Easter festival service
april 9th, 2023
the Rev. Joshua Heimbuck, Pastor
WELCOME
Jesus’ Resurrection is the single greatest event in all history. It is the turning point of history and the birthplace of all hope, peace, and true joy. We are glad that you have chosen to worship with the people of God in this place around Word and Sacrament. Guests and visitors, if you have not done so already, please honor us by signing our Guest Book in the entrance hall of the church as you leave. If you have no church home of your own in the area, we invite you to make Grace Lutheran Church the center of your worship, learning, fellowship, and service. Pastor Josh or this morning’s lay assistant will be happy to answer any questions you may have regarding our parish. Come to worship with us again and often!
AS WE GATHER - Mary Magdalene
We have followed Jesus to the cross, the tomb, and now we follow Jesus out of the tomb as He rises from the dead and appears to another witness: Mary Magdalene. Jesus’ Easter morning resurrection appearance to Mary Magdalene might be unexpected. After all, Mary had endured a terrible past. Jesus had cast seven demons out of her in the early part of His ministry. But Mary is chosen to be this eyewitness, and she exclaims to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord” (John 20:18). Mary is the first to see Jesus’ resurrected glory and proclaim this good news, which we speak again and again today, “Alleluia! Christ is risen!”
PRAYER BEFORE WORSHIP
Almighty God, through your only Son you overcame death and opened for us the gate of eternal life. Give us your continual hope; put good desires into our minds and bring them to full effect; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
EASTER ACCLAMATION
Alleluia! The Lord is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
We are risen to a new life!
In Christ, we are risen indeed!
We were baptized in the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
In whose Name we worship. Amen.
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
KYRIE
In peace let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace from above and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
Amen
PRAYER of THE DAY
God, you gave your only Son to suffer death on the Cross for our redemption, and by His glorious resurrection you delivered us from the power of death. Make us die to sin, so that we may live with Him forever in the joy of the resurrection; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
FIRST LESSON Acts 10:34-43
[Peter’s sermon, delivered at the home of Cornelius, a Roman army officer, sums up the essential message of Christianity. Everyone who believes in Jesus, whose life, death, and resurrection fulfilled the prophets, receives forgiveness of sins through his name.]
Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts people from every nation who fear him and what is right. You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached – how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirt and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.
“We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen – by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God!
SECOND LESSON Colossians 3:1-4
[Easter means new life for us as it first meant new life for Christ. His resurrection reshapes the entire focus and motivation for our lives since we are now hidden with the risen Christ in God through our baptism in his Name.]
If in this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact, Christ has been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the first- fruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom of the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God!
ALLELUIA & VERSE
Alleluia. Lord, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life. Alleluia.
HOLY GOSPEL John 20:1–18
The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the twentieth chapter.
Glory to You, O Lord.
Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.” So, Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that He must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes.But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept, she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus-standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to Him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (Which means Teacher.) Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to My Father and your Father, to My God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord” and that He had said these things to her.
This is the Gospel of the Lord. Praise to You, O Christ.
SERMON “Mary Magdalene” by: Pastor Josh; Sermon series by Rev. Dr. Reed Lessing
APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God, the Father Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
The Holy Christian Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life ☩ everlasting. Amen
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH
OFFERING
OFFERING PRAYER
Heavenly Father, we welcome this day of Resurrection with its opportunity to bring gifts to a living God. Receive these offerings, we pray, as our joyful celebration of your new life in Jesus Christ your Son. And through the bread and wine we have presented, share your new life with us. Through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
GREAT THANKSGIVING
Blessed are you, Lord of heaven and earth. In mercy for our fallen word, you gave your only Son, that all those who believe in him should not perish but have eternal life. We give you thanks for the salvation which you have prepared through Jesus Christ our Lord. Send now your Holy Spirit into our hearts, that we may receive our Lord with a living faith as he comes to us in his Supper. Amen. Come, Holy Spirit.
In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples and said: Take eat; this is my ☩ Body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of me.
In the same way also, he took the cup after supper, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them saying: Drink of it all of you; this is my ☩ Blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do in remembrance of me.
Lord, remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray:
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 trespasses
as we forgive those
who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil;
For thine is the kingdom
and the power and the glory
forever and ever. Amen
THE WORDS OF OUR LORD
Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My ☩ body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.”
PAX DOMINI
The peace of the Lord be with you always. Amen
AGNUS DEI
Lamb of God, You take a-way the sin of the world; have mer-cy on us.
Lamb of God, You take a-way the sin of the world; have mer-cy on us.
Lamb of God, You take a-way the sin of the world; grant us peace, grant us peace.
DISTRIBUTION
[We come to The Sacrament sincerely believing in the real presence of Christ and that in the eating and drinking of the bread and wine of The Sacrament we receive the true body and blood of our Lord for our forgiveness, salvation, and strength for Christian life and witness.
The Distribution of The Sacrament is continuous. Those who desire to receive The Sacrament are asked to present themselves in the center aisle, forming a single line and returning to their seat by the side aisles.
DISMISSAL
May the true body and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ strengthen and preserve
you the true faith to life everlasting. Peace be with you. Amen
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Lord Jesus Christ, you have in this food proclaimed Your death for all people. May the
whole world come to know also of Your resurrection as this communion raises us to new lives of love and service. We bless you now and forevermore. Amen
FINAL BLESSING
+ With Great Boldness … Tell Everyone What He Has Done! +
Grace Notes
THE PRESENCE of CHRIST is celebrated in The Lord’s Supper. He comes to us in a real and present way with his life-giving body and blood in the bread and wine of The Sacrament to assure us of our forgiveness and to strengthen us in faith and service. All who trust and believe the words “given and shed for you for the forgiveness of sins” are welcome. Come, receive Christ’s presence in the meal prepared for you. Enjoy his presence. Children are encouraged to come forward with their parents and/or grandparents and receive a blessing.
CUB SCOUT VOLUNTEERS STILL NEEDED — Cub Scouts Volunteers are still needed each Thursday afternoon from 2:45-4:30 to be on site for the Cub Scouts. There is a sign-up sheet on the table in the back of the sanctuary. There are still several Thursdays available in April and May. Thank you!
BIBLE STUDY/SUNDAY SCHOOL — There will be no Bible Study or Sunday School next Sunday, April 16th, 2023. Both will resume on Sunday, April 23rd, 2023.
This Week at Grace
April 10th – April 16th, 2023
MONDAY, the 10th |
Rogue Valley Music Teachers Association Meeting
Minors Mariners Baseball @ Ashland Little League/Field 2
9:00 AM
5:30 PM
TUESDAY, the 11th
Women’s Bible Study
10:00 AM
WEDNESDAY, the 12th
Choir Rehearsal
7:00 PM
THURSDAY, the 13th
Cub Scouts
Minors Mariners Baseball @ Phoenix/Talent Little League - Chuck Roberts Fields – Field 3
3:00 PM
5:30 PM
SUNDAY, the 16th
Bible Study
Sunday School
Sunday Worship
Coffee Fellowship
Cancelled
Cancelled
10:00 AM
11:00 AM