and high above our imagining, we worship you. We thank you that we cannot comprehend you, for if you could be caught in our nets, if we could run the lines of our weak thought around your being and your ways, you would be too small a God. We glory in your greatness and your depth beyond our comprehension.
Be to us, we beseech you, what the souls of persons across the centuries have sought to find in you. Be to us a refuge. For the storms of life are heavy, the tempests beat upon our ships, and we need harborage and anchorage. Throw your greatness around our littleness. Be to us the citadel of the eternal amid the anxieties of time, and let some hearts in this company rejoice that you are our refuge and that underneath are the everlasting arms.
Be to us our judge. For when we compare ourselves with ourselves and others, too easily self-complacency takes possession of us. O Spirit of all beauty, truth, and goodness, be our Judge. Expect of us more than we expect of ourselves. Humble us with some fair vision of loveliness in character and in deed that will shame us from our self-contentment. Grant that some souls here may see you high and lifted up, and in contrition amend their life.
Be to us a guide, O Lord. For it is not in us who walk to direct our own steps. If you have no purpose, then our own purposes are vain. If you have no plan, then is our building vain. If you have no will then do our steps walk waywardly and know not where they go. We beseech you that in our worship light may fall upon some path, and some souls, confused amid the perplexities of life, may see the road that they should take.
Be to us a friend, not far off but close at hand, available for every day's most common need, so that we may but part the inward curtain of our souls and find you there. O Eternal, so great and yet so close, make us aware of your abiding presence, and be to every one of us henceforth the inner Friend, the unseen Companion of our pilgrimage.
Watch over this nation, we pray. Save us from the pitfalls of selfish pride and misused power. Guide our leaders that we may help all the nations to find the paths of peace. And upon us, one by one, so let your grace come that, facing our temptations, bearing our griefs, sustaining our anxieties, and rightly dedicating our powers, we may be true servants of yours, and of your Christ.
In his name and spirit we lift our prayers. Amen.
Fifth Sunday Of Easter
Mothers' Day
Call To Worship
Come, let us worship the God whose love is like that of a mother for her child, whose arms are ever reaching out, whose eyes are always alert, and whose hands are ever compassionate.
Invocation
We have come, O God, to celebrate the power of love: the love we know in our families, the love we experience in our church, the love we enjoy among friends and even among complete strangers. We praise you for this love, for we know that all of it has its source in your great heart and that it reached its fullest expression in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Ritual Of Friendship
Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and those who love are born of God and know God. Let us reach out and greet one another in Christian love at this time.
Offertory Sentences
Let our offerings be a generous expression of our faith, a living testimony of our devotion, and a concrete evidence of our love.
Offertory Prayer
In response to him who welcomed little children, who honored the sanctity of the home, and who provided for his own mother at the time of his death, we present these gifts in loving concern for those who are loved by Jesus Christ. Amen.
Benediction
May you be enriched by the love of your family and friends, by the beauty of the world, and by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
O God, our Father, who entrusted your Son our Savior to the love and care of a humble family, we praise you for the precious heritage of our families. Priceless treasures have flowed into our lives through the tears, laughter, and prayers of dear ones. As heirs of yours we would acknowledge that the best we have is not our own, but has been given as a holy trust.
On this Mothers' Day we remember in prayer all mothers everywhere:
For aged mothers, that they may live out their days in peace and comfort, we pray.
For expectant mothers, who are looking forward to motherhood with both apprehension and anticipation, we pray.
For unwed mothers, who are confused about the direction of their lives and are uncertain about their future, we pray.
For stepmothers, who are trying to meet the challenge of children who are not eager to accept them, we pray.
For women who are not able to have children, for whom this day brings a certain sadness, we pray.
For those mothers who have suffered the death of children, and who live with daily grief, we pray.
For those mothers who are experiencing a mixture of satisfaction and frustration as they bring their children through the various stages of life, we pray.
O Holy Spirit, restore and renew us, not only as individuals, but also as families. May our families be united, reflecting the divine plan which was yours from the very beginning.
May our families be caring, expressing the loving concern for each other that you have had for us.
May our families be honest, teaching and reflecting life's deepest values, and making very clear what is right and wrong.
May our families be godly, incorporating the importance of worship and a keen sense of the spiritual dimension of life.
May our families be loving, incorporating the values of patience, of generosity, of mutual acceptance, and of self-giving.
All this we pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Sixth Sunday Of Easter
Ascension Sunday
Call To Worship
As the sun rises, bringing light and warmth and life, so the Light of the world brings the illumination of Truth, the warmth of Love, and the Life which will never end.
Invocation
Father, we come to seek truth, for life has left us confused and disillusioned. Father, we have come to seek peace, for life has left us worried and anxious. Father, we have come to seek healing, for life has left us bruised and hurt. Be with us now as we claim the promise that those who seek will find; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Ritual Of Friendship
The Bible admonishes us to love one another as Christ loves us. Let us affirm that love as we greet one another in Christ's name.
Offertory Sentences
Jesus, at his ascension, commanded his followers to be witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Let us, in obedience to our Lord's command, present our offerings at this time.
