April 26 | Eastertide 3

Above: “Sending Out” by Elmer Yazzie

 

 

 

 

 

Gathering

 

Prelude

I Love to Tell the Story / Lord You Gave the Great Commission / Shout For the Blessed Jesus Reigns

 

 

 

 

Greeting

 

 

Call to Worship

 

Call to Worship: Psalm 116

¹ I love the Lord, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy.
² Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live.

³ The cords of death entangled me,
the anguish of the grave came over me;
I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
⁴ Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“Lord, save me!”

⁵ The Lord is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion.
⁶ The Lord protects the unwary;
when I was brought low, he saved me.

¹² What shall I return to the Lord
for all his goodness to me?

¹³ I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord.
¹⁴ I will fulfill my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.

 

The people of Israel brought sacrifices to the temple as a way of saying,
“Thank you, God,” and “Forgive me,” and, “I love you.”

Today we do it differently, without an altar – and even without a temple! –

 because the Spirit of God lives in us now;
our bodies are his temple, so we can worship God from wherever we are.

Lift your hearts to the Triune God, who set us free from sin and death!

 

 

Sing: Come, People of the Risen King

 

 

 

Sing: Jesus Shall Reign

 

1. Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
does its successive journeys run,
his kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
till moons shall wax and wane no more.

2. To him shall endless prayer be made,
and praises throng to crown his head.
His name like sweet perfume shall rise
with every morning sacrifice.

3. People and realms of every tongue
dwell on his love with sweetest song,
and infant voices shall proclaim
their early blessings on his name.

4. Blessings abound where’er he reigns:
the prisoners leap to lose their chains,
the weary find eternal rest,
and all who suffer want are blest.

5. Let every creature rise and bring
the highest honors to our King,
angels descend with songs again,
and earth repeat the loud amen.

 

Call to Confession

Let’s pause for a moment and worship God through confession.
Remember that Jesus is always with us – in our best moments and in our worst –
and he stands ready to show us grace when we call upon his name.

 

Prayer of Confession

Wondrous God, we confess that at times our doubts and fears override our hope and faith.
Forgive us when we lose sight of the joy of Your love and instead fall into despair and gloom.
Lift up our spirits, Lord, and help us to remember the promise of new life here and now,
not just the hope of resurrection for the future.

We give thanks for Your Son, Jesus the Christ, who continues to offer us new life,
who continues to turn us around and upside down,
who continues to break down the walls of death in our own life.

Forgive us, restore us and renew us. In the name of our risen Savior, Jesus the Christ, we pray. Amen.

 

Words of Assurance

¹⁸ For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. ²⁰ He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. ²¹ Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.

Jesus lived a perfect, sinless life – and he gave it up for us!

²² Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. ²³ For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God.

We are sinners from birth, but Jesus gave us another chance when he rose from the dead.

Let’s use our new lives to spread the love of Jesus to everyone!

 

Sing: The Lamb Has Overcome

 

1. The Lamb has overcome
The Lamb has overcome
The battle’s done
And the victory is won
For the Lamb has overcome

2. No grave could hold him down
No grave could hold him down
Up from the ground,
“He is risen!” was the sound
No grave could hold him down

refrain:
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
Glory be unto his name
3. At God’s right hand is he
At God’s right hand is he
Our Perfect Plea,
How he lives to intercede!
At God’s right hand is he

4. The day is drawing near
The day is drawing near
He shall appear
And will wipe away each tear
The day is drawing near

 

 

 

 

Word

First Reading: Luke 24:13-35

 

On the Road to Emmaus

¹³ Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. ¹⁵ As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; ¹⁶ but they were kept from recognizing him.

¹⁷ He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”

They stood still, their faces downcast. ¹⁸ One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”

¹⁹ “What things?” he asked.

“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. ²⁰ The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; ²¹ but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. ²² In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning ²³ but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. ²⁴ Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”

²⁵ He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” ²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

²⁸ As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. ²⁹ But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.

³⁰ When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. ³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. ³² They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”

³³ They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together ³⁴ and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” ³⁵ Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.

 

 

 

Second Reading: Acts 2:14a, 36-41

 

 

¹⁴ Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.

³⁶ “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

³⁷ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

⁴⁰ With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” ⁴¹ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

 

 

 

Message: Burning Hearts

 

 

 

 

Sing: Build Your Kingdom Here

 

refrain:
Build Your kingdom here
Let the darkness fear
Show Your mighty hand
Heal our streets and land
Set Your church on fire
Win this nation back
Change the atmosphere
Build Your kingdom here we pray

1. Come set Your rule and reign
In our hearts again
Increase in us we pray
Unveil why we’re made
Come set our hearts ablaze with hope
Like wildfire in our very souls
Holy Spirit come invade us now
We are Your Church
And we need Your power in us

2. We seek Your kingdom first
We hunger and we thirst
Refuse to waste our lives
For You’re our joy and prize
To see the captive hearts released
The hurt, the sick, the poor at peace
We lay down our lives for Heaven’s cause
We are Your church
And we pray revive this earth

refrain

3. Unleash Your kingdom’s power
Reaching the near and far
No force of hell can stop
Your beauty changing hearts
You made us for much more than this
Awake the kingdom seed in us
Fill us with the strength and love of Christ
We are Your church
Oh, and we are the hope on earth

refrain

 

 

 

Prayer

Take time to pray for the needs of those gathered and the needs of the world. ​
Consider structuring your prayer in the following way: ​

Offer a request or praise aloud, concluding with the words, “Lord in your mercy,”​

And let the others respond, “Hear our prayer.”​

Or simply designate a family member to pray on your behalf.

As you close in prayer, remember that the Holy Spirit was sent to be a companion for each of us,
so that we can declare with confidence the Good News that lives within us.

 

 

Sing: Lift High the Cross

 

Refrain:
Lift high the cross, the love of Christ proclaim
till all the world adore his sacred name.

1. Come, Christians, follow where our Savior trod,
the Lamb victorious, Christ, the Son of God. [Refrain]

2. All newborn servants of the Crucified
bear on their brows the seal of him who died. [Refrain]

3. O Lord, once lifted on the glorious tree,
your death has brought us life eternally. [Refrain]

4. So shall our song of triumph ever be:
praise to the Crucified for victory! [Refrain]

 

 

 

Blessing

 

May God go before you to guide you.
May God go behind you to protect you.
May God go beneath you to support you, and beside you to befriend you.
Do not be afraid.
May the blessing of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
settle in among you and remain with you always.
Do not be afraid, But go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Other Resources

Songs

• O Hidden One – a Noah McLaren original based on Luke 24. “The one who set the table / is the One who set us free.”
• Before the Throne of God Above