Unfolding Light – Page 71 – Daily Reflections and Worship Resources

4th Sunday of Easter

April 30, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Acts 2.42-47 describes the life of the early church, and the Christians’ care for each other. They studied, worshiped, ate and served together, sharing all their possessions.

Psalm 23 celebrates God’s care for us as a shepherd for their sheep… and as a host welcomes, protects and provides for guests. (Here are nine paraphrases of Ps. 23.)

1 Peter 2.19-25 encourages us to endure suffering, entrusting ourselves to the care of Christ, who is the shepherd of our souls.

John 10.1-11. Jesus speaks of himself as a shepherd whose sheep follow him because they know and listen for his voice.

Preaching Thoughts

(Here are nine paraphrases of Psalm 23.)

It’s nice to think of being personally shepherded by Jesus. But it’s not all about our own smug comfort in green pastures. Jesus doesn’t call us just for our sake. It’s to follow him— going somewhere: from town to town, healing and proclaiming grace. People certainly gained benefits from being among the early Jesus-followers. But they also worked, prayed and shared for the sake of the community. Jesus isn’t trying to shepherd us to heaven. He’s shepherding us into the world, to serve with love.

It’s also tempting to believe that in Jesus’ care we’ll encounter no pain, difficulty or loss. Oh, yeah? The calm, idyllic, pastoral 23^rd Psalm leads us right out of green pastures into the valley of the shadow of death. Good Shepherd Jesus doesn’t promise ease and comfort: he promises his loving presence even in awful times. “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.” To follow Jesus is to take up a cross, not a lawn chair.

Jesus’ image of the good shepherd is one of mutual intimacy. “The shepherd calls his sheep by name … and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.” He knows them personally, by name. Jesus encourages us to believe in a God who knows us, understands us, and believes in us, who doesn’t just react to us according to the formula of laws and requirements. And the sheep know him well enough to recognize his voice. The point of our faith is not to believe some stuff about Jesus, but to know him like a friend, to engage in a living relationship. I think that’s what it means when he says “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.” In our relationship with Jesus we enter into a place of rest and belonging, of nurture and empowerment. And we follow him. We know him well enough to listen to him. Preachers will need to talk about what it means to “know the shepherd’s voice,” to recognize what leads us to life, to love, toward intimate connection with the world; and what it means to listen to Jesus, to be open-hearted to ways we may be nudged, attentive to where the “voice“ of Jesus is in our lives: in praying with scripture, interacting with people, observing nature, reflecting on our own inner life….

“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Abundant life doesn’t mean abundant possessions or interesting experiences. It means being fully alive, in a free giving-and-receiving relationship with God and the world, receiving all life has to offer, connecting with the presence of God in all things. It means all of life throbs and hums in us, and we are part of all living things. It means not being deadened. It means death has no dominion over us. It means that life overflows in us and can’t be diminished, controlled or taken away. (I don’t think it means anything different from “eternal life,” life that can’t be taken from us.) I think of Luke 6.38: “A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap.” I think of John 4.14: “a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.”

The Psalter, Epistle and Gospel all show us God or Jesus lovingly shepherding us. Acts shows us what we’re like when we follow the shepherd. We study, worship, share and pray together, we practice awareness that leads to awe, and we reach out to others. Again, it’s not just for our own sake. This passage provides a template with which to look at your own congregation. Do we do all this? Where are we strong? Where are we weak?

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Shepherd of mercy, you provide for us and protect us.
All: Shepherd of love, lead us in your way.
Shepherd of justice, you gather your flock, and care for the lost and neglected.
Shepherd of love, lead us in your way.
Shepherd of our souls, you guide us toward your own heart, and we follow.
Shepherd of love, lead us in your way.
In gratitude and trust, we worship you. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: Loving God, shepherd of our souls, we come to you.
All: Tender Christ, companion on the way, we follow you.
Holy Spirit, guide among the shadows, we depend on you.
Loving God, shepherd of our souls, we listen for your voice.
In stillness… in hunger… in hope… we listen.
Loving God, shepherd of our souls, we come to you.

3. (Psalm 23)
Leader: Loving God, Shepherd of our hearts, by your grace we lack nothing!
All: You give us rest in green pastures;
you lead us beside still waters; you revive us.
You lead us in paths of justice for the sake of your will.
Even though we walk through deathly shadows, we are not afraid,
for you are with us:
your Word and your presence are our safety.
You set a table for us: abundance in the face of all that would diminish our lives.
You shower us with your delight.
Our lives overflow with your grace.
You accompany us with goodness and mercy all our days.
So we come to live in your house, O God,
now and our whole lives long! Alleluia!

4.
Leader: Loving God, we praise you!
All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
Jesus, gentle shepherd, you have brought us out of death,
and led us in green pastures of life, beside still waters of blessing.
Alleluia! Shepherd us, dear Savior, and lead us into life.
Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
God of love, Shepherd of our souls, we listen for your voice,
the voice that speaks the world into being,
the voice that calls our secret name,
the voice that leads us to abundant life.
Speak to us. We are listening, ready to follow. Amen.

