The Third Sunday of Easter

May 4, 2025, 8:00 AM

Prelude:

Opening Welcome & Announcements

Processional Hymn: #417 This is the feast of victory 

Baptismal Acclamation

Celebrant: Alleluia. Christ is risen.
People: The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.

Celebrant:  There is one Body and one Spirit;
People: There is one hope in God’s call to us.

Celebrant:  One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism.
People: One God and Father of all.

Collect of the Day

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Gloria s-278

The Word of God

The First Lesson: Acts 9:1-6

Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" He asked, "Who are you, Lord?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do."

Reader: The Word of the Lord.     People: Thanks be to God.

Psalm 30

1 I will exalt you, O Lord, because you have | lifted • me | up *

and have not let my | ene • mies | triumph | over me.

2 O Lord my God, I cried | out to | you, *

and | you re | stored me • to | health.

3 You brought me up, O Lord, | from the | dead; *

you restored my life as I was | going | down • to the | grave.

4 Sing to the Lord, you | servants • of | his; *

give thanks for the re | membrance | of his | holiness.

5 For his wrath endures but the | twinkling • of an | eye, *

his | favor | for a | lifetime.

6 Weeping may | spend the | night, *

but | jöy | comes • in the | morning.

11 Hear, O Lord, and have | mercy • up | on me; *

O | Lