OAK HILL PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH April 1, 2018 Resurrection of the Lord/Easter 10:30 a.m. TIME OF QUIET PREPARATION As you arrive in the sanctuary, please quiet and prepare yourself for worship. Relax your body; quiet the inner dialogue of your mind; be open and receptive to God s Spirit in our midst. *those who are comfortable, please stand THE WORD CALLS US TOGETHER PRELUDE Christ is Risen, Shout Hosanna Beethoven CHORAL INTROIT Rejoice, Rejoice, All People on Earth Andrews Chancel Choir *CALL TO WORSHIP One: Give thanks to the Lord, for God is good! Children: Give thanks to the Lord, for God is good! All: Give thanks to the Lord, for God is good! One: Give thanks for the faithful women! Children: Give thanks that the stone was rolled away! All: Give thanks that Christ is risen! One: Christ is risen indeed! Children: Christ is risen, alleluia! All: Alleluia! Alleluia! One: Give thanks to God! Children: Shout and sing! All: Rejoice and be glad! One: Alleluia! Children: Alleluia! All: Alleluia! *OPENING HYMN Jesus Christ Is Risen Today No. 232 During the opening hymn you are invited to come forward and help flower the cross. EASTER LITANY One: O give thanks to the Lord, for God is good! Many: God s steadfast love endures forever. One: In this sanctuary, in this space, in this community, in this people, Lord, make yourself present; make your love known. Many: Lord, make your Spirit to move among us. One: Wipe away the tears from all faces, heal the wounds in our land, Many: Mend the fractures in our culture, rid us of all hate, hurt, and violence. One: O Risen Christ, as we gather to watch, as we gather to listen, Many: As we gather to seek, as we gather to hope, One: Surprise us again! Forgive our doubt and fill us with faith. Many: Surprise us again! Help us to hope beyond what we can understand. One: Surprise us again! Remind us that you are still at work in your world. Many: Surprise us again! Remind us that you are still at work in each one of us. One: As we gather to rejoice, celebrate and sing praises, Many: Call us also to witness, serve, and love. One: Make this Resurrection morning one that lingers in our hearts. Many: Make this Resurrection morning one that lingers in our actions. One: Spirit of God, Jesus our Christ, Holy Guide of All, we are amazed. We are confused. And we are so hopeful. Many: Almighty One, we thank you for your love. We thank you for your grace. We thank you for this wild joy! AMEN. RESPONSE OF PRAISE (Cantor sings responses through first, followed by the congregation) Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord; Alleluia, alleluia, give praise to His name.. (repeat) *SHARING THE PEACE (Share the peace of Christ as you feel led, with a wave, a smile, a kind word, or a handshake.) TIME FOR GROWING DISCIPLES (At the conclusion of the Time for Growing Disciples, children ages birth to 3 rd grade may stay in worship or go to the nursery.) ANTHEM Jesus Is Risen Today Sanko Chancel Choir
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION FIRST SCRIPTURE READING Isaiah 25:6-9 SECOND SCRIPTURE READING Mark 16:1-8 Oak Hill Presbyterian Church SERMON The Rev. Erin Counihan MEDITATION IN MUSIC LITURGY OF CONFIRMATION Oak Hill is enriched, affirmed, and extended as we welcome new members into fellowship. We celebrate the gifts of new life and the rich diversity we share as a church. *HYMN Come Sing, O Church In Joy! No. 305 OFFERING OUR GIFTS (Please sign the Friendship Register found at the end of the pew. Complete information, including your email, and pass pad along to those worshiping with you. ) *Prayer of Dedication Offertory Jesu, Joy of Man s Desiring Bach John Holt, instrumental soloist *Doxology Glory to God, Whose Goodness Shines on Me No. 582 THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORD S SUPPER LIFE OF THE COMMUNITY (Not merely announcements, but the activities of our life together that reflect our day-to-day responses to God s call for faithfulness, and your invitation to join in!) *CLOSING HYMN Christ is Alive! No. 246 *BENEDICTION POSTLUDE Hallelujah! Handel Oak Hill Presbyterian Church 4111 Connecticut St. Louis, MO 63116 (314) 664-5525 office@oakhillpcusa.org (office) www.oakhillpcusa.org Easter Sunday, April 1, 2018
