Second Sunday Of Easter
Worship
Lectionary Worship Workbook
Series IV, Cycle B
Call To Worship
A continuing celebration of resurrection.
Leader:
He is Lord.
People:
He has risen from the dead
Leader:
And he is Lord.
People:
Every knee shall bow
Leader:
And every tongue confess
People:
That Jesus Christ is Lord.
Leader:
Come now -- forget your cares -- for he is Lord. He is in control and we need not worry or be anxious.
People:
Let us lay down our worries,
Leader:
Let us forget our cares,
People:
And rest in the Lord our God
Leader:
Who has all things in his hands.
People:
Amen.
Psalm 133 points out the goodness of fellowship amongst the people of God. This is one to just read with tenderness to your people.
How good and pleasant it is when the people of God live together in unity!
It is like the precious oil used to anoint the heads of priests,
It flows down the head and beard and down upon the collar of the robe.
It is as if the refreshing dew of Mount Hermon flowed down over the people
On whom the Lord bestows the blessing of everlasting life.
In the passage from John 20 we find that Thomas had a hard time believing Jesus rose from the dead. Truthfully, it makes no sense. It certainly doesn't fit with our experience of dead people, nor with the scientific ethos of our culture. Thomas was like many of us are today. But this faith of ours is not so much to be understood as it is to be trusted in, as a child trusts in a loving parent. This Call To Worship calls us to be as children.
Leader:
Deep inside us all, old and young alike,
People:
There is a place of faith.
Leader:
A place of hope, and trust, and love,
People:
Without which there can be no true peace.
Leader:
Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them,
People:
For to such as these,
Leader:
Who still know of this place,
People:
Belongs the kingdom of God."
Leader:
So come now, to this time of worship, as children of the Almighty,
People:
With innocence of heart and unlimited hope,
Leader:
With a trust that makes you vulnerable,
People:
With a love that is easy and quick.
Leader:
Come children, let us worship God.
People:
Amen.
From the hymn "Christ Arose."
Leader:
Up from the grave he arose,
People:
With a mighty triumph o'er his foes;
Leader:
He arose the victor from the dark domain.
People:
And he lives forever with his saints to reign.
Leader:
He arose!
People:
He arose!
Leader:
Hallelujah!
People:
Christ arose!
Leader:
Let us worship our God,
People:
Who raised Jesus from the dead,
Leader:
And his Son whom he glorified.
People:
Amen.
A bit of springtime liturgy that points to resurrection.
Leader:
Welcome to God's new day!
People:
Everywhere we look we see new life.
Leader:
In seeds and buds,
People:
In smiles and touch,
Leader:
We discover God's energizing presence.
People:
Death can never be the last word.
Leader:
God has raised Jesus Christ from the dead.
People:
Christ is present among us now.
Leader:
Praise God for our new lives this day.
People:
Praise God. Amen.
Prayer Of Confession
From 1 John 1:9-11.
Leader:
Anyone who claims to be in the light
People:
But hates a brother or sister
Leader:
Is still in the darkness.
People:
Whoever loves a sister
Leader:
Lives in the light,
People:
And there is nothing in him to make him stumble.
Leader:
But whoever hates a brother is in the darkness,
People:
Walks around in the darkness,
Leader:
And does not know where he is going
People:
Because the darkness is blinding.
Leader:
Father, forgive us for walking in the darkness.
People:
We pray it in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
A Confession that can be paired with the Call To Worship about springtime.
Leader:
With the beauty of spring exploding around us,
People:
We are reminded of our call
Leader:
To be witnesses to your beauty.
People:
Our confession this morning is that
Leader:
We have failed to show that beauty to the world.
People:
Instead we perpetuated the ways of ugliness
Leader:
Or kept the beauty to ourselves.
People:
Forgive us, Father,
Leader:
And help us to embody beauty,
People:
That the world may know that
Leader:
There is no greater love
People:
Than yours.
Leader:
Amen.
People:
Amen.
Use in conjunction with the 1 Corinthians reading. It combines Confession and Assurance.
Leader:
We have treated it as though it were nothing,
People:
Though it was the greatest miracle
Leader:
The world has ever known.
