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| Thomas and Jesus, from the baptistry altar of the German Church in Stockholm |
THE SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER
‘What people don’t realize is how much religion costs. They think faith is a big electric blanket, when of course it is the cross. It is much harder to believe, you must at least do this: keep an open mind. Keep it open toward faith, keep wanting it, keep asking for it, and leave the rest to God.
‘When we get our spiritual house in order, we’ll be dead. This goes on. You arrive at enough certainty to be able to make your way, but it is making it in darkness. Don’t expect faith to clear things up for you. It is trust, not certainty.’
Flannery O’ Connor
(1925-1964)
OPENING MUSIC
Prelude
in D Minor (BWV 539) - J. S. Bach
Trumpet Voluntary - John Stanley
Christopher Cox, Trumpet
Stand
W ENTRANCE Hymn
Make
Songs of Joy Green
LBW 150
The text of this hymn may not be reproduced here.
APOSTOLIC GREETING
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
W HYMN OF PRAISE To
the Lamb Be Glory
Text/Revelation 4:11; 5:9, 10, 12
Setting/ Paul D. Weber
Refrain: To the Lamb be glory, honor, and power.
Choir 1: O Lord our God, You are worthy to receive glory, honor, and power! For You have created all things; by Your will they came to be and were made! Refrain
Pastor 2: You are worthy to receive the scroll and break open
its seals, for You were slain. with Your blood You purchased for God folk of every
race and tongue, of every people and nation. Refrain
Choir 3: You made of them a kingdom, and priests to serve our
God, and they shall reign on the earth. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to
receive power and riches, wisdom and strength, honor and glory and praise! Refrain
Choir: Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and the Holy
Spirit; as in the beginning. so now and forever. Amen. Refrain
PRAYER OF THE DAY
God of life, source of all faith, through the
waters of baptism you have raised us up in Jesus and given us life that endures.
Day by day refine our faith, that we who have not seen the Christ may truly
confess him as our Lord and God, and share the blessedness of those who believe;
through Jesus Christ, the Resurrection and the Life, who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen
These are written so that you may come to believe
that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God,
and through believing have
life in his name.
Let us hear the Word of the Lord. John
20:31
First
Reading Acts 2:14a, 22-32
By the power of the Holy Spirit, Peter
and the apostles bear witness to the resurrection, interpreting the Scriptures with
reference to Jesus.
14aPeter, standing with the eleven,
raised his voice and addressed [the crowd], 22“You that are
Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to
you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him
among you, as you yourselves know—23this man, handed over to you
according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and
killed by the hands of those outside the law. 24But God raised him
up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held
in its power. 25For David says concerning him,
‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken;
26therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
moreover my flesh will live in hope.
27For you will not
abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One experience corruption.
28You have made known to me the ways of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’
29“Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor
David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30Since
he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would
put one of his descendants on his throne.
31Foreseeing this, David spoke of
the resurrection of the Messiah, saying,
‘He was not abandoned to Hades,
nor did his flesh experience corruption.’
32This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses.”
The Word of
the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
PSALM 16
Antiphon
1 Protect me, O God, for I take ref- | uge in you;*
I
have said to the Lord, "You
are my Lord,
my
good a- | bove all other."
2 All my delight is upon the godly that are | in the
land,*
upon
those who are noble a- | mong the people.
3 But those who run after | other gods*
shall
have their troubles | multiplied.
4 Their libations of blood I | will not offer,*
nor
take the names of their gods up- | on my lips.
5 O Lord,
you are my portion | and my cup;*
it
is you who up- | hold my lot.
6 My boundaries enclose a | pleasant land;*
indeed,
I have a | goodly heritage.
7 I will bless the Lord
who | gives me counsel;*
my
heart teaches me night | after night.
8 I have set the Lord
al- | ways before me;*
because
he is at my right hand, I | shall not fall.
9 My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spir- | it rejoices;*
my
body also shall | rest in hope.
