The United Church of Canada Bathurst Pastoral Charge First United Church, Bathurst THE COMMUNITY GATHERS

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1 The United Church of Canada Bathurst Pastoral Charge First United Church, Bathurst April 16, 2017 Easter / Confirmation/ Communion Clergy Rev. Blair Lewis Organist Martha Vickers Office Adm. Isabel Clouston Greeters Mike Kierstead Custodian Alan Wilcox All musical selections reprinted under licence #606499, LicenSing for Churches. Lectionary for today Isaiah 50:4-9a Psalm 31 Philippians 2:5-11 Matthew 26:14-27:66 Lectionary for next Sunday Acts 10:34-43 Psalm 118 Colossians 31:1-4 John 20:1-18 THE COMMUNITY GATHERS The asterisk * identifies those times in the service where the congregation is invited to stand as able. Organ Prelude: Choral Opening: Alleluia! Alleluia! Hearts to heav n and voices raise Sing to God a hymn of gladness, sing to God a hymn of praise. He who on the cross as Saviour for the world s salvation bled, Jesus Christ, the King of Glory, now is risen from the dead. (Tune Hymn to Joy VU 232) Welcoming: Jesus said, I have come that they may have life, and may have it in all its fullness. John 10:10-1- Welcoming Friends Worshipping by CD: Announcements: Lighting of the Christ Candle: Call to Worship: One: Christ has risen. All: Christ has risen indeed. One: God is alive... All: new birth is given. One: Hope is alive... All: a new age is dawning. One: Joy is alive... All: redemption is here. One: Love is alive... All: death cannot harm us. One: We are alive... All: new life is within us. One: The church is alive... All: God s Spirit is within us. Let us celebrate the God of resurrection! Prayer of Approach: Creative God, you who breathe life into dust and bring new life out of death: we are gathered as your Easter people, raised up with Christ in resurrection hope. We come with hurts and confusion, with despair, with the pain of Good Friday still clinging to us. Yet you, Lord, invite us to step out into new life in the way of Jesus. We thank you for this great gift; may our whole lives express our gratitude. We pray in the name of our risen Saviour. Amen. *Opening Hymn: Good Christians All, Rejoice and Sing #169 VU Children of All Ages: -2-

2 THE SERVICE OF THE WORD Prayer for Understanding: (in unison) O God for whom there are no barriers, no stones too big to remove, roll away our resistance to you. Let your words fill us with new life and bring us out from the tomb of indifference, alive again in you. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Scripture Readings: Sherry Mitton Old Testament Lesson: Jeremiah 31:1-6 Responsive Psalm: Psalm #116 #836 VU Gospel Lesson: John 20 :1-18 Hymn: I Danced in the Morning #352 VU Message: Anthem: The God of Love Sing a New Song to the Lord THE COMMUNITY RESPONDS Presentation of Gifts and Self to God: Choral Response: Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow #541 VU Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise God, all creatures high and low, Give thanks to God in love made known: Creator, Word and Spirit, One. Offering Prayer: (in unison) You, O God, are the Easter One. You are the holy source of resurrection. You are the dancing spirit of life. We offer these gifts in gratitude for hope returned, for the mystery of your grace, and for the promise of resurrection. Amen. -3- Prayer of Confession: (in unison) Stay with us, blessed stranger, for the day is far spent, and we have not yet recognized your face in each of our sisters and brothers. Stay with us, blessed stranger, for the day is far spent, and we have not yet shared your bread in grace with our brothers and sisters. Stay with us, blessed stranger, for the day is far spent, and we have not listened to your Word in the words of our sisters and brothers. Stay with us, blessed stranger, because our very night becomes day when your are there. Choral Response: And When You Call for Me #96 MV And when you call for me, I have already answered. And when you call for me, I am already there. Assurance of Pardon: Reflective Music: Silent Prayer: SERVICE OF CONFIRMATION Statement of Purpose: Scripture Reading: Ephesians 4: 4-6 *Confirmation Hymn: I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry # 644 VU -4-

