Easter 3
Worship
Lectionary Worship Aids, Cradled in God's Heart
Series VIII, Cycle A
Object:
Call To Worship
One: Where shattered hearts are made whole,
where wounded souls are healed,
where life is stronger than death;
All: there, the stone has been rolled away.
One: Where the lonely become our friends,
where a stranger is welcomed home,
where hope is stronger than despair;
All: there, we find Jesus walking.
One: Where closed wallets are opened,
where the anxious find serenity,
where love is stronger than hate;
All: there, Jesus is opening our eyes.
One: The stone has been rolled away.
Jesus is our companion on the journey!
Our eyes are opened to the needs of others!
All: Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Alleluia! Christ is with us!
Prayer Of The Day
Splattering the black-blue night
with the twinkling stars
and spinning fluffy clouds
out of the fabric of your hope,
you raised creation out of chaos,
Gracious God,
giving life and calling it good.
Walking with disciples
down grief's lonely road,
you sang of how
God had raised you from the dead,
so that listening, they might believe;
believing, they might understand;
understanding, they might obey;
going forth to invite all
to follow you,
Bread of Life,
to feast on your love forever.
Reaching out your love to us,
so we would touch others;
filling us with your gifts,
so we could be a blessing to the world;
piercing our darkness with hope,
so we might bring healing
to the broken;
you raise us to new life,
Spirit of God.
God in Community, Holy in One,
hear us as we pray, saying,
Our Father ...
Call To Reconciliation
Here! Christ is here! In our hearts, in our lives, and in our midst. As on that road to Emmaus, Jesus is with us -- teaching, loving, leading, feeding. Let us confess how we have overlooked the presence of the risen Christ, and ignored the words he whispers to our hearts, as we pray, saying,
Unison Prayer Of Confession
We become comfortable, Joyous God, with our lives, with our faith, with our friends and family. We are so comfortable that your gospel jars us with your hopes for us. We know we should tell your story, but doesn't everyone who matters know it already? We could invite others to your table, but then we might have to share. We could welcome the strangers, but worry that they might feel uneasy among so many unfamiliar faces.
Forgive us, God of Easter. Walk with us, so we can become companions to the lost. Welcome us, so we can include the hopeless and homeless. Love us, so we can share that love with everyone we meet on our journey, as we follow Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, into life with you.
Silence is kept
Assurance Of Pardon
One: God loves us so much, God will listen to our cries, our prayers, our hopes, and our dreams. God's promises are for all, those who are right beside us, as well as those who live on the other side of the world.
All: What can we give to God for such grace? We will lift our hearts to God, giving thanks for the mercy that has been given to us. Thanks be to God! Amen.
One: Where shattered hearts are made whole,
where wounded souls are healed,
where life is stronger than death;
All: there, the stone has been rolled away.
One: Where the lonely become our friends,
where a stranger is welcomed home,
where hope is stronger than despair;
All: there, we find Jesus walking.
One: Where closed wallets are opened,
where the anxious find serenity,
where love is stronger than hate;
All: there, Jesus is opening our eyes.
One: The stone has been rolled away.
Jesus is our companion on the journey!
Our eyes are opened to the needs of others!
All: Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Alleluia! Christ is with us!
Prayer Of The Day
Splattering the black-blue night
with the twinkling stars
and spinning fluffy clouds
out of the fabric of your hope,
you raised creation out of chaos,
Gracious God,
giving life and calling it good.
Walking with disciples
down grief's lonely road,
you sang of how
God had raised you from the dead,
so that listening, they might believe;
believing, they might understand;
understanding, they might obey;
going forth to invite all
to follow you,
Bread of Life,
to feast on your love forever.
Reaching out your love to us,
so we would touch others;
filling us with your gifts,
so we could be a blessing to the world;
piercing our darkness with hope,
so we might bring healing
to the broken;
you raise us to new life,
Spirit of God.
God in Community, Holy in One,
hear us as we pray, saying,
Our Father ...
Call To Reconciliation
Here! Christ is here! In our hearts, in our lives, and in our midst. As on that road to Emmaus, Jesus is with us -- teaching, loving, leading, feeding. Let us confess how we have overlooked the presence of the risen Christ, and ignored the words he whispers to our hearts, as we pray, saying,
Unison Prayer Of Confession
We become comfortable, Joyous God, with our lives, with our faith, with our friends and family. We are so comfortable that your gospel jars us with your hopes for us. We know we should tell your story, but doesn't everyone who matters know it already? We could invite others to your table, but then we might have to share. We could welcome the strangers, but worry that they might feel uneasy among so many unfamiliar faces.
Forgive us, God of Easter. Walk with us, so we can become companions to the lost. Welcome us, so we can include the hopeless and homeless. Love us, so we can share that love with everyone we meet on our journey, as we follow Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, into life with you.
Silence is kept
Assurance Of Pardon
One: God loves us so much, God will listen to our cries, our prayers, our hopes, and our dreams. God's promises are for all, those who are right beside us, as well as those who live on the other side of the world.
All: What can we give to God for such grace? We will lift our hearts to God, giving thanks for the mercy that has been given to us. Thanks be to God! Amen.
