Month: April 2022

Easter Week | Wednesday 20 April 2022: Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; 2 Samuel 6:1-15; Luke 24:1-12 ~ He is risen from the dead!

Easter Week | Wednesday 20 April 2022

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening:

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples
in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we
may behold him in the fullness of his redeeming work; who lives
and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,
now and for ever. Amen.

 “Why are you looking among the dead
for someone who is alive?
He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead!
(Luke 24:5-6)

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Psalms: Psalm 118 – Alleluia – Francesca LaRosa

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OT Reading: 2 Samuel 6:1-15 (NLT)

Moving the Ark to Jerusalem

6:1 Then David again gathered all the elite troops in Israel, 30,000 in all. He led them to Baalah of Judah to bring back the Ark of God, which bears the name of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, who is enthroned between the cherubim. They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab’s house, which was on a hill. Uzzah and Ahio, Abinadab’s sons, were guiding the cart that carried the Ark of God. Ahio walked in front of the Ark. David and all the people of Israel were celebrating before the Lord, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals.

But when they arrived at the threshing floor of Nacon, the oxen stumbled, and Uzzah reached out his hand and steadied the Ark of God. Then the Lord’s anger was aroused against Uzzah, and God struck him dead because of this. So Uzzah died right there beside the Ark of God.

David was angry because the Lord’s anger had burst out against Uzzah. He named that place Perez-uzzah (which means “to burst out against Uzzah”), as it is still called today.

David was now afraid of the Lord, and he asked, “How can I ever bring the Ark of the Lord back into my care?” So David decided not to move the Ark of the Lord into the City of David. Instead, he took it to the house of Obed-edom of Gath. The Ark of the Lord remained there in Obed-edom’s house for three months, and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and his entire household.

Then King David was told, “The Lord has blessed Obed-edom’s household and everything he has because of the Ark of God.” So David went there and brought the Ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the City of David with a great celebration. After the men who were carrying the Ark of the Lord had gone six steps, David sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. And David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly garment. So David and all the people of Israel brought up the Ark of the Lord with shouts of joy and the blowing of rams’ horns.

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Dance Like David Danced
gailynne

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NT Reading: Luke 24:1-12 (NLT)

The Resurrection

24:1 But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.

The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”

Then they remembered that he had said this. So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it. However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.

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He’s Alive – Don Francisco
Extended Life Worship

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ Almighty God our Savior, you desire that none should perish, and you have taught us through your Son that there is great joy in heaven over every sinner who repents: Grant that our hearts may ache for a lost and broken world. May your Holy Spirit work through our words, deeds, and prayers, that the lost may be found and the dead made alive, and that all your redeemed may rejoice around your throne; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Closing: faith and worship | John Birch

May the love of Christ
be active in our hearts,
be heard in our words,
be seen in our actions
and inform our choices
today and all days. Amen.

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Easter Week | Tuesday 19 April 2022: Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; Judges 4:17-23; 5:24-31a; Revelation 12:1-12 ~ the Kingdom of our God has come

Easter Week | Tuesday 19 April 2022

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening:

O God, who by the glorious resurrection of your Son Jesus
Christ destroyed death and brought life and immortality to
light: Grant that we, who have been raised with him, may abide
in his presence and rejoice in the hope of eternal glory; through
Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,
be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.

“It has come at last—salvation and power
and the Kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Christ.”
(Revelation 12:10)

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Psalms: Psalm 118 sung in Hebrew – א֭וֹדְךָ – תְּהִלִּים קיח
[w/ english translation]
Julie Geller

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OT Reading: Judges 4:17-23; 5:24-31a (NLT)

4:17 Meanwhile, Sisera ran to the tent of Jael, the wife of Heber the Kenite, because Heber’s family was on friendly terms with King Jabin of Hazor. Jael went out to meet Sisera and said to him, “Come into my tent, sir. Come in. Don’t be afraid.” So he went into her tent, and she covered him with a blanket.

“Please give me some water,” he said. “I’m thirsty.” So she gave him some milk from a leather bag and covered him again.

“Stand at the door of the tent,” he told her. “If anybody comes and asks you if there is anyone here, say no.”

