Easter Sunday 4/4/2021
Easter Sunday 2021 worship online Printable PDF
THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD
EASTER DAY
APRIL 4, 2021
ST. PAUL’S LUTHERAN CHURCH, FALLS CHURCH, VA
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PRELUDE Awake, My Heart, with Gladness for Organ and Trumpet Setting: Raymond H. Haan
INVOCATION AND CALL TO WORSHIP (From Psalm 118)
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
This is the day that the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
The LORD is my strength and my song;
He has become my salvation!
We shall not die, but live;
And recount the deeds of the Lord!
PRAYER OF PREPARATION
Let us pray. Gracious Heavenly Father, we have spent the past forty days on our knees before You, confessing our sins and seeking Lenten growth. We know our part in the unjust treatment of Your Son—His arrest, His trial, His flogging, His mocking and His crucifixion. We are truly sorry for our sins and plead to you for mercy. But we also know the promises of Your Holy Word. We know that You will not let your Holy One see decay. We know that the Stone the builders rejected has become the Cornerstone. And we know that our Redeemer lives. These things are marvelous in our sight and we are here to praise You. Be with us in this gathering and renew your gracious promise within each of us. May the message of the angel ever reside in our hearts and resound on our lips, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
EASTER PROCLAMATION
The angel said: “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”
“He is not here. He has risen.”
Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed, Alleluia!
ENTRANCE HYMN #457 Jesus Christ is Risen Today
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- Jesus Christ is ris’n today, Alleluia!
Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!
Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!
- Jesus Christ is ris’n today, Alleluia!
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- Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!
Unto Christ, our heav’nly king, Alleluia!
Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!
Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!
- Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!
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- 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!
- But the pains which He endured, Alleluia!
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- Sing we to our God above, Alleluia!
Praise eternal as His love; Alleluia!
Praise Him, all ye heav’nly host, Alleluia!
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Alleluia!
- Sing we to our God above, Alleluia!
KYRIE
In peace let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace from above and for our salvation let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the church of God, and for the unity of all let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For this holy house and for all who offer here their worship and praise let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Help, save, comfort and defend us, gracious Lord.
Amen.
HYMN OF PRAISE
This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain, whose blood set us free to be people of God.
This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Power, riches, wisdom and strength, and honor, blessing, and glory are His.
This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Sing with all the people of God, and join in the hymn of all creation.
Blessing, honor, glory, and might be to God and the Lamb forever. Amen.
This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
For the Lamb who was slain has begun His reign. Alleluia.
This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
THE PRAYER OF THE DAY
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray. Almighty God the Father,
through Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, You have overcome death and opened the gate of everlasting life to us. Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of our Lord’s resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by Your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
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THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
FIRST LESSON Isaiah 25:6-9
On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine,
of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined.
And he will swallow up on this mountain
the covering that is cast over all peoples,
the veil that is spread over all nations.
He will swallow up death forever;
and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces,
and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the Lord has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
“Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us.
This is the Lord; we have waited for him;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
ANTHEM Awake, Thou Wintry Earth Setting: Katherine K. Davis
Awake, thou wintry earth. Fling off, fling off thy sadness.
Ye vernal flowers, laugh forth. Laugh forth your ancient gladness.
A new and lovely tale throughout the land is sped.
It floats o’er hill and dale to tell that Death is dead.
Descended to the grave where all our lov’d lie sleeping.
Hath Christ return’d to save man’s heart from woe and weeping.
O earth, break forth and sing; renew thy bright array.
With fairest blooms of spring bestrew the Savior’s way.
SECOND LESSON 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
This is the Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
GOSPEL VERSE #465 St. 1 Now All the Vault of Heaven Resounds
1 Now all the vault of heav’n resounds
In praise of love that still abounds:
“Christ has triumphed! He is living!”
Sing, choirs of angels, loud and clear!
Repeat their song of glory here:
“Christ has triumphed! Christ has triumphed!”