Offertory Prayer
O Lord, as we present these offerings we are taking seriously the commission to make disciples of all nations. May these gifts travel where our feet cannot go, and may they reach out where our hands cannot extend. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Benediction
You came as disciples, to learn; and as believers to worship. Now go forth as apostles, to share; and as servants, to help; and the blessing of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit go with you. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
Almighty God, today we are reminded of your ascended glory; we are reminded that all power is with you, that you came to us once as a human person and then left us once again. In your leaving, you call us to be the persons you have created us to be; you give us a commission to be your representatives in the world. You promise us the Spirit to empower us to fulfill your commission. Without you, good God, we can do nothing. We ask that your presence open our hearts and minds so that we, being filled with you, may be what you want us to be. Come to us, O Holy Spirit, and fill us so we may empty ourselves in our serving others, and in our service lead us into a closer and deeper love with you.
O Lord, Jesus Christ, we pray today for those courageous men and women who are striving to make life more secure and just for all.
Empower the efforts of those who seek peace among the nations, who try to bring opposing factions together at the negotiation table, who advocate international restraint in a time of volatile nationalism.
Bless those who are working hard to preserve the integrity of our environment, who view the world as a precious gift, who are trying to preserve ancient ecological systems which are threatened by greed and exploitation.
Uphold the efforts of reformers who dare to challenge the status quo, who are willing to defend the minority position, who risk much to stand with the oppressed, who stand firm in unpopular opinions.
Heavenly Father, we know that you will never abandon us, especially in those moments when we suffer. Your Spirit comforts and counsels when we are distressed and disoriented. And so we bring to you in confidence the needs of our world, our community, our families, and our inmost selves. We pray for people whose lives are torn by war and famine, the failure of economic systems and political processes. We remember those who are badly housed and who do not receive adequate medical care and education. We lift up those whose lives we touch everyday who stand in need of healing or comfort or hope. And we ask for a keen awareness of the risen Christ in our own lives, in those areas where we stand in need with our relatives, friends, and neighbors.
We pray for our church. Grant that the gifts of your Spirit may prepare us for the work of ministry in the world. Enable us to communicate the vision of the way things can be under the direction of Jesus Christ. Inspire our witness that all people may know the hope and power of his resurrection.
All this we pray in the name of the risen Christ, Jesus our Savior. Amen.
Seventh Sunday Of Easter
Call To Worship
The God we worship this day brings out of the darkness of the night the brightness of a new morning. The faith we celebrate in this place affirms that the cold chill of every winter will one day yield to the warm sunshine of a new spring. The Word we proclaim at this time declares that every ending will give way to a new beginning, and that even in death there springs forth newness of life!
Invocation
O God of light, who overcomes the darkness; O God of creation, who brings order out of chaos: bring light to our fumbling minds, and bring purpose to our floundering lives, so that, having a clear vision and an inner strength, we may become a transforming presence wherever we go. Amen.
Ritual Of Friendship
We believe that God has given us a loving community -- the Church. Let us affirm that belief as we reach out and greet one another in Christian love!
Offertory Sentences
Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them ... if service, in our serving ... those who contribute, in liberality; those who give aid, with zeal.
Offertory Prayer
Lord, we give these offerings because we wish your Church to grow, your Word to be proclaimed, your people to be enriched, and your love to be experienced. Amen.
Benediction
Let us go forth as the people of God sent into the world, and let us live in the world with joy in the name of the Lord. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
O God, who raised Jesus Christ from the dead, we confess that we have been timid witnesses to our faith in him. We have shared the fear and hopelessness of the world. We have not demonstrated our love for Jesus Christ by loving one another. Forgive us. Put to death in us the old self that clings desperately to the understandings of this world, and raise us to new life in Jesus Christ, our risen Savior and Savior of the world.
O God, we thank you for that measure of faith at work within us. We do not understand fully; but we believe. Thank you for the gift of faith. We often ignore your guiding and comforting presence; yet again and again you remind us of the Spirit in and among us. Thank you for the gift of faith. In a world that tries halfheartedly to save itself from ecological and nuclear disaster, in a world that searches for faith everywhere but in the gospel of Jesus Christ, open our eyes to see your Spirit already at work, and empower us to be bold witnesses to the faith within us.
We pray for those whose belief in Jesus Christ is faltering under the pressures of sickness or grief or persecution. Grant that they may claim the presence of your Counselor and Comforter, the Holy Spirit.
This morning we lift our prayers on behalf of all those young people who are graduating from high school. We are thankful for parents and homes where they received the first knowledge of life and love; for their schools and teachers who in patience and wisdom inspired them to seek after truth and learn the grace of living together; for the rich heritage they have received through books, friendships, work, and play. Go with them from here, our Father, upon unknown ways. Give them a firm faith that as they follow the things that are pure, good, and true, you will use them in wondrous purposes. Make them brave against temptations which offer easy evil or would extinguish hopes and dreams. Bless them now and lead them into a life that shall become a hope and promise for a better world.
We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