2.
So many voices clamor for our minds, so many noises.
God of love and truth, you speak beneath them all.
In the stillness, we listen.
For your grace, we listen.
For your voice, we listen.

3.
Loving God, Gentle Christ, Life-Giving Spirit, you shepherd us from death to life, from loneliness to community. You know us, and you speak to our deepest hearts. Even deeper than our conscious thought, something in us knows your voice, and responds. So we listen, God, for your Living Word. Speak to us now, and always, and lead us to life. Amen.

4.
Gentle Shepherd, you guide us and protect us and nourish us. You gather us as one flock; and we find grace in one another’s companionship. Your voice leads us to abundant life; your steps lead us in serving. Speak to us now, so that, recognizing the voice of love, we might follow. Amen.

Listening Prayer

(suitable as a Collect, preparation for hearing scriptures, or invitation to prayer)

Jesus, gentle Shepherd,
you speak with the voice of life,
the voice of love.
You call us each by name.
We listen,
and we will follow.

Readings

Here are nine paraphrases of Psalm 23.

Poetry

Haunt me

Holy Mystery,
may your voice haunt me all this day,
your blessing cling to me like a smell,
your beauty drip through my veins,
your hand be my own shadow beneath me,
your Way be the light I walk through,
your heart the path I travel,
your Word the breath I take
your blessing my world.
Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer

________________________

2.

God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.

We thank you, O God, for from the beginning you have shepherded us
and given us all that we need.
You have fed us in the green pastures of Creation.
You have led us by the waters of your Word.
You have restored us with the breath of your Spirit.
You have led us in the paths of justice for your name’s sake.
You have led us from captivity to freedom, from fear to compassion.Therefore with all Creation we sing your praise:

            [Sanctus, spoken or sung:]
        Holy, holy, holy One, God of power and might,
        heaven and earth are full of your glory.
        Hosanna in the highest.
        Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
        Hosanna in the highest.
               [or alternate version]

Even in the shadows of death you have been with us.
Your Word and your Presence, they comfort us.

[… The Covenant and Blessing … ]

Therefore we proclaim the mystery of our faith:

             [Memorial Acclamation, spoken or sung:]
        Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
                     —or—
        Dying, Christ destroyed our death. Rising, Christ restores our life.
        Christ will come again in glory.
             [or alternative]

You prepare a table for us, and invite even our enemies, and make us one.
You anoint us with your joy.
The cup of blessing that you give us overflows.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ.
May goodness and mercy fill us all our days.
May we dwell in your presence now and in eternal life. Amen.

     [Spoken or sung]
Amen.

____________
* The Blessing and Covenant
[I usually don’t print the words. I want people to be looking at the bread, not their bulletins.]

On the night in which he gave himself for us
Jesus took bread, blessed it,. broke it, and gave it to his disciples,saying,
“Take and eat; this is my body.”
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup,
blessed it with thanks and gave it to them, saying,
“Drink of this, all of you. This is my blood,
poured out for you and for many, in a new Covenant,
which is the forgiveness of sin.”
As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]
1.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) In gratitude for all you have given us we give you our lives, symbolized in these gifts. Receive them with love, bless them with grace and use them according to your will. Shepherd us by your gentle Word; lead us to follow you and to do your will, for the sake of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) You have led us beside the still waters of your peace. You have fed us in the green pastures of your grace. You have led us in the paths of your love. Shepherd us as we go into the world, following your voice, living by your Spirit, sharing your love. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) You have led us in peace and fed us with grace; our cup overflows. Grant that we may always listen for your voice and follow, into the world, serving our sisters and brothers, whom you love so much that you would lay down your life for them. We pray in the name and the Spirit and the company of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

(Click on titles to view, and hear an audio clip, on the Music page)

Dear Gentle, Watchful Shepherd (Tune: O Sacred Head Now Wounded)

Dear gentle, watchful shepherd, you lead us as we graze,
and guide, us when we wander, to find again your ways.
And when we stray in darkness, alone and lost and weak,
unseen, you still are with us, your dear ones whom you seek.

We pray for those who struggle through life all on their own,
who find no path to guide them, who think they are alone.
You fold them in your mercy in every lonely place,
and with your hand upon them you bless them with your grace.

O lead us, loving shepherd to seek the last and lost,
to love them with your passion, and serve at any cost.
Send us to find the lonely, forgotten and ignored:
it’s there that we shall meet you, our saving, healing Lord.

Jesus Our Shepherd (Tune: Morning Has Broken)

Jesus, our shepherd, gently you lead us
to these green pastures’ sheltering place.
By the still waters guide and refresh us;
gather and feed us here with your grace.

Jesus, our shepherd, gently you bless us,
granting us peace and life-giving breath.
Through the dark valleys still you are with us.
Lead us to new life out of our death.

Jesus, our shepherd, gently you call us.
We hear your voice and follow with you.
Lead us to serve you, loving each other,
always receiving life that is new.

Lead Me, My Shepherd (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

Lead me, my shepherd, in paths that you show.
Not by my own will, but yours, may I go.
By the still waters of baptism’s grace
dear God, renew me, and show me your face.

