The Fifth
Sunday of Easter
3 May 2015
The Gathering of the
Community
Entrance Hymn
‘Glorious Things of Thee Are Spoken’ Common Praise #388
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
‘Alleluia!
Jesus Is Risen’ Evangelical
Lutheran Worship #377 vv. 1, 2, 3
Collect of the Day
Let us pray.
God of deep soil and luxurious growth,
you
call us rom our shallow selves
to
find our depth in you:
may
we abide in him alone
who
can teach us who we are,
The Proclamation of the
Word of God
The First Reading
A Reading from Exodus (19.1-6).
1
On the third new moon after the Israelites had gone out of the land of Egypt, on
that very day, they came into the wilderness of Sinai. 2 They had journeyed from Rephidim,
entered the wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness; Israel camped
there in front of the mountain. 3
Then Moses went up to God; the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall
say to the house of Jacob, and tell the Israelites: 4 You have seen what I did to the
Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you obey my
voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the
peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is
mine, 6 but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy
nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites.”
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the
church.
Thanks
be to God.
The Psalm of the Day
Psalm 118.19-25 with Refrain from Songs for
the Holy One
Refrain (twice): God’s
faithful love endures for ever.
Hallelujah!
19 Open for me the gates of
righteousness; *
I
will enter them;
I
will offer thanks to the Lord.
20 ”This is the gate of the Lord; *
those
who are righteous may enter.”
21 I will give thanks to the Lord
who answered me *
and has become my salvation.
22 The same stone which the builders rejected *
has
become the chief cornerstone.
Refrain:
God’s faithful love endures for
ever. Hallelujah!
23 This is the Lord’s doing, *
and it is marvellous in our eyes.
24 On this day the Lord has acted; *
we
will rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Hosannah, Lord, hosannah! *
Lord,
send us now success.
Refrain:
God’s faithful love endures for
ever. Hallelujah!
The Second Reading
A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles
(8.26-40).
26
Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south to
the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) 27 So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court
official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire
treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to
worship 28 and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was
reading the prophet Isaiah. 29
Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” 30 So Philip ran up to it and heard
him reading the prophet Isaiah. [Philip]
asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 [The eunuch] replied, “How can
I, unless someone guides me?” And he
invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.
32
Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and
like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. 33 In his humiliation justice was
denied him. Who can describe his
generation? For his life is taken away
from the earth.”
34
The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this,
about himself or about someone else?” 35
Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to
him the good news about Jesus. 36
As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch
said, “Look, here is water! What is to
prevent me from being baptized?” 38
He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went
down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the
water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more,
and went on his way rejoicing. 40
But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region,
he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the
church.
Thanks
be to God.
Hymn before the Gospel
‘Alleluia!
The Strife Is O’er’ Common Praise
#350
The Gospel
The Lord be with you.
And
also with you.
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to John (15.1-8)
Glory
to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
1
[Jesus said,] “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. 2 He removes every branch in me
that bears no fruit. Every branch that
bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. 3 You have already been cleansed by
the word that I have spoken to you. 4
Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as
the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither
can you unless you abide in me. 5
I am the vine, you are the branches. Those
who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do
nothing. 6 Whoever does not
abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are
gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words
abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 My Father is glorified by this,
that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”
The Gospel of Christ.
Praise
to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
The Sermon
An Affirmation of Faith
Let us proclaim God’s appeal to all.
If anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation:
everything old has
passed away;
see, everything
has become new!
All this is from
God,
who reconciled us
to himself through Christ,
and has given us
the ministry of reconciliation;
that is, in Christ
God was reconciling the world to himself,
not counting their
trespasses against them,
and entrusting the
message of reconciliation to us.
So we are
ambassadors for Christ,
since God is
making his appeal through us;
And so we say to
one and to all:
we entreat you on
behalf of Christ,
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
‘Stand Up and Bless the Lord’ Common Praise #350
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.
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.
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. [v]
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
‘I Am the Bread, the Bread of Life’ Common Praise #56
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. [vii]
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
‘Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee’ Common Praise #525
The Dismissal
Let us go forth in the name of Christ. Alleluia, alleluia!
Thanks be to
God. Alleluia, alleluia!
[ii] 2
Corinthians 5.17-20 (arranged for liturgical use by the Rev’d Dr Richard
Geoffrey Leggett).
[iii]
‘Offering Prayer for Easter’, Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 64.
[iv] Evangelical
Lutheran Worship (2006), #525.
[v]
‘Thanksgiving at the Table IV’, Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 111.
[vi] Songs
for a Gospel People #12.
[vii] ‘Prayer
after Communion for Easter’, Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 65.
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