Alternate texts liturgy w/communion for May 4, 2025 (Easter 3 - C)

Texts: Isaiah 61:1-3; Psalm 90:13-17; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19

Call to Worship
Come, you who are exhausted,
and come, you who are energizer bunnies.
For here, the Spirit of God
is poured out on us,
to bring good news
whoever needs it the most.
Come, you who are worn out,
and come, you who are wondering
what they need to do next.
For here, the Spirit of God
fills us with hope,
to bring healing to the broken.
Come, you who don’t know
how to bait a hook,
and come, you whose nets overflow.
For here, the Spirit of God
strengthens our souls to cradle
all who stand knee deep in ashes.

Prayer of the day
Whether we walk dusty roads
or stand on distant shorelines,
God of grace and mystery,
you meet us, welcoming us
with the food of hope
which will sustain us.

When we try our best,
but with no results
or when we would rather
stay rooted in our comfort zones,
Jesus who always surprises us,
you whisper our names,
calling us to sit at your table
where you challenge us to leave
our assumptions about everything
behind to continue to follow you.

Whether we find ourselves
behind doors locked by fears
of floating peacefully on
the deep waters of grace,
Spirit who cradles our lives,
you feed us with grace
so we might go out into the world
and bring good news to all.

God in Community, Holy in One,
turn our grief into garlands of praise,
transform our fears into faithfulness,
even as we pray together, saying,
(The Lord’s Prayer)

Call to Reconciliation
We know that we would rather stand still than go to repair our world. We know that we would rather remain in the deserts of despair than go to plant gardens of hope. So, breathe your Spirit upon us, forgiving and restoring us to new life, as we pray together, saying,

Unison Prayer for Forgiveness
   In these moments, God of weary mornings, we know how fear contracts our hearts, how we think our lives are empty of hope, of how like so many before us, we turn away from your call.
   But you never give up on us, God who sets us free. You never give up anointing us so we can bring good news to the fearful, so we can help in the healing of the world, so we can walk out of all the safe places we love to follow Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, wherever he would lead us. Amen.

Silent prayers are offered

Assurance of Pardon
Wherever we find ourselves – in the emptiness of our lives, wondering what to do next, walking the shorelines of faithlessness – Jesus meets us, healing us, forgiving us.
This is our good news. We are God’s forgiven, grace-filled people. Thanks be to God. Amen.

Prayer of Dedication/Offering
We look in our pockets, we look at our lives, and think we have nothing, absolutely nothing to share. But every gift, every hope, every grace, every justice we have can fill the lives of those around us. Take our gifts, our hearts, our lives, loving God, and feed others. Amen.

Invitation to the Table
This is the Table of grace.
It does not belong to me
or to the church, it is God’s table.
Here, the weary are offered bread,
here, sinners and saints have a seat,
here, no one is turned away.
You may doubt, you may deny,
you may follow faithfully, you may fail.
But come,
for breakfast is served now
and all are welcome.

Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
May God of shorelines be with you.
And with you as well.
Here, we can offer our hearts to God.
Even if they seem emptier than
the nets of those fishing long ago.
Here, we join with folks
in all times and places,
as we sing glad songs to our God.

Into the emptiness of chaos,
you poured your Spirit,
God of every blessing,
crafting brokenness into beauty,
planting mighty oaks in ruins,
tossing stardust like it was confetti.
You breathed life into those
shaped in your image, inviting
us to live in your garden,
but we longed to live in
the dusty deserts of death.
Those women and men
we call prophets continued
to whisper us of your hope and love,
but we kept landing on those
shorelines of sin and temptation.
Finally, out of your steadfast love,
you sent your Child to us,
so, our emptiness would be filled
with grace and hope.

With the faithful and foolish,
with the famous and the unknown,
we lift our songs to you:

Holy, holy, holy are you, God who feeds us.
All creation sings praise to you.
Hosanna in the highest!

Blessed is the One who calls us by name.
Hosanna in the highest!

Only you are holy, God,
and you bless us through Jesus,
your Child, your love, our hope.
Despite his fears,
he modeled trust in you,
despite his loneliness,
he welcomed all to table,
despite our denials,
he continues to call us,
despite death’s threats,
he gave his life into its power,
until you brought him forth
in resurrection love.

In these moments, with these people,
we gather in hope, trusting in that mystery
which we call faith:

Christ was anointed with death
so its power might be shattered.
Christ was raised to new life,
so we might be set free from our fears.
Christ will anoint us with
the oil of gladness.

Call to us as we sit in our despair,
our fears, our worries, our doubts,
inviting us to feast with you.
Pour out your Spirit on us
and on the gifts of this meal.
May the bread which is broken
become justice for the oppressed
hope for the forgotten,
healing for the broken.
May the cup which is poured
become grace for the unloved,
become community for the lonely,
become peace for fearful.

And when all time has ended,
we will gather around your table,
for breakfast, for lunch, for tea, for dinner,
joining our voices with our siblings
from every time and place,
singing our praise to you forever,
God in Community, Holy in One. Amen.

Sending
Remember, God has created you.
We will go to bring good news to the poor.
Remember, Jesus has called you.
We will go to bring healing to the broken.
Remember, the Spirit has anointed you.
We will go to bring freedom to all.

© Thom M. Shuman