Love, may your rod and your staff be my guide.
Even in death’s shadow walk by my side.
Help me to listen, to trust and obey,
going wherever you show me the way.

Dearest companion of blessing and weal,
you who provide and forgive me and heal,
still now, I listen and wait for what’s true:
your voice that leads me to life, and to you.

Psalm 23 (Tune: Be Thou My Vision)

God is my shepherd; I have all I need. God
Makes me lie down in green pastures to feed.
By the still waters God gently will lead.
Love, you’re my shepherd. I have all I need

Yea, though I walk through the valley of death, I
fear not, for you are as close as my breath.
For you are with me, your staff and your rod
they are my comfort, my shepherd, my God

You set my table before all my foes. You
pour out your blessing; my cup overflows.
Goodness shall be with me wherever I roam,
and I will live with you, my Heart, my Home.

3rd Sunday of Easter

April 23, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Acts 2. 36-42. The crowd responds to Peter’s story of Jesus. Three thousand are baptized, and they engage in study, community, worship and service (“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and fellowship, the breaking of bread and the prayers”).

Psalm 116 . God, you have saved me. Thank you! How can I give thanks? I will celebrate your goodness in worship with the community of faith.

1 Peter 1.17-23. Though the culture trains us in unfruitful ways of living we have been set free from them by the loving self-giving (the “blood”) of Christ. We are “born anew,” and in this new life we trust God and love one another with God’s love.

Luke 24.13-35. Some disciples meet the risen Christ on their journey to Emmaus, but they do not recognize him until he breaks bread with them.

Preaching Thoughts

Worship. The Emmaus story provides the four-fold structure of our worship: coming together with Christ, hearing the Word and reflecting on it, breaking bread together, and being sent into the world to proclaim the good news. Consider making this evident in your worship. You might break up the Gospel reading into four “scenes” and label the movements of worship:
• “Christ walks alongside us,” or “They were walking along, talking with each other…” introduced with Luke 24.13-16;
• “Christ opens the scriptures to us,” or “He interpreted to them the things in scripture…” with Luke 24.17-27;
•“Christ breaks bread with us,” or “At the table with them, he took bread…” introduced with Luke 24.28-32;
• “We are sent to tell the good news,” or “They got up and returned…” introduced with Luke 24.33-35.

1 Peter uses language that may seem dense and archaic to modern listeners. You might either replace or supplement it with a more modern paraphrase. (Mine is below.) It describes how the life of faith is a life of continually dying to the world’s way of doling this and being raised to new ways of living, characterized primarily by love. Resurrection isn’t merely a doorway to the afterlife: it’s transformation to a new way of living, bearing the deep love of Christ.

Emmaus. The story speaks on several deep levels.
• It’s certainly about the early disciples’ experience: they realized, after the fact, that the risen Christ had been with them.
• It reflects how Jesus was “known in the breaking of the bread.” At Emmaus Jesus “took, blessed, broke and gave” the bread— here and at the last supper, the feeding of the 5000, and the breakfast on the beach in John 21. These are the only earthly actions Paul ever refers to in Jesus’ life (in 1 Cor. 11). There was both something distinctive about how Jesus handled the bread at table and something distinctive about this fourfold action in the life of the early church. It’s symbolic of the resurrected life of faith: we are taken from our lives (as 1 Peter suggests, rescued from loveless ways), “delivered into Christ’s realm of light;” we are blessed by God’s love; we are broken, dying to old ways, surrendering ourselves in love; and we are given to the world as agents of God’s grace.
• The Emmaus story reflects the experience of faith (paralleling that four-fold Eucharistic mystery) : like the disciples we experience brokenness or the collapse of old assumptions (we are taken away from the familiar); Christ comes alongside us and accompanies in our grief and bewilderment (we are blessed); our eyes are opened to see Christ’s presence with us that we hadn’t seen (our assumptions and old ways of seeing are broken); and we are given, sent back out to proclaim the good news. In the life of faith we experience the loss of old assumptions and habits; we experience Christ’s presence in new ways (often seen clearly only in retrospect); we meet Christ deeply in the Eucharist, in prayer, in the community of faith—which transforms us; and, as if born all over again as children with joy and hope we are sent out to embody resurrection in the world.
• In particular the Emmaus story says something about how Christ accompanies us in grief and loss. “We had hoped…” Christ does not rescue us from difficulty but transforms it into an experience of presence: the crucified and risen one walks with us, so that we too, in time, may rise. But first we walk through our sorrow, the “valley of the shadow of death,” accompanied by God’s “rod and staff.” The sorrowful journey leads us to a deeper knowledge of Christ’s presence, even in the brokenness—of the bread, and of our hearts.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Christ is Risen!
All: Christ is risen indeed.
Christ, you have walked with us in our joy and in our sorrow
though we have not recognized your presence.
We give thanks, and worship in awe and wonder, in gratitude and joy.
Living Christ, give us eyes to see you.
Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: God of life, we long for you
All: Bread of life, we hunger for you.
Breath of Life, we open ourselves to you.
Our hearts are burning within us.
Come, and stay with us.

3.
Leader: Life-Giving God, we praise you!
All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
Seen and unseen, Christ, you walk with us,
and we open our hearts to your presence.
Alleluia! Come, Beloved, and feed us with your grace. Alleluia!