Worship Notes Pascha [or Easter] is the central event, the time of transformation, of becoming a resurrected people, God s new people. On this Sunday of all Sundays, Pascha, we celebrate our transformation as a new people. When Christ rose from the grave, death and all other principalities and powers that seek to entomb God s will were forever defeated. Easter is not simply the miracle of a dead person raised from the grave, but a celebration of power that can shatter death in order that people can freely serve the God of life. In the resurrection of Christ, God s awesome purposes were on display, revealing a radically new world of peace and harmony and equality and mutuality, about which we can only dream. The Lord of the future has been disclosed to us. Both the incarnation at Christmas and the resurrection at Easter testify to the lordship of Christ. An excerpt from the PCUSA s Companion to the Book of Common Worship (Geneva Press, 2003, 107-108). Plants in the Sanctuary When we read the Ash Wednesday scripture passages, Oak Hill s Worship and Christian Education Committee was captivated by thoughts of what we might create and become and be if we were to rend our hearts and return to God, what might grow in us once we stripped all that other stuff away. So as one of our spiritual disciplines as a community, we decided to strip away the other ornamentation in the sanctuary, and watch these two plants grow throughout the season. As we have prayed together, worshiped together and served together, we have been able to watch them grow, and to watch for how God has been growing new life in us, too. Flowering the Cross On Ash Wednesday, we rendered our hearts, we wrote our prayers on little purple heart papers and ripped them up, pinning them to this cross. On Good Friday, we added our confessions, written and printed on white paper, and hung them on the cross with Jesus. This morning, as Jesus has risen, he takes with him our prayers, the ones torn up, the ones pinned in confession, the ones held silently within us. As we turn this cross of pain, this cross of sin, this cross of death, into the vision of new life, blossoming joy, and resurrection power, we remember that it is God who makes that happen- again, and again. Releasing the Alleluias The omission of alleluia during Lent goes back at least to the fifth century in the western church. The association of alleluia with Easter led to the custom of intentionally omitting it from the liturgy during the season of Lent, a kind of verbal fast which has the effect of creating a sense of anticipation and even greater joy when the familiar word of praise returns. We do not use it at church. We do not use it at home. We let it rest, as it were, during Lent, so that when it reappears on Easter, we may hear it anew. In fact, once it returns on Easter, we give it no rest at all, repeating it again and again, in celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. From the Episcopal Diocese of Texas, found at http://www.epicenter.org/why-do-we-bury-the-alleluia/. Oak Hill Presbyterian Church Rev. Erin Counihan, Pastor Rev. Dr. Alan Meyers, Parish Associate Mrs. Susan Brown, Minister of Music Ms. Carole Adams, Secretary Ms. Korla Masters, Student Pastor & Interim Director, AMEN St. Louis Bulletin Deadline: Wednesday, 12:00 noon in writing. ACTIVITIES THIS WEEK April 1, 2018 Sunday 9:00 a.m. Choir Rehearsal 9:30 a.m. Sunday School for All Ages 10:30 a.m. Service of Worship Following Worship Time of Fellowship (and snacks) Monday 7:45 8:00 a.m. Prayer Pause Tuesday 9:45 11:45a.m. MOMS Club of St. Louis in the Nursery 6:30-8:30 p.m. Foosball & Snacks @ the S.LS. Building, 3227 Morgan Ford Wednesday 11:00 a.m. Bible Study in the Faith and Fellowship Room 5:00 p.m. Worship and Christian Education Committee in the Faith and Fellowship Room 6:30 p.m. Evangelism and Membership Committee Meeting in the Faith and Fellowship Room 7:30 p.m. Touchy Topics Book and Discussion Group at Hartford Coffee Thursday 10:00 a.m. Circle 3 in the Theleos Room 6:30 p.m. Thursday Night Bible Study in the Theleos Room We welcome you to worship at Oak Hill. We greet everyone in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and celebrate the gift of God s incarnate love through our worship and service. We hope you will stay and join us for a time of fellowship after worship today. We ll gather downstairs for coffee and snacks! For more information about what s happening at Oak Hill, don t forget to check out our website at www.oakhillpcusa.org.
