Outdoor Worship Bulletin
May 2, 2021
From You Comes My Praise: Guide My Steps
Fifth Sunday of Easter
Prelude
Welcome
GATHERING OUR STRENGTH
Threshold
Leader: We are a resurrection people! Those who seek new life – new beginnings. And we, the church, must be a place of knowing and growing and accepting love. Dancing requires that we pay attention to the steps, that we watch for the steps of those who have danced this dance of life before – those whose seeking and questioning and dreaming can lead us to seek and hope and dream. Imagine now a dreamer in whose steps you would like to follow. How did they choreograph their dance of life? Now, imagine yourself following their steps with courage and joy! As we dance into diversity and acceptance, may the Spirit guide our steps for nothing is keeping us from it!
(sung)
Dare to dance with dreamers, sing their song,
Dare to dance their stories, sing out strong.
Dare to dance with freedom your whole life long,
Dare to dance again!
Leader: This is the call! Look to the skies be it rain or shine.
People: We lift up our heads to meet the day.
Leader: Look around and see that you do not dance alone.
People: We fortify our hearts with compassion and action.
Leader: If rain still lingers, open the umbrellas of praise and set out anyway.
People: For we are called to dance again!
Opening Song of Praise
HYMN 741:
Guide My Feet (pdf download above)
Prayer
Affirming the Peace Among Us
Leader: The peace of the risen Christ is with you!
People: And also with you!
(sung)
Dare to dance with dreamers, sing their song,
Dare to dance their stories, sing out strong.
Dare to dance with freedom your whole life long,
Dare to dance again!
A Story for All Ages
Children’s Time
A Story for the Ages
Ecclesiastes 3:1-4
Sermon
“The Growing Edge” by Rev. Dr. Alton Pollard
Dancing for All We’re Worth
Learning steps to "You Shall Go Out With Joy" led by Robert L. Bozeman
Prayers of the People
Teach Me to Dance
(sung)
Teach me to dance to the beat of your heart,
teach me to move in the power of your Spirit,
teach me to [move] in the light of your presence,
teach me to dance to the beat of your heart.
Leader: For the beauty of the world in all its diversity, we give you thanks, O God.
For family and friends with whom we have shared.
For opportunities for our work to help others.
Let us pray together…
People: May our gratitude to you fill our days.
Leader: We need your healing, O Holy One, for our troubled planet, for our nation,
for all who are struggling in body, mind, relationships, and spirit.
We remember those who are suffering…
We pray for all in need:
for the sick, the destitute, and the dying;
for strangers in our land, for the invisible ones;
for the elderly and children; for parents and grandparents;
for those who live alone and those who live lonely in the
midst of family.
Leader: Let us pray together…
People: Come, O God, and restore our lives.
(sung)
Teach me to pray in the power of Easter,
following Christ in a life resurrected,
teach me to act with compassion and justice,
teach me to dance with the beat of your heart.
Leader: Be with each of us now.
May the dance of your Spirit ever call us
to engage with you and with the needs around us.
Lead us; guide us; surround and fill us.
Let us pray together…
People: Come, Holy Spirit, come.
(sung)
Teach me to love with your heart of compassion,
teach me to trust in the word of your promise,
teach me to hope in the day of your coming,
teach me to dance to the beat of your heart.
Leader: With the confidence of the children of God, let us pray the prayer that Jesus taught us.
All: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
Offering Our Resources and our Energy
Anthem
River in Judea
John Leavitt
The Invitation
Leader: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Leader: Lift up your hearts!
People: We lift them up to the lord!
Leader: Let us give thanks to the lord our god.
People: It is right to give God thanks and praise.
Leader: Let us pray...
Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
Leader: Holy Living One…
…And so we join with the glorious chorus of saints past and present, singing a never-ending hymn of praise:
(sung)
Holy, holy, holy, Lord:
God of power and might.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Leader: Jesus sat at tables with those who had no place…
…And so, my friends, we remember. And we believe:
(sung)
Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come again!
Leader: Pour out your Spirit upon us now…
All glory to you, Living Presence, Holy One, Holy God, through Jesus our Christ and the Holy Spirit our Advocate.
All: Amen.
The Communion of the People
Leader: The gifts of God for the people of God.
People: Alleluia.
Leader: The body of Christ.
