Easter Sunday Worship

*Call to Worship   from Hymn #248, Glory to God

Christ is Risen! Shout Hosanna!

Celebrate this day of days!

Let all creation be amazed!

*Hymn of Welcome #357         Christ Arose

*Opening Prayer (unison)

On this glorious Easter morning, we gather with hearts full of gratitude and awe. Today, we remember the stone rolled away, the empty tomb, and the risen Savior who conquered death and brought eternal hope to all who believe. Lord, we thank You for the gift of resurrection life — a life that transforms despair into joy, darkness into light, and fear into unshakable faith. As the sun rises over this new day, may the light of Christ rise in our hearts, renewing our spirits and filling us with the courage to live as witnesses of Your love. We offer this prayer in the mighty and matchless name of our risen Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

*Reading from Psalms 118:1-2, 14-24

¹O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever!

²Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”

¹⁴The Lord is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation.

¹⁵There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly;

¹⁶the right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.”

¹⁷I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.

¹⁸The Lord has punished me severely, but he did not give me over to death.

¹⁹Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.

²⁰This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.

²¹I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation.

²²The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.

²³This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.

²⁴This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

*Call to Confession 

*Prayer of Confession (unison)                  

Savior God, forgive our life-alienating ways, our exclusion and judgment of others; the way we evaluate and compare. Forgive our death-dealing sins, our habits that demean and degrade, our addiction to violent and destructive behavior. Redeem us. Restore us. Resurrect us for life in Christ. Amen.

*Assurance of Pardon      from Hymn #232 Glory to God

*Gloria Patri #579                                                      Glory Be to the Father

*Doxology #815                               Doxology

*Prayer for Illumination (unison)

Divine Redeemer, bearer of life, open us to the wisdom of your Word today and enlighten us with your truth. Liberate us from all that distracts and turns us from your path. Guide us and ground us in Christ’s everlasting hope. Amen.

3So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, ³for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

⁵Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: fornication, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed (which is idolatry). ⁶On account of these the wrath of God is coming on those who are disobedient. ⁷These are the ways you also once followed, when you were living that life.

⁸But now you must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. ⁹Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices ¹⁰and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator. ¹¹In that renewal there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!

20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. ²So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” ³Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. ⁴The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. ⁶Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, ⁷and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. ⁸Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; ⁹for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. ¹⁰Then the disciples returned to their homes.

¹¹But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; ¹²and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. ¹³They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” ¹⁴When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” ¹⁶Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). ¹⁷Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” ¹⁸Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

The Word of the Lord

*Hymn of Response #367  Christ the Lord is Risen Today

Easter people, come now to the table with Christ!
For he is risen! He lives, and he presides at this feast!
Come, eat together the bread of life!
For he is risen, and nothing separates us from God’s love!
Come, drink together from the cup of gladness!
For Christ is risen—risen as he said!
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Praise to you, God of glory!
You created the universe and all living things.
You breathed life into our dust
and gave us a paradise.
You sought us when we hid ourselves,
ashamed of our sin.
You made a people for yourself,
and saved them from oppression.

In the fullness of time,
your love came also to us in your servant Jesus.
He ministered to us,
healing, overcoming divisions, welcoming all.
He died on the cross of shame.

But you vindicated him,
giving him a life that is forever new!
This is the life he shares with us:
a life of justice, mercy,
and citizenship in your realm of peace.

All your creatures testify to your mighty deeds!
They declare your everlasting love!
We too proclaim it,
as with the angels of heaven we sing:

Now, O God, with grateful hearts we remember Jesus.

We remember that he was laid in a borrowed grave.
A heavy stone sealed up the tomb.

We remember that the women came,
early in the morning, on the third day.
They did not find him among the dead.

We remember that his disciples met him on the road.
He opened the Scriptures, explaining everything,
and their hearts burned within them.

They said to him,
“Stay with us, for it is evening.”
So he went in with them.
And while they were at table,
he took bread, gave thanks,
and broke it for them to share.
Then their eyes were opened,
and they knew him in the breaking of the bread.

Come, Holy Spirit,
bless this bread that earth has given
and human hands have made.
Bless also this fruit of the vine,
created for our gladness.
Make them the food and drink of everlasting life,
body surrendered, blood poured out.
As we rejoice in the resurrection,
give us love for each other,
and make us servants of peace,
until your new realm is revealed
and every creature beholds it.
We pray in the name of Jesus, who lives
and presides at this table,
our host and our feast.
Thanks be to him, who taught us to pray . . .

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 us our debts, as we forgive our debtors

And lead us not into temptation

But deliver us from evil

For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power,

and the glory forever. Amen

Let us give thanks!
Thank you, God, for life in the Spirit of Jesus,
for gladness in this bread and cup,

*Hymn of Sending #368       He Lives

*Charge and Benediction            

*Response to the Benediction #358                          Because He Lives, v1 & refrain 

*Postlude