Prelude “Arabesque No. 1”   ~  Claude Debussy

Easter Bells

Centering Prayer

How very good and pleasant it is, Lord God, to be drawn together by you as brothers and sisters in Christ on this resurrection day.  Pour your empowering Spirit upon us, that the Easter message we here proclaim may become more than words upon a page.  Help us this hour to listen for and lean toward your voice which speaks beyond the words we utter.  Move us past our doubts that we might step forward with a faith that does not end when we leave this place.  Nudge us to touch areas of our lives that need to be touched, so that we might then recognize that no door is so heavy that it can lock you out.  This we pray in the name of the One for whom you rolled away the stone.  Amen.

Welcome

Introit “Down at The Cross”  ~ John H. Stockton,  Arr. Sid Richardson

Call to Worship

VOICE ONE: For those who first went out into the early dawn, when the sky was grey, taking spices to the tomb, there was terror, and surprise.

VOICE TWO: For us, resisting the impulse to sleep in as part of a long weekend, and being over-familiar with the Easter story, there is the risk of complacency.

VOICE ONE: So let us open ourselves to the astounding possibility that life can break out at any moment!

VOICE TWO: Let us challenge the thought that we have planned the future so efficiently that there will be no surprises!

VOICE ONE: Let us face the fact that the walls of this church, and the life of our institution cannot entirely contain Jesus Christ!

ALL: Let us celebrate the irrepressible power of God breaking out with life where we least

expect it!

Hymn 235 “O Sons and Daughters, Let Us Sing”

Prayer of Affirmation (unison)

“Christ is risen!” “He is risen indeed!”

We repeat our Easter shouts of surprise and joy again and again, for news of your victory over powers of death and evil is news so startling so amazing so different from the news that bombards us day by day.  Beyond our comprehension You startle us again and again with resurrection Life, bringing grace and hope and joy.  You, in your risen power, are shaping all our days, and so we praise you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  Amen

Sharing the Peace

ONE: The peace of Christ be with you.

RESPONSE:  And also with you.

Response Hymn 235 “O Sons and Daughters, Let Us Sing”

Refrain only, sing twice

Gospel Reading: John 20:1-18

Sermon: "It's Time"   Reverend Debra McGuire

Hymn 245 "Christ the Lord is Risen Today"

Invitation to the Offering and Prayer of Dedication

Prayers of the People

The Lord's Prayer

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.

Hymn 236 “The Strife is O'er” (sing refrain at beginning and end only)

Announcements

Closing Benediction (unison)

Your light is the only light we need as we travel through life's mystery.  Your word the only voice we hear that still small voice that leads us to the place where we should be.  Your presence is the only company we need as we walk this narrow road.  Your fellowship the warmth we crave to help us on our way.  May the truth of Easter, the joy of Easter, and the blessings of Easter be with us this day and all days.  Amen.

1 Peter L. Haynes

2 Ann Siddall       

3 Christine Jerrett

4 John Birch         

Easter Bells

Centering Prayer

Dear God, you are astounding! At the end of all your surprises you send among us the One who was crucified, dead and buried, and risen into glory.  He comes now as a living Lord, defying our locked doors, banishing our fears, greeting us with peace, and overwhelming us with awe and wondering love.  Please receive our thanks, our praise and our worship, and continue bless us beyond our deserving, as we lift up our voices in celebration.  In the name of this same Christ Jesus whose presence makes this occasion. Amen!

Welcome

Introit

Call to Worship

LEADER ONE: Let us worship the eternal God, the Source of love and life, who creates us.

LEADER TWO: Let us worship Jesus Christ, the risen one, who lives among us.

LEADER ONE: Let us worship the Spirit, the Holy Fire, who renews us.

ALL: To the one true God be praise in all times and places, through the grace of Jesus Christ.

Hymn 232 Jesus Christ Is Risen Today

Statement of Faith (unison)

We are not alone, we live in God’s world.  We believe in God, who has created and is creating, who has come in Jesus to reconcile and to make all things new.  We trust in God, who calls us to be the church; to celebrate God’s presence, to live with respect in creation, to love and serve others, to seek justice and to resist evil, to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen, our judge and our hope.  In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us.  We are not alone.  Thanks be to God.

Sharing the Peace

ONE: The peace of Christ be with you.

RESPONSE:  And also with you.