Today s Worship Leaders are Toby Eckert, Avery Smith, Korla Masters, the Rev. Dr. Alan Meyers, and the Rev. Erin Counihan. Communion Servers are Joe Bradshaw, Brent Crittenden, Toby Eckert, and Dena Roper. Greeters are Avery Smith and Sheryl Ream. Ushers are Erica Colwell, Quinn Colwell, Josh Smith, and Lisa Thompson. Nursery Caregivers are Anne Stoltz and Layne Thompson. The Mission Committee is hosting the time of fellowship in April. As a regular practice of our faith, we pray for members of our church family. Today and throughout this week, we invite you to pray for these friends. You may wish to contact them to indicate your interest and ask if they have any special prayer concerns. Anne and Mary LaTragna Karen and Bill Reeves Mark, Lisa, and Kelsey Thompson If you have a specific prayer request to share with the congregation, please fill out the yellow prayer request form in the pew and place it in the offering plate. For prayers and congregational support during the week, call Pastor Erin or the church office. We will be collecting the One Great Hour of today. One Great Hour of Sharing is a special giving program through the PCUSA. A gift to One Great Hour of Sharing enables the church to share God s love with our neighbors-in-need around the world by providing relief to those affected by natural disasters, provide food to the hungry, and helping to empower the poor and oppressed. It supports Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, Self- Development of People, and the Presbyterian Hunger Program. Offering envelopes may be found in the back of the sanctuary. Join us for Foosball happening on Tuesday, April 3, at 6:30 p.m. It's a fun night of community with our neighborhood kids. Please join us for pizza, snacks and fun! Please contact Dena Roper with any questions. The Touchy Topics Book and Discussion Group will be discussing Just Mercy by Brian Stevenson Wednesday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m. at Hartford Coffee. All are welcome to join the conversation! Circle 3 will meet at 10 a.m. on Thursday, April 5, in the Theleos Room. Please bring a sandwich - salad, chips and dessert will be provided. On April 8 th we ll celebrate Holy Humor Sunday, and bring our silliest selves to worship. Wear a funny hat or a full costume. Come prepared to share your favorite church-appropriate joke. Bring your sense of humor and your joy for serving the Lord! Come and celebrate the great joke God played on us all cheating death and rising in glory! The April Luncheon will be held on Sunday, April 8. This is Holy Humor Sunday so bring your funniest dish to share! This will be a true potluck so all items are welcome! We are looking for funny and yummy! Please contact a Mission Committee member if you have any questions. Inquirers and New Members Lunch Interested in learning more about Oak Hill Presbyterian Church, and possible membership here? Plan to come for an informal lunch and conversation in the Theleos Room on the lower level of the church building after worship on Sunday, April 15. Calling Crafters for General Assembly The primary visual artistic element for General Assembly will be a paper lace banner designed by liturgical artist Ellen Phillips. Ellen will design the banner, but it will be cut out by members from around the Presbytery. Ellen will lead cutting workshops at Ladue Chapel, and we invite you to come, cut and commune together. Supplies will be provided, so just sign up and come! Dates and times of the workshops are: Wednesday, April 18 7:00 9:00 p.m. Thursday, April 19 10:00 a.m. 12 Noon Thursday, April 19 1:00 3:00 p.m. Friday, April 20 9:00 11:00 a.m. There is a limit of 10 participants in each session, but you may sign up for multiple sessions. To sign up, please visit stlouisga.com and click on the volunteer tab. This will take you Sign-up Genius and the Artist Workshops are listed there. Any questions, please contact David Erwin at DErwin@laduechapel.org. *Bulletin cover art courtesy St. Elizabeth Catholic Church in Columbus, OH.
THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORD S SUPPER THE INVITATION TO THE TABLE THE PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING Leader: The Lord be with you. People: And also with you. Leader: Lift up your hearts. People: We lift them to the Lord. Leader: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. People: It is right to give our thanks and praise. (Leader continues ) SANCTUS No. 556 Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might, Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is the One who comes in the Lord s name. Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the highest. PRAYERS OF THE CONGREGATION THE LORD S PRAYER (unison) 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. THE WORDS OF INSTITUTION SHARING AND RECEIVING THE BREAD AND CUP All who seek Jesus are welcome at the table he has prepared. There is no denominational or membership requirement to receive God s gift of life. At Oak Hill, we pass plates of bread to one another saying, This is the body of Christ, broken for you. You are invited to partake of the bread when you receive it. Then we pass the cups to one another saying, This is the blood of Christ, shed for you. We wait until everyone has been served, then we all partake of the cup together. Communion Meditation John Holt, piano Brian Beckmann and Paul Bordeaux, guitar PRAYER OF COMMITMENT Unison: God of glory, with this meal, our prayers, and your song, fill you church with the power that flows from Christ s resurrection, and send us out to journey into this messy world, full of your love, your justice, and your joy. Amen FIRST SCRIPTURE READING Isaiah 25:6-9 6 On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear. 7 And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations; he will swallow up death forever. 8 Then the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. 9 It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation. Leader: This is the Word of the LORD People: thanks be to God! SECOND SCRIPTURE READING Mark 16:1-8 16When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 They had been saying to one another, Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb? 4 When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6 But he said to them, Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you. 8 So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. Leader: This is the Word of the LORD People: thanks be to God!