People:
We live as if it never happened,
Leader:
Though it has been attested by hundreds
People:
Who saw it with their own eyes,
Leader:
And thousands,
People:
Even millions,
Leader:
Whose lives have been transformed by it.
People:
O Lord, forgive us
Leader:
For living as if your resurrection never occurred.
People:
Forgive us
Leader:
And enable us
People:
To live as if everything has changed.
Leader:
For in fact it has changed.
People:
Everything has changed.
Leader:
For he has risen.
People:
He is alive.
Leader:
Death is defeated.
People:
Praise God.
Leader:
Praise God.
Assurance Of Pardon
Hear now this good news! God is in the forgiveness business. For the truly repentant, those brokenhearted over their sin, who desire to make a change in their lives, forgiveness is free. Do you desire new life? Come and receive God's freely given mercy. Amen.
Prayer Of Dedication
Begin this morning by reading Acts 4:32-35:
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy people among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.
Let us pray: Lord, may we have the same attitudes towards "our" possessions as those first disciples had -- all things for the common good of the body of Christ. In this way, we may show the world your way. Amen.
Prayer For Illumination
Introduce the prayer by reading a portion of 1 John 1. We used The Message's translation.
"From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in. We heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes, we saw it happen. And now, we are testifying in most sober prose to what we witnessed. And, incredibly, this is it: The infinite life of God took shape before us. We saw it, we heard it, and now we are telling you ..."
These words of John tell us precisely what the Bible is -- it is the testimony of those who experienced the revelation of God in most dramatic ways.
And John goes on to say, "And now we are telling you so that you can experience it along with us. Our motivation for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy it, too."
Let us pray: Word of God incarnate, speak to us now through the words of your witness, John (or Luke, if you are preaching on that passage), that we might know your work as he did. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
Let us pray: God of resurrection power, we praise you that life and love are words that describe your essence. You are the source of all life and all true love. We believe it and rejoice in it, but we must confess that we are assailed by doubts. We wonder why the world is filled with so much anger and hatred if you are love. We wonder why the world is a place marred by disease and death if you are life. These realities make us wonder if you are truly there. And if you are there, can we really believe that you love us considering the state of your world?
Help us with our doubts, Lord. Open our eyes to see the evidence of your love surrounding us everywhere. Help to understand that it is we humans, abusing our freedom, that have caused the darkness and destruction of your creation. Give us ears to hear the beautiful music of life that plays softly, but continually every moment of every day. Then help us to harmonize our lives with your love and life so that we might be revealers of God to the world. Amen.
Benediction
John 20:19
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, the risen Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"
And now I say, "May the peace of Jesus be with you." Amen.
Hymns
A Glorious Church
Be Joyful
Blest Be The Tie That Binds
Bond Of Love, The
Christian Hearts, In Love United
Church Of God Is One, The
Church's One Foundation, The
Crown Him With Many Crowns
Family Of God, The
He Lives
How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place
Jesus, Stand Among Us
Let Saints On Earth In Concert Sing
Let Us Break Bread Together
Little Brown Church In The Vale
O Light From Age To Age The Same
One Holy Church Of God Appears
Our God Has Made Us One
Pour Out Thy Spirit From On High
They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love
We Are God's People
Worship Christ, The Risen King
Contemporary Choruses
Awesome In This Place, Dave Billington
Come Into His Presence, Lynn Baird
Come, Just As You Are, Joseph Sabolick
Firm Foundation, Nancy Gordon
Holy Ground, Geron Davis
Surely The Presence
We Will Glorify, Twila Paris
Other Music
Friends, Michael W. Smith
Some people consider this one corny and overdone. We love it. On a Sunday when you may be preaching about unity and oneness, this song tells us what friendship in Christ is all about. Yes, it is a little sentimental, but so what!
Lean On Me, DC Talk
This is a remake of the great song by Bill Withers. Few songs make a better point about what love should look like in the body of Christ. Teens will love this one.
More Than You'll Ever Know, Watermark
Song that speaks of the power of friendship in Christ.
A continuing celebration of resurrection.
Leader:
He is Lord.
People:
He has risen from the dead
Leader:
And he is Lord.
People:
Every knee shall bow
Leader:
And every tongue confess
People:
That Jesus Christ is Lord.
Leader:
Come now -- forget your cares -- for he is Lord. He is in control and we need not worry or be anxious.
People:
Let us lay down our worries,
Leader:
Let us forget our cares,
People:
And rest in the Lord our God
Leader:
Who has all things in his hands.
People:
Amen.
Psalm 133 points out the goodness of fellowship amongst the people of God. This is one to just read with tenderness to your people.
How good and pleasant it is when the people of God live together in unity!
It is like the precious oil used to anoint the heads of priests,
It flows down the head and beard and down upon the collar of the robe.
It is as if the refreshing dew of Mount Hermon flowed down over the people
On whom the Lord bestows the blessing of everlasting life.
In the passage from John 20 we find that Thomas had a hard time believing Jesus rose from the dead. Truthfully, it makes no sense. It certainly doesn't fit with our experience of dead people, nor with the scientific ethos of our culture. Thomas was like many of us are today. But this faith of ours is not so much to be understood as it is to be trusted in, as a child trusts in a loving parent. This Call To Worship calls us to be as children.
Leader:
Deep inside us all, old and young alike,
People:
There is a place of faith.
Leader:
A place of hope, and trust, and love,
People:
Without which there can be no true peace.
Leader:
Jesus said, "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them,
People:
For to such as these,
Leader:
Who still know of this place,
People:
Belongs the kingdom of God."
Leader:
So come now, to this time of worship, as children of the Almighty,
People:
With innocence of heart and unlimited hope,
Leader:
With a trust that makes you vulnerable,
People:
With a love that is easy and quick.
Leader:
Come children, let us worship God.
People:
Amen.
From the hymn "Christ Arose."
Leader:
Up from the grave he arose,
People:
With a mighty triumph o'er his foes;
Leader:
He arose the victor from the dark domain.
People:
And he lives forever with his saints to reign.
Leader:
He arose!
People:
He arose!
Leader:
Hallelujah!
People:
Christ arose!
Leader:
Let us worship our God,
People:
Who raised Jesus from the dead,
Leader:
And his Son whom he glorified.
People:
Amen.
A bit of springtime liturgy that points to resurrection.
Leader:
Welcome to God's new day!
People:
Everywhere we look we see new life.
Leader:
In seeds and buds,
People:
In smiles and touch,
Leader:
We discover God's energizing presence.
People:
Death can never be the last word.
Leader:
God has raised Jesus Christ from the dead.
People:
Christ is present among us now.
Leader:
Praise God for our new lives this day.
People:
Praise God. Amen.
Prayer Of Confession
From 1 John 1:9-11.
Leader:
Anyone who claims to be in the light
People:
But hates a brother or sister
Leader:
Is still in the darkness.
People:
Whoever loves a sister
Leader:
Lives in the light,
People:
And there is nothing in him to make him stumble.
Leader:
But whoever hates a brother is in the darkness,
People:
Walks around in the darkness,
Leader:
And does not know where he is going
People:
Because the darkness is blinding.
Leader:
Father, forgive us for walking in the darkness.
People:
We pray it in the name of our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
A Confession that can be paired with the Call To Worship about springtime.
Leader:
With the beauty of spring exploding around us,
People:
We are reminded of our call
Leader:
To be witnesses to your beauty.
People:
Our confession this morning is that
Leader:
We have failed to show that beauty to the world.
People:
Instead we perpetuated the ways of ugliness
Leader:
Or kept the beauty to ourselves.
People:
Forgive us, Father,
Leader:
And help us to embody beauty,
People:
That the world may know that
Leader:
There is no greater love
People:
Than yours.
Leader:
Amen.
People:
Amen.
Use in conjunction with the 1 Corinthians reading. It combines Confession and Assurance.
Leader:
We have treated it as though it were nothing,
People:
Though it was the greatest miracle
Leader:
The world has ever known.