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
O God, on all our journeys,
paths of joy and sadness,
ways of knowing and not knowing,
you walk with us,
and open to us the truth.
Open our eyes to see you.
Open the ears of our hearts to hear you,
singing to us your love. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, you are Sovereign of the Universe, Creator of all things; and yet you walk beside us, opening your heart to us. In humility we thank you. In awe we open our hearts to your presence. In willingness we open our spirits to what you are saying to us. Speak to us, that we may know your presence, receive your grace, and live according to your will. Amen.

3.
God, we give thanks, that as the risen Christ walked
with the disciples on the road to Emmaus
he opened the scriptures to them, in order to deepen their understanding and their trust.
Help us to hear what you are saying to us today.
Christ journeyed with his disciples to share their lives.
Help us be mindful of your presence with as us we worship,
and as we walk through our daily lives.
He revealed himself to his disciples in the breaking of the bread.
Reveal yourself to us as we break bread around your table.
God, we open our hearts to you. Feed us with your Word. Amen.

Listening Prayer

(suitable as a Collect, preparation for hearing scriptures, or invitation to prayer)

Holy Presence,
unseen, you draw near,
unknown, you accompany us.
You hear our questions.
You know our grief and our hope.
Walk with us,
and open our eyes.

Prayer of Confession

Gentle God, Loving Presence, we confess
that we have acted as if you were not here.
We have been in our own little worlds.
Forgive our sin, and return us to your world,
Heal our hearts and help us to live in harmony with you,
with others and with all Creation, in the grace of Christ
and the power of your Spirit. Amen.

Readings

1 Peter 1.17-23 – a paraphrase
Put your trust in God, who understands everything you’ve done. Live in awe of that grace. The world has taught you futile ways of living, but you’ve been set free from all that—not by an exchange like some cash payment, but by Christ’s very life, a perfect gift offered up in love. Before the Creation of the world Christ was destined to love you like that—and now it’s been revealed, this shifting of time itself—and all for your sake. Through Christ you have come to trust in God, who raised Christ from the dead into glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God. Because you have re-oriented your soul by trust in God’s grace, you live in true love. So love one another deeply from the heart. You have been born to a new life, not through biology but through the living and enduring word of God.

Poetry

Road to Emmaus

When there is shattered glass in my heart,
when the road is long and dull,
when the past has bent, the future vanished,
when I seem to walk from darkness toward darkness—
I pray not that the story be changed
but that my eyes be open
to you,
here beside us,
opening our eyes.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

(1 Peter 1. 17-25)
Gracious God, you who judge all, we live in reverent awe of you. For us, who were kidnapped by our own sins, you paid dearly to set us free—not a ransom of perishable things like silver or gold, but by your precious love, which we see in the blood of Christ. When he died, like an innocent lamb sacrificed for someone else, we saw your willingness to suffer for us. You have had this love for us since the beginning of time; and now we see it. Through Christ we have come to trust in you, who raised Christ from the dead into glory. For you have given us a new birth, through your living and enduring Word. Therefore our faith and hope are set on you alone. With your love we love one another. Even in the breaking of our hearts you have made yourself known to us; and now by the power of your Spirit we are sent into the world, to proclaim in word and deed your infinite love and grace. Alleluia!

Intercessory Prayers

Reader 1: Trusting that though unseen, Christ is among us, let us pray to God.
God, your risen Christ walked with the disciples.
Reader 2: Help us to be mindful of your presence. In the name of Christ we pray…
All: Hear us, living God.

Christ was revealed in the breaking of bread.
Help all those who manifest you in this world
by sharing food with the poor. In the name of Christ we pray…
All: Hear us, living God.

Christ, you enabled your disciples to hear your call and to follow you.
Bless all people of faith, that they may listen to the promptings of your Spirit
and follow wholeheartedly. In the name of Christ we pray…
All: Hear us, living God.

In Christ you entered the homes of the grieving and the broken.
Be present with those who suffer or struggle
and grant to them your peace. In the name of Christ we pray…
All: Hear us, living God.

In your dying and rising we become your body;
your Spirit lives in us.
Awaken us to our call as your people
to bear your light into the world.
In the name of Christ we pray…
All: Hear us, living God.

Loving God, hear us as we offer to you our prayers.
[…. Intercessory prayers….]
In the name of Christ we pray…
All: Hear us, living God.

Eucharistic Prayer

Click here for eight settings of the Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation and Amen to familiar tunes suitable for the Easter season.

[After the introduction, the body of the prayer may be read responsively with the presiding leader(s) and congregation, or by the leader(s) alone.]
1.
God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.