But when Sisera fell asleep from exhaustion, Jael quietly crept up to him with a hammer and tent peg in her hand. Then she drove the tent peg through his temple and into the ground, and so he died.

 When Barak came looking for Sisera, Jael went out to meet him. She said, “Come, and I will show you the man you are looking for.” So he followed her into the tent and found Sisera lying there dead, with the tent peg through his temple.

So on that day Israel saw God defeat Jabin, the Canaanite king.

5:24 “Most blessed among women is Jael,
the wife of Heber the Kenite.
May she be blessed above all women who live in tents.
Sisera asked for water,
and she gave him milk.
In a bowl fit for nobles,
she brought him yogurt.
Then with her left hand she reached for a tent peg,
and with her right hand for the workman’s hammer.
She struck Sisera with the hammer, crushing his head.
With a shattering blow, she pierced his temples.
He sank, he fell,
he lay still at her feet.
And where he sank,
there he died.

“From the window Sisera’s mother looked out.
Through the window she watched for his return, saying,
‘Why is his chariot so long in coming?
Why don’t we hear the sound of chariot wheels?’

“Her wise women answer,
and she repeats these words to herself:
‘They must be dividing the captured plunder—
with a woman or two for every man.
There will be colorful robes for Sisera,
and colorful, embroidered robes for me.
Yes, the plunder will include
colorful robes embroidered on both sides.’

“Lord, may all your enemies die like Sisera!
But may those who love you rise like the sun in all its power!”

Then there was peace in the land for forty years.

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Song of Victory by Paul Wilbur
Olive Tree Community Spokane

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NT Reading: Revelation 12:1-12 (NLT)

The Woman and the Dragon

12:1 Then I witnessed in heaven an event of great significance. I saw a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant, and she cried out because of her labor pains and the agony of giving birth.

Then I witnessed in heaven another significant event. I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept away one-third of the stars in the sky, and he threw them to the earth. He stood in front of the woman as she was about to give birth, ready to devour her baby as soon as it was born.

She gave birth to a son who was to rule all nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away from the dragon and was caught up to God and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place to care for her for 1,260 days.

Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.

 Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens,

“It has come at last—
salvation and power
and the Kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters
has been thrown down to earth—
the one who accuses them
before our God day and night.
And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb
and by their testimony.
And they did not love their lives so much
that they were afraid to die.
Therefore, rejoice, O heavens!
And you who live in the heavens, rejoice!
terror will come on the earth and the sea,
for the devil has come down to you in great anger,
knowing that he has little time.”

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“Hallelujah Chorus” First Dallas Choir & Orchestra

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ Almighty God, you gave your saints boldness to confess the Name of our Savior Jesus Christ before the rulers of this world, and courage to die for this faith: Grant that we may always be ready to give a reason for the hope that is in us, and to suffer gladly for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

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Closing: faith and worship | John Birch

May the love of Christ
be active in our heart,
be heard in our words,
be seen in our actions
and inform our choices
today and all days. Amen.

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Easter Week | Monday 18 April 2022: Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; Joshua 10:16-27; 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 ~ remove all wickedness and evil from among you

Easter Week | Monday 18 April 2022

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening:

Grant, we pray, Almighty God, that we who celebrate with
reverence the Paschal feast may be made worthy to attain to
everlasting joys; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

Christ, our Passover Lamb,
has been sacrificed for us.
So let us celebrate the festival,
not with the old bread of wickedness and evil,
but with the new bread of sincerity and truth.
(1 Corinthians 5:7c-8)

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Psalms: Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 – a reading
Zion Lutheran Church

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OT Reading: Joshua 10:16-27 (NLT)

Joshua Kills the Five Southern Kings

10:16 During the battle the five kings escaped and hid in a cave at Makkedah. When Joshua heard that they had been found, he issued this command: “Cover the opening of the cave with large rocks, and place guards at the entrance to keep the kings inside. The rest of you continue chasing the enemy and cut them down from the rear. Don’t give them a chance to get back to their towns, for the Lord your God has given you victory over them.”

So Joshua and the Israelite army continued the slaughter and completely crushed the enemy. They totally wiped out the five armies except for a tiny remnant that managed to reach their fortified towns. Then the Israelites returned safely to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah. After that, no one dared to speak even a word against Israel.

