The Seventh
Sunday of Easter
8 May 2016
The Gathering of the
Community
Entrance
Hymn
‘Jesus Christ Is Risen Today’ Common Praise #203
Greeting
Alleluia!
Christ is risen.
The
Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
May his grace and peace be with us.
May
he fill our hearts with joy.
There is one body and one Spirit;
there
is one hope in God’s call to us;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one
God, the Source of all being.
Canticle
‘O Laughing Light’ Songs for a Gospel People #101
Collect
of the Day
Let us pray.
Living God,
mystery of love given and received:
deepen our yearning for unity,
so that the whole creation might share in your communion;
The Proclamation of the
Word of God
The
First Reading
A Reading from 2 Kings (2.1-15)
2.1
Now when the Lord
was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on
their way from Gilgal. 2
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. 3 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.”
4
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. 5 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.”
6
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. 7 Fifty men
of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as
they both were standing by the Jordan. 8
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.
9
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.” 11
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. 12 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.
13
He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and
stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14
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.
15
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): Happy
are those who trust the Holy One.
1 Why
are the nations in an uproar? *
Why do the peoples mutter empty
threats?
2 Why do the rulers of the earth rise up in
revolt,
and the princes plot together,
*
against the Lord and the Lord’s anointed?
3 “Let
us break their yoke,” they say; *
“let us cast off their bonds from
us.”
4 The One enthroned in heaven is laughing; *
the Lord has them in derision.
Refrain:
Happy are those who trust the
Holy One.
5 Then
God speaks to them in wrath, *
and the divine rage fills them with
terror.
6 “I myself have set my anointed *
upon my holy hill of Zion.”
7 Let
me announce the decree of the Lord, *
who said to me, “You are my heir;
this day have I begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will give you the nations
for your inheritance *
and the ends of the earth for your possession.
Refrain:
Happy are those who trust the
Holy One.
9 You
shall crush them with an iron rod *
and shatter them like a piece of
pottery.”
10 And now, you monarchs, be wise; *
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11
Submit to the Lord with fear, *
and bow with trembling before the presence of the Lord;
12 lest
God be angry and you perish; *
for the divine wrath is quickly
kindled.
Happy are they all *
who take refuge in God!
Refrain:
Happy are those who trust the
Holy One.
The
Second Reading
A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles (16.16-34).
16.16
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.
17 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.” 18
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.
19
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. 20 When they had brought them
before the magistrates, they said, “These men are disturbing our city; they are
Jews 21 and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as
Romans to adopt or observe.” 22
The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of
their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. 23 After they had given them a
severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep
them securely. 24 Following
these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet
in the stocks.
25
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the
prisoners were listening to them. 26
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. 27 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. 28 But Paul shouted in a loud
voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” 29 The jailer called for lights,
and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 Then he brought them outside and
said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 They answered, “Believe on the
Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” 32 They spoke the word of the Lord
to him and to all who were in his house. 33 At the same hour of the night he
took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized
without delay. 34 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
‘Spirit, Come, Dispel Our Sadness’ Common Praise #252 v. 1 (sung to #223)
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.
17.20
[Jesus continued to pray,] “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf
of those who will believe in me through their word, 21 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. 22 The glory
that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are
one, 23 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. 24
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.
25
“Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know
that you have sent me. 26 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.
Hymn
after the Gospel
‘Spirit, Come, Dispel Our Sadness’ Common Praise #252 v. 2 (sung to #223)
The
Sermon
The
Apostles’ Creed
Do you believe in God the Father?
I
believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator
of heaven and earth.
Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of
God?
I
believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,
who
was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born
of the virgin Mary,
suffered
under Pontius Pilate,
was
crucified, died and was buried;
he
descended to the dead.
On
the third day he rose again;
he
ascended into heaven,
he
is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and
he will come to judge the living and the dead.
Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?
I
believe in the Holy Spirit,
the
holy catholic church,
the
communion of saints,
the
forgiveness of sins,
the
resurrection of the body,
and
the life everlasting. Amen.
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
‘O Lord Most High, Eternal King’ Common Praise #245
The
Prayer over the Gifts
Let us pray.
Source of all joy,
receive
our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.
Keep
us in the love of Christ
and
bring us to the vision of his glory;
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.
It is indeed right, our duty and our joy,
that we should at all times and in all
places
give thanks and praise to you, almighty and
merciful God,
for the glorious resurrection of our Saviour
Jesus Christ,
who enthroned forever at your right hand
intercedes for us as our great high priest.
And so, with Mary Magdalene and Peter and
all the witnesses of the resurrection,
with earth and sea and all their creatures,
and with angels and archangels, cherubim and
seraphim,
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.
Holy God, mighty Lord, gracious Father:
Endless is your mercy and eternal your
reign.
You have filled all creation with light and
life;
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
We praise you for the grace shown to your
people in every age:
the promise to Israel, the rescue from
Egypt,
the gift of the promised land, the words of
the prophets;
and, at this end of all the ages, the gift
of your Son,
who proclaimed the good news in word and
deed
and was obedient to your will, even to
giving his life.
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.
For as often as we eat of this bread and
drink from this cup,
we proclaim the Lord’s death until he
comes.
Christ
has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
Therefore, O God, with this bread and cup
we remember the life our Lord offered for
us.
And, believing the witness of his
resurrection,
we await his coming in power
to share with us the great and promised
feast.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Send now, we pray, your Holy Spirit,
so that we who share in Christ’s body and
blood
may live to the praise of your glory
and receive our inheritance with all your
saints in light.
Amen. Come, Holy Spirit.
Join our prayers with those of your servants
of every time and every place,
and unite them with the ceaseless petitions
of our great high priest
until he comes as victorious Lord of
all.
Through him, with him, in him,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honour is yours, Creator of
all,
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
‘And Have the Bright Immensities’ Common Praise #248 (sung to #508)
The Sending Forth of the
Community
The
Prayer after Communion
Let us pray.
Eternal God,
may
we who share Christ’s banquet
be
one with him as he is one with you.
We
ask this in the name of Jesus Christ,
May the light of God illumine your hearts.
May the flame of Christ kindle your love.
May the fire of the Spirit free you to live
boldly.
And the blessing of holy and undivided
Trinity:
✚ Source of all being, Word of redemption and Spirit
of wisdom,
Closing
Hymn
‘Hail the Day That Sees Him Rise’ Common Praise #247 vv. 1, 2, 3, 6
The
Dismissal
Let us go forth in the name of the risen and
ascended Christ. Alleluia, alleluia!
Thanks
be to God. Alleluia, alleluia!
[i]
Liturgy Task Force, ‘Trial Use Collects and Prayers over the Gifts and after
Communion for Year C: Easter during the Day
through Pentecost’ (2015), 8.
[ii]
The Book of Alternative
Services (1985), 344.
[iii]
Evangelical Lutheran Worship: Leaders
Desk Edition (2006), 232.
[iv]
Common Praise #719.
[v]
Evangelical Lutheran Worship (2006), 66 alt.
[vi]
Songs for a Gospel People #12.
[vii]
The Book of Alternative
Services (1985), 345.
[viii]
J. Philip Newell, Celtic Benediction:
Morning and Night Prayer (2000), 5 alt.
No comments:
Post a Comment