People: Thanks be to God for the bread of heaven.
Leader: The blood of Christ.
People: Thanks be to God for the cup of salvation.
Leader: Come to the table, dearly beloved, for all is ready.
People: Alleluia, Amen.
Hymn
Come Thou Fount
Tom Trenney
Sarah Cleary, soprano
Prayer after Communion
Leader: Bless the Lord, O my soul;
People: And all that is within me, bless God’s holy name.
Leader: Bless the Lord, O my soul;
People: And forget not all God’s benefits.
Leader: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Let us pray…
Thanks be to you, O God our Father, for the salvation which has come to us in Jesus Christ your Son. Gathered at his table, you have nourished us with the food of eternal life, and in him you have adopted us as heirs of the treasures of heaven. Send us forth, we pray, in the spirit of discipleship, that we may become bearers of the Good News, and witnesses to the glory of your kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
People: Amen.
Hymn
Lead Me, Guide Men (pdf download above)
Benediction
Postlude
Hoedown
Aaron Copland
Worship Leaders
Rev. Dr. Alton Pollard, President of Louisville Seminary
Rev. Tara N. Reck, Pastor
Rev. John Kupar, Associate Pastor
Haley Ingram, Seminary Intern
Musicians
APC Choir
Jane Halliday, violin
Don Cunningham, guitar
Matt Trentham, bass
Easter Sunday Bulletin - 6:30AM
Time of Silent Prayer and Meditation
Scripture Reading
John 19:28-42
28 After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), "I am thirsty."
29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth.
30 When Jesus had received the wine, he said, "It is finished." Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
31 Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed.
32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him.
33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out.
35 (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.)
36 These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, "None of his bones shall be broken."
37 And again another passage of scripture says, "They will look on the one whom they have pierced."
38 After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jewish authorities, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body.
39 Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds.
40 They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews.
41 Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid.
42 And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there
Call to Worship
One: Grace to you and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
All: We are obedient unto death, even death on a cross.
One: Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
He grew up before God like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground.
All: He had no form or comeliness that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.
One: He was despised and rejected by humanity; a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
All: He was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.
One: Yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God and afflicted.
All: He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities.
One: Upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed.
All: All we like sheep have gone astray. We have turned everyone to his own way. And the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
Prayer of Adoration
O crucified Jesus, Son of the Father,
conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,
eternal Word of God, we worship you.
O crucified Jesus, holy temple of God,
dwelling place of the Most High,
gate of heaven, burning flame of love,
we adore you.
O crucified Jesus, sanctuary of justice and love,
full of kindness, source of all faithfulness,
we exalt you.
O crucified Jesus, ruler of every human heart,
in you are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge,
in you dwells all the fullness of the Godhead,
we praise your name.
Jesus, Lamb of God, have mercy on us.
Jesus, bearer of our sins, have mercy on us.
Jesus, redeemer of the world, grant us peace,
Almighty God, look with mercy upon your family
for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed
and to be given over to the hands of sinners
and to suffer death on a cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Music
Were You There?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord? (were you there?)
Were you there when they crucified my Lord? (were you there?)
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified, my Lord? (were you there?)
Were you there when they laid him in the tomb? (were you there?)
The Announcement of the Good News
Scripture Reading: John 20:1-18
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples returned to their homes.
11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to lookinto the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”
14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her
Exsultet
One: Rejoice, Heavenly Powers! Sing, choirs of angels! Exult, all creation around God’s throne! Jesus Christ our King is risen!
All: Rejoice, Heavenly Powers! Sing, choirs of angels! Jesus Christ our King is risen!
One: Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor, radiant in the brightness of your King! Christ has conquered! Glory fills you! Darkness vanishes forever!
All: Rejoice, Heavenly Powers! Sing, choirs of angels! Jesus Christ our King is risen!
One: Rejoice, O Mother church! Exult in glory! The risen Savior shines upon you! Let this place resound with joy, echoing the mighty song of all God’s people!
All: Rejoice, Heavenly Powers! Sing, choirs of angels! Jesus Christ our King is risen!
One: The power of this holy dawn dispels all evil, washes guilt away, restores lost innocence, brings mourners joy; it casts out hatred, brings us peace, and humbles earthly pride. Day truly blessed, when heaven is wedded to earth, and we are reconciled with God!