Then Joshua said, “Remove the rocks covering the opening of the cave, and bring the five kings to me.” So they brought the five kings out of the cave—the kings of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon. When they brought them out, Joshua told the commanders of his army, “Come and put your feet on the kings’ necks.” And they did as they were told.

“Don’t ever be afraid or discouraged,” Joshua told his men. “Be strong and courageous, for the Lord is going to do this to all of your enemies.” Then Joshua killed each of the five kings and impaled them on five sharpened poles, where they hung until evening.

As the sun was going down, Joshua gave instructions for the bodies of the kings to be taken down from the poles and thrown into the cave where they had been hiding. Then they covered the opening of the cave with a pile of large rocks, which remains to this very day.

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Be strong and courageous and do not be afraid. The Acapella Company

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NT Reading: 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 (NLT)

5:6 Your boasting about this is terrible. Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old “yeast” by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us. So let us celebrate the festival, not with the old bread of wickedness and evil, but with the new bread of sincerity and truth.

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Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us –
St. Augustine’s Episcopal, Wilmette

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Prayer: ACNA | BCP2019

+ Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen

+ Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us; that we may delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your Name. Amen.

If anyone sins,
we have an advocate with the Father,
Jesus Christ the righteous.
He is the propitiation for our sins,
and not for ours only,
but also for the sins of the whole world.
(1 John 2:1-2)

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Closing: faith and worship | John Birch

May the love of Christ
be active in your heart,
be heard in your words,
be seen in your actions
and inform your choices
today and all days. Amen.

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Easter | The Resurrection of the Lord 17 April 2022: Colossians 3:1-4, Luke 24:1-12 ~ He is risen from the dead!

Easter | The Resurrection of the Lord 17 April 2022

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening Prayer:

Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus
Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting
life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord’s
resurrection, may, by your life-giving Spirit, be delivered from
sin and raised from death; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who
lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now
and for ever. Amen.

“Why are you looking among the dead
for someone who is alive?
He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead!”
(Luke 24:5-6)

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“Arise, My Love” with Larry Pearce, Leona Rupert, Kathy Gilliland | Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021
First Baptist Dallas

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A Reading from the Letters: Colossians 3:1-4 (NLT)

Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory.
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“Endless Alleluia” – Bethel Music | VICTORY

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A Reading from the Gospels: Luke 24:1-12 (NLT)

But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.

The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”

Then they remembered that he had said this. So they rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had happened. But the story sounded like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it. However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went home again, wondering what had happened.

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“Easter Song” – Glad – Acappella

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Intercessions:

O God our Savior and Redeemer: Your love for us never ends.
As we celebrate your power to make all that is dead come to life, hear our prayers….

+ For all who have been newly baptized around the world, that they may always walk in the light of Christ…
Lord, guide them.

+ For all believers around the world in every circumstance, that we may live in hope and love….
Lord, empower us.

+ For all believers who are suffering the effects of war, especially in the Ukraine, that they may live in security and peace….
Lord protect them.

+ For all who are in need of support and love, especially the sick and dying, that believers everywhere may care for them….
Lord comfort them.

+ For all who are deprived of the basic necessities of life – food, clothing, and shelter, that believers everywhere may help them….
Lord provide for them.

+ For all who are estranged from families, friends and loved ones, that they may be reconciled….
Lord unite them.

O God our Savior and Redeemer: You lead your people from defeat to triumph, from death to life; hear our prayers and grant us your peace, through Christ our risen Lord. Amen.

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Easter Medley : Living Hope / Because He Lives / O Praise the Name / Forever
The Movement Worship

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Closing:

May Almighty God, who is making all things new through Jesus Christ our Lord – resurrect everything that is dead in our lives through the power of his Spirit that is at work within us; until at last we enter into the peace and joy of everlasting life.

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen

Holy Week | Holy Saturday 16 April 2022: Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-24; Psalm 31:1-4, 15-16; 1 Peter 4:1-8; John 19:38-42 ~ Jesus: dead and buried.

