31 Mar BULLETIN – EASTER SUNDAY, MARCH 31, 2024
WELCOME to MESSIAH & ST. PETER LUTHERAN CHURCHES
The Reverend Nancy Brody, Pastor
Greta Wright, Organist
Sunday, March 31, 2024
Easter Sunday
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRELUDE
THANKSGIVING for BAPTISM
Please join me by making the sign of the cross in remembrance of your baptism. Blessed be the holy Trinity, [☩] one God, the wellspring of grace, the source of our Easter joy. Amen.
Look, here is water, our water of life! Alleluia!
Immersed in the promises of baptism, we give thanks for what God has done for us.
We give you thanks, O God, for in the beginning your voice thundered over the deep and water became the essence of life.
At the river your beloved Son was baptized by John and anointed with the Holy Spirit. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, you opened the floodgates of reconciling love, freeing us to live as your people.
We rejoice with glad hearts, giving all honor and praise to you, through the risen Christ, our living water, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
Receive the water of life! Alleluia!
ENTRANCE HYMN
Jesus Christ Is Risen Today #151
APOSTOLIC GREETING Page 57
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
KYRIE Pages 57-59
🎶In peace let us pray to the Lord.
🎶Lord have mercy.
🎶For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
🎶Lord have mercy.
🎶For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
🎶Lord have mercy.
🎶For this holy house, and for all who offer here and online their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.
🎶Lord have mercy.
🎶Help, save, comfort, and defend us gracious Lord.
🎶Amen.
HYMN OF PRAISE Pages 58-59
🎶This is the feast of victory for our God. Aleluia, aleluia, aleluia. Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain, whose blood set us free to be people of God.
🎶This is the feast of victory for our God. Aleluia, aleluia, aleluia. Power, riches, wisdom, and strength, and honor, blessings and glory are his.
🎶This is the feast of victory for our God. Aleluia, aleluia, aleluia. Sing with all the people of God, join in the hymn of creation: Blessing, honor, glory, and might be to God and the Lamb forever, Amen.
🎶This is the feast of victory for our God. Aleluia, aleluia, aleluia. For the Lamb who was slain has begun his reign, Aleluia.
🎶This is the feast of victory for our God. Aleluia, aleluia, aleluia.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray:
PRAYER OF THE DAY
God of mercy, we no longer look for Jesus among the dead though he suffered death on the cross for our redemption. By his glorious resurrection you delivered us from the power of death toward the fullness of eternal life. May we die every day to sin as to better live with you forever in the joy of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, as one God, now and forever. Amen.
FIRST READING ACTS 10:34-43
Peter began to speak to [the people]: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
PSALM 118:1-2, 14-24
Give thanks to the Lord,
for the Lord is good;
God’s mercy endures forever. Let Israel now declare,
“God’s mercy endures forever.” The Lord is my strength and my song and has become my salvation.
Shouts of rejoicing and salvation echo in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the Lord acts valiantly!
The right hand of the Lord is exalted! The right hand of the Lord acts valiantly!”
I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.
The Lord indeed punished me sorely, but did not hand me over to death.
Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter them and give thanks to the Lord.
“This is the gate of the Lord; here the righteous may enter.”
I give thanks to you, for you have answered me and you have become my salvation.
The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. By the Lord has this been done; it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
SPECIAL MUSIC
Christ Arose Greta, Tanner, and Quinn Wright
SECOND READING 1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-11
Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain. For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them—though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Page 62
🎶Return to the Lord, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and abounding in steadfast love.
The Holy Gospel according to Saint Mark, the 16th chapter.
🎶Glory to you, O Lord.
GOSPEL MARK 16:1-8
When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint [Jesus’ body]. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
SERMON
HYMN OF THE DAY
Good Christian Friends, Rejoice and Sing! #144
PROFESSION of FAITH Nicene Creed Page 64
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
creator of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven,
by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the virgin Mary and became man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again in accordance with the scriptures; he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son,
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
PRAYERS of INTERCESSION
Rejoicing that Jesus is risen and love has triumphed over fear, let us pray for the church, the world, and all those in need of good news. A brief silence.
