April 9, 2023 - Easter
Prelude: Variations on “Come, You People, Raise the Strain”
Horn, arr. Burkhardt
Introit: Christ Arose!
Lowry/Hanson
Manito Brass:
Jim Cathey, Raban Ritzow, Rick Melin, trumpets;
Daniel Cathey, Jill Cathey, euphoniums; Leonard Byrne, tuba
Welcome & Call to Worship
[Psalm 118]
Leader: Christ has risen!
Response: He has risen indeed!
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever.
The LORD is our strength and our might; he has become our salvation.
We shall not die, but we shall live, and recount the deeds of the LORD.
This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Let us worship the LORD!
Jesus Christ Is Risen Today (Hymn 123)
Easter Hymn
Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia! Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia! Suffer to redeem our loss, Alleluia!
Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia! Unto Christ our heavenly King, Alleluia!
Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia! Sinners to redeem and save, Alleluia!
But the pains which He endured, Alleluia! Our salvation have procured, Alleluia!
Now above the sky He’s king, Alleluia! Where the angels ever sing. Alleluia!
Sing we to our God above, Alleluia! Praise eternal as God’s love; Alleluia!
Praise our God, ye heavenly host, Alleluia! Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Alleluia!
Confession
Gracious God, we have heard the good news: how on the third day, Christ rose again. However, what we hear all around us is bad news: violence, natural disasters, disease, and many other struggles near and far. When we feel lost or overwhelmed by suffering and death, please meet us where we are and help us trust your faithfulness. Forgive us when we run out to help but quickly turn around and go home without taking time to connect with anyone. Help us live into the Easter hope that frees us from the grip of death to love one another as Jesus loved us. Amen.
Alleluia (Hymn 104)
Fishel
Chorus:
Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord;
Alleluia, alleluia, give praise to his name.
Jesus is Lord of all the earth. He is the King of creation. (chorus)
Come, let us praise the living God, joyfully sing to our Savior. (chorus)
Forgiveness in Jesus Christ
Peace
The peace of Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Gloria Patri (Hymn 579)
Greatorex
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be,
Word without end. Amen, Amen.
Children’s Message
Installation of Elders & Deacons
Introduction
Litany
There are different gifts, but it is the same spirit who gives them.
There are different ways of serving God, but it is the same Lord who is served.
God works through different persons in different ways,
but it is the same God who achieves His purpose through them all.
Each one is given a gift by the Spirit, to use it for the common good.
Together we are the body of Christ, and individually members of the body.
Though we have different gifts, together we are a ministry of reconciliation led by the risen Christ…and if any wants to be first among you, that one must become the slave of all!
Just as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life to set others free.
Presentation of the Leaders Elect
Constitutional Questions
Do you trust in Jesus Christ your Savior, acknowledge him Lord of all and Head of the church, and through him believe in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit? I do.
Do you accept the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments to be, by the Holy Spirit, the unique and authoritative witness to Jesus Christ in the church universal, and God’s word to you? I do.
Do you sincerely receive and adopt the essential tenets of the Reformed faith as expressed in the confessions of our church as authentic and reliable expositions of what Scripture leads us to believe and do, and will you be instructed and led by those confessions as you lead the people of God? I do and I will.
Will you fulfill your office in obedience to Jesus Christ, under the authority of Scripture, and continually guided by our confessions? I will.
Will you be governed by our church’s polity, and will you abide by its discipline? Will you be a friend among your colleagues in ministry, working with them, subject to the ordering of God’s Word and Spirit? I will.
Will you in your own life seek to follow the Lord Jesus Christ, love your neighbors, and work for the reconciliation of the world? I will.
Do you promise to further the peace, unity, and purity of the church? I do.
Will you seek to serve the people with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love? I will.
Zak, Ann, Shelly, and Ruth, will you be faithful elders, watching over the people, providing for their worship, nurture and service? Will you share in government and discipline, serving in governing bodies of the church, and in your ministry will you try to show the love and justice of Jesus Christ? I will.
Kevin, Sharon, and James, will you be faithful deacons, teaching charity, urging concern, and directing the people’s help to the friendless and those in need? In your ministry will you try to show the love and justice of Jesus Christ? I will.
Constitutional Questions to the Congregation
Do we, members of the church, accept Zak Cannard, Ann Hall, Shelly Owen, Ruth Seignemartin, Kevin Grieves, Sharon McDeid, and James Rose as elders and deacons, chosen by God through the voice of this congregation, to lead us in the way of Jesus Christ?
If so, answer, “We do.”
Prayer
Welcome
Christ Is Risen!
Tune: Hymn to Joy/Wren, Starbuck, Bodinger/Beethoven
You, O Lord, have bound together old and young, your church today.
You have called us, you are forming Mission-People for your way.
Do your mighty works within us, so disciples we may be,
Sharing all your love, forgiveness, living with integrity.
Christ is risen! Raise your spirits from the caverns of despair.
Walk with gladness in the morning. See what love can do and dare.
Drink the wine of resurrection, not a servant, but a friend.
Jesus is our strong companion. Joy and peace shall never end.
Christ is risen! Earth and heaven nevermore shall be the same.
Break the bread of new creation where the world is still in pain.
Build community with people, called, though whom the world may shun.
With Christ-Jesus, living, praying, “Not our will, but yours be done.”
Prayer for Illumination
Scripture Readings
Jill Cathey
Old Testament: Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
New Testament: John 20:1-18
Sermon: Easter and Not Knowing
Focus: The resurrection does not solve our problems about dying and death. It is not the happy ending to our life’s struggle, nor is it the big surprise that God has kept in store for us. No, the resurrection is the expression of God’s faithfulness…. The resurrection is God’s way of revealing to us that nothing that belongs to God will ever go to waste. What belongs to God will never get lost. —Henri Nouwen.
Response: His Battle Ended There
Colvin, para. of African Chewa hymn
Manito Singers & Percussion
Pastoral Prayer & The 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
Call to Stewardship
Ann Hall
I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
-Romans 12:1
Offering Our Gifts: That Easter Day with Joy Was Bright
PUER NOBIS NASCITUR
5th cent. Latin hymn/Praetorius
Manito Percussion
Doxology
Coffin/PUER NOBIS NASCITUR
To God the Father, God the Son, and Holy Spirit, Three in one,
May every tongue and nation raise an endless song of thankful praise.
Charge & Benediction
Postlude: This Joyful Eastertide
Dutch melody, arr. Callahan
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