seventh Sunday
of Easter
12 may 2013
The Gathering of the
Community
Entrance
Hymn
‘Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise’ Common Praise #393
Greeting
Alleluia!
Christ is risen.
The
Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
May his grace and peace be with you.
May
he fill our hearts with joy.
Canticle
‘Glory to God’ Common Praise #702
Collect
of the Day
Let us pray.
God of boundless grace,
you
call us to drink freely of the well of life
and
to share the love of your holy being.
May
the glory of your love,
made
known in the victory of Jesus Christ, our Saviour,
transform
our lives and the world he lived and died to save.
We
ask this in his name and for his sake.
Amen.
[i]
The Proclamation of the
Word of God
The
First Reading
A Reading from Second Kings (2.1-15)
Now
when the Lord
was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on
their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to
Elisha, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives,
and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. The company of prophets who were in Bethel
came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will
take your master away from you?” And he
said, “Yes, I know; keep silent.”
Elijah
said to him, “Elisha, stay here; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself
live, I will not leave you.” So they
came to Jericho. The company of prophets
who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that
today the Lord
will take your master away from you?”
And he answered, “Yes, I know; be silent.”
Then
Elijah said to him, “Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself
live, I will not leave you.” So the two
of them went on. Fifty men of the
company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they
both were standing by the Jordan. Then
Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was
parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry
ground.
When
they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me what I may do for you, before
I am taken from you.” Elisha said,
Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit.” 10 He responded, “You have asked a hard
thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you;
if not, it will not.” As they continued
walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of
them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha kept watching and crying out, “Father,
father! The chariots of Israel and its
horsemen!” But when he could no longer
see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces.
He
picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and
stood on the bank of the Jordan. He took
the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying,
“Where is the Lord,
the God of Elijah?” When he had struck
the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha
went over.
When
the company of prophets who were at Jericho saw him at a distance, they
declared, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” They came to meet him and bowed to the ground
before him.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the
church.
Thanks
be to God.
The
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 2 with Refrain from Songs for the Holy
One
Refrain (twice)
Why are the
nations in an uproar? *
Why
do the peoples mutter empty threats?
Why do the rulers of the earth rise up in revolt,
and
the princes plot together, *
against the Lord and the anointed of
the Lord?
“Let us break
their yoke,” they say; *
“let
us cast off their bonds from us.”
The One enthroned in heaven is laughing; *
the Lord has them in derision.
Refrain
Then God speaks to
them in wrath, *
and
in rage fills them with terror.
“I myself have set my anointed *
upon my holy hill of Zion.”
Let me announce
the decree of the Lord, *
who
said to me, “You are my heir;
this
day have I begotten you.
Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your
inheritance *
and the ends of the earth for your
possession.
Refrain
You shall crush
them with an iron rod *
and
shatter them like a piece of pottery.”
And now, you monarchs, be wise; *
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
Submit to the Lord
with fear, *
and
before whose presence bow with trembling;
lest God be angry and you perish; *
for the divine wrath is quickly
kindled.
Happy are they all *
who take refuge in God!
Refrain
The
Second Reading
A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles (16.16-34)
One
day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a
spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-
telling. While she followed Paul and us,
she would cry out, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to
you a way of salvation.” She kept doing
this for many days. But Paul, very much
annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I order you in the name of Jesus
Christ to come out of her.” And it came
out that very hour.
But
when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul
and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. When they had brought them before the
magistrates, they said, “These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews and
are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or
observe.” The crowd joined in attacking
them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them
to be beaten with rods. After they had
given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer
to keep them securely. Following these
instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the
stocks.
About
midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners
were listening to them. Suddenly there
was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken;
and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were
unfastened. When the jailer woke up and
saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill
himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not
harm yourself, for we are all here.” The
jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul
and Silas. Then he brought them outside
and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
They answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you
and your household.” They spoke the word
of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. At the same hour of the night he took them
and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without
delay. He brought them up into the house
and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had
become a believer in God.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the
church.
Thanks
be to God.
Hymn
before the Gospel
‘Transfigured Christ, None Comprehends’ Common Praise #168 vv. 1, 5, 6 (sung to #303)
The
Gospel
The Lord be with you.
And
also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to John (17.20-26)
Glory
to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
[Jesus continued to pray, saying,] “I ask
not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me
through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may
they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given
them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that
they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent
me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I desire that those also, whom you
have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given
me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
“Righteous
Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you
have sent me. I made your name known to
them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me
may be in them, and I in them.”
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise
to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
The
Sermon
An
Affirmation of Faith
Let us declare our faith
in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
Christ
died for our sins
in
accordance with the Scriptures;
he
was buried;
he
was raised to life on the third day
in
accordance with the Scriptures;
afterwards
he appeared to his followers,
and
to all the apostles:
this
we have received,
and
this we believe. Amen. [ii]
The Prayers of the
Community
Intercessions,
Petitions and Thanksgivings
The
Exchange of the Peace
May the peace of the risen Christ be with
you all.