10 For you will not abandon me | to the grave,*
nor
let your holy one | see the pit.
11 You will show me the | path of life;*
in
your presence there is fullness of joy,
and
in your right hand are pleasures for- | evermore.
Antiphon
Second
Reading 1 Peter 1:3-9
The
apostle Peter includes those faithful Christians who have not seen the risen
Christ in the company of those who receive the new birth of the Spirit.
3Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a
living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4and
into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in
heaven for you, 5who are being protected by the power of God through
faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6In
this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various
trials, 7so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious
than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in
praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8Although
you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you
believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, 9for
you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
The Word of
the Lord.
Thanks
be to God.
Stand
VERSE Romans 6:9, John
20:29 Setting by Walter L. Pelz
Alleluia.
Christ being raised from the dead will die no more; death has no more dominion over him. Blessed
are those who have not seen and yet believe. Alleluia.
Gospel John 20:19-31
The Holy Gospel according
to St. John.
Glory to you, O Lord.
19When it was evening on that day,
the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had
met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said,
“Peace be with you.” 20After he said this, he showed them his hands
and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus
said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send
you.” 22When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,
“Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are
forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” 24But
Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when
Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the
Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands,
and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not
believe.”
26A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was
with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and
said, “Peace be with you.” 27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your
finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not
doubt but believe.” 28Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29Jesus
said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who
have not seen and yet have come to believe.” 30Now Jesus did many
other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this
book. 31But these are written so that you may come to believe that
Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have
life in his name.
The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
Sit
Sermon
Stand
HYMN OF THE DAY
O Sons and Daughters of the King
Green LBW 139
ALL: Alleluia refrains
ALL: St. 1,
3, 5, 7, 9 Choir: St. 2, 4, 6,
8
O Sons and Daughters of the King
Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia!
1 O
sons and daughters of the King,
whom
heav’nly hosts in glory sing,
today
the grave has lost its sting!
Alleluia!
2 That
Easter morn, at break of day,
the
faithful women went their way
to
seek the tomb where Jesus lay.
Alleluia!
3 An
angel clad in white they see,
who
sits and speaks unto the three,
“Your
Lord will go to Galilee.”
Alleluia!
4 That
night the apostles met in fear;
among
them came their master dear,
and
said, “My peace be with you here.”
Alleluia!
5 When
Thomas first the tidings heard,
that
they had seen the risen Lord,
he
doubted the disciples’ word.
Alleluia!
6 “My
pierced side, O Thomas, see,
and
look upon my hands, my feet;
not
faithless, but believing be.”
Alleluia!
7 No
longer Thomas then denied;
he
saw the feet, the hands, the side;
“You
are my Lord and God!” he cried.
Alleluia!
8 How
blest are they who have not seen,
and
yet whose faith has constant been,
for
they eternal life shall win.
Alleluia!
9 On
this most holy day of days,
be
laud and jubilee and praise:
to
God your hearts and voices raise.
Alleluia!
Alleluia,
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Text: attr. Jean Tisserand, d. 1494; tr.
John M. Neale, 1818-1866, alt.
CONFESSION OF
FAITH Nicene Creed
X At the words
‘For us and for our salvation,’ and continuing through ‘and was made man,’ a
solemn bow is appropriate to praise the incarnation of our Lord.
We believe in one God,
the
Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven
and earth,
of all that is,
seen and unseen.
We
believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the
Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were
made.
X For us and for our salvation
he came down
from heaven;
by the power of
the Holy Spirit
he became
incarnate from the virgin Mary, and
was made man. X
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death
and was buried.
On
the third day he rose again
in
accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into
heaven
and
is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to
judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom
will have no end.
We
believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and
the Son.
With the Father and the Son he
is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic
and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one Baptism for
the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of
the dead,
and the life of
the world to come. Amen
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH
Rejoicing in the resurrection of our Lord, let us pray
for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus, and for all people according to
their needs.
Silence is kept.