3 Presentation of Candidates: On behalf of the congregation of First United Church, I present the following persons who seek to renew the faith proclaimed in their baptism: Hannah Fortune and Sierra Spragg you have requested to be confirmed. Rev. Jean Herman, you have requested to transfer your membership from the Baptist Church to the United Church of Canada Bathurst Pastoral Charge On Behalf of the Christian Development Team and the Pastoral Council I welcome you to our church family. Profession of Faith and Promises: a. Profession of Faith in the Triune God Do you believe in one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit? I do, by the grace of God. b. Commitment to Seek Justice and Resist Evil Will you follow in the way of Jesus Christ, resisting oppression and evil, seeking justice, and witnessing to God s love for all creation? I will, God being my helper. c. Commitment to Follow the Way of Jesus Christ Will you proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen, in your words and actions? I will, God being my helper. d. Commitment to the Mission and Ministry of the Church Will you join with your brothers and sisters in this congregation to share in the life, work, and ministry of Jesus Christ? I will, God being my helper. -5- Congregational Commitment: One: Let us pledge to these persons our continued support and care: All: We will continue to support you, walk with you, and grow with you. With God s help we will live out our baptism as a loving community in Jesus Christ: nurturing one another in faith, upholding one another in prayer, encouraging one another in God s work. A New Creed: (in 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, the Word made flesh, to reconcile and make new, who works in us and others by the Spirit. We trust in God. We are called to be the Church: to celebrate God s presence, to live with respect in Creation, to love and serve others, to seek justice and 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. Amen. Laying on of Hands: One: By the gift of your Spirit, O God, strengthen, that he/she may be true to you all his/her life. All: Amen. Presentation of a Bible: Receive this Bible, and with your sisters and brothers in Christ, continue to grow in faith, trusting in God s promises. -6-

4 THE SERVICE OF THE TABLE An Invitation to the Table: *Our Communion Hymn: Come, Now, You Blessed #592 VU The Great Thanksgiving Prayer: One: The peace of Christ be with you all. All: And also with you. One: Lift up your hearts. All: We lift them to the Lord. One: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. All: It is right to give God thanks and praise. One: Blessed are you, gracious God, Creator of light, Giver of all life, Source of love. We bless you for all your gifts. We praise you for this holy day of hope and for the wonder of this time of joy. All: We praise you, O God. All: We thank you, O God. One: For Jesus Christ, in whom you gather the hopes and fears of all the years, we bless your Holy Name. Joining now with all your people of every time and place, and with the angels and archangels, who proclaim the holy birth: Choral Response: (Sanctus and Benedictus # 942VU) Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might; holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might. Heav n and earth are full, full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest, hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest, hosanna in the highest. One: All: One: All: After supper he took the wine; thanked you for it, and passed a cup of wine to his friends saying, this cup is the new promise God has made with you in my blood. Each time you do this and drink from this cup, remember me. Remembering his death and celebrating his resurrection, we await with hope his coming again to bring peace and justice to the earth. And so, we affirm the mystery of our faith: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. Send, O God, your Holy Spirit upon us and what we do here; that we, and these gifts, touched by your Spirit, may be signs of life and love to each other, and to all the world. Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory is yours, God most holy, now and forever. We gather these and all our prayers, thankful that we may now turn to you in one voice, Our Father, Who art in heaven Amen. Breaking of the Bread and Pouring of the Cup: Sharing of the Bread and Cup: THE COMMUNITY GOES FORTH *Closing Hymn: Jesus Christ Is Risen Today #155 VU *Commissioning: One: Like the woman who ran to share the Good News of the empty tomb, All: let us go forth with joy. One: Like the travellers walking on the Emmaus Road, All: let us go forth with opened eyes. One: Like the disciples receiving the Holy Spirit, All: let us go forth with peace. One: On the night before Jesus died, he had supper with his disciples: he took bread; thanked you, as we have thanked you; broke the bread; and gave the bread to his friends, saying, take this, all of you, and eat it. This is my body, given for you. Each time you do this, remember me