And
also with you.
The Holy Communion
Offertory
Hymn
‘He Came Down’ Common Praise #65
The
Prayer over the Gifts
Let us pray.
Blessed are you, O God, ruler of heaven and
earth.
Day
by day you shower us with blessings.
As
you have raised us to new life in Christ,
give
us glad and generous hearts,
ready
to praise you and to respond to those in need,
through
Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord.
Amen.
[iii]
The
Thanksgiving at the Table
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 our thanks and praise.
Blessed are you, gracious God,
creator of heaven and earth;
we give you thanks and praise
for the glorious resurrection of your Son
Jesus Christ our Lord;
for he is the true paschal lamb
who has taken away the sin of the
world.
By his death he destroyed death,
and by his rising to life again
he has won for us eternal life.
Therefore, joining our voices
with the whole company of heaven,
we sing our joyful hymn of praise
to proclaim the glory of your name. [iv]
Holy,
holy, holy Lord, God of power and might.
Heaven
and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna
in the highest.
Blessed
is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna
in the highest. [v]
Blessed are you, O God of the universe.
Your mercy is everlasting
and your faithfulness endures from age to
age.
Praise to you for creating the heavens and
the earth.
Praise to you for saving the earth from the
waters of the flood.
Praise to you for bringing the Israelites
safely through the sea.
Praise to you for leading your people
through the wilderness to the land of milk
and honey.
Praise to you for the words and deeds of
Jesus, your anointed one.
Praise to you for the death and resurrection
of Christ.
Praise to you for your Spirit poured out on
all nations.
In the night in which he was betrayed,
our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;
broke it, and gave it to his disciples,
saying:
Take and eat; this is my body, given for
you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the cup,
gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink,
saying:
This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
shed for you and for all people for the
forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
With this bread and cup
we remember our Lord’s Passover from death
to life
as we proclaim the mystery of faith:
Christ
has died.
Christ
is risen.
Christ
will come again.
O God of resurrection and new life:
Pour out your Holy Spirit on us
and on these gifts of bread and wine.
Bless this feast.
Grace our table with your presence.
Come,
Holy Spirit.
Reveal yourself to us in the breaking of the
bread.
Raise us up as the body of Christ for the
world.
Breathe new life into us.
Send us forth, burning with justice, peace
and love.
Come,
Holy Spirit.
With the ever-blessed Virgin Mary,
blessed Joseph, blessed Faith
and your holy ones of all times and places,
with the earth and all its creatures,
with sun and moon and stars,
we praise you, O God,
blessed and holy Trinity,
now and forever. Amen.
[vi]
The
Lord’s Prayer
As our Saviour taught us, let us pray,
Our
Father in heaven,
hallowed
be your name,
your
kingdom come,
your
will be done,
on
earth as in heaven.
Give
us today our daily bread.
Forgive
us our sins
as
we forgive those who sin against us.
Save
us from the time of trial,
and
deliver us from evil.
For
the kingdom, the power,
and
the glory are yours,
The
Breaking of the Bread
Lord, we died with you on the cross.
Now
we are raised to new life.
We were buried in your tomb.
Now
we share in your resurrection.
Live
in us, that we may live in you.
The gifts of God for the people of God.
Thanks
be to God.
Communion
Hymn
after Communion
‘Here Lord, We Take the Broken Bread’ Common Praise #65
The Sending Forth of the
Community
The
Prayer after Communion
Life-giving God,
in
the mystery of Christ’s resurrection
you
send light to conquer darkness,
water
to give new life,
and
the bread of life to nourish your people.
Send
us forth as witnesses to your Son’s resurrection,
that
we may show your glory to all the world,
through
Jesus Christ, our risen Lord. Amen. [viii]
Glory to God,
whose
power, working in us,
can
do infinitely more
than
we can ask or imagine.
Glory
to God from generation to generation,
in
the Church and in Christ Jesus,
for
ever and ever. Amen.
Closing
Hymn
‘Come and Journey with a Saviour’ Common Praise #482 vv. 1, 5, 6
The
Dismissal
Let us go forth in the name of Christ. Alleluia, alleluia!
Thanks
be to God. Alleluia, alleluia!
[i]
Scripture Prayer for Easter 7C in Revised Common Lectionary Prayers (2002),
125.
[ii]
Affirmation of Faith 5 in Common Worship (2000), 147.
[iii] ‘Offering Prayer for Easter’ in Evangelical
Lutheran Worship (2006), 64.
[iv]
Easter Preface in The Book of Alternative Services (1985), 222.
[v]
‘You Are Holy’ Evangelical Lutheran
Worship (2006) #525.
[vi] ‘Thanksgiving at the Table IV’ in Evangelical
Lutheran Worship (2006), 111.
[vii] Songs for a Gospel People #12 sung by the
whole community without repeats.
[viii] ‘Prayer after Communion for Easter’ in Evangelical
Lutheran Worship (2006), 65.
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