Response Hymn 235 O Sons and Daughters, Let Us Sing

Refrain only, sing twice

Gospel Reading: John 20:19-31

Sermon:  Reverend Debra McGuire

Hymn 256 These Things Did Thomas Count as Real

Invitation to the Offering and Prayer of Dedication

Prayers of the People

The Lord's Prayer

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.

Hymn 255 O Sons and Daughters, Let Us Sing

Announcements

Closing Benediction (unison)

Your light is the only light we need as we travel through life's mystery.  Your word the only voice we hear that still small voice that leads us to the place where we should be.  Your presence is the only company we need as we walk this narrow road.  Your fellowship the warmth we crave to help us on our way.  May the truth of Easter, the joy of Easter, and the blessings of Easter be with us this day and all days.  Amen.

1. adapted from Bruce Prewer

2. John Birch        

Easter Bells

Centering Prayer

Every time you leave home, another road takes you into a world you were never in.  When you travel, a new silence goes with you, and if you listen, you will hear what your heart would love to say.  A journey can become a sacred thing.  May you travel safely and arrive refreshed.  Amen.

Welcome

Introit

Call to Worship

ONE: We need your presence on the long road, Lord.

ALL: The road between fear and hope, the road between the place where all is lost and the place of resurrection.

ONE: Like the disciples walking the road to Emmaus, we are in need of your company!

ALL: Jesus, stand among us, in your risen power, let this time of worship, be a hallowed hour.

Hymn 257 The Risen Christ

Prayer of Confession (unison)

O 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 that 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. Amen.

Words of Assurance

Sharing the Peace

ONE: The peace of Christ be with you.

RESPONSE:  And also with you.

Response Hymn 235 O Sons and Daughters, Let Us Sing

Refrain only, sing twice

Gospel Reading: Luke 24:13-35

Sermon: What a Road We're On - Reverend Debra McGuire

Hymn 252 Day of Arising

Invitation to the Offering and Prayer of Dedication

Offertory: “The Gifts We Bring” David Paxton

Prayers of the People

The Lord's Prayer

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.

Hymn 248 Christ is Risen, Shout Hosanna

Announcements

Closing Benediction (unison)

We praise you, O God, for being with us in this special time and place.  Send us forth with courage to be witnesses of your work in the world.  Let us not forget your name or power; let us not miss your glory in the mundane; let us not trample on holy ground, through Christ we pray.  Amen.

1. For the Traveler, by John O'Donohue     

Easter Bells

Centering Prayer

O Good Shepherd, you desire to guide all into safety, refreshment and peace.  Meet us here today and fill us with your love, that we may look into your world with your loving knowledge, welcome our sisters and brothers with your joy and offer our lives with your generosity as members of your beloved community: in your name we pray, Amen.  

Welcome

Introit

Call to Worship

ONE: Our Lord is the Good Shepherd.  In his goodness he supplies our every need.

ALL: The Lord is our Shepherd, and he takes perfect care of us.

ONE: Our Lord is the Good Shepherd.  He leads us into safety and gives us strength for the journey.

ALL: The Lord is our Shepherd, who grants us rest and restores our souls.

ONE: Our Lord is the Good Shepherd.  He sought us out when we were lost, calling us by our names.

ALL:The Lord is our Shepherd, and he has carried us home.  Amen.

Hymn 803 My Shepherd Will Supply My Need

Prayer of Confession and Committment (unison)

Lord, we would follow you wherever you might lead.  Lord, we would follow you.  Forgive us when we stumble and when we stray.  Forgive us when, distracted we lose our way.  Be the one to whom we turn, whose hand we hold, the Shepherd who leads us safely to the fold.  Lord, we would follow you wherever you might lead.  Lord, we would follow you.  

Sharing the Peace

ONE: The peace of Christ be with you.

RESPONSE:  And also with you.

Response Hymn 235 O Sons and Daughters, Let Us Sing

Refrain only, sing twice

Old Testament Reading: Psalm 23

Gospel Reading: John 10:1-10

Sermon: "Care" Reverend Debra McGuire

Hymn 187 Savior, like a Shepherd Lead Us

Invitation to the Offering and Prayer of Dedication

Offertory: “Tre Giorni son che Nina”     Vincenco Lengrenzo Ciampi

The Sacrament of Holy Communion

Preparation of the Table

Invitation and Great Prayer of Thanksgiving

LEADER: The Lord be with you

PEOPLE: And also with you

LEADER: Lift up your hearts

PEOPLE: We lift them up to the Lord

LEADER: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God

PEOPLE: It is right to give our thanks and praise.