People:
We live as if it never happened,
Leader:
Though it has been attested by hundreds
People:
Who saw it with their own eyes,
Leader:
And thousands,
People:
Even millions,
Leader:
Whose lives have been transformed by it.
People:
O Lord, forgive us
Leader:
For living as if your resurrection never occurred.
People:
Forgive us
Leader:
And enable us
People:
To live as if everything has changed.
Leader:
For in fact it has changed.
People:
Everything has changed.
Leader:
For he has risen.
People:
He is alive.
Leader:
Death is defeated.
People:
Praise God.
Leader:
Praise God.
Assurance Of Pardon
Hear now this good news! God is in the forgiveness business. For the truly repentant, those brokenhearted over their sin, who desire to make a change in their lives, forgiveness is free. Do you desire new life? Come and receive God's freely given mercy. Amen.
Prayer Of Dedication
Begin this morning by reading Acts 4:32-35:
All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy people among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.
Let us pray: Lord, may we have the same attitudes towards "our" possessions as those first disciples had -- all things for the common good of the body of Christ. In this way, we may show the world your way. Amen.
Prayer For Illumination
Introduce the prayer by reading a portion of 1 John 1. We used The Message's translation.
"From the very first day, we were there, taking it all in. We heard it with our own ears, saw it with our own eyes, verified it with our own hands. The Word of Life appeared right before our eyes, we saw it happen. And now, we are testifying in most sober prose to what we witnessed. And, incredibly, this is it: The infinite life of God took shape before us. We saw it, we heard it, and now we are telling you ..."
These words of John tell us precisely what the Bible is -- it is the testimony of those who experienced the revelation of God in most dramatic ways.
And John goes on to say, "And now we are telling you so that you can experience it along with us. Our motivation for writing is simply this: We want you to enjoy it, too."
Let us pray: Word of God incarnate, speak to us now through the words of your witness, John (or Luke, if you are preaching on that passage), that we might know your work as he did. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
Let us pray: God of resurrection power, we praise you that life and love are words that describe your essence. You are the source of all life and all true love. We believe it and rejoice in it, but we must confess that we are assailed by doubts. We wonder why the world is filled with so much anger and hatred if you are love. We wonder why the world is a place marred by disease and death if you are life. These realities make us wonder if you are truly there. And if you are there, can we really believe that you love us considering the state of your world?
Help us with our doubts, Lord. Open our eyes to see the evidence of your love surrounding us everywhere. Help to understand that it is we humans, abusing our freedom, that have caused the darkness and destruction of your creation. Give us ears to hear the beautiful music of life that plays softly, but continually every moment of every day. Then help us to harmonize our lives with your love and life so that we might be revealers of God to the world. Amen.
Benediction
John 20:19
On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, the risen Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!"
And now I say, "May the peace of Jesus be with you." Amen.
Hymns
A Glorious Church
Be Joyful
Blest Be The Tie That Binds
Bond Of Love, The
Christian Hearts, In Love United
Church Of God Is One, The
Church's One Foundation, The
Crown Him With Many Crowns
Family Of God, The
He Lives
How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place
Jesus, Stand Among Us
Let Saints On Earth In Concert Sing
Let Us Break Bread Together
Little Brown Church In The Vale
O Light From Age To Age The Same
One Holy Church Of God Appears
Our God Has Made Us One
Pour Out Thy Spirit From On High
They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love
We Are God's People
Worship Christ, The Risen King
Contemporary Choruses
Awesome In This Place, Dave Billington
Come Into His Presence, Lynn Baird
Come, Just As You Are, Joseph Sabolick
Firm Foundation, Nancy Gordon
Holy Ground, Geron Davis
Surely The Presence
We Will Glorify, Twila Paris
Other Music
Friends, Michael W. Smith
Some people consider this one corny and overdone. We love it. On a Sunday when you may be preaching about unity and oneness, this song tells us what friendship in Christ is all about. Yes, it is a little sentimental, but so what!
Lean On Me, DC Talk
This is a remake of the great song by Bill Withers. Few songs make a better point about what love should look like in the body of Christ. Teens will love this one.
More Than You'll Ever Know, Watermark
Song that speaks of the power of friendship in Christ.
