27 Apr BULLETIN – SUNDAY, APRIL 27, 2025
WELCOME to MESSIAH & ST. PETER LUTHERAN CHURCHES
The Reverend Nancy Brody, Pastor
Greta Wright, Organist
Sunday, April 27, 2025
Second Sunday Of Easter
ANNOUNCEMENTS
PRELUDE
THANKSGIVING FOR BAPTISM
Alleluia! Christ is risen. Christ is risen, indeed. Alleluia!
In the name of [☩] the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, the One who was, who is, and is to come. Amen.
Baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection, we give thanks for what God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit has done, is doing, and will do according to their steadfast love and tender mercies.
Holy God, we give you thanks for waters of baptism which make us your own and restore us to wholeness; empower us also, to be witnesses in your name. Baptized into one, O Living Lord of all, make us one as you are one.
We give thanks for waters of baptism which strengthen believers and give new life to beloved servants of your church; waters that extend your boundless love and cross barriers of our own making. Baptized into one, O Living Lord of all, make us one as you are one.
We give you thanks for waters of baptism which open the hearts of believers and give a voice in the night to those in captivity; waters that set your people on a new path, rejoicing in the Spirit’s power. Baptized into one, O Living Lord of all, make us one as you are one.
Grant us grace, love, and life, O Living One, that our every day is shaped by these waters which give us life in you. We ask this in the name of Jesus, our Crucified and Risen Savior. Amen.
GATHERING HYMN
Alleluia! Jesus Is Risen! #674 (WOV)
APOSTOLIC GREETING
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
🎶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
🎶Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.
🎶Lord God, heavenly king, almighty God and Father: we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. Lord Jesus Christ, only son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God: You take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us. You are seated at the right hand of the Father; receive our prayer. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen.
🎶The Lord be with you.
🎶And Also with you.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
O God of life, you reach out to us amid our fears with the wounded hands of your risen Son. By your Spirit’s breath revive our faith in your mercy, and strengthen us to be the body of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
FIRST READING ACTS 5:27-32
When they had brought [the apostles,] they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”
PSALM 118:14-29
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.
Hosanna! O Lord, save us! We pray to you, Lord, prosper our days!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord; we bless you from the house of the Lord.
The Lord is God and has given us light. Form a procession with branches up to the corners of the altar.
You are my God, and I will thank you; you are my God, and I will exalt you.
Give thanks to the Lord, for the Lord is good; God’s mercy endures forever.
SECOND READING REVELATION 1:4–8
John to the seven churches that are in Asia: 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. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Look! He is coming with the clouds; every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail. So it is to be. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
🎶Alleluia, Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Alleluia. Alleluia.
The Holy Gospel according to Saint Luke, the 6th chapter.
🎶Glory to you, O Lord.
GOSPEL JOHN 20:19-31
When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 2So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
The Gospel of the Lord.
🎶Praise to you, O Christ.
SERMON
HYMN of the DAY
We Walk by Faith and Not by Sight #675 (WOV)
PROFESSION of FAITH Nicene Creed
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 was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, died, 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. He 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
God of resurrection and new life, we come before you in prayer for the church, the world, and all who are in need. A brief silence.
Fill the church with the breath of your Holy Spirit. Inspire us, the priesthood of all believers to boldly proclaim your love for all people. We bless you from the house of the LORD; LORD, prosper our days.
Preserve the earth as a safe home for all creatures. Restore habitats contaminated by pollution or overuse, strengthen efforts to shape sustainable communities and make us mindful of our impacts on the well-being of creation. The Lord is God and has given us light; We exalt you with thanks, for you are good.
Kindle in the nations a spirit of cooperation and mutual care. Raise up creative and courageous leaders committed to shaping just solutions to complex challenges in local and global communities. Hosanna! O Lord, save us! God’s mercy endures forever.
Embrace all who carry wounds, that they might know your compassion. Draw near to those with chronic pain or anxiety, and all for whom death is near. Comfort individuals and communities suffering in any way (especially those on our prayer list). Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
Transform our fear into curiosity and love, especially across differences in race, religion, sexuality, gender identity, and economic situation. Unravel stereotypes that lead to discrimination, and destroy oppressive systems that marginalize vulnerable communities. Hear us, O God. Your mercy is great.
We remember the faithful departed from all times and places. Confident that you are the Alpha and Omega, we pray for your wisdom and guidance until our earthly pilgrimage is complete. You are our God; We exalt you with thanks, for you are good.
Blessed are they who trust in the Lord and commend their prayers to God. Because you have always been with us, our hope is sustained through your Son, Jesus Christ, author and redeemer of our faith. Amen.
EXCHANGE OF PEACE
OFFERING
OFFERATORY
🎶Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with your free Spirit.
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.
BENEDICTION
CLOSING HYMN
Now All the Vault of Heaven Resounds #143
BLESSING
The triune God, who was, who is, and who is to come, Sovereign, ☩ Savior, and Spirit, light your way with resurrection dawn, now and always. Amen.
DISMISSAL
Alleluia! Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Go in peace. In Christ you are made new. Alleluia! Alleluia!
Thanks be to God. Alleluia! Alleluia!
POSTLUDE