Colonial Park United Church of Christ A member of the Harrisburg Association of Penn Central Conference 5000 Devonshire Road, Harrisburg, PA 17109 717-545-3782 www.cpucc.org
* Please stand, if you are able. God s Call to Humanity Recital Jesu, Joy of Man s Desiring JS Bach/arr. Sobieska Ave Verum Corpus Mozart/arr. Sobieska Tonal Prelude for Strings Richard Chiarappa Great is the Lord Smith/arr. Larson The Welcome Prelude God So Loved the World arr. Anna Laura Page Jubilate Ringers Introduction * Resurrection Hymn Christ the Lord is Risen Today No. 233
* Call to Worship Leader: Christ is Risen! People: Christ is Risen indeed! Leader: It is the news that life and love always win that calls us to live in truth this day and every day! People: May we be bold as we testify to his enduring victory. Leader: May we be bold to proclaim to the world, People: Christ is Risen indeed! * Opening Prayer Leader: Let us pray together: People: Come, Resurrected Jesus, rattle the rooms in which we are hiding, shake the tired foundations until unjust institutions crumble, break the rules that keep You and any of Your people out of our sacred spaces. Then, lift up from the dust and rubble a new creation! Leader: Come, Resurrected Jesus, enter our lives and scatter Your gifts of grace with wild abandon. Give Your silent strength to all imprisoned and let Your raging fire be our sign of liberty. People: Come, Resurrected Jesus! Help us find ourselves in vital places, bringing Your word and freedom to the poor, the oppressed, the outcast. Call us, lead us, urge us, to let justice roll down today and all days! AMEN! * Call to Confession * Prayer of Confession Almighty God, we confess that we hear the Good News but do not always receive it. We say we believe it but struggle to live it out. Forgive us for our short-sightedness and narrow way of living the Good News of Jesus Christ. Open our hearts and minds to see the dark places that need the bright light of the hope we have in the resurrected Christ. * Silent Prayer and Words of Assurance
* Resurrection Hymn The Strife is O er No. 242 Verses 1 & 4 * Passing the Peace of Christ (The congregation may greet each other with a sign of reconciliation and peace, such as a handshake or embrace and say these or similar words.) One: May the Peace of Christ be with you. People: And also with you. God s Word for Humanity First Lesson Jeremiah 31:1-6 Bible Page 733 Reader: Here ends the lesson. People: Let Your Word abide in us, O God.
Gospel Lesson Matthew 28:1-10 Bible Page 33 Reader: God is still speaking! People: Spread the Good News! Anthem Anthems of Love Dan Forrest The Sanctuary Choir, Jubilate Ringers, Instrumental Ensemble (Ensemble Musicians: Sharon Jones and Kathy Woodbridge- Violin; Lynn Murphy- Viola; Hope Bowling- Violincello; Ilia Chlaifer and Tom Miller - Trumpet; Tom Washic- Guitar) Sermon Too Good To Be True We Respond * Resurrection Hymn Low in the Grave He Lay Robert Lowry Prayers of the People
Our 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. Invitation to Offering Offertory The Old Rugged Cross arr. Mark Hayes * The Offertory Response Old Hundredth For death-defying hope we raise our songs of thankfulness and praise! Let justice flow like mighty streams as springs of living water gleam! * Unison Prayer of Dedication Leader: For the gift of life eternal that we celebrate this day, People: we give thanks. Leader: For the way in which these offerings will become life for others, People: we give thanks. Leader: For the gift of this community bound and working together, People: we give thanks. Sacrament of Holy Communion * Invitation Leader: The Lord be with you. People: And also with you. Leader: Let us lift up our 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. People: [SINGING] Thankful and broken; given for all. Perfect and perfectly torn. Thankful and poured out, covenant divine. Receive and be reborn! A new commandment I give to you: love as I have loved. A new commandment I give to you: love as I have loved. Leader: Friends, as we recall that Last Supper, when Jesus blessed the bread and the cup and gave them to his disciples, we remember with awe and wonder the magnificent gift we have been given the gift of God coming to us in the vulnerability of a child; as a young man sharing the good news of God s unending love for humanity; suffering the pain and humiliation of death on the cross; and then conquering death through the wonder of the empty tomb! God had brought us the joy of the resurrection! ALL: Christ has died. Christ is risen. HALLELUJAH! Christ will come again! Leader: Holy Spirit, this morning we ask for Your presence with us and with these ordinary elements; that through You they might become extraordinary. We recall we have been told to do this often and to re-member to become one in the body of Christ. ALL: [SINGING]
A new commandment I give to you: love as I have loved. A new commandment I give to you: love as I have loved. Leader: Do you remember how he took the bread, and he held it up, giving thanks, so they could all see the loaf, and he blessed it and broke it. He said, Take eat, this is my body, given for you. When you do this, do this in remembrance of me. And after sharing the bread, Christ poured the wine and said: Drink this all of you; This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me. We come to this table a Christ s people, thankful and broken, seeking to be made whole again through Christ s body, through Christ s grace. This is not my table. And it s not yours. This is Christ s table. And Christ declares that ALL are welcome. All are worthy. Would the ushers please come forward * Prayer of Thanksgiving We give You thanks for the opportunity to have once more experienced Your unending love, Holy One, God in Community. Help us to leave here ready and willing to serve You with strength and courage. May we go forth with Your blessing to do the work You will give us to do. AMEN.
Going Out into Community * Sending Song In Christ Alone Getty/Townend * Benediction * Benediction Anthem Hallelujah Chorus G.F. Handel From The Messiah * Organ Postlude Carillon Louis Vierne