LEADER: Let us pray.  Almighty and ever-living God...

Words of Institution

Sharing of the Cup and Bread

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Prayers of the People

The Lord's Prayer

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.

Hymn 542 God be with You Till We Meet Again

Announcements

Closing Benediction (unison)

Go in peace and love and care for another in the name of the Lord; and may God lead you to places of rest and renewal; may Christ Jesus give you life in abundance; and may the Holy Spirit fill your hearts with gladness and generosity, both now and forevermore.   Amen.  

1. Brian Draper

2. Literature & Liturgy

3. John Birch

4. Richard Fairchild

Easter Bells

Centering Prayer

God with a mother’s heart, you gather us as your children.  You comfort and hold us in your arms'

embrace.  When we hurt your arms enfold us.  When we are afraid your wings protect us.  When we are hungry you feed us with the bread of life.  God with a mother’s heart, your love surrounds and supports us, in good times and in tough, in the midst of joy and pain, always and everywhere. You will never leave nor abandon us.  God eternal and loving one, God with a mother’s heart, we thank you this day, for being part of your family.  Amen.

Welcome

Introit

Call to Worship

ONE: We enter a virtual gathering space once again this season.

ALL: We worship together in spirit and in truth, though not in person.

ONE: We pray, sing, and listen to God’s Word despite the fear that pervades our community.

ALL: We trust Christ’s peace, a peace given freely, despite our doubts and fears.

ONE: We know the Holy Spirit is among us, blowing with a hopeful wind of change.

ALL:We feel the presence of Christ, the one who died and rose again, and brings us eternal life. Let us worship God!

Hymn 306 Blest Be the Ties That Binds

Prayer of Confession (unison)

Creator God, we confess that at times we are skeptics.  At times we doubt that you exist because of the evil we have seen in the world.  Oppression, marginalization, and plain hate still plague our world, and it is hard to see your love and light.  Sometimes, even those who bear your name do not walk in your ways.  Help us to see your goodness in this world.  Help us to know your love.  Fill us with your love so that we might love one another, and lift up one another in faith.  Amen.

Words of Assurance

Sharing the Peace

ONE: The peace of Christ be with you.

RESPONSE:  And also with you.

Response Hymn 235 O Sons and Daughters, Let Us Sing

Refrain only, sing twice

Gospel Reading: John 14:1-14

Sermon: Reverend Debra McGuire

Hymn 481 I Believe in God the Father

Invitation to the Offering and Prayer of Dedication

Offertory: "Berceuse" (Lullaby) - Gabriel Fauré

Prayers of the People

The Lord's Prayer

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.

Hymn 7 Mothering God, You Gave Me Birth

Announcements

Closing Benediction (unison)

Eternal God, lead us now out of the familiar settings of our doubts and fears, beyond our pride and our need to be secure, into a strange and graceful ease with our true proportions and with yours; that in boundless silence, we may grow strong enough to endure and flexible enough to share your grace, through Jesus Christ our guide.  Amen.  

1.  Christine Sine

2. Rev. Dr. Libby Grammer

3. Rev. Mindi

Easter Bells

Centering Prayer

God of all time and space, you initiated the relationship of love and generosity with creation at a time before and beyond all knowing.  Through the Word and the Spirit, you continue in eternal love for all beings.  Fill us with a deep and abiding awareness of your presence, your call, and your grace in our lives and in our world.  Shape us to into the people you have made us to be, poured out in creative mercy for the sake of Jesus Christ in all creation. Amen.

Welcome

Introit “This Is My Father's World”     Sheppard, Arr. Summers

Call to Worship

ONE: Lord God, Creator of all; you created us to be your People; a people free to love and to serve you with all our minds, with all our hearts and with all our strength.

ALL: So we come to worship our God, leaving behind all that binds us: our doubts and our fears; our darkness and our hopelessness.

ONE: Lord Jesus Christ, Savior of all: you came as a child, gathered into the loving embrace of a family.  As an adult, you shared love, laughter and tears with those whom you knew as friends and the love of the Father with all who would receive it.