All: Therefore, Gracious God, in the joy of this sunrise, receive our sacrifice of praise, your peoples’ solemn offering. May the gift of faith always dispel the darkness of night!
One: May we always exult in Christ, that Morning Star, who came back from the dead, and shed his peaceful light on all creation, your Son who lives and reigns forever and ever.
All: Rejoice, Heavenly Powers! Sing, choirs of angels! Jesus Christ our King is risen
Response: Sung to the tune of Were You There?
Were you there when God raised Him from the dead? (were you there?)
Were you there when God raised Him from the dead? (were you there?)
Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when God raised Him from the dead? (were you there?)
The Transition to Easter
The Pascal Candle has been lit from the new fire. The “Alleluia” banner, which the children have retrieved from the place where it has been hidden since the beginning of Lent, is hung.
Hymn
Alleluia, Alleluia! Give Thanks to the Risen Lord
Welcome
The Service of Readings
Let us pray together:
All: Almighty and eternal God, you created all things in beauty and order. Help us now to perceive how still more wonderful is the new creation, by which you redeemed your people, through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is your living Word and the fulfillment of all promises of Scripture. In his name we pray. Amen.
Introduction to the Readings
Friends in Christ, let us listen attentively to the Word of God, recalling God’s saving deeds throughout history and how, in the fullness of time, God’s Word became flesh and dwelt among us; Jesus Christ, our Redeemer!
First Reading: Israel’s Deliverance at the Red Sea
Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21 (Common English Bible)
As Pharaoh drew closer, the Israelites looked back and saw the Egyptians marching toward them. The Israelites were terrified and cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Weren’t there enough graves in Egypt that you took us away to die in the desert? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt like this? Didn’t we tell you the same thing in Egypt? ‘Leave us alone! Let us work for the Egyptians!’ It would have been better for us to work for the Egyptians than to die in the desert.”
But Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. Stand your ground, and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never ever see again. The Lord will fight for you.
You just keep still.”
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to get moving. As for you, lift your shepherd’s rod, stretch out your hand over the sea, and split it in two so that the Israelites can go into the sea on dry ground. But me, I’ll make the Egyptians stubborn so that they will go in after them, and I’ll gain honor at the expense of Pharaoh, all his army, his chariots, and his cavalry. The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord, when I win glory at the expense of Pharaoh, his chariots, and his cavalry.”
God’s messenger, who had been in front of Israel’s camp, moved and went behind them. The column of cloud moved from the front and took its place behind them. It stood between Egypt’s camp and Israel’s camp. The cloud remained there, and when darkness fell it lit up the night. They didn’t come near each other all night.
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord pushed the sea back by a strong east wind all night, turning the sea into dry land. The waters were split into two. The Israelites walked into the sea on dry ground. The waters formed a wall for them on their right hand and on their left. The Egyptians chased them and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and cavalry. As morning approached, the Lord looked down on the Egyptian camp from the column of lightning and cloud and threw the Egyptian camp into a panic. The Lord jammed their chariot wheels so that they wouldn’t turn easily. The Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites, because the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt!”
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the water comes back and covers the Egyptians, their chariots, and their cavalry.” So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. At daybreak, the sea returned to its normal depth. The Egyptians were driving toward it, and the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the cavalry, Pharaoh’s entire army that had followed them into the sea. Not one of them remained. The Israelites, however, walked on dry ground through the sea. The waters formed a wall for them on their right hand and on their left.
The Lord rescued Israel from the Egyptians that day. Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the amazing power of the Lord against the Egyptians. The people were in awe of the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.
Then the prophet Miriam, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand. All the women followed her playing tambourines and dancing. Miriam sang the refrain back to them: Sing to the Lord, for an overflowing victory! Horse and rider he threw into the sea!
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God
Music
When Israel Was in Egypt’s Land
Second Reading: Salvation Offered Freely to All....
Isaiah 55:1-13 (Common English Bible)
All of you who are thirsty, come to the water!
Whoever has no money, come, buy food and eat!
Without money, at no cost, buy wine and milk!
Why spend money for what isn’t food,
and your earnings for what doesn’t satisfy?
Listen carefully to me and eat what is good;
enjoy the richest of feasts.
Listen and come to me;
listen, and you will live.