God, we give thanks, for in all our journeys
you walk with us.
On paths of joy and of sorrow, when we believe and when we do not believe,
you walk with us.
Though we do not recognize you, though we do not trust your presence,
you walk with us.
You share our journeys; you stay close to us.
You open our hearts, and they burn within us, for it is you—
you walk with us.
So we praise you and thank you.            [Sanctus, spoken]
        Holy, holy, holy One, God of power and might,
        heaven and earth are full of your glory.
        Hosanna in the highest.
        Blessed is the one who comes in the name of God.
        Hosanna in the highest.
               ——or ——[sung Tune: Joyful, Joyful, or Love Divine All Loves Excelling)]
Holy, holy, holy Presence, God of mercy, God of grace.
All Creation shines in glory: you are in each time and place.
Blessed is the one who comes, God, in your name, the name of love.
Sing hosanna in the highest! Sing all earth, and skies above!

Blessed are all who come in your name, and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
who taught and healed, who gathered the Beloved Community,
who bears your love to us, so that we open our arms to him:
Stay with us.
Jesus was crucified, but you raised him from the dead,
so that still we might reach out to him:
Stay with us.
He is known to us in the breaking of the bread,
so that even now in this meal,
you stay with us.
[The Blessing and Covenant…]

Jesus said, “Do this in remembrance of me.”
As often as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection until he comes again.
Remembering these, your mighty acts in Jesus Christ,
we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving
as a living and holy sacrifice, in union with Christ’s offering for us,
as we proclaim the mystery of our faith:

             [Memorial Acclamation, spoken:]
        Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
                     —or—
        Dying, Christ destroyed our death. Rising, Christ restores our life.
        Christ will come again in glory.
             ——or ——[sung, same tune]
Christ has died and Christ is risen. Christ will come again in love.

Pour out your Holy Spirit on these gifts of bread and cup,
that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us,
that we may be for the world the Body of Christ.
As Christ is made known to us in the breaking of Bread,
make your love known to the world in our lives.
Take us from our secret places; bless us with your grace;
break us open in grateful trust; and give us to the world in love.
Make your love known to the world in our lives,
to your eternal glory and praise.

[Spoken]
                     ——or——
               [sung]
Alleluia. Amen. Amen. Amen.

________________
2.
God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.

We thank you God, for you invite us to feast on your grace.
You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing.
The kingdom of God may be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son, saying, “Go into the streets, and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.”
Holy, holy, holy One, God of mystery and love,
all Creation shines with your presence.
We praise you. We love you. We trust you.
Jesus had them sit down in groups on the green grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven, and blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people. They numbered five thousand.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. My cup overflows.
“Get the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate; for this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found!”
I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of God.
Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” He came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

[The Blessing and Covenant ]

They told what had happened, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us, O God, and on these gifts, that they may be for us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. Receiving the Body of Christ, may we become the Body of Christ, one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world, in the power and grace of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

______________
3.

God is with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your heart.
We lift them up to God.
Let us give thanks to the Holy One, our God.
It is good and beautiful to give God our praise.

Blessed are you, O God, Creator of all things,
ruler of the world and all that is to come.
You created us in your image, brought us out of slavery,
delivered us from the power of sin and death,
and made covenant with us that we would be your people.
You walk with us in our journeys, though we do not see you
and in the breaking of bread in this community
we behold the presence of the risen Christ.
Therefore with all Creation we sing as one voice:

        (Sung, tune: Christ the Lord is Risen Today)
    Holy God, thou source of life, Alleluia!
    All Creation bears your Light! Alleluia!
    Praise! Hosanna, God above! Alleluia!
    Blessed is the one who bears your love! Alleluia!

Blessed are all who come in your name,
and blessed is Jesus, your Christ,
who is the resurrection and the life,
a prophet mighty in word and deed.
Christ suffered for the sake of love before entering your glory,
and redeems your people, according to your Covenant.

[… The Blessing and Covenant …]

Christ being raised from the dead will never die again;
death no longer has dominion.
We have died with Christ; we shall also live with him.

                  [sung]
    Dying, Christ destroys our death. Alleluia!
    Rising, Christ restores our life. Alleluia!
    Christ in glory shall return. Alleluia!
    Raise us; make our living new. Alleluia!

Pour out your Holy Spirit on us gathered here, that we may be your people
and on these gifts, that they may be for us the body and blood of Christ.
Feed our souls and strengthen our spirits,
that receiving the body of Christ we may become the Body of Christ
and go with joy to proclaim your good news for the sake of your glory.

            [sung]
    God, we give to you our hearts. Alleluia!
    May your church your love impart. Alleluia!
    Raise us up with Christ anew, Alleluia!
    As Christ’s Body, serving you. Alleluia!

____________
* The Blessing and Covenant
[I usually don’t print the words. I want people to be looking at the bread, not their bulletins.]

On the night in which he gave himself for us
Jesus took bread, blessed it,. broke it, and gave it to his disciples,saying,
“Take and eat; this is my body.”
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup,
blessed it with thanks and gave it to them, saying,
“Drink of this, all of you. This is my blood,
poured out for you and for many, in a new Covenant,
which is the forgiveness of sin.”
As long as we break this bread and share this cup
we remember his death and resurrection, until he comes again.

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]
1.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) You accompany us in every moment. You feed us your grace. You make yourself known to us in grateful sharing. Send us into the world to make your presence known in our love, in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) You walk with us unseen, and our hearts burn with wonder. By your grace may we walk with others on the road, and share with them the bread of your presence. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) We have tasted your presence. Send us into the world to proclaim your good news, and to show forth your resurrection by living lives of love and courage, in the name and the spirit and the presence of the Risen Christ. Amen.