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
GOSPEL John 20:1-18
The Holy Gospel according to St. John, the 20th chapter.
Glory to You, O Lord.
Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples went back to their homes.
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.
This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to You, O Christ.
GOSPEL VERSE #465 St. 3 Now All the Vault of Heaven Resounds
3 O fill us, Lord, with dauntless love;
Set heart and will on things above
That we conquer through Your triumph;
Grant grace sufficient for life’s day
That by our lives we truly say:
“Christ has triumphed! He is living!”
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
SERMON
Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Grace, mercy and peace be to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus. Amen. Dear friends in Christ:
On this day we are filled with joy as we celebrate the Bible’s greatest truth and our greatest hope. Today we remember that Jesus rose from the dead. Death could not hold him. He would not be defeated. After three days in the tomb, Jesus was gloriously resurrected from the dead.
And furthermore – on this day we remember, too, that Jesus has still overcome death. He didn’t just manage to secure for himself a prolonged life – a few more years after cheating death for a time. No, Jesus still lives. Christ is risen! He is alive and reigns with the Father, ruling the world as God and Lord.
This is our joy. This is our hope. This is our faith.
This message makes all the difference for us. And not only because we know we have a living Lord, but because Jesus shares his resurrection victory with us. “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God” Jesus said to Mary after rising from the dead. Here we have the first clue that Christ’s victory is ours as well. Here we are reminded that we have been reconciled to the Father. Our separation, caused by sin, has been ended. Here we are moved to recall Jesus’ great promises from earlier in John’s Gospel. Those to Nicodemus in the third chapter: “For God so loved world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Those to his disciples in chapter six: “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” And those to Martha in chapter eleven: “I am the resurrection and the life, whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”
This is the message that is primary today. This is the message we lift up first and foremost in our song and in our prayers.
Having proclaimed this message loudly and clearly, I’d like us now to spend a little time thinking about certain details of the Gospel text we just read and to think about them in light of the theme we’ve been considering during Holy Week this year.
That theme, found throughout John’s Gospel but especially in the last chapters, is the care and concern Jesus showed for forming his disciples into a family of faith.
Jesus, as we know, taught all who would listen, and invited all to become his disciples. But Jesus also worked closely with a few to form them as leaders of a new group. And Jesus spoke of the importance of this group of believers he would gather, calling them his “flock,” referring to them as “children of light,” and telling how he would sustain them just as branches are sustained by a vine. Jesus, too, had told about how he would care and equip this group through the sending of the Holy Spirit.
And here in today’s text, immediately following his resurrection, we get a first glimpse of that family of faith living together after Jesus has left them – at least from what they knew. John gives us a picture of this in the words and actions of Mary Magdalene, Simon Peter, and John himself – referred to here as “the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved.”
The first thing that we observe about the family on this day is that one of them, Mary, goes off on her own to visit Jesus’ tomb. Presumably, she does this to continue her mourning, although we’re not given any reason in the text. The other Gospels, as you may know, tell us that there were a few women who came to the tomb and that they did so hoping to anoint Jesus’ body. Regardless of the actual number, the picture John paints here is of individual action. Mary goes to the tomb without Peter, James, John and the others. And here we might take note of something about the family of faith. The family doesn’t always need to do everything together. People are free to make their own decisions and attend to their own needs. Oh, how I wish we understood that better in the church. We tend to get really uptight when people do things differently than we do.
Reading on… when Mary sees that the stone has been taken away from the tomb, she does two things. First, she runs to tell the others in the family. There’s news to report. And it’s distressing news. Mary, we see, would like her friend’s support in dealing with it. And this reminds us that family keeps each other in the know and shares each other’s burdens.
We see also that Mary comes to a conclusion about what she has seen… and that it’s a false conclusion. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,” she tells her fellow disciples. We can understand why she would think this. What else could it be? She doesn’t make accusations – saying that it was the Romans or the Jews or other disciples who took the body. But her message was wrong, nonetheless. And this can remind us that oftentimes wrong information circulates within the family of faith. And sometimes this happens because of an assumption. And sometimes it happens through no one’s fault. The wrong information that Mary shares here doesn’t hurt anyone. But in our faith families, wrong information is often the source of great pain.
