ORDER OF WORSHIP April 1, 2018 Easter Sunday Please sign and pass the Friendship Book ( pew pad ) where you can also record any prayer requests. Our prayer is that you will experience the presence of the Living God as we worship together. We invite you to focus your heart and mind in worship. * indicates please stand as you are able. WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS Don Meekhof PRELUDE He is Risen Organ on the tune Kirchengesange CALL TO WORSHIP Don Meekhof This is the good news the grave is empty; Christ is risen. Hallelujah! This is the good news the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never put it out. Hallelujah! This is the good news once we were no people; now we are God s people. Hallelujah! Christ is our peace, the indestructible peace we now share with each other. Hallelujah!. Amen. Reprinted by permission from The Worship Sourcebook, 2004, Faith Alive Christian Resources *SONGS OF WORSHIP: CHRIST THE LORD IS RISEN TODAY (Hymn #234) (VERSE 1) Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia! All creation, join to say Alleluia! Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia! (VERSE 2)
Love s redeeming work is done, Alleluia! Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia! Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia! Christ has opened paradise. Alleluia! (VERSE 3) Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia! Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia! Once he died our souls to save, Alleluia! Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia! (VERSE 4) Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia! Following our exalted Head, Alleluia! Made like him, like him we rise, Alleluia! Ours the cross, the grave, the skies. Alleluia! THINE IS THE GLORY (Hymn #251) (VERSE 1) Thine is the glory, risen, conquering Son; Endless is the victory thou o er death hast won. Angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away, kept the folded grave-clothes where thy body lay. Thine is the glory, risen, conquering Son; Endless is the victory thou o er death hast won. (VERSE 2) Lo! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb; lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom; let his church with gladness hymns of triumph sing, for the Lord now liveth; death hath lost its sting. Thine is the glory, risen, conquering Son; Endless is the victory thou o er death hast won. (VERSE 3) No more we doubt thee, glorious Prince of Life! Life is naught without thee; aid us in our strife. Make us more than conquerors through thy deathless love; bring us safe through Jordan to thy home above. Thine is the glory, risen, conquering Son; Endless is the victory thou o er death hast won.
Bill Colvin Call to Confession Since sin and death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being. For as all die in Adam, all will be made alive in Christ. Trusting in that promise of God, let us confess our sin. Reprinted by permission of Westminster John Knox Press from Feasting on the Word worship Companion. 2012 TIME OF PRAYER Prayer of Confession Lord, bring new life where we are worn and tired; new love where we have turned hard-hearted; forgiveness where we feel hurt and where we have wounded; and the joy and freedom of your Holy Spirit where we are prisoners of ourselves. [Silent Prayer] To all and to each, on his community and on his friends, where regret is real, Jesus pronounces his pardon and grants us the right to begin again. Thanks be to God! Amen. Reprinted by permission from The Worship Sourcebook, 2004, Faith Alive Christian Resources Declaration of Forgiveness When Christ comes to reign, he will put an end to every ruler, every power, every authority; he will put every enemy under his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. As we await that great and glorious day, we rejoice in the good news of the gospel: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven! Thanks be to God. Reprinted by permission of Westminster John Knox Press from Feasting on the Word worship Companion. 2012
SPECIAL MUSIC Grace to Grace Camille Troxel Words and Music by Joel Houston and Chris Davenport Hillsong Music (Audio note: apologies for the mic problem discovered during editing. Sadly, our resurrection efforts were not 100% successful. Follow the lyrics below.) If love endured that ancient cross How precious is my Savior's blood The beauty of heaven wrapped in my shame The image of love upon death's frame If having in my heart was worth the pain What joy could You see beyond the grave If love found my soul worth dying for How wonderful, how glorious My Savior's scars victorious My chains are gone, my debt is paid From death to life and grace to grace If heaven now owns that vacant tomb How great is the hope that lives in You The passion that tore through hell like a rose The promise that rolled back death and its stone If freedom is worth the life You raised Oh where is my sin, where is my shame? If love paid it all to have my heart How wonderful, how glorious My Savior's scars victorious My chains are gone, my debt is paid From death to life and grace to grace When I see that cross I see freedom When I see that grave I ll see Jesus And from death to life
I will sing Your praise When I see that cross I see freedom When I see that grave I ll see Jesus And from death to life I will sing Your praise When I see that cross I see Jesus When I see that grave I ll see freedom And from death to life I will sing Your praise How wonderful, how glorious My Savior's scars victorious My chains are gone, my debt is paid From death to life and grace to grace How wonderful, how glorious. My Savior's scars, victorious. My chains are gone, my debt is paid. From death to life, and grace to grace PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE Rev. Don Meekhof OFFERING OF OURSELVES & OUR GIFTS Invitation to the Offering Bill Colvin Reprinted by permission of Westminster John Knox Press from Feasting on the Word worship Companion. 2012 We belong to Christ Jesus;