I will make an everlasting covenant with you,
my faithful loyalty to David.
Look, I made him a witness to the peoples,
a prince and commander of peoples.
Look, you will call a nation you don’t know,
a nation you don’t know will run to you
because of the Lord your God,
the holy one of Israel, who has glorified you.
Seek the Lord when he can still be found;
call him while he is yet near.
Let the wicked abandon their ways
and the sinful their schemes.
Let them return to the Lord so that he may have mercy on them,
to our God, because he is generous with forgiveness.
My plans aren’t your plans,
nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord.
Just as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways,
and my plans than your plans.
Just as the rain and the snow come down from the sky
and don’t return there without watering the earth,
making it conceive and yield plants
and providing seed to the sower and food to the eater,
so is my word that comes from my mouth;
it does not return to me empty.
Instead, it does what I want,
and accomplishes what I intend.
Yes, you will go out with celebration,
and you will be brought back in peace.
Even the mountains and the hills will burst into song before you;
all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
In place of the thorn the cypress will grow;
in place of the nettle the myrtle will grow.
This will attest to the Lord’s stature,
an enduring reminder that won’t be removed.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Music
The Canticle of the Turning
Third Reading: Dying and Rising with Christ
Paul insists that salvation is entirely a gracious and undeserved gift of God. As he makes this point in Romans, he rejects the idea that grace encourages sin. Christ death is a death to sin and the new life he brings is life to God.
Romans 6:3-11
Or don’t you know that all who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore, we were buried together with him through baptism into his death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too can walk in newness of life. If we were united together in a death like his, we will also be united together in a resurrection like his. This is what we know: the person that we used to be was crucified with him in order to get rid of the corpse that had been controlled by sin. That way we wouldn’t be slaves to sin anymore, because a person who has died has been freed from sin’s power. But if we died with Christ, we have faith that we will also live with him. We know that Christ has been raised from the dead and he will never die again. Death no longer has power over him. He died to sin once and for all with his death, but he lives for God with his life. In the same way, you also should consider yourselves dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus.
The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Gospel Reading
Luke 24:1-12
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in, they did not find the body. 4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5 The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. 6 Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.” 8 Then they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.
Affirmation of Faith
A Creed from Scripture
All: This is the good news which we have received, in which we stand, and by which we are saved, if we hold it fast: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day, and that he appeared first to the women, then to Peter and to the Twelve, and then to many faithful witnesses.
We believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus is the first and the last, the beginning and the end; he is our Lord and our God.
Morning prayer
Offertory
Offertory Sentences
Offertory
Hymn
Doxology
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise God, all creatures here below; Alleluia! Alleluia!
Praise God above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Prayer of Dedication
The Sacrament of Holy Communion
The Invitation
One: Friends, this is the joyful feast of the people of God.
All: They will come from east and west and from north and south, and sit at table in the kingdom of God.
One: According to Luke, when our risen Lord was at table with his disciples, he took the bread, and blessed it and broke it, and gave it to them,
All: And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.
One: This is the Lord’s table. Our Savior invites all who trust in him to share the feast which he has prepared.
The Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
One: The Lord be with you
All: And also with you.
One: Lift up your hearts!
All: We lift them up to the Lord!
One: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
All: It is right to give God thanks and praise.
Let us pray
One: It is indeed right that with all the angels of heaven and all the creatures on earth we sing praises to you, all Holy and Glorious God. For Christ is risen:
All: He is risen indeed.
One: This is like the day that you gave light to the universe. This is like the day that you saved the Israelites through the sea and led them to freedom with a pillar of fire. Now our night is as
bright as day, and that light is Christ
All: Thanks be to you, O God.
One: This is the day that you broke the chains of death. This is the day that you canceled the debt
of Adam and Eve and married heaven to earth. The Lamb who was slain now reigns, for
Christ is risen.
All: He is risen indeed.
Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with angels and archangels and with all the faithful
of every time and place, who forever sing to the glory of your name:
We rejoice that Jesus came to our darkened world. He washed away sin and rescued us from evil.
He brings us holiness, justice, and peace. On the night before he died, Jesus took bread, gave thanks to you, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said: “Take, eat, this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” When the supper was over, Jesus took the cup, gave thanks to you, shared it with his disciples, and said: “Drink from this, all of you; this is the blood of the new covenant, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
Let us proclaim the mystery of faith:
One: Holy Spirit of the risen Christ, transform us and this feast. Fill this body with your presence. Renew us with the cup of your loving kindness. Illumine our lives, and shine your Morning Star over the whole human race, for our light is Christ:
All: Thanks be to you, O God.
One: All holy and victorious God, our might, our mercy, our life, we bless your salvation, we sing of your grace, for Christ is risen:
All: He is risen indeed.
One: And now, with the confidence of the children of God, let us pray:
All: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
The Breaking of the Bread; The Blessing of the Cup
One: The gifts of God for the people of God.
All: Alleluia.
One: The Body of Christ.
All: Thanks be to God for the Bread of Heaven.
One: The Blood of Christ.
All: Thanks be to God for the Cup of Salvation.
One: Come to the table, dearly beloved, for all is ready.
All: Alleluia, Amen.
The Communion of the People
Hymn
Jesus Christ is Risen Today
Concluding Prayer
One: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Let us pray…
All: Blessed are you, God our Father; you fill our hearts with “Alleluia!” You have brought life and immortality to light through the resurrection of your son, Jesus, and you have called us to be his followers and your children. We live in a world that longs for your peace, that needs the hope that he brings, that needs his healing touch. Send us out rejoicing, renewed by the power of his resurrection, filled with his Spirit, and determined that all we meet shall know that Jesus the Lord is risen today. Alleluia. So be it.
Hymn
I Danced in the Morning
Charge and Blessing
One: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us all.
All: Alleluia! Amen!
One: Christ is Risen!
All: Christ is Risen!
One: Christ is Risen, Indeed!
All: Alleluia! Amen!
All music in this service is reprinted under OneLicense.net #A-702359. All rights reserved.
Worship Leaders: The Reverend Doctor Barry Ensign-George
Rev. Tara N. Reck, Pastor, Rev. John Kupar, Associate Pastor, Haley Ingram, Seminary Intern,
Rev. Dr. Barry Ensign-George, Darla Talbert, Children’s Music Director
Anchorage Presbyterian Church
is a welcoming community of disciples of Jesus Christ
who gather for worship and are sent to serve,
so that, growing by the Holy Spirit in faith,
we may do God’s work and be God’s people in and for the world.
Easter Sunday Bulletin - 11AM
Prelude
La Rejoussance by George Fredric Handel
Opening Scripture Sentences
One: Christ is risen!
All: Christ is risen indeed!
One: This is the day the Lord has made.
All: Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
Welcome
Prayer of Adoration
Hymn
Jesus Christ is Risen Today
Call to Confession
Prayer of Confession
All: Almighty God, in raising Jesus from the grave, you shattered the power of sin and death. We confess we remain captive to doubt and fear, bound by the ways that lead to destruction. We have neglected Jesus’ mission to bring good news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and freedom for the oppressed. We have been slow to proclaim the era of your reign. Forgive us, God of mercy. Help us to trust your promise to change our lives and make us new, that we may know the joy of abundant life given in Jesus Christ, the risen Lord, in whose name we pray. Amen.
Declaration of Pardon; The Law of God
Response
All: Alleluia, alleluia! Give thanks to the risen Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia! Give praise to His Name.
Jesus is Lord of all the earth. He is the King of creation .
Alleluia, alleluia! Give thanks to the risen Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia! Give praise to His Name.
Prayer for Illumination
Old Testament Reading
Isaiah 25:6-9
Epistle Reading
Acts 10:34-43
Gospel Reading
Mark 16:1-8
Sermon
Rev. Tara N. Reck
Affirmation of Faith
A Creed from Scripture
All: This is the good news which we have received,
in which we stand, and by which we are saved, if we hold it fast:
that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day,
and that he appeared first to the women, then to Peter,
and to the Twelve, and then to many faithful witnesses.
We believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Jesus Christ is the first and the last, the beginning and the end;
he is our Lord and our God.
Hymn
Morning Prayer
Offertory Moment
Offertory Anthem: Let Heavenly Music Fill this Place
Prayer of Dedication
The Sacrament of Holy Communion
The Invitation
One: Friends, this is the joyful feast of the people of God.
All: They will come from east and west and from north and south, and sit at table in the kingdom of God.