4.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) You have revealed yourself in the breaking of the bread. You have shared our journeys. You have visited and redeemed your people. Send us now, transformed by these gifts, to share your good news with all the world, in the name and the spirit of the crucified and risen Christ. Amen.

5.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) Open our eyes to your presence with us in every moment. Send us into the world to walk with others who wonder or despair, to embody your presence for them in love, for the sake of the healing of the world, in the name of Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

Click here for eight settings of the Sanctus, Memorial Acclamation and Amen to familiar tunes suitable for the Easter season.

(Click on titles to view, and hear an audio clip, on the Music page)

We Take This Moment (Tune: Gift of Love / The water Is wide)

We take this moment, Christ, with you:
for crucified and raised anew
you walk with us in all our pain.
Our hearts cry out for you again.

We bless this moment: it is dear,
for, hidden, you are with us here.
Our hearts reach out to touch your hand,
though we don’t always understand.

We break this moment open wide
and find your presence at our side.
Your warm light rises from within;
new life is waiting to begin.

We give this moment, God, to you:
that in our living you shine through,
that we may wonder, serve and bless,
that you may rise, O Christ, in us.

2nd Sunday of Easter

April 16, 2023

Lectionary Texts

Acts 2.22-32. Peter tells a crowd the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Psalm 16 celebrates God’s grace in caring for us (“you hold my lot”) and guiding us (“you show me the path of life”).

1 Peter 1. 3-9. God has raised us up with Jesus, so that we have a new life that is rooted in the Realm of God and the resurrection of Christ. It is a gift that can’t be taken away from us, and that is eternal and perfect. It enables us to endure trials, knowing that in the end we will see, even though we don’t now.

John 20. 19-31. The risen Jesus appears to the disciples. He breathes on them, giving them his Spirit. They tell Thomas of it, but he wants to see for himself. He says he will know it is Jesus by his wounds.

Preaching Thoughts

The Gospel reading comprises two scenes. The first is John’s Pentecost. Jesus breathes the Spirit on his followers. This is what Jesus has returned for: not to prove anything, not to exalt in his victory over death, but to breathe his living spirit into the disciples. Now they are his risen body.

Thomas (the “Twin”) says he won’t believe unless he touches the wounds. Maybe that’s doubt. But doubt is neither a bad thing nor is it all that Thomas shows us. Resurrection isn’t something you just think is true because someone said so; you believe it because you’ve experienced it. We don’t want to hear beliefs about resurrection; we want to see evidence of resurrection. When Thomas does see Jesus, what convinces him is not the wounds (he never does touch them) but simply the overwhelming (and I assume loving) presence of Jesus. Thomas represents all those to whom we want to proclaim resurrection. Words alone won’t suffice. What our souls most want is not proof of the idea of resurrection; but to experience resurrection.

It’s easy to criticize Thomas for not believing—though we would likely be just as skeptical, now, wouldn’t we? But we exhibit our own kind of disbelief: we may say we believe in the resurrection, but live as if we don’t believe Jesus rose from the dead. We don’t live with radical generosity, courageous love and self-emptying humility. We don’t entrust our lives to God: we trust more in our abilities, our “worthiness,” our saving accounts. In deeds, if not in words, we are Thomas.

Jesus says of many people—Bartimaeus, for example, or the woman with the flow of blood— that their faith has saved them, even though he knows little of their religious state. What he knows is that they reached out to him. Watching Jesus, I think faith is reaching out to God—regardless of the certainty behind our reaching. It’s just the reaching. Thomas wants Jesus. Thomas reaches out.Thomas seeks. This is a good thing. Searching can often look like “doubt.” Thomas encourages us to ignore people’s doubt about our doubt, and search anyway.

By the way I think sometimes we don’t really know someone till we know at least a little of their wounds. We haven’t really accepted someone until we’ve embraced their brokenness. Jesus connects with people by touching their wounds—learning where it hurts, and touching that part of them with love.

We love happy endings. But Thomas is holding resurrection to a higher standard: resurrection is not just bouncing back; it’s radical transformation from something that is truly dead—you can see the wounds—to something that is truly alive. Thomas wants to see and touch the wounds. He wants to know not just that Jesus is OK after all, but that the one who is alive and whole is indeed the one who suffered and died—the crucified and risen Jesus. He wants to know that the one who stands before him with forgiveness is the very one he denied and abandoned. (Remember when Jesus set out to Lazarus’ tomb, despite a contract out on him, and Thomas said “Let us go die with him.” But Thomas didn’t die with him. He ran away.) Now, in the wounds, and the Living One who bears them, he needs to see his own sin forgiven. As do we. Thomas is our twin.

Call to Worship

1.
Leader: Christ is risen!
All: Christ is risen indeed.
Death no longer has dominion
Ours is life eternal!
We reach out for the risen Christ.
We touch the living Christ in love,
in one another, in worship. Alleluia!