all things are his, for he is Lord of all. *Doxology Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise him, all creatures here below Praise him above ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen. Prayer of Thanksgiving/Dedication We praise you, O God, and give you thanks that you have given us such joy, such grace, and such hope, in the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord. Let our lives be proof of that good news. Let all our words and actions, our love and service bear witness to your resurrection power; for the sake of our living Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen. Reprinted by permission of Westminster John Knox Press from Feasting on the Word worship Companion. 2012 Please be seated as the ushers pass the offering plates. There is no Junior Chapel today, Easter Sunday. The nursery is available downstairs if needed. Offertory Now the Green Blade Riseth on the French carol Noël Nouvelet Organ READING OF THE SCRIPTURES Diana Blank 1 Corinthians 15:1 11 (NIV) 1 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the
apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born. 9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. John 20:1 18 (NIV) 1 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. 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? 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. MESSAGE Rev. Peter Blank It s a Great Day to Be Alive! SHARING AROUND CHRIST S TABLE COMMUNION Rev. Peter Blank Christ becomes a part of our flesh through Holy Communion. The Lord s Supper is not an end in itself. It always points beyond itself to celebrate God s grace and covenant faithfulness. This does not mean the physical aspects of the celebration are incidental or unimportant. The Lord s Supper should be a celebration fitting to the abundant grace of God offered in Christ. Invitation to the Lord s Supper Breaking of the Bread & Pouring of the Cup Sharing the Body and Blood of Christ *CLOSING HYMN: CROWN HIM WITH MANY CROWNS (Hymn #92)
(VERSE 1) Crown him with many crowns, the lamb upon his throne; hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns all music but its own; awake, my soul, and sing of him who died for thee, and hail him as thy matchless king through all eternity. (VERSE 2) Crown him the Lord of life, who triumphed o er the grave, and rose victorious in the strife for those he came to save; his glories now we sing who died and rose on high, who died eternal life to bring, and lives that death may die. (VERSE 3) Crown him the Lord of love; behold his hands and side, rich wounds, yet visible above, in beauty glorified; No angels in the sky can fully bear that sight, but downward bend their burning eyes at mysteries so bright. (VERSE 4) Crown him the Lord of years, the potentate of time, creator of the rolling spheres, ineffably sublime. All hail, Redeemer, hail! For thou hast died for me; thy praise shall never, never fail throughout eternity. BENEDICTION Rev. Peter Blank POSTLUDE I Will Sing of My Redeemer Arr. Frank W. Asper Piano/Organ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * In the pulpit today: Rev. Peter Blank is a new arrival to Spokane since August. He and Diana have come to take care of Diana s aging father. Peter has served congregations in central California, rural Nevada and NW Oregon. After arriving, he has been busy training and becoming licensed as a Home Inspector in the Spokane area. Peter has a passion for learning and discipleship training. He is graduate of Pacific Lutheran University and Mennonite Brethren Biblical Seminary. With Diana, they have 5 grown children in their blended family scattered along the west coast; as pet lovers,
they have two dogs and a cat. They love the Spokane area for outdoor hikes and lakeside fun. Today s Lectionary Readings Acts1 10:34 43 1 Corinthians 15:1 11 or Isaiah 25:6 9 or Acts 10:34 43 Psalm 118:1 2, 14 24 John 20:1 18 or Mark 16:1 8 Questions for Reflection Paul s claim about Christ Jesus in 1 Corinthians 15 is a creed: Christ died, was buried, was raised, and appeared to many disciples and finally to Paul, who writes, by the grace of God I am what I am (v. 10). If you were to say those words of yourself, what would it mean that everything about you all you are and have done is by the grace of God? Where is God s grace evident in your life today? Household Prayer: Morning Heavenly God, our Father, I am full of thanks for a night of rest and for this new day and all that now awaits me. I go forward toward encounters with family and friends, work and play, and all that will bring me into contact with strangers, certain that you are with me. Lead and guide me in the way of a resurrected life. Help me to see the risen Lord today; in Jesus name. Amen. Household Prayer: Evening Holy God, our Mother, you are my comfort at the end as at the beginning of each day. You pull me toward the goodness you desire for me.
I give you thanks for all that has come my way this day, and I ask your enveloping power to watch over me this night. Give rest to all your people. Wherever there is pain and struggle, may your holy angels bring peace; in Jesus name. Amen. he Morning & Evening Household Prayers and Questions for Reflection are reprinted by permission of Westminster John Knox Press from Feasting on the Word Worship Companion. 2014