ALL: So we come to love and to honor you, celebrating the companionship of those you have called to be your disciples.

ONE: Gracious Spirit, Inspirer of all; brooding over us gathered; eternally breathing Life into all of creation; endlessly giving, endlessly comforting.

ALL: So we come to be still in your presence; to hear in the silence the whisper of God breathing life into our souls; deepening our unity in the very life of God.

Hymn 395 Blessed Jesus, at Your Word

Affirmation of Faith (unison)

Jesus stays with us in the Spirit, who renews our hearts, moves us to faith, leads us in the truth, stands by us in our need, and makes our obedience fresh and vibrant.  The Spirit's gifts are here to stay in rich variety—fitting responses to timely needs.  We thankfully see each other as gifted members of the fellowship which delights in the creative Spirit's work. He gives more than enough to each believer for God's praise and our neighbor's welfare.

Sharing the Peace

ONE: The peace of Christ be with you.

RESPONSE:  And also with you.

Response Hymn 235 O Sons and Daughters, Let Us Sing

Refrain only, sing twice

Gospel Reading: John 14:15-21

Sermon: Reverend Debra McGuire

Hymn 407 Spirit Divine, Attend Our Prayers

Invitation to the Offering and Prayer of Dedication

Offertory: “Come Down, O Love Divine”     Ralph Vaughan Williams

Prayers of the People

The Lord's Prayer

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.

Hymn 366 Love Divine, All Loves Excelling

Announcements

Closing Benediction (unison)

Listen to the promise Jesus makes: I will never abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.  Even though the world will not be able to see me, I will never vanish from your sight.  And since I live, you will also live. Go from here in the knowledge that you do not go alone:  the power and presence of God goes with you. Praise be to God!                                      

1. Lutheran Julia, RevGalBlog

2. Wellspring Liturgy

3. Our World Belongs to God

4. Christine Longhurst

Chimes

Centering Prayer

Almighty God, as we prepare to worship today, we ask that you will stretch our imaginations to sense the majesty and mystery of your ascension.  Help us perceive how Jesus' presence in heaven can give us confidence in our praying and hope for the future.  Through Jesus, our Lord. Amen.

Welcome

Introit “Jesus Shall Reign”     John Hatton

Call to Worship

ONE:  Because Jesus ascended and sits at the right hand of God, a new world has broken into ours;

ALL: a world in which justice does come for the poor, freedom comes for the prisoners,

and healing for the sick.

ONE: Because Jesus ascended and sits at the right hand of God, a new community has been formed;

ALL: a community that loves and cares for all members, a family that welcomes all who are abandoned and rejected, a place where all find a place of belonging.

ONE: Because Jesus ascended and sits at the right hand of God, a new creation has begun;

ALL: all that was distorted is being restored, all that is corrupted is being renewed, all that was broken is being made whole.  Because Jesus ascended and sits at the right hand of God, God's new world has begun.

Hymn 276 Sing a New Song unto the Lord

Affirmation of Faith (unison)

You are not only risen and alive, you are Lord.  This is your ascension, your ascendancy over the whole universe.  You stand over and above all that is best in life as its source.  You stand above all that is worst as the ultimate victor.  You stand above all powers and authorities as judge.  You stand above all failure and weakness and sin as forgiveness and love.  You are Lord, 'My Lord and my God.'

Sharing the Peace

ONE: The peace of Christ be with you.

RESPONSE:  And also with you.

Response Hymn 235 O Sons and Daughters, Let Us Sing

Refrain only, sing twice

Gospel Reading: Luke 24:44-53

Sermon: "Ascension" Reverend Debra McGuire

Hymn 268  Crown Him with Many Crowns

Invitation to the Offering and Prayer of Dedication

Offertory: “The Heavens Are Telling”      Franz Joseph Haydn

Prayers of the People

The Lord's Prayer

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.

Hymn 263 Love Divine, All Loves Excelling

Announcements

Closing Benediction (unison)

As we go forward into the coming week, may God open our minds to God's presence, so that we may truly come to know God; may God open the eyes of our hearts so that we can experience the hope he offers to all who follow Him; and may we come to understand the full extent of God's power at work in our lives -- the very same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead, and seated him at the right hand of God.

1. The Chapter of a Great Lord

2. Christine Sine

3. Rex Chapman