Easter 2-A

Texts:  Acts 2:14a, 22-32; Psalm 16; 1st Peter 1:3-9; John 20:19-29

Call to Worship
L:    Alleluia!  Christ is risen!
P:    Christ is risen indeed!  Alleluia!
L:    We have not seen the risen Christ,
P:    but we see him in the lives
      of those transformed by grace.
L:    We have not seen Jesus face-to-face,
P:    but we have seen him in the faces
       of everyone whose love encourages us.
L:    We have not touched the wounds
       from the cross,
P:    but we have been called to bring healing
      to the scarred of the world.

Prayer of the Day
On the evening
of the first day of creation,
Holy God,
you held out your hands,
filled with all the grace
we would ever need;
you began to surround us
with all that is good and pleasant.

On the evening
of the first day of Easter,
Defeater of Death,
you walked through
the closed doors
of our doubts and fears;
you held us tight
until the warmth of your grace
softened our hardened hearts;
you handed us the gift of peace
to calm our frightened faith.

On the evening
of the first day of following you,
Breath of Peace,
you open our eyes
to the bright color of hope;
you teach us
the glad songs of grace;
you share the most
valuable gift of all:
  faith.

God in Community, Holy in One,
we lift our prayers to you
as Jesus has taught us, saying,
Our Father . . .

Call to Reconciliation
While it is true that we did not put Jesus
to death, we are quite aware of all the
ways in which we have not followed the
paths of life that have been offered to us
by God.  Let us confess our sins, as we
pray, saying,

Unison Prayer of Confession
 We lock the doors of compassion, God
of Easter, so that we may share it only with
those we believe to be deserving.  We harden
our hearts to the cries around us, because we
cannot be completely sure of who is in need.
We close our eyes to the suffering around us,
believing it will all go away if we don't look.
  Forgive us, Hope of the Ages.  You fill us
with all the grace we need, not because we
are so special, but because we are servants,
called to hold out our hands to all in need,
even as Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior,
holds out his hands to us, to lead us into
your kingdom.

Silence is kept

Assurance of Pardon
L:    From the shadows of life, God brings
      us into the Light of Christ.  From the
      prison of sin and death, God sets us
      free to live in hope.
P:    The God and Father of our Lord Jesus
       Christ has raised him from the dead,
       and given us new life.  Thanks be to
       God.  Amen.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
L:    The Lord of Easter be with you.
P:    And also with you.
L;    People of the God of Joy,
       lift up your hearts.
P:    We offer them to the Lord
       who gives us peace.
L:    The Joyous Feast of the Lamb
       has been prepared for you.
P:    We rejoice, clapping our hands
       and singing praises to our God.

Into the darkness of chaos,
you stepped, Creation's Joy.
You opened your hands,
and rivers flowed through
the deserts of delight;
you spoke a simple Word
and a universe complex
with beauty and diversity was formed.
You birthed us
from the dust of earth,
with the Breath of peace
filling our lungs.
Yet, we were attracted
by the deeds of sin and death,
and drank from their sweet cup.
You sent holy ones called prophets
to make known to us
your ways of life and grace,
but we multiplied your sorrow
by turning our backs on them.
By your great mercy,
you would not give up on us,
but sent Jesus Christ
for the salvation of our souls.

And so, we join our voices
with those of every time and place,
who forever sing your praises:

P:   Holy, holy, holy are you, God our chosen portion.
     All creation rejoices in your peace.
     Hosanna in the highest!
     Blessed is the One who has been raised from the dead.
     Hosanna in the highest!

Holy are you, Path of life,
and blessed is Jesus Christ,
Right Hand of the righteous.
With signs and wonders,
he pointed to your hopes for us;
with simple words of invitation,
he welcomed us into your family;
keeping you ever before him,
he looked sin direct in the face,
and broke its power over us;
with that hope grounded in you,
he entered into the locked room of death,
believing what he had not seen,
that you would bring him to new life,
our inheritance awaiting us
in your kingdom.

As we remember his life, his death, his resurrection,
as we seek to believe what we have not seen,
we tell of that mystery called faith:

P:  Christ died, birthing us into a living hope;
    Christ arose, breathing peace into our lives;
    Christ will come, that we might receive the outcome of our faith.

Stir this cup with your grace,
and warm this bread with
the Breath of Peace,
Joy of our hearts.
You hold these gifts in your hands,
and offer them to us
as the living hope of our lives.
As you fill us with
the gladness of your presence,
may we go forth to be with those
who are forsaken by the world.
As you pour out your Spirit
into our hearts,
may we be sent to bring healing
to those whose brokenness
is ignored by our society.

And when, by your great mercy,
all time has ended
and we rest secure in your grace,
we will gather around the Table
joining hands with your children
of every time and place,
who will rejoice with glad hearts,
singing your praises forever,
God in Community, Holy in One.  Amen.

(c) 2011 Thom M. Shuman