Worship Resources for April 18th

The Third Sunday of Easter

Gathering

Call to Worship

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen, indeed! Alleluia!

Joyful is the sound we make this morning!
For this day liberates us from doubt and fear.
Thankful is the song we sing!
For this day moves us past darkness and despair.
Hopeful is the prayer upon our lips!
For this day awakens in us long-awaited new life.
Jesus said, “Where two or more are gathered in my name,
I am there among them.”
Christ lives here and now.
He is among us at this and every moment!
May his peace and presence be known to you.

Song

Greeting

Grace to you and peace
from him who is and who was and who is to come,
and from the seven spirits who are before his throne,
and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead,
and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
—Revelation 1:4-5

Prayer of Adoration

The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty;
the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
Your throne is established from of old; you are from everlasting.
The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
the floods have lifted up their voice;
the floods lift up their roaring.
Mightier than the thunders of many waters,
mightier than the waves of the sea,
the Lord on high is mighty!
Your decrees are very trustworthy;
holiness befits your house,
O Lord, forevermore.
—Psalm 39

Song

Confession & Assurance

Call to Confession Romans 6:1-3, 7, 11

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? For one who has died has been set free from sin. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Therefore, we approach the throne of grace with confidence:
to confess our sin, to put it to death,
to receive forgiveness, and to walk in newness of life.

Prayer of Confession

Almighty God,
in raising Jesus from the tomb
you have given us the sure sign of your power
to deliver us from sin and death
and to renew our whole creation.
We confess that we still fall into doubt and fear.
We continue to cling to selfish ways
and doubt your power to make all things new.
Forgive our lack of faith.
Have mercy on our weakness.
Raise us from the death of sin
that we may live with Christ in the joy of his resurrection,
now and forever. Amen.

Assurance of Pardon 1 Corinthians 15:20; Romans 8:38-39

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.

So I am convinced that neither death nor life,
neither angels nor demons,
neither the present nor the future,
nor any powers,
neither height nor depth,
nor anything else in all creation,
will be able to separate us from the love of God
that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Peace

The peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
And also with you.

Nicene Creed

Brothers and sisters in Christ, together with the church around the world and down through the ages, what do you believe?

We believe in one God,
the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all things visible and invisible.

And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God,
begotten from the Father before all ages, God from God,
Light from Light,
true God from true God, begotten, not made;
of the same essence as the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven;
he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary,
and was made human.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered and was buried.
The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures.
He ascended to heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again with glory
to judge the living and the dead.
His kingdom will never end.

And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life.
He proceeds from the Father and the Son,
and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.
He spoke through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look forward to the resurrection of the dead,
and to life in the world to come.
Amen.

Word

Prayer for Illumination

Gracious God,
if Christ is not risen, nothing matters.
Our preaching is useless,
our faith too,
and we are still in our sin.

But if Christ is risen, nothing else matters,
because nothing whatsoever—
nothing in all creation,
neither height nor depth,
either in life or in death—
will be able to separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Speak the resurrection over us again today,
because nothing else matters.
Through Christ our Lord, Amen.

Scripture Reading

A reading from the book of 1 Corinthians 15:12-19.

15 12 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15 More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.

This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.

Sermon

No Resurrection? Kenos!

Response

Song

We invite you to listen to the song of response below and join in as you learn it. Notice the beautiful words of the refrain,

Had Christ, who once was slain, not burst his three day prison, our faith would be in vain.
But now has Christ arisen, arisen, arisen, but now Christ has arisen.

Story of God

Prayers of the People

This morning for our prayers of the people, we lift before God all in our congregation who are in the “third third” of life, and all the blessings and challenges that come during this stage of life.

Gracious God,

We lift before you all in our congregation who have walked with you for many years, who have known your goodness and your correction for a lifetime, who have seen both great beauty and great suffering as they walk with you.