5 One: Like Thomas, filled with doubt, All: let us go forth with faith. One: Like fishers pulling heavy nets, All: let us go forth with abundant life. *Blessing: Lord, help us not to dwell too much on the past, holding you to the Galilean hills and the streets of Jerusalem, but to know you more and more as present Lord and Saviour, risen, ascended, and always present with us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen. * Choral Closing: As we go into the future, As we tell of the Good News, We will show our love for others, Just as Christ has told us to. We will tell the wondrous story, Of a love that s made for you, And it s all because of Easter Sing a joyous Hal-le-lu! See Gathering Lent 2011 pg. 81 Choral Sending Forth (Tune Promise VU 703) Organ Postlude: 'Twas Easter-Sunday. The full-blossomed trees Filled all the air with fragrance and with joy. ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow~ Community Events Stencil Night! Will be located at Central United Church Hall in Clifton NB. There are three beautiful stencils to choose from that you will be painting on a handmade wooden sign and the cost is $35($20 deposit, $15 paid at the door) This event is a fundraiser to help support the Central Youth Group, an ecumenical youth group that provides a safe place for youth ages This is a dry event, refreshments will be served. The event is being hosted by Cynthia and Sylvain Francoeur of Francoeur Primitives from Val D'Amour New Brunswick. Registration deadline is April 17th. Due to the size of the hall our limit for the event is 120 people, so please don't wait to register as spaces will fill up fast! Deposits can be made by etransfer, or pick up/drop off can be arranged. Please message Kyle Grant for more information! kylegrant1000@hotmail.com or contact Rev. Sue Baines White at Doors open at 5:30. We can t wait to see you there. Parish of New Bandon Anglican Church Lobster Supper will be June 3rd, Tickets will be available April 15th, 2017 from Norma Ellis at ; Elaine Good at ; or Mitzi Whelton at Tickets will be $20.00 for adults and $10.00 for children under 12 and must be purchased in advance. Tickets will be available for settings at 4 PM, 5PM, 6PM and take outs. Thank You Country and Gospel Music Night, April 22 nd 7:00pm at Christ Church Hall in Clifton, with Country Capers, Bernard Arseneau, Ryan Riordon, John & Isabel Clouston and others to be announced. Free will offering at the door. For more information please call Allen Milller Open House: There will be an open house for Byron and Sandra Daley s 50 Wedding Anniversary on April 29 from 2-4 at The St. George s Anglican Church Hall

6 Church News This Week at First United April 17 April 22 Monday Office Closed Easter Monday Tuesday 9am Ways & Means- Eddy Rm 6:15 Cubs & Scouts DEMH GYM 7pm West Ba. Cem. Comm - RMR Wednesday 9-11am Badminton DEMH Gym 9-12pm TAB Rms. 1,2&3 6:30pm Choir Practice Bulletin today has been placed in loving memory of *** of my parents, Gladys & Harold Moore & other deceased family members from Gladys Jean & family. *** Betty Lavigne from Judy & family The cut flowers in the sanctuary today have been placed in loving memory of Betty Lavigne from Judy & family Peanut Butter for Volunteer Centre Commitment December 31, Total to Date 347 To meet our obligation, we will need to collect jars of peanut butter per week. The Volunteer Center supplies, on average, 500 households monthly. Memorial Hymn Sing Sunday, April 30, 2017, 10am Extra copies of the Hymn Selections and return envelopes can be found in the Narthex. Notice from the Property Management Team For security reasons, all doors to the sanctuary will be kept locked except the one closest to the office. To enter the church during business hours, please use the St. Patrick Street entrance. Sunrise Breakfast (pancakes, sausages, baked beans, scrambled eggs, hash browns, toast, juice, coffee & tea) April 23, :30 a.m. to noon Donald Eddy Memorial Hall $10.00 adults - $3.00 children The West Bathurst Cemetery Committee will be meeting in the Ruth Morrison Room on Tuesday, April 18, 2017, at 7:00 P. M. The committee will be exploring options for ground s maintenance on its limited budget. The Upper Room for May and June are in the Narthex. Please feel free to take one. A container for donations is located with the publication.

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8 Jeremiah 31:1-6 New International Version (NIV) 31 At that time, declares the LORD, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people. 2 This is what the LORD says: The people who survive the sword will find favor in the wilderness; I will come to give rest to Israel. 3 The LORD appeared to us in the past, [a] saying: I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness. 4 I will build you up again, and you, Virgin Israel, will be rebuilt. Again you will take up your timbrels and go out to dance with the joyful. 5 Again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria; the farmers will plant them and enjoy their fruit. 6 There will be a day when watchmen cry out on the hills of Ephraim, Come, let us go up to Zion, to the LORD our God. John 20:1-18 New International Version (NIV) The Empty Tomb 20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don t know where they have put him! 3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying. Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene 11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb 12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot. 13 They asked her, Woman, why are you crying? They have taken my Lord away, she said, and I don t know where they have put him. 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus. 15 He asked her, Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?

9 Thinking he was the gardener, she said, Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him. 16 Jesus said to her, Mary. She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, Rabboni! (which means Teacher ). 17 Jesus said, Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. 18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: I have seen the Lord! And she told them that he had said these things to her.