One: According to Luke, when our risen Lord was at table with his disciples, he took the bread, and blessed it and broke it, and gave it to them,
All: And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.
One: This is the Lord’s table. Our Savior invites all who trust in him to share the feast which he has prepared.
The Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
One: Alleluia! Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.
All: Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia!
One: The Lord be with you.
All: And also with you.
One: Lift up your hearts!
All: We lift them up to the Lord!
One: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
All: It is right to give God thanks and praise.
It is right to give you thanks, O God, for the power which brought our Lord Jesus from death to life, and which is promised to us who believe in him. We praise you that, breaking bread by faith, we know Christ risen, and can trust him to save us from sin and death. Great and wonderful are your works, Lord God Almighty. Your ways are just and true. With people of faith from all times and places, we lift our hearts in joyful praise, for you alone are holy.
Celebrating your majesty and holiness, we remember that you sent Jesus Christ to live as one of us, fully human and fully divine. To the poor he proclaimed the good news of salvation; to prisoners, freedom; to the sorrowful, joy. To lost sheep, he was the good shepherd. To fulfill your purpose we gave himself up to death; and, rising from the grave, he made the whole creation new. In hope, we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
One: All glory be unto you, most gracious God………through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught us to pray:
All: Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever. Amen.
The Breaking of the Bread
The Blessing of the Cup
The Communion of the People
Hymn
I Know That My Redeemer Liveth sung by Lacey Gilliam
Prayer After Communion
One: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Let us pray:
You have given yourself to us, Lord.
All: Now we give ourselves for others.
One: You have raised us with Christ, and made us a new people.
All: As people of the resurrection, we will serve you with joy.
One: Your glory has filled our hearts.
All: Help us to glorify you in all things.
Hymn
Now the Green Blade Rises
Charge and Benediction
Worship leaders:
Rev. Tara N. Reck, Pastor
Rev. John Kupar, Associate Pastor
Haley Ingram, Seminary Intern
Robert Bozeman, Minister of Music
The Chancel Choir
Lacey Gilliam, Soloist
Palm Sunday Bulletin
“Holy, Wholly”
Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
Call to Worship
L: The end of our journey is near.
P: We see the towers of Jerusalem; we hear the shouts of the crowd
L: We still have a distance to travel.
P: But the parade has begun.
L: Hosanna! Rejoice for the Lord is in our midst.
P: He comes with joy and hope.
L: He comes to set us free from fear.
P: Hosanna!
L: Hosanna! Glory to God in the Highest Heaven.
Prayer:
Blessed are you, Holy God, for in Jesus Christ you came to rule in our lives, not as a king, but as humble servant, riding on a donkey. As we enter Holy Week and gather at your house of prayer, enter into our hearts this day with your glory, that we may greet you with shouts of praise;
through Christ, our Sovereign and Savior. AMEN
Scripture Reading - Matthew 21:1-11
When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, just say this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” 4 This took place to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,
5 “Tell the daughter of Zion,
Look, your king is coming to you,
humble, and mounted on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7 they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
10 When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
The Gospel of our Lord.
Thanks be to God.
The Palm Parade
Hymn: All Glory Laud and Honor
Children’s Sermon
Call to Confession – Unison Prayer of Confession
All:
Forgiving God,
We have opened ourselves to healing and sometimes it is easier to pray nice
prayers than to do the hard work of putting into action what needs to happen.
Help us remember the sacred nature of the holy vessels that we are,
fragile and susceptible to shattering and yet capable of transformation.
Help us to see ourselves as you see us.
Help us to believe in our ability to change and heal as you believe in us.
Help us, Healer.
Show us our strength.
Forgive our inertia.
Move us to move
one step at a time toward greater care.
In this silence, we sense and acknowledge our yearning for wholeness.
Silence
Assurance of Pardon
Passing of the Peace
L: The peace of Christ is with you.
P: And also with you.
Youth Scripture – Mark 14:32-15:47
Readers: Kayla Dermody, Sarah Dermody, Emma Reck, Grace Reck, Ella Yunker
Hymn: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross
Prayers of the People
Call to Offering
Please drop your offering in the box as you enter or exit worship.
Prayer of Dedication
Our Father, who art in heaven: hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done; on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Closing Hymn: Were You There, v 1-4
Commission and Blessing
Postlude: Were You There, v 5