This is the day:
when tears are wiped away;
shattered hearts are mended;
fears are replaced with joy.
This is the day the Lord:
rolls away the stone of fear;
throws off death's clothes;
goes ahead of us into God's future.
This is the day the Lord has made:
death has no fear for us;
sin has lost its power over us;
God opens the tombs of our hearts
to fill us with life.
This is the day - Easter Day!
Christ is Risen! Hallelujah!
Prayer of the Day
Very early on that first day
you caught chaos unawares,
Astounding God:
planting grace in a garden,
setting love loose on creation,
flinging joy into the air.
Very early on that first day
Jesus, Son of Justice:
you staggered sin,
throwing its weight off the world;
you confounded death,
leaving it alone in the grave;
you opened the gates of the kingdom,
so all could follow you into life.
Very early on this first day of the week,
while we were washing sleep from our eyes
and trying to make sense of our lives,
you sang glad songs to us,
Scarred Spirit:
rolling away fears from our hearts
so we can see the Risen Lord.
God in Community, Holy in One,
very early on this first day of the week,
as we do on every day of our lives,
we lift our prayers as Jesus has taught us,
(The Lord’s Prayer)
Call to Reconciliation
Very
early in the morning, God created all that is good and beautiful. Very early in
the morning, a mother placed her newborn in a manger. Very early in the
morning, the good news was shared with frightened friends, that Jesus was risen
and alive in our midst. Let us confess the fears and the amazement we bring
this morning.
Unison Prayer for
Forgiveness
On this morning of hallelujahs, we must
confess how human we are, Emptier of tombs. We haven't done any great evil, but we have failed to do good when we had the chance. We have not intentionally hurt anyone, nor have we offered healing to the broken. We easily accept the witness of the angel in the tomb, but find it difficult to share this good news with our friends and neighbors.
Bring us new life, Dazzling God. Where we are tired and stressed, give us the energy to serve your creation; transform our hardened hearts into fountains of grace; forgive us of all the damage we have done, and fill us with the joy of your Spirit. In the name of Jesus Christ, who gives us new life, we pray.
Silence is kept
Assurance of Pardon:
God,
our Creator, gives us new life;Christ, our Redeemer, prepares a Table for us;
Holy Spirit, our Joy, calls us to service.
This is the good news: the tomb is empty, sin is powerless, death is defeated forever.
On this very first day, and every day, we walk as God's people, forgiven and made whole. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Prayer of Dedication/Offering
Very early in our lives, you crept in to anoint us with your overflowing abundance. We offer our gifts in thanksgiving so they may be used to serve all whose mornings bring heartache, whose days are filled with hopelessness, whose nights wrap around their souls with fears and worries. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.
The Great Prayer of
Thanksgiving
The
God of every morning be with you.And also with you.
People of Easter morning, lift up your hearts!
We lift them to the One who has raised Jesus from the grave.
People of Easter's joy, give thanks to the One who raises us to new life.
We sing our hallelujahs to the God of everlasting love.
On this day of joy and hope,
Redeemer of the lost,
we sing our praise to you.
Very early in the morning,
your Word shattered the silence of chaos,
and grace flowed forth like a river.
You reached down
and gathered up the dust of creation,
forming us into your image,
and breathing life into us.
Yet the day came
when we chose to turn from you
believing our wisdom was superior
to your will for us.
You sent us the prophets,
to speak of your gracious hope,
but we refused to listen.
When you could have let us remain
in the clutches of sin and death,
you sent Jesus to be one of us,
so we could come home to you.
Therefore, we join our voices this morning
with those who stood at the empty tomb,
as well as those of every time and place,
singing our Easter joy to you:
Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of the empty grave.
Glad songs of resurrection joy are offered to you.
Hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is the One who comes bearing your steadfast love.
Hosanna in the highest!
Holy are you, God of every day,
and blessed is Jesus Christ,
Bright Morning Star.
Creator of all that is good,
he entered the shadows of hell
to lead us into hope's light;
Beloved of your Heart,
he embraced our sin
so we could be forgiven;
Glory beyond imagination,
he welcomed death
so we could enter life eternal.
Even as we believe
what we may not understand,
we trust that mystery we call faith:
On the first day, Christ shaped all that is good and beautiful;
on the first day of the week, Christ swallowed up death forever;
on the last day, Christ will call us to the Table of the Lamb.
It is here at this Table,
Resurrecting God,
that we are fed by your love.
As you pour out your Spirit
upon the Bread and the Cup,
fill us with the spirit of Jesus,
so we may go forth to be your people.
Feed us with the Bread of Heaven,
so we can fill the hunger of the world.
Touch our lips with salvation's cup,
so we can proclaim the good news
of this day to everyone we meet.
And when the morning comes
when we are united with all the saints
gathered around heaven's Table,
we will lift our voices to you,
God in Community, Holy in One,
forever and ever. Amen.
Sending
On this morning, we welcome God's good news for our lives,
and go out to share it with everyone we meet.
Tomorrow morning, we will go with Jesus to serve the world,
to bring healing to the broken, hope for the despairing.
On every morning to come, we will join the Spirit in living the gospel,
to welcome all who have been abandoned by others,
to speak out for all whose voices are silenced by fears.
