THIRD SUNDAY OF EASTER
April 26, 2020
+ AS WE GATHER +
The seven Sundays of Easter celebrate the greatest of all victories—the defeat of sin, death, and the devil by Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The theme of victory fills each of the Sundays of Easter and radiates out the joy of the first Easter morning week by week. One Easter hymnwriter exhorts: “Let hymns of praise His triumph tell” (LSB 464:3). There is so much to be sung and to be told about the victory of Jesus, our Lord—and we are the ones gifted with the opportunity to do the singing and the telling in our generation.
+ PREPARATION +
Press Play below to hear the beginning of the service. (adjust your volume as needed)HYMN: #463 – Christ the Lord Is Risen Today; Alleluia
Press Play below to hear and/or sing along with hymn #463. ONLY Press the play button on the video 1 time. When the hymn is complete continue scrolling down through the rest of the service as usual. (adjust your volume as needed)
HYMN: #463 – Christ the Lord Is Risen Today; Alleluia
1 Christ the Lord is ris’n today; Alleluia!
Christians, hasten on your way; Alleluia!
Offer praise with love replete, Alleluia!
At the paschal victim’s feet. Alleluia!
2 For the sheep the Lamb has bled, Alleluia!
Sinless in the sinner’s stead. Alleluia!
Christ the Lord is ris’n on high; Alleluia!
Now He lives, no more to die. Alleluia!
3 Hail, the victim undefiled, Alleluia!
God and sinners reconciled, Alleluia!
When contending death and life, Alleluia!
Met in strange and awesome strife. Alleluia!
4 Christians, on this holy day, Alleluia!
All your grateful homage pay; Alleluia!
Christ the Lord is ris’n on high; Alleluia!
Now He lives, no more to die. Alleluia!
INVOCATION
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
OPENING SENTENCES Romans 6:9; Matthew 28:7; Hebrews 2:7; Psalm 8:6, adapted
Pastor: Christ being raised from the dead will never die again;
People: death no longer has dominion over Him.
Pastor: Christ has risen from the dead. Alleluia!
People: God the Father has crowned Him with glory and honor,
Pastor: He has given Him dominion over the works of His hands;
People: He has put all things under His feet. Alleluia! Alleluia!
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION
Pastor: Let us confess our sin to God, our merciful Father.
People: Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our creator and preserver, we admit and confess our sinfulness. We are stained by sin from our very beginnings. We have sinned again and again in thought, word, and deed. We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves and have turned away from one another in our thinking, speaking, and doing. We have done the evil You forbid and have not done the good You demand. We do repent and are truly sorry for all of our many sins. Have mercy on us, gracious Father; forgive us all that is past, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, direct our lives so that we serve You in true faithfulness. Grant us victory over all that oppresses us, and build Your kingdom among us here through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Pastor: In His boundless mercy, God has promised forgiveness of sins to those who repent and turn to Him for restoration and renewal. Therefore, as a called servant of Christ, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. God keep you in His grace by the Holy Spirit, and grant you a life on earth in which you tell of His greatness, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
People: Amen.
+ WORD +
KYRIE
All: Lord have mercy;
Christ have mercy;
Lord have mercy.
HYMN of PRAISE: This Is the Feast
Press Play below to hear and/or sing along with the HYMN of PRAISE: This Is the Feast. (adjust your volume as needed)HYMN of PRAISE: This Is the Feast
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.
SALUTATION and PRAYER of the DAY
Pastor: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Pastor: Let us pray.
O God, through the humiliation of Your Son You raised up the fallen world. Grant to Your faithful people, rescued from the peril of everlasting death, perpetual gladness and eternal joys; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
FIRST LESSON Acts 2:14a, 36–41
(Peter preaches in the heart of Jerusalem.)
14Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them, . . .
36Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
37Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” 41So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
Pastor: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
PSALM 116:1-14 (spoken responsively by verse)
1I love the Lord, because he has heard
my voice and my pleas for mercy.
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, deliver my soul!”
5Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;
our God is merciful.
6The Lord preserves the simple;
when I was brought low, he saved me.
7Return, O my soul, to your rest;
for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
8For you have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling;
9I will walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
10I believed, even when I spoke,
“I am greatly afflicted”;
11I said in my alarm,
“All mankind are liars.”
12What shall I render to the Lord
for all his benefits 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.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
EPISTLE 1 Peter 1:17–25
(Peter reminds us that we redeemed by the blood of Christ.)
17If you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for your sake, 21who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
22Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, 23since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; 24for
“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
25but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
Pastor: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
ALLELUIA and VERSE Romans 6:9; Luke 24:32
All: Alleluia. We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. Alleluia. Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures? Alleluia.