2.
Leader: God of our heart, we long for you.
All: Beloved, we reach out for you.
Christ, we hunger for your presence.
We ache for your touch.
Holy Spirit, we yearn for your love.
We listen for your voice.
And you come to us. Risen from the dead, you come to us.
Our Chief and our God, we welcome you. We thank you. We worship you.

3.
Leader: Christ is risen!
All: Christ is risen indeed!
Jesus has appeared to his disciples.
And we have seen his glory,
beloved as a parent’s only child,
full of grace and truth.
From Christ’s fullness we have all received grace upon grace.
No one has ever seen God,
but Christ has made God known.
In his dying, Christ embodied God’s love for us.
And in his rising, God enacts God’s delight for us.
We thank you, God!
We praise you! We worship you! We love you! Alleluia!

4.
Leader: Christ is risen!
All:Christ is risen indeed!
Living Christ, victor over death, grant us your infinite life.
Risen Christ, breathe your life into us.
Living Christ, whose forgiveness conquers all, bless us.
Risen Christ, breathe your life into us.
Living Christ, whose love defeats fear, grant us your courage.
Risen Christ, breathe your life into us.
Living Christ, whose Spirit empowers us to love, give us yourself.
Risen Christ, breathe your life into us.

5.
Leader: Creator God, we praise you!
All: Risen Christ, we greet you!
Holy Spirit, we are one body by your grace.
You alone are holy, and we worship you.
Glory be to you, O God of all Creation.
Thanks be to you, O Christ, for our salvation.
O God, you have defeated sin and death. Glory to you in the highest!
Alleluia! Come, Holy Spirit, and transform us by your grace. Alleluia!

6.
Leader: Christ is Risen!
All: Christ is risen indeed!
Light of Christ, rising in glory,
chase away all darkness, illumine our way,
and lead us to the heart of God.
O Crucified and risen Christ,
reveal yourself to us now in our worship.
Fill us with your Spirit, trusting your presence.
Send us in your love, serving you faithfully
in the spirit of resurrection, by your grace. Amen.

Collect / Prayer of the Day

1.
Living God, like Thomas we long to reach out and touch you.
Come to us, speak to us, and call our name. Let us touch you.
We love and trust you. We open our hearts. Amen.

2.
God of Mystery, God of truth,
hidden before us, revealed behind our eyes—
we seek your light; we treasure your Word;
we search for your presence.
We open our hearts to your eternal life within us,
your risen Christ among us,
your Living Word upon us.
Speak, for we are listening.
Amen.

3.
Gracious God, Thomas wanted to see proof of Christ’s rising. We, too, want to touch and feel your presence. We want to hear your Living Word. Come to us, speak to us, and fill us with your Spirit, so that we ourselves may be living signs of resurrection. We pray in the name of Christ and the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.

4.
God of truth, your risen Christ appeared to Thomas and dispelled all unbelief, and Thomas knew him as his leader and savior. As your Scripture is read today and your Good News proclaimed, may the risen Christ become present for us, that we may come to more deeply trust you and love you. Open our hearts, that we may hear with joy what you are saying to us today. Amen.

Listening Prayer

(suitable as a Collect, preparation for hearing scriptures, or invitation to prayer)

1.
God of Life,
in the beginning you breathed your spirit
into the human form and we came to life.
On the day Jesus rose he breathed his spirit
into the disciples and sent them forth in love.
Now with every breath we take
you breathe into us you love.
We breathe deeply of your Spirit
that we may come to life anew in you.
Breathe on us, Breath of God.

2.
Loving God,
with the compassion Jesus showed Thomas,
accept our doubts, bless our searching,
grant us curiosity,
and keep us always reaching out for you.

Prayer of Confession

God, we confess that we have betrayed you,
we have not trusted you;
we have lived as if we disbelieved your rising.
Forgive the failure of our love, heal our fear,
and breathe your life-giving spirit into us.

Readings

1.
Psalm 16 (a paraphrase)

       Response
You are my only security, God.
I find my safety in you.
You are my Holy One.
There is no good in my life apart from you.
As for the noble ones, who are always accepted,
whom even I admired,
they have secretly married sorrow,
and chosen a path going nowhere.
I will not pay what they do for comfort,
or speak as they do just to be admired.
        Response

Holy One, you are my present and my future.
The estate I have inherited is you yourself!
Everything that befalls me has you in it,
therefore all that is, is gift.
I bless you, for you give me mindfulness.
you speak to my heart,
even in shadowtimes, when I see nothing.
Holy One, I hold you always before me.
Mindful of your presence, I find firm footing.
         Response

Therefore my guts rejoice; my heartbeat is delight;
my whole body rests in your grace.
I know you will not let me slip away.
You will not abandon your Beloved to oblivion.
Show me the path of life.
Your presence is a flowing fountain of joy.
Your hand is a land of abundant delight.
         Response

2.
1 Peter 1.3-9, paraphrased

Blessed be the Abba God of the Beloved, Jesus Christ!

In great mercy God has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. God has given us an inheritance that can’t ever be marred, diminished or taken away, for it is kept in heaven for you. You are being protected by the power of God, which you know through your faith, and promised a salvation that is right here but will only be revealed in the last time.

