CALL TO WORSHIP
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed.
God is my strength and my song; he has given me victory.
Songs of joy and victory are sung in the camp of the godly.
The strong right arm of the Lord has done glorious things!
The strong right arm of the Lord is raised in triumph.
This is the day the Lord has made.
We will rejoice and be glad in it.
For Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!
OPENING PRAYER
Glory to you, O God, our Strength and our Redeemer!
The vacant cross and the empty tomb
vindicate your claim that the love which suffers is the love which saves.
Fill your people with joy and your church with celebration
so that the whole world may know
that your holy Son Jesus is not a dead hero we commemorate,
but the living Lord we worship,
and in whose Name we pray. Amen.
—Common Order, Church of Scotland
PRAYER OF THE DAY
We gather as one to worship you, Almighty God,
for you are the God of life standing against all death.
We thank you that, in Jesus Christ,
you have stripped the grave of its hold on us;
in him you have stood up for life, once and for all.
And so we pray today for all who still languish in the grip of death. We pray for the sick and those who are facing what might seem to be the end. We pray for the lonely and the desperate. May they hear from us your message of peace, that their trust in you might be strengthened.
We pray for everyone fighting the powers of death— for all in the medical field, for those doing research, for those who share your word, and for all faithful Christians everywhere— that their message may be one of hope.
Give us, O loving God, understanding in the face of that which seems incomprehensible. Give us in abundance the creative power of your Spirit, that we may have the courage to stand up against the powers that tear down. Help us to work for justice and peace in the world, that the message that you are love and that Jesus is life may resound throughout the world. We ask this in his Name. Amen.
And so we pray today for all who still languish in the grip of death. We pray for the sick and those who are facing what might seem to be the end. We pray for the lonely and the desperate. May they hear from us your message of peace, that their trust in you might be strengthened.
We pray for everyone fighting the powers of death— for all in the medical field, for those doing research, for those who share your word, and for all faithful Christians everywhere— that their message may be one of hope.
Give us, O loving God, understanding in the face of that which seems incomprehensible. Give us in abundance the creative power of your Spirit, that we may have the courage to stand up against the powers that tear down. Help us to work for justice and peace in the world, that the message that you are love and that Jesus is life may resound throughout the world. We ask this in his Name. Amen.
—based on German Reformed Liturgy
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
O God, may your Spirit of truth make us truly alive this morning. Roll away our assumptions that we may fully understand the Easter message. Open our hearts and minds to the Good News that Christ is risen indeed. Amen.
INVITATION
Christ our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed for us—therefore let us keep the feast. The table has been prepared, and no matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you’re welcome here.
COMMUNION PRAYER
Loving Father, living God, it is right and appropriate and our joyful duty, always and everywhere to give you thanks, especially today, when we greet our risen Lord. We praise you for all that you have done for us in Christ.
We praise you for his life through which he showed your love; for his victory over evil, and his obedience which took him to the cross; for his triumph over death, and for his presence among us as our living Lord.
We praise you for this bread and wine, through which we remember; through which our faith and hope are renewed, through which we receive the power of your Spirit, and share the communion of your undying love.
Honor and glory and praise be to you, O God of grace, here and everywhere, now and forever. Amen.
Christ our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed for us—therefore let us keep the feast. The table has been prepared, and no matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you’re welcome here.
—1 Cor. 5:7-8
Loving Father, living God, it is right and appropriate and our joyful duty, always and everywhere to give you thanks, especially today, when we greet our risen Lord. We praise you for all that you have done for us in Christ.
We praise you for his life through which he showed your love; for his victory over evil, and his obedience which took him to the cross; for his triumph over death, and for his presence among us as our living Lord.
We praise you for this bread and wine, through which we remember; through which our faith and hope are renewed, through which we receive the power of your Spirit, and share the communion of your undying love.
Honor and glory and praise be to you, O God of grace, here and everywhere, now and forever. Amen.
—Chalice Worship
Because Christ is risen from the dead, may the love of God rise up within you and may the Holy Spirit strengthen you to share the message of life with those around you.
Because the body of Christ was not found in the tomb, may you—members of his body— leave fear behind. May it be his path that you follow in the days ahead to places both familiar and new.
Because the Lord is risen indeed, may you feel the presence of the peace of God that surpasses human understanding, the grace of Jesus Christ, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, both today and forevermore. Amen.