LITURGY OF CONFIRMATION Presentation Elder: Tegan Counihan Ratliff, Millie Crittenden, Avery Smith, Sophie Sowell, and Alison Stanford are presented by the session of Oak Hill, for the reaffirming of the baptismal covenant into which they were baptized. Each of these youth now desire to profess publicly their faith and to assume greater responsibility in the life of the church, and God s mission in the world. Covenant Questions Trusting in the gracious mercy of God, do you turn from the ways of sin and renounce evil and its power in the world? I do. Who then do you turn to? Who is your Lord and Savior? Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. Will you be Christ s faithful disciple, obeying his Word and showing his love? I will, with God s help. The Community Affirmation of Faith From A Brief Statement of Faith (PCUSA) Pastor: Do you believe in God? All: I believe in God the creator, the almighty, the God of heaven and earth. The One Jesus called Abba, Father. In life and in death, I belong to God. Pastor: Go you believe in Jesus? All: I believe in Jesus, who proclaimed the reign of God, preaching good news to the poor and release to the captives, teaching by word and deed and blessing the children, healing the sick and binding up the brokenhearted, eating with outcasts, forgiving sinners, and calling all to repent and believe the gospel. Unjustly condemned for blasphemy and sedition, Jesus was crucified, suffering the depths of human pain and giving his life for the sins of the world. God raised this Jesus from the dead, vindicating his sinless life, breaking the power of sin and evil, delivering us from death to life eternal. Pastor: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit? All: I believe in the Holy Spirit, everywhere the giver and renewer of life. The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith, sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and neighbor, and binds us together with all believers in the one body of Christ, the Church. In a broken and fearful The Community Affirmation of Faith (cont d) All: world the Spirit gives us courage to pray without ceasing, to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, to unmask idolatries in Church and culture, to hear the voices of peoples long silenced, and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace. Pastor: And so together we affirm: All: In gratitude to God, empowered by the Spirit, we strive to serve Christ in our daily tasks and to live holy and joyful lives, even as we watch for God s new heaven and new earth, praying, Come, Lord Jesus! With believers in every time and place, we rejoice that nothing in life or in death can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Amen. Congregational Vows Pastor: You have publicly professed your faith. Will you be a faithful member of this congregation, share in its worship and ministry, through your prayers and gifts, your study and service, and so fulfill your calling to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Youth: I will, with God s help. Elder: Do you, as members of the church of Jesus Christ, promise to guide and nurture Tegan, Millie, Avery, Sophie, and Alison by word and deed, with love and prayer, encouraging them to know and follow Christ and to be faithful members of his church? People: We do. Elder: Please join me in the congregational covenant: People: With joy and thanksgiving we welcome Tegan, Millie, Avery, Sophie, and Alison into Christ s church. Because we are all one in Christ, we promise to love, encourage, and support each of you as you walk with Christ in faith. We promise to share the good news of the Gospel with you and to help you study, know, love, and serve Jesus Christ. We will also listen when you teach, we will follow your leadership, and we will pray for you in your journey. We are thrilled for the ways you are reshaping the church we are becoming together. Ritual of Welcome Prayer
The beautiful Easter plants gracing the chancel area are provided by the following members and friends of Oak Hill Church: Carole Adams (two plants), in honor of Bonnie and Roy Glasscock and Sherry and Joe Glasscock Susan Brown (two plants), in memory of her mother, Velna C. Brown, and her friend, John Barrow Erin Counihan and Tegan Counihan Ratliff (four plants), in honor of Grandma Max and Mr. Bob, and in memory of Molly Counihan and Melissa Franks Donna Cook and Rick Soles (four plants), in honor of Mel Soles and in memory of Pat and Joe Cook and Grace Soles Sarah Gibson, in memory of Rebeka Ranch Holly Kent Sheryl and Bob Ream, in memory of their grandparents Steve, Kelsi, Matt, and Carolyn Ream, in honor of their grandparents, Jan and Don Stanford and Rita and Hal Ream LeAnne Smith, in memory of her mother, Lela Mae Smith Janet and Don Stanford (two plants), in memory of Janet s parents, Irma and Walter Waser, and in memory of Don s parents, Ruth and Lowell Stanford Anne and Steve Stoltz (three plants), in honor of their grandchildren, Emily, Elizabeth, and Oliver Christine and Will Woodward (two plants), in honor of Christine s mother, Judy Walsh, and Will s mother, Mary Lou Woodward (Please take your plant[s] home after worship today. Please take the plant[s] with your name.)