Father, your risen Son revealed himself to his
disciples in the Upper Room, and reveals himself to us today in his Word and
Sacrament. By your Spirit, open the eyes of our hearts to behold him in faith
and acknowledge him as Lord and God. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our
prayer.
The Church bears witness to your Son’s resurrection and
is empowered by the Spirit to forgive sins in his name. Make us part of the
Spirit’s activity in the Church. Help us to build your Church and make our
confession of Jesus before others. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our
prayer.
Your Son blessed Thomas with
faith in the resurrection. Give us your aid, so that all who do not see may yet
believe and be helped in their unbelief. Bring all those who doubt into the
community of your Church to encounter you among his people. Lord, in your
mercy,
hear our
prayer.
Look with your goodness and mercy upon the peoples of
the world, especially those afflicted by violence, hunger, pollution, and
disease. Come to their assistance, and bless governments and rulers, that they
may truly serve the people to whom they are entrusted. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our
prayer.
We ask you to show your mercy upon those we name before
you, for whom we have been called to pray…
The pastor reads the names; the people are invited to
offer intercessions and thanksgivings.
Lord, in your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We give you thanks, O God, for after his Resurrection you exalted Jesus at your right hand, and we look for the day when he is revealed to all people. May we stand in that day to greet him with shouts of joy and take our places with those who have gone before us confessing him as Lord and God. Lord, in your mercy,
hear our
prayer.
Into your hands, Father, we commend all for whom we pray,
trusting in your steadfast love; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Jesus came and stood among his disciples and said,
‘Peace be with you.’
Then they were
glad when they saw the Lord. Alleluia.
John
20:19, 20
The peace of
the Lord be with you always.
And also with
you.
The people exchange a sign of peace
with the simple words, Peace be with you.
Sit
The Lord’s Table is prepared.
Stand
OFFERTORY 1 Peter 2:1-3 Setting by Walter L. Pelz
Alleluia.
Put away all malice and all guile and insincerity and envy and slander. Like newborn
babes, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up to
salvation; for you have tasted the kindness of the Lord. Alleluia.
PRAYER OF PREPARATION
Father, creator of all things, you wash away our sins,
you give us new birth by the Spirit,
and you redeem us in the blood of Christ.
As we celebrate the Resurrection, renew your gift of life within us.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen
GREAT THANKSGIVING
Sanctus
The pastor leads the people in praying the Eucharistic canon:
You are indeed holy, O God, the fountain of all holiness;
you bring light from darkness, life from death,
speech from silence.
We worship you for our lives and for the world you give us.
We thank you for the new world to come
and for the love that will rule all in all.
We praise you for the grace shown to Israel, your chosen,
the people of your promise:
the rescue from Egypt, the gift of the promised land,
the memory of the fathers, the homecoming from exile,
and the prophets' words that will not be in vain.
In all this we bless you for your only-begotten Son,
who fulfilled, and will fulfill, all your promises.
In the night in which he was betrayed,
our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;
broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it for all to drink, saying:
This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
shed for you and for all people
for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
For as often as we eat of this bread and drink from this cup,
we proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
Therefore, O God, with this bread and cup
we remember the incarnation of your Son:
his human birth and the covenant he made with us.
We remember the sacrifice of his life:
his eating with outcasts and sinners,
and his acceptance of death.
But chiefly on this day we remember his rising from the tomb,
his ascension to the seat of power,
and his sending of the holy and life-giving Spirit.
We cry out for the resurrection of our lives,
when Christ will come again in beauty and power
to share with us the great and promised feast.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
Send now, we pray, your Holy Spirit,
that we and all who share in this bread and cup
may be united in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
may enter the fullness of the kingdom of heaven,
and may receive our inheritance
with all your saints in light.
Amen. Come, Holy Spirit.
Join our prayers with those of your servants
of every time and every place,
and unite them with the ceaseless petitions
of our great high priest
until he comes as victorious Lord of all.
In the presence of Christ, we pray to his Father using the words he gave us.
Christ is in our midst.
