Liturgy for April 26, 2020
April 26th, 2020 | April Karli
Pass Us Not O Gentle Savior
by Frances Crosby
Pass us not, O gentle Savior,
Hear our humble cry;
While on others Thou art calling,
Do not pass us by.
Savior, Savior, Hear our humble cry,
While on others Thou are calling,
Do not pass us by.
Trusting only in Thy merit,
Would we seek Thy face;
Heal our wounded, broken spirits,
Save us by Thy grace.
Thou the spring of all our comfort,
More than life to me,
Whom have we on earth beside Thee,
Whom in Heavʼn but Thee.
Call to Worship
This Easter Season let’s join together
As participants and hosts,
Whether passionate believer or hopeful skeptic,
We gather today, to celebrate our joy that death ends in the resurrection.
If you are new to our liturgy,
we welcome you to be a full participant or a thoughtful observer.
Let’s pause together for a moment of quiet.
(Wait for a short moment of silence)
Easter is not an event that has occurred
it’s an adventure that has begun
not a place that we have visited
but a path on which we stand
a story not complete, but unfolding
characters still breathing
stations still teeming
with the promise of new life
not just for you and me
but for all people, in all places.
a cosmic crux
a turning point of time
Easter is the season
of wild hope
of dangerous intent
of potent promise
where the future flaps unfurled
in the spirit’s breeze
where hopes bubble
with uncorked effervescence
where toes tap
to free-form rhythms
where rainbow hues
splash empty canvas
Today
we continue the journey
we re-enter the story
to explore our questions
to uncover our doubts
to face our nagging need
We walk the path
of two who traveled a dusty road
wrapped in confusion and despair
two who shared the company of a stranger
voicing their pain
airing their fears
and in the listening
heard words of hope and promise
and in the eating
received true bread of life
Today we re-enter the story
with expectation that Christ
will also reveal himself to us
in sights and sounds
in words and symbols
in bread and wine
Risen Christ
walk with us this morning
be our companion and guide
be our teacher and friend
be our host and servant
bringing your gifts of faith, peace and hope
and deep joy
as always
Amen.
Kids Song
Everlasting God
by Brenton Brown
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
wait upon the Lord,
we will wait upon the Lord
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
wait upon the Lord,
we will wait upon the Lord
Our God, you reign forever
Our hope, our strong deliverer
You are the everlasting God
the everlasting God
You do not faint, you won’t grow weary
You’re the defender of the weak
you comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings like eagles.
I Will Lift My Eyes
by Bebo Norman
God, my God, I cry out
Your beloved needs You now
God, be near calm my fear and take my doubt
Your kindness is what pulls me up
Your love is all that draws me in
I will lift my eyes to the Maker
of the mountains I can’t climb
I will lift my eyes to the Calmer
of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the Healer
of the hurt I hold inside
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You
God, my God, let mercy sing
her melody over me
and God, right here all I bring
is all of me
Your kindness is what pulls me up
Your love is all that draws me in
‘Cause You are and You were and You will be forever
the God that I need to save me
‘Cause You fashioned the earth and You hold it together, Oh God
so hold me now
Prayer of Confession
Confession allows us a moment to honestly reveal our hopes and pains.
Let us cry out to God as a community.
Our response will be in bold.
Lord Jesus Christ, sometimes we are so busy talking with each other that we fail to find you beside us. We walk on, so focused on our questions that we do not create the silent spaces which would allow you to speak with us and enlighten our journeying.
Stay with us, Jesus Christ. Reach out towards us and invite us to pause and meet with you, we pray.
As we look at our lives and that of the world around us, we are sometimes too anxious to share our real questions or our doubts and fears. We keep them within us in troubled silence.
Stay with us, Jesus Christ. Reach out towards us and invite us to pause and meet with you, we pray.
We call your name, O Christ, and hope to discover you here in our community of vulnerable faith.
Whether we believe it, or not, Jesus Christ never leaves us nor forsakes us. Let us open our hearts to receive the grace which Christ brings to us in faithfulness.
We are forgiven! Thanks be to God.
Prayers of the People
We now invite you into a time of prayer. This is an opportunity for us to support one another and participate by sharing our prayer requests.
Many may need to share. Please keep your prayers to a sentence or two so that everyone who wishes to share is able to.
We welcome any guests among us and welcome you to pray with us and share a prayer request as well.
If you have a prayer request, let us know in the chat box. We’ll unmute your mic so you can share.
