April 26, 2020 Worship Service

CELEBRATION OF THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD

Third Sunday of Easter

April 26, 2020

Today’s gospel begins with two disciples walking to Emmaus, overcome with sadness, loss, and disappointment. They had hoped Jesus, who was crucified, would be the one to redeem Israel! Yet the risen Christ walks with them and then opens their eyes to the truth of God’s promised salvation throughout the Scriptures. Each Sunday our hearts burn within us as the scriptures are proclaimed and Christ appears as the living Word of God

GATHERING The Holy Spirit calls us together as the people of God

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.

Silence for reflection

Most merciful God,

we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.

In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for his sake God forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained minister of the church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

CALL TO WORSHIP

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

HYMN “We are Baptized in Christ Jesus” ELW #451

GREETING

The grace of our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

And also with you.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Let us pray.

O God, your Son makes himself known to all his disciples by opening their eyes to his presence throughout the Scriptures. Open the eyes of our faith, that we may see him in his redeeming work, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

WORD God speaks to us in scripture reading, preaching, and song

FIRST READING Acts 2:14a, 36 – 41

A reading from the book of Acts of the Apostles:

^14aPeter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed [the crowd],

³⁶“Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
³⁷Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” ³⁸Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” ⁴⁰And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” ⁴¹So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

PSALMODY Psalm 116:1 – 4, 12 – 19

¹I love the Lord, because he has heard
    my voice and my supplications.
²Because he inclined his ear to me,
    therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
³The snares of death encompassed me;
    the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
    I suffered distress and anguish.
⁴Then I called on the name of the Lord:
    “O Lord, I pray, save my life!”

¹²What shall I return to the Lord
    for all his bounty to me?
¹³I will lift up the cup of salvation
    and call on the name of the Lord,
¹⁴I will pay my vows to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people.
¹⁵Precious in the sight of the Lord
    is the death of his faithful ones.
¹⁶O Lord, I am your servant;
    I am your servant, the child of your serving girl.
    You have loosed my bonds.
¹⁷I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice
    and call on the name of the Lord.
¹⁸I will pay my vows to the Lord
    in the presence of all his people,
¹⁹in the courts of the house of the Lord,
    in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!

SECOND READING 1 Peter 1:17 – 23

A reading from the First letter of Peter:

¹⁷If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. ¹⁸You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, ¹⁹but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. ²⁰He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. ²¹Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God.
²²Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. ²³You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.

The word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

In many and various ways God spoke to the people of old through the prophets

But now in these last days, God has spoken to us through his Son.

GOSPEL READING Luke 24:13 – 35

The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the 24th chapter.

Glory to you, O Lord.

¹³Now on that same day [when Jesus had appeared to Mary Magdalene,] two [disciples] were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, ¹⁴and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. ¹⁵While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, ¹⁶but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. ¹⁸Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” ¹⁹He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, ²⁰and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. ²¹But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. ²²Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, ²³and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. ²⁴Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” ²⁵Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! ²⁶Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” ²⁷Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
²⁸As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. ²⁹But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. ³⁰When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. ³¹Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. ³²They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” ³³That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. ³⁴They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” ³⁵Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

SERMON The Rev. Karl M. Richard

HYMN OF THE DAY “In the Name of Jesus” TFF #265 “Victory is Mine” TFF #266

PROFESSION OF FAITH Apostles’ Creed

God has made us his people through our Baptism into Christ. Living together in trust and hope, we confess our faith.

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen

OFFERING

Those who wish to make an offering to St. Matthew may use the green GIVE button on our website: www.stmattspringfield.org, or mail it to
St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 400 Lynbrooke Rd., Springfield, PA 19064

Those who wish to make an offering to Grace may mail it to
Grace Lutheran Church, 2191 West Chester Pike, Broomall, PA 19008

THE PEACE

The peace of Christ be with you always.

And also with you.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

Separated in our residences but united by God’s promises of restoration, we pray for the church, the earth, the world, and all who are in need.
A brief silence.

Come to your church, so burdened by heartache. Give us faith to know your loving presence among us. Open the scriptures to us, and nourish us with the bread of your word. Direct our clergy and church leaders, especially our Presiding Bishop, Elizabeth, and our Synodical Bishop, Patricia, in their novel and difficult tasks. Bind into one all denominations around the globe in hope for the renewal of all things, and uphold the work of the World Council of Churches.
A brief silence.

O God our merciful Savior,
give ear to us.

Come to the earth. Bless all the natural world. Renew landscapes, cleanse the waters, and protect your creatures. Save your people especially at this time from destructive storms and floods. Keep all viruses and diseases in check, for the sake of your beloved world.
A brief silence.

O God our benevolent Gardener,
give ear to us.

Come to the nations. Preserve all peoples from war and violence. Guide the leaders of nations, our president, our governors, and our legislators toward wise decisions in struggling against the corona virus and in reviving the economy. Teach all peoples how to share limited resources with those in greater need. Guide the work of the United Nations during this unprecedented situation.
A brief silence.

O God our mighty Peacemaker,
give ear to us.

Come to all who suffer from Covid-19 (especially these who are known to us). Comfort the mourners, heal the sick, sustain medical workers. Empower those researchers who are seeking a vaccine. Stay with us, and accompany all those who are isolated or afraid. Give to those with prior ailments and chronic disease their necessary medical care. Especially we pray for those we name here before you (especially):
A brief silence.

O God our compassionate Healer,
give ear to us.

As at Emmaus you joined the meal of the disciples, so come also to our tables. Uphold farmers, ranchers, migrant workers, and all who produce, package and market our food. Guard the health of those who work at grocery stores. Bless the efforts of local food banks. Enable us to feed the children who have relied on food given out at school. Show us how to feed the people living in refugee camps and nations experiencing famine and drought.
A brief silence.

O God our generous Provider,
give ear to us.

Accept our praises for those who have died in the faith, including those stricken with the corona virus, the medical workers who died healing others, and this week Catherine of Siena, the apostles Philip and James, and Bishop Athanasius, each of whom served you in their own time and place. Accompany us now, as you did them, until at the end of all things we feast at your table with all the saints in glory.
A brief silence.

O God, the Mystery of Life,
give ear to us.

With bold confidence in your providence, O holy and gracious God, we place all for whom we pray into your eternal care; through Christ our saving Lord.
Amen.

LORD’S PRAYER

Lord, remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray,

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.

BENEDICTION

The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to sine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace. In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

HYMN “Alleluia! Jesus is Risen!” WOV #674

DISMISSAL

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Go in peace. Serve the Risen Lord.

Thanks be to God. Alleluia!

April 26, 2020 Worship Service