By the power of the Spirit,
we pray to his Father, saying:
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 trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
forever and ever. Amen
Alleluia! Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us.
Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia!
We adore Christ, present in bread and wine.
Sit
DISTRIBUTION
WDISTRIBUTION HYMN
Choir Christ Has
Arisen, Alleluia
Text/ Bernard Kyamanywa;
tr. H. S. Olson;
Music/ Traditional
Tanzanian
Please follow the text at BLUE WOV 678, St. 1, 2, 5, as the choir sings
Stand
The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.
Amen
WPOST-COMMUNION HYMN
POST-COMMUNION PRAYER
We give you thanks, almighty God, that you have refreshed us through the healing power of this gift of life; and we pray that in your mercy you would strengthen us through this gift, in faith toward you and fervent love toward one another; for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen
Alleluia. Christ is risen.
He is risen
indeed. Alleluia.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
By his
great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope
through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
Though we do not see him, we love him;
We believe
in him
and rejoice
with an indescribable and glorious joy.
1 Peter 1:3, 8
Alleluia. Christ is risen.
He is
risen indeed. Alleluia.
Dismissal
Gospel: John 11:25, 26
The Holy
Gospel according to St. John.
Glory to you, O Lord.
[Jesus said:]
‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they
die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.’
The
Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.
Benediction
The God
of peace – who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd
of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant – make you perfect
in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing
in his sight; and the blessing of God,
Father, X Son, and Holy Spirit, be with you and remain with
you forever.
Amen
WCLOSING HYMN
Thine Is the Glory Green LBW 145
1 Thine is the glory,
risen, conqu'ring
Son;
endless is the
vict'ry
thou o'er death hast
won!
Angels in bright
raiment
rolled the stone
away,
kept the folded
grave-clothes
where thy body lay.
Refrain
Thine is the glory,
risen, conqu'ring
Son;
endless is the
vict'ry
thou o'er death hast
won!
2 Lo, Jesus meets thee,
risen from the tomb!
Lovingly he greets
thee,
scatters fear and
gloom;
let his church with
gladness
hymns of triumph
sing,
for the Lord now
liveth;
death hath lost its
sting! Refrain
3 No more we doubt thee,
glorious Prince of
life;
life is naught
without thee;
aid us in our strife;
make us more than
conqu'rors,
through thy deathless
love;
bring us safe through
Jordan
to thy home
above. Refrain
Text: Edmond Budry, 1854-1932; tr. R.
Birch Hoyle, 1875-1939
DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Serve the Lord.
Thanks be to God!
Lutheran Book of Worship Daily Scripture
Readings
Monday, April 17: Daniel 1:1-21; 1 John 1:1-10; John 17:1-11
Tuesday, April
18: Daniel
2:1-16; 1 John 2:1-11; John 17:12-19
Wednesday, April
19: Daniel
2:17-30; 1 John 2:12-17; John 17:20-26
Thursday, April
20: Daniel
2:31-49; 1 John 2:18-29; Luke 3:1-14
Friday, April
21: Daniel
3:1-18; 1 John 3:1-10; Luke 3:15-22
Saturday, April
22: Daniel
3:19-30; 1 John 3:11-18; Luke 4:1-13
Sunday, April 23: Daniel 4:1-18; 1 Peter 4:7-11; John 21:15-25
From
Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2023 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.
Reprinted
by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #20540.
New
Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education
of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of
America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Additional
liturgical material from Common Worship: Times and Seasons,
©
2006 The Archbishops’ Council of the Church of England.
Proper Preface from We Give You Thanks and
Praise: The Ambrosian Eucharistic Prefaces, ed. Alan Griffiths, Sheed and Ward, 2000.
Agnus Day appears with the permission
of www.agnusday.org
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(412) 279-5868
Email: office@ststephenpittsburgh.org
Website: www.ststephenpittsburgh.org
Saturday Evening Worship – 6:30 pm
Sunday Morning Worship – 10:30 am