Having heard Mary’s report, Peter and John go to the tomb themselves. And they also run, indicating that these are important matters for the family, reflecting their common love of Jesus and each other.
John records how he outruns Peter in going to the tomb. Why this detail? Is he proud of his achievement? We are proud of such things.
Maybe John records it to show his own tentativeness in comparison to the bold Peter. John gets there first but doesn’t go in the tomb. Peter marches right in. And sees more.
Just like those first disciples, our families of faith are also made up of people with different personalities making different choices and possessing different gifts. Can we work with one another and appreciate one another? Or will these differences be sources of hurt and division in the family?
John then joins Peter in the tomb, reporting to us that he “saw and believed.” But what did he see? And what did he believe?
Some think John saw the cloths lying there and believed Mary – concluding, as she did, that someone had come and taken the body of Jesus. That’s what Luther thought John meant.
Others, however, see more in these words of John. They note how later in this chapter Jesus makes a distinction between those have seen and those who have not seen. “Have you believed because you have seen me?” he said to Thomas. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John may have been contrasting his own unseeing faith with that of stubborn Thomas. Remember, John hadn’t actually seen Jesus yet. Or John may have been contrasting his seeing faith with that of his readers – commending us for our faith and minimizing his own, since he actually got to see the empty tomb, while we don’t.
We wish John would have been clearer here. But perhaps there’s a lesson in this as well. Not all of our family communications will be clear. Some messages will be too brief. Some will confuse us with all their detail. Some of us will speak other languages. Some of us will be forgetful. Some of us will be hard of hearing. Some of us will have different accents. Can we be content with this? And can we be patient, persistent and polite as we seek to understand one another? Or will we quickly complain and give up. The family that loves one another will listen and speak to each other – striving to understand. And it will do so with respect.
I suppose there are endless lessons for the family of faith in these texts about the disciples of Jesus. But let me give just one more. After Jesus appears to Mary, and after she finally recognizes him, Jesus says to her: “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers.”
Mary would have liked to spend more time with Jesus as he was. But Jesus would ascend to the Father soon, and then the relationship would be different. The relationship would then need to be via memory, and faith, and prayer. When Jesus returned to the Father, Mary could cling to Jesus through these means. But in the time when the resurrected Lord was present visibly on the earth there was work to do. And Mary belonged with her family – the brothers and sisters of Jesus.
In our sermons during this Holy Week, we have considered Jesus’ directions to us about this family of faith. And I have shared how Jesus establishes a priority for us in our love. As much as we are to love our neighbor, and thus all people, we are also to exhibit a special love for one another – meaning our family of fellow believers. “As I have loved you, so you are to love one another,” we heard Jesus say to his disciples on Maundy Thursday. To which he then added: “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
The building of our family of faith is done for the glorification of Jesus, that he may be lifted up to the world. And it is done so that we will be more effective witnesses to the world. The world will notice when we are working together and when our love for each other is apparent.
We remember what God once said to Abraham centuries before: “… in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Our love for one another acts as a service to the world. We reach the world by being the church, which is why Jesus calls us “children of light.”
As you seek to express the joy of Easter in your life, you will certainly want to share it with an attitude of love and grace toward everyone. But I pray that you would also remember the importance of your family of faith. Serving in that family will bring challenges and it will not always be easy or pretty. But it is work done for the building of real love among us. And it is done for the life of the world.
May the hope and joy of Easter be with you always. Alleluia! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed. Alleluia! Amen!
HYMN OF THE DAY # 458 Sts. 1-4, 6 Christ Lay in Death’s Strong Bands
1 Christ Jesus lay in death’s strong bands
For our offenses given;
But now at God’s right hand He stands
And brings us life from heaven.