HOLY GOSPEL Luke 24:13–36
(The disciples are witnesses of the risen Lord.)
Pastor: The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, the twenty-fourth chapter.
People: Glory to You, O Lord.
13That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up 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 happened. 22Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even 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 him they did not see.” 25And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
28So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
36As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!”
Pastor: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to You, O Christ.
HYMN: #919 – Abide, O Dearest Jesus
Press Play below to hear and/or sing along with hymn #919. ONLY Press the play button on the video 1 time. When the hymn is complete continue scrolling down through the rest of the service as usual. (adjust your volume as needed)
HYMN: #919 – Abide, O Dearest Jesus
1 Abide, O dearest Jesus,
Among us with Your grace
That Satan may not harm us
Nor we to sin give place.
2 Abide, O dear Redeemer,
Among us with Your Word,
And thus now and hereafter
True peace and joy afford.
3 Abide with heav’nly brightness
Among us, precious Light;
Your truth direct and keep us
From error’s gloomy night.
4 Abide with richest blessings
Among us, bounteous Lord;
Let us in grace and wisdom
Grow daily through Your Word.
5 Abide with Your protection
Among us, Lord, our strength,
Lest world and Satan fell us
And overcome at length.
6 Abide, O faithful Savior,
Among us with Your love;
Grant steadfastness and help us
To reach our home above.
SERMON – “Easter 3 Is your Savior still in the grave”
APOSTLES’ CREED
Pastor: God has made us His people through our Baptism into Christ. Living together in trust and hope, we confess our faith.
All: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.
And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven
and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy Christian Church,
the communion of saints.
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Pastor: Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.
We pray for the whole Church, that it would tell the message of salvation joyfully throughout all the world and the Easter victory of Jesus Christ be celebrated around the globe. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: We pray for the nations of the world, that the governments of all nations be a source of blessing to those who are governed and that they would use the resources God has given to end the pandemic now plaguing our world as quickly as possible. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: We pray for ourselves in this season of our Lord’s great victory, that we truly be Easter people all year long, radiating the light of Christ in our homes, workplaces, and communities. Lord, in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: We pray for all who serve us through their callings, especially for those who deal with special challenges or dangers on a regular basis, including police, fire, and emergency personnel. Also, we remember at this time the military forces of our nation, those stationed both at home and abroad, whose efforts serve to defend our nation in challenging times. Lord in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: We pray for those with special concerns and needs this day: those who are hospitalized and all who are afflicted in any way by coronavirus, those on our prayer list, those who grieve, the unemployed and underemployed, the chronically ill and shut-in, and all others whose needs are not known to us at this time. Bless them with Your presence, gracious Father, that they have a sense of victory in their lives and find strength and hope for each day. Lord in your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
Pastor: Merciful God, we bless You for having placed into our lives faithful Christian people to guide us. On this day we remember those no longer among us on earth who have completed their earthly races and have won the final victory in Christ. Lead us to follow in their way, that we rejoice together eternally at Your Table and in Your mansions. Lord in Your mercy,
People: hear our prayer.
OFFERING
LORD’S PRAYER Matthew 6:9–13
All: 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.
CLOSING PRAYER
Blessed Lord, You have caused all Holy Scriptures to be written for our learning. Grant that we may so hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them that, by patience and comfort of Your holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
BENEDICTION
Pastor: The Lord bless you and keep you.
The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you.
The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace. Numbers 6:24–26
People: Amen.
HYMN: #469 – Christ the Lord Is Risen Today
Press Play below to hear and/or sing along with hymn #469. ONLY Press the play button on the video 1 time. When the hymn is complete continue scrolling down through the rest of the service as usual. (adjust your volume as needed)
HYMN: #469 – Christ the Lord Is Risen Today
1 “Christ the Lord is ris’n today!”
Saints on earth and angels say;
Raise your joys and triumphs high;
Sing, ye heav’ns, and earth, reply.
2 Love’s redeeming work is done,
Fought the fight, the battle won;
Lo! Our Sun’s eclipse is o’er;
Lo! He sets in blood no more.
3 Vain the stone, the watch, the seal;
Christ hath burst the gates of hell.
Death in vain forbids His rise;
Christ has opened paradise.
4 Lives again our glorious King!
Where, O death, is now thy sting?
Once He died our souls to save;
Where thy victory, O grave?
5 Soar we now where Christ has led;
Foll’wing our exalted Head.
Made like Him, like Him we rise;
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies.
6 Hail the Lord of earth and heav’n!
Praise to Thee by both be giv’n!
Thee we greet triumphant now:
Hail, the resurrection, Thou!
