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Easter Sunday

Prelude

Hymns of Gathering

"All Creatures of Our God and King"
"Lift Your Glad Voices"

OR "Lord, I Lift Your Name on High"
"I’m Gonna Shout and Sing" 

 NS 33
NS 20

One of these could be used as a choir or small group introit rather than congregational singing.

Responsive Reading: Psalm 98:4–9, 147:1, and 148:1, 3–9, adapted

Reader 1:	Praise the Lord!
Reader 2:	Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise God in the heights above.
Reader 3:	Shout for joy to the Lord, all the Earth; burst into jubilant song with music; sing to the Lord with thanksgiving.
Reader 4:	Make music to our God on the harp; with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn, shout for joy before the Lord.
Reader 2:	How good it is to sing praises to God. How pleasant and fitting to praise our God!
Reader 4:	Praise the Lord, Sun and Moon; praise God all the shining stars.
Reader 3:	Praise the Lord from the Earth; great sea creatures and all ocean depths;
Reader 1:	lightning and hail, snow and clouds; stormy winds that do God’s bidding;
Reader 2:	mountains and all hills; fruit trees and all cedars.
Reader 4:	Let the rivers clap their hands; let the mountains sing together for joy; let them sing before the Lord.
Reader 3:	Wild animals and all cattle; small creatures and flying birds.
Reader 2:	God covers the sky with clouds; God supplies the Earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills.
Reader 1:	God of all the Earth and all nations; of monarchs and all rulers on Earth;
Reader 2:	old men and women; young men and maidens and boys and girls;
Reader 3:	let them praise the name of the Lord.
Reader 4:	Praise the Lord!

*Hymn: "Earth and All Stars"
OR "Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty"

*Invocation

*Response

Responsive Reading: Should be read with enthusiasm and gusto!

Leader:	Christ lives!
People:	Christ lives!
Leader:	Jesus lives!
People:	Jesus lives!
Leader:	¡Christo vive!
People:	¡Christo vive!
Leader:	¡Christo vive! is the response of Christians in Central America and South America. Christ lives; ¡Christo vive!
Reader 1:	Luke 24:1–3 IV
	Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women came unto the sepulcher, bringing the spices which they had prepared.… And they found the stone rolled away… and two angels standing by it in shining garments. And they entered into the sepulcher, and not finding the body of the Lord Jesus, they were much perplexed.
Reader 2:	Matthew 28:5–6, adapted
	The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay."
All:	Christ lives! ¡Christo vive!
Reader 3:	Matthew 28:7–8, adapted
	Go quickly and tell his disciples he has been raised from the dead. He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him." So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy and ran to tell the disciples.
All:	Christ lives! ¡Christo vive!
Reader 4:	Matthew 28:8–9, adapted
	So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell the disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. "Greetings," he said. They came to him, clasped his feet, and worshiped him.
All:	Christ lives! ¡Christo vive!

Hymn: "Jesus Christ Is Risen Today"
OR "God of the Sparrow"

Offertory Statement and Prayer

Our risen Lord, we thank you for food and remember the hungry. We thank you for health and remember the sick. We thank you for friends and remember the friendless. We thank you for freedom and remember those who are enslaved. We realize you do not ask us to give our lives on a cross. Instead, you ask us to give our lives in service to others. Accept now our offerings to you this hour that they may be acceptable in your sight.

—Jamie Tankersley and Barb Tankersley

Ministry of Music: "Easter Hallelujah"

Nancy Price and Don Besig (Delaware Water Gap, Pennsylvania: Shawnee Press), SATB

OR Hymn: "All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name"

Easter Message

Herod, Pilate, and the Sanhedrin were pleased. They had crucified the upstart: the one who made them look as bad as they were, the one who upset the tables in the temple, the one who acted as if the Sabbath was made for humankind.

Herod and Pilate were guilty of trying to preserve order for the Roman Empire. The Sanhedrin and Pharisees were bad tenants. In Matthew Jesus told a story about bad tenants. Tell, or have someone else tell, the parable found in Matthew 21:33–46.

Points that could be stressed for today are:

• God gave us the world (vineyard) to care for, profit from, use, enjoy.
• God gave us this world and let us make choices without interference.
• God sent messengers; we abused some and killed some.
• Then God sent his own son.

The Sanhedrin had done what needed to be done. They had silenced Jesus and he was safely buried in a tomb with a stone for a door and Roman soldiers to guard it. And then just when things were getting back to normal,

Here comes Jesus Christ again! "¡Christo vive!"

Confession Statement

We are blessed with many visitors today. Let us willingly confess that the Community of Christ is replete with sinners. We are all sinners trying to find the path of Jesus in our life’s journeys.

When you see or hear us sin, pray for us so that we might act and speak as Jesus would have acted and spoken. However, we are a community that offers peace for the bruised and broken-hearted in our neighborhoods, nation, and the world. We come to you bearing our testimony of the risen Christ. Our testimony is that Christ lived for you and me. Our testimony is that Christ died for you and me. Our testimony is that Christ lives in you and me this very moment.

Meditation Music

Reading: "The Good News"

We are called to new life in Jesus Christ who shares with us a
     ministry of love and concern for all people.
          We find in Christ strength and purpose for our living.
          Our Savior brings to us life and light and joy.
With God’s help we become ministers of our Risen Lord.
     But our lives must become disciplined in study, prayer,
          meditation, dialogue, and worship.
     The Spirit in us means we are empowered to speak and live
          the Good News everywhere.

*Closing Hymn: "I Know That My Redeemer Lives"

*Benediction

*Sending Forth

We have read and sung and spoken of Jesus Christ as resurrected Lord.
We have reaffirmed that Jesus is our Lord and Savior and that we are servants of God.
We are loved—empowered—forgiven —and cherished.
And we are sent forth to bear witness that "¡Christo vive!" Jesus Christ lives!

—Jamie Tankersley

*Postlude