If you have something you’re thankful for, end your prayer with…
“Let us bless the Lord” and we’ll respond together, “Thanks be to God.“
If you have something you’d like prayer for, end your prayer with…
“Let us pray to the Lord” and we’ll respond together, “Lord, have mercy.“
(Then start off with a prayer of your own as an example.)
“With the prayers that have been spoken, and those that are unspoken,
let us finish by praying this prayer together…”
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth, as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory. Forever and ever. Amen
Eucharist
We now come to the center of our Liturgy, the Eucharist. Parents may invite your children back into the room at this time. Today we’ll receive the Eucharist in our homes, separated by space, but knitted together by God’s Spirit. Please examine your hearts and pray this prayer with me. Your responses will be in bold.
The Lord is with us
He is with us indeed
— ——
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
———
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give thanks and praise.
———
It is right and good that with hearts and minds and voices
we should praise you, God almighty
—
On that first Easter morning, as the sun was dawning, Jesus rose triumphantly from the dead. The earth shook as the angel rolled the stone away.
No grave could hold his body down. He is risen. He is risen indeed!
—
As Mary Magdalene and the other Mary looked on in fear, the risen Lord revealed himself to them, and they departed with great joy.
Rejoice! And again I say rejoice! For Christ Jesus has broken the curse of death and destroyed the power that it once had over us.
—
The same power that raised Jesus from the dead is now given to those who believe in him.
Let us receive this spiritual power and use it wisely for the liberation of all God’s people!
—
Let us make a joyful noise unto the Lord. For there is none like him who can break the chain of oppression, evil, and the grave. He is risen and is seated at the right hand of God.
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”
—
For this is the Passover feast,
when Christ, the true Lamb of God, is slain
whose love consecrates the homes of all the faithful.
Glory to you for ever.
—
For the moment when you first saved our ancestors,
freeing Israel from her slavery and leading her safely through the sea.
Glory to you for ever.
—
For this most blessed of all moments! When hatred is cast out,
peace and justice find a home, and heaven is joined to earth
and all creation reconciled to you.
Glory to you for ever.
—
For Christ the morning star has risen in glory;
Christ is risen from the dead
and this flame of love burns within us!
Christ sheds his peaceful light on all the world!
Christ lives and reigns for ever and ever!
Amen.
—
On the night Jesus was betrayed, the nation of Israel was celebrating their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. In the midst of the meal, Jesus took the symbols of the feast and gave them new meaning.
He took the bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them, and said, “Take, eat; this is My body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of Me.”
(Pause for everyone to take the bread together)
Later, Jesus took the wine. Again, He gave thanks, gave it to them, and said, “Drink this, all of you. This is My blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for you. Do this for the remembrance of Me.”
(Pause for everyone to take the wine together)
After Eucharist
Let us finish our time of communion together with this prayer.
Christ, you are risen from the dead.
We are risen with you.
May our life never deny
this eternal life,
this peace and hope and joy.
Praise and glory to the God of life
who is stronger than all kinds of death.
We have seen with our eyes
and touched with our hands
the bread of life.
Strengthen our faith
that we may grow in love for you and for each other;
through Jesus Christ the risen Lord.
Alleluia, Christ is Risen
He is risen indeed, Alleluia!
Offering
We now come to the time where we remember that nothing in this life is truly ours, but that all is a gift from God.
Giving is an act of love for God and for our community. We encourage you to celebrate God’s generosity and to give back as God has given to us online at austinmustardseed.org/giving).
If you are new or participating in our liturgy for the first time, please be our guest this morning.
We will sing one more song together as we prepare to close. This time is now yours, and we invite you to participate in worship.
I Will Lift My Eyes (reprise)
by Bebo Norman
I will lift my eyes to the Maker
of the mountains I can’t climb
I will lift my eyes to the Calmer
of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the Healer
of the hurt I hold inside
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You
Benediction
Austin Mustard Seed, As you leave today:
Go with this truth firmly placed in your heart
That our story does not end in Death.
But that through death we are invited into new life.
May God,
who comes to us
in the things of this world,
bless your eyes
and be in your seeing.
May Christ,
who looks upon you
with deepest love,
bless your eyes
and widen your gaze.
May the Spirit,
who perceives what is
and what may yet be,
bless your eyes
and sharpen your vision.
May the Sacred Three
bless your eyes
and cause you to see.
Go in Peace,
Live the Church,
See you throughout the week online at Community Groups and other meetups. Stick around for an extended Passing of the Peace and say hello before we sign off.
(Prayers today are from the Iona Community, Words for Worship, & In the Sanctuary of Women. Eucharist prayers are adapted from the African American Lectionary and The Prayer Book of New Zealand)