Holy God, we pray for the body of Christ, the church. Where the church is persecuted, protect it. Where the church is privileged, grant it humility. Where the church is fractured, heal it. Guide us all to embody Christ’s love in the world. Your mercy endures forever, we give thanks that you answer us.
Life-giving God, we pray for your good creation. Join our prayers with everything that lifts up a body or voice in praise to you. Along with the earth, sky and waters of life, create a harmony of new hope aimed at restoration. Your mercy endures forever, we give thanks that you answer us.
Merciful God, we pray for all peoples and nations. Free the oppressed from occupation, exploitation, and abuse. Teach leaders your way of justice. Empower peacemakers and all who work to end violence and strife. Your mercy endures forever, we give thanks that you answer us.
Liberating God, we pray for people everywhere who long for good news. Roll away the stones that keep people from living with dignity and wholeness. Breathe new life and hope into people struggling to make it through each day. Your mercy endures forever, we give thanks that you answer us.
Loving God, we pray for every Christian community, especially St. Peter and Messiah Lutheran Churches. May your Spirit be evident in our midst. Feed us at your Easter table and fill us with your wisdom, that we may serve and care for others. Your mercy endures forever, we give thanks that you answer us.
Eternal God, we remember those who have gone before us in death. Renew our trust in your promises, that we live with joyful courage and compassion. Though many things will pass away, your mercy and the love we share will endure forever; we give thanks that you answer us.
There are no other hands into which we would commend all for whom we pray, most merciful God. We trust in your abiding presence throughout the world knowing full well that through Jesus Christ, your Son, your tender mercies and steadfast love were enacted for us and fully on display. Amen.
EXCHANGE of PEACE
OFFERING
OFFERTORY Page 66
🎶Let the vineyards be fruitful, Lord and fill to the brim our cup of blessing. Gather a harvest of the seeds that were sown, that we may be fed with the bread of life. Gather the hopes and the dreams of all; unite them with the prayer we offer now. Grace our table with your presence, and give us a foretaste of the feast to come.
PRAYER
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, maker of all things. Through your goodness you have blessed us with these gifts. With them we offer ourselves to your service and dedicate our lives to the care and redemption of all that you have made, for the sake of him who gave himself for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
LITURGY OF HOLY COMMUNION Pages 68-72
🎶The Lord be with you.
🎶And also with you.
🎶Lift up your hearts.
🎶We lift them to the Lord.
🎶Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
🎶It is right to give him thanks and praise.
🎶It is indeed right and salutary….we praise your name and join their unending hymn.
🎶Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might; heaven and earth are full of your glory, Hosana, Hosana, Hosana in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosana in the highest.
LORD’S PRAYER
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
INVITATION TO COMMUNION
The risen Christ is made known to us in the breaking of the bread. Come and eat at God’s table.
POST-COMMUNION CANTICLE
🎶Thank the Lord and sing his praise; tell everyone what he has done. Let all who seek the Lord rejoice and proudly bear his name. He recalls his promises and leads his people forth in joy with shouts of thanksgiving. Aleluia, Aleluia.
POST-COMMUNION PRAYER
Shepherding God, you have prepared a table before us and nourished us with your love. Send us forth from this banquet to proclaim your goodness and share the abundant mercy of Jesus, our redeemer and friend. Amen.
BLESSING
Alleluia! Christ is risen! Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
The God of resurrection power, the Christ of unending joy, and the Spirit of Easter hope ☩ bless you now and always. Amen.
CLOSING HYMN
Christ Is Risen! Alleluia! #131
DISMISSAL
Alleluia! Go in peace. Rejoice and be glad.
Thanks be to God. Alleluia!
POSTLUDE