Holy Week | Holy Saturday 16 April 2022

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Opening:

O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the
crucified body of your dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested
on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming
of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The place of crucifixion was near a garden,
where there was a new tomb, never used before.
And so, because it was the day of preparation
for the Jewish Passover
and since the tomb was close at hand,
they laid Jesus there.
(John 19:41-42)

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Great Is Thy Faithfulness – First Baptist Dallas

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O.T. Reading: Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-24 (NLT)

Hope in the Lord’s Faithfulness

3:1 I am the one who has seen the afflictions
that come from the rod of the Lord’s anger.
He has led me into darkness,
shutting out all light.
He has turned his hand against me
again and again, all day long.

He has made my skin and flesh grow old.
He has broken my bones.
He has besieged and surrounded me
with anguish and distress.
He has buried me in a dark place,
like those long dead.

He has walled me in, and I cannot escape.
He has bound me in heavy chains.
And though I cry and shout,
he has shut out my prayers.
He has blocked my way with a high stone wall;
he has made my road crooked.

3:19 The thought of my suffering and homelessness
is bitter beyond words.
I will never forget this awful time,
as I grieve over my loss.
Yet I still dare to hope
when I remember this:

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
his mercies begin afresh each morning.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
therefore, I will hope in him!”

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Psalms: Tehillim / Psalm 31
Carlos Perdomo

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N.T. Reading: 1 Peter 4:1-8 (NLT)

Living for God

4:1 So then, since Christ suffered physical pain, you must arm yourselves with the same attitude he had, and be ready to suffer, too. For if you have suffered physically for Christ, you have finished with sin. You won’t spend the rest of your lives chasing your own desires, but you will be anxious to do the will of God. You have had enough in the past of the evil things that godless people enjoy—their immorality and lust, their feasting and drunkenness and wild parties, and their terrible worship of idols.

Of course, your former friends are surprised when you no longer plunge into the flood of wild and destructive things they do. So they slander you. But remember that they will have to face God, who stands ready to judge everyone, both the living and the dead. That is why the Good News was preached to those who are now dead—so although they were destined to die like all people, they now live forever with God in the Spirit.

The end of the world is coming soon. Therefore, be earnest and disciplined in your prayers. Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins.

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How Deep the Father’s Love for Us – Selah
Camwin128

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Gospel Reading: John 19:38-42 (NLT)

The Burial of Jesus

Afterward Joseph of Arimathea, who had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish leaders), asked Pilate for permission to take down Jesus’ body. When Pilate gave permission, Joseph came and took the body away. With him came Nicodemus, the man who had come to Jesus at night. He brought about seventy-five pounds of perfumed ointment made from myrrh and aloes. Following Jewish burial custom, they wrapped Jesus’ body with the spices in long sheets of linen cloth. The place of crucifixion was near a garden, where there was a new tomb, never used before. And so, because it was the day of preparation for the Jewish Passover and since the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.

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While I Wait – Lincoln Brewster

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Prayer: Prayers for Holy Saturday – Lia Martin

In the Waiting

+ Dear God, I’m reminded this Holy Saturday that you are no stranger to death, darkness, or doubt. Help me to remember as I wade within my own  discomforts and fears today, that you are still alive, even when I can’t see you. You know waiting is hard. And yet you allow it, for your glory to be revealed in your perfect timing. I rest in you, Lord, as I wait on what only you can do. Amen.

For Resurrection

+ Lord, your miracles are so inconceivable, it’s tempting to not believe. How awesome you are to prove yourself able to defeat even death, so we can look forward to each new day. Help me to invite this Saturday as a holy day that you have made. I’m in awe that what appeared dead to human senses, by your power and grace, rose to life.

+ Guide me to trust in the proof you’ve given, even during the confusing, inevitable “tomb” seasons of life this side of heaven. Praise you for making resurrection so perfect and plain! In your name, Amen.

To Find Refuge in Hope – Rachel Marie Stone

+ Teach us to take refuge in you when we are afraid Teach us that death is not our end.

+ Teach us to hope always in you and in the resurrection, the making of all things New.

+ Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

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Closing: excerpted from Saint Gregory the Great’s Easter Prayer

Our life had no hope of Eternal Happiness before You redeemed us.
Your Resurrection has washed away our sins,
restored our innocence and brought us joy.
How inestimable is the tenderness of Your Love!

+ In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.