In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials. Your faith is more precious than gold—but think about it: gold, though perishable, is tested by fire. In the end the genuineness of your faith will result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you love and trust him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

Poetry

Gentle love

Christ, the Gentle One, has been crucified,
and raised from the dead.

So you have nothing to fear:
be gentle and know
that the hidden power in simple love
conquers all things.

Let the power of resurrection
raise in you the strength of love,
the steadfastness of compassion,
the wisdom of forgiveness,
the confidence of Christ,
the glory of God.

Go in peace.

Response / Creed / Affirmation

(I Peter 1 .3-9)
We bless you, God!
You raised Jesus Christ from the dead,
and in so doing you gave us a new birth, a life of hope—
a gift that is perfect, imperishable and unfading.
Our lives are now in your Realm.
We trust that you save us for your purposes,
which you will reveal in your time.
Therefore we are willing to suffer in practicing our faith,
for the sake of praise and glory and honor
when Christ is revealed.
We have not seen you, but we love you;
and we rejoice with indescribable and glorious joy. Alleluia!

Eucharistic Prayer

Prayer of Dedication / Sending / after Communion

[Adapt as needed.]
1.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) You have filled us with your Spirit, filled us with yourself, so that as you have sent Jesus, you send us, to forgive and to serve, for the sake of the world. Amen.

2.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) In our longing you feed us with your presence. Send us into the world so that others who long to know will see your risen presence in us, and come to love and trust you. We pray in the name and the spirit of Christ. Amen.

3.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) We have seen your presence and tasted your grace. Send us into the world now, raised by your power, transformed by your Spirit and filled with your grace, to reach out our hands to the wounds of the world with the healing power of the risen Christ. We pray in the name and the Spirit of Christ. Amen.

4.
Gracious God, we thank you for (the mystery that you give yourself to us / this mystery in which you have given yourself to us.) We have seen your wounds for us. We have touched your love. And you have filled us with your Spirit. Bless us that we may continue to come to believe more and more deeply, to love you and to serve you with trusting hearts. Send us into the world to share your love, so that others who have not seen may yet believe. We pray, as we live, in the name and the spirit of the risen Christ. Amen.

Suggested Songs

(Click on titles to view, and hear an audio clip, on the Music page)

Easter Communion Songs
[Seven songs of invitation to the table, to familiar tunes.)
Sample:
We Have Hungered ( Tune: HOLY MANNA)

We have hungered, we have longed to reach and touch you in the flesh.
Now you show yourself in glory, risen and made new and fresh.
Here we see and touch and taste you in the wine and in the bread:
in the loving, in the sharing you are risen from the dead.

God, we bring our gifts, rejoicing in your love, your love so great!
For you call us to your table, all as one, to celebrate.
Though we turn away, you hold us. We who once were dead now live.
Blest, received, adored, forgiven, now in gratitude we give.

Risen (A communion song) (Tune: Fairest Lord Jesus)
[This song is included in Table Songs,
a collection of communion songs to familiar tunes.]

Blessed Lord Jesus, you laid down your life for us.
Risen from death, now you bid us dine.
Grateful, we bring our gifts, as we receive from you
your love poured out in bread and wine.

Risen Lord Jesus, make your presence known to us;
come in flesh we can see and feel.
In bread and wine and prayer, in those with whom we share,
be present in this holy meal.

Now as we share this meal give to us your Spirit.
Make us your Body, your living Word.
In our forgiveness, in lives that heal and bless
may this world know our risen Lord.

Let Me Feel Your Wounds (Original song)

Risen Christ, let me feel your wounds
in the heart of the One whom I have crucified.
May I feel your forgiving,
and begin brand new living.
May I know your rising there.

Risen Christ, let me feel your wounds
in the hands of the lonely and despairing ones.
May I love with your caring.
May I hope with your daring.
May I know your rising there.

Risen Christ, let me feel your wounds
in the feet of the poor and homeless wandering.
May I weep with their weeping.
May I give without keeping.
May I know your rising there.

Risen Christ, let me feel your wounds
in the marks of our violence upon the world.
May I bless and heal.
May your peace be my seal.
May I know your rising there.

Rogue star

           Ahead of them went the star
           that they had seen at its rising,
           until it stopped over the place where the child was.
                           —Matthew 2.9

Odd star, no?
Rose in the east (all things rise in the east)
but scooted westward for the magi to follow—
then stopped.
Not easy for a star above a rotating planet.
Stopped and stooped, apparently:
low enough to hover over a single house.
A star that nobody else, including Herod,
seems to have noticed.
A rogue star, noncompliant with the laws of stardom.

Step over the ashes of the arguments of the literalists.
Take the story as it is.
The revelation of God will come to you
in ways that make no sense,
cannot be explained, exploited, or replicated—
heck, you can’t even talk about it sensibly.
But it is there, and it shines— in an unassuming baby,
a tender conversation, a healing, a feeling,
a fleeing family, somehow luminous,
a moment when the earth seems to hold you gently,
or just staring out the window and knowing something
unnameable, warm and attractive.
The star will go ahead of you, it will stop over you,
it will wink but not go out. It will go on.
Let your heart be led by the rogue star of God.