Therefore let us joyful be
And sing to God right thankfully
Loud songs of alleluia!
Alleluia!
2 No son of man could conquer death,
Such ruin sin had wrought us.
No innocence was found on earth,
And therefore death had brought us
Into bondage from of old
And ever grew more strong and bold
And held us as its captive.
Alleluia!
3 Christ Jesus, God’s own Son, came down,
His people to deliver;
Destroying sin, He took the crown
From death’s pale brow forever:
Stripped of pow’r, no more it reigns;
An empty form alone remains;
Its sting is lost forever.
Alleluia!
4 It was a strange and dreadful strife
When life and death contended;
The victory remained with life,
The reign of death was ended.
Holy Scripture plainly saith
That death is swallowed up by death,
Its sting is lost forever.
Alleluia!
6 So let us keep the festival
To which the Lord invites us;
Christ is Himself the joy of all,
The sun that warms and lights us.
Now His grace to us imparts
Eternal sunshine to our hearts;
The night of sin is ended.
Alleluia!
NICENE CREED
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. 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. 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.
OFFERING Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bands Setting: Jonathan R. Mueller
PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH
Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.
Lord God, on this glorious day, fill Your people with a holy fear at the resurrection of Your Son, that we would tremble no longer before the grave but rejoice and live in the truth of Your power to save. Lord, in Your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Be with Matthew, our Synod president; John, our district president; and all our pastors. Keep them faithful to deliver to Your people the apostolic Gospel of Your Son’s death, burial and resurrection. Lord, in Your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Let us hold fast to the Word preached to us, that receiving it with joy we may take our stand in it and be saved by it. Hinder all who would sow doubt into our hearts, and grant us courage to confess its truth in our life and conversation. Lord, in Your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Bless Joseph, our president, and all who make and administer our laws. Frustrate the forces of evil, and do not let our leaders cooperate with them or further their goals. Guard our armed forces as they stand watch for us at home and abroad. Let them serve with honor and integrity. Lord, in Your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Have mercy on the sick and those in any need [especially _____________]. Let the dawning light of the new creation in Christ sustain them in faith. In accord with Your will, grant them renewed health — a foretaste of their eternal healing in Him. Lord, in Your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Give us joy in Your Son’s great victory feast as He shares it with us from this altar. In the eating of His true body and the drinking of His precious blood in faith, overcome our sin by His forgiveness and swallow up our death in His life, that we may be glad and rejoice in His salvation. Lord, in Your mercy,
hear our prayer.
Comfort those who mourn with the truth of Christ’s empty tomb, that in the midst of their grief they may abide in the hope of His resurrection. Uphold them in faith as they await the day when You will wipe every tear from all faces. Lord, in Your mercy,
hear our prayer.
We join today in singing eternal alleluias with innumerable angels in festal gathering, with the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven and with the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and we bring these petitions before You, dear Father, trusting in Your mercy; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
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THE LITURGY OF HOLY COMMUNION
Normally our recorded services do not include the Service of Holy Communion. But on this Easter Sunday, as we rejoice with great joy that our Lord lives, we invite you to hear and see the liturgy of communion as a remembrance of Christ’s presence among and within us.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give Him thanks and praise.
It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God. And most especially are we bound to praise You on this day for the glorious resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ, the very Paschal Lamb, who was sacrificed for us and bore the sins of the world. By His dying He has destroyed death, and by His rising again He has restored to us everlasting life. Therefore with Mary Magdalene, Peter and John, and with all the witnesses of the resurrection, with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and saying:
SANCTUS
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of pow’r and might:
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna. Hosanna. Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Blessed are You, Lord of heaven and earth, for You have had mercy on those whom You created and sent Your only-begotten Son into our flesh to bear our sin and be our Savior. With repentant joy we receive the salvation accomplished for us by the all-availing sacrifice of His body and His blood on the cross.
Gathered in the name and the remembrance of Jesus, we beg You, O Lord, to forgive, renew, and strengthen us with Your Word and Spirit. Grant us faithfully to eat His body and drink His blood as He bids us do in His own testament. Gather us together, we pray, from the ends of the earth to celebrate with all the faithful the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom, which has no end. Graciously receive our prayers; deliver and preserve us. To You alone, O Father, be all glory, honor, and worship, with the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
THE WORDS OF OUR LORD
Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night when He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said: “Take, eat; this is My + body, which is given for you. This do in remembrance of Me.”
In the same way also He took the cup after supper, and when He had given thanks, He gave it to them, saying: “Drink of it, all of you; this cup is the new testament in My + blood, which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
PROCLAMATION OF CHRIST
As often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
O Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, in giving us Your body and blood to eat and to drink, You lead us to remember and confess Your holy cross and passion, Your blessed death, Your rest in the tomb, Your resurrection from the dead, Your ascension into heaven, and Your coming for the final judgment. So remember us in Your kingdom and teach us to pray:
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 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.
PAX DOMINI
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
Amen.
AGNUS DEI
Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, You take away the sin of the world; grant us peace.
COMMUNION HYMN #467 Sts. 1-3 Awake, My Heart, with Gladness
Setting for organ and trumpet: Raymond Haan
1 Awake, my heart, with gladness,
See what today is done;
Now, after gloom and sadness,
Comes forth the glorious sun.
My Savior there was laid
Where our bed must be made
When to the realms of light
Our spirit wings its flight.
2 The foe in triumph shouted
When Christ lay in the tomb;
But lo, he now is routed,
His boast is turned to gloom.
For Christ again is free;
In glorious victory
He who is strong to save
Has triumphed o’er the grave.
3 This is a sight that gladdens—
What peace it doth impart!
Now nothing ever saddens
The joy within my heart.
No gloom shall ever shake,
No foe shall ever take
The hope which God’s own Son
In love for me has won.
POST-COMMUNION COLLECT
Let us pray.
Gracious God, our heavenly Father, You have given us a foretaste of the feast to come in the Holy Supper of Your Son’s body and blood. Keep us firm in the true faith throughout our days of pilgrimage that, on the day of His coming, we may, together with all Your saints, celebrate the marriage feast of the Lamb in His kingdom which has no end; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
BENEDICTION
The Lord bless us and keep us.
The Lord make His face shine on us
and be gracious to us.
The Lord look upon us with favor and ✠ give us peace.
Amen.
SENDING HYMN #464 The Strife is O’er the Battle Done
Refrain
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
1 The strife is o’er, the battle done;
Now is the victor’s triumph won;
Now be the song of praise begun.
Alleluia!
2 The pow’rs of death have done their worst,
But Christ their legions hath dispersed.
Let shouts of holy joy outburst.
Alleluia!
3 The three sad days have quickly sped,
He rises glorious from the dead.
All glory to our risen Head!
Alleluia!
4 He broke the age-bound chains of hell;
The bars from heav’n’s high portals fell.
Let hymns of praise His triumph tell.
Alleluia!
5 Lord, by the stripes which wounded Thee,
From death’s dread sting Thy servants free
That we may live and sing to Thee.
Alleluia! Refrain
POSTLUDE “The Strife is O’er, the Battle Done” Setting: Michael Helman: Arr. A. Jansen
Those Serving:
Amelia Jansen: Trumpet
Tamara Brown: Soprano
Melissa Hecht: Alto
Aaron Jansen: Tenor
Mark Shaltanis: Bass
Acknowledgments
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2021 Concordia Publishing House.
Jesus Christ Is Risen Today Text & Tune: Public domain
Now All the Vault of Heaven Resounds Text: © 1958 Augsburg Publishing House. Used by permission: LSB Hymn License no. 110005326 Tune: Public domain
Awake, My Heart, with Gladness Text and tune: Public domain
The Strife Is O’er, the Battle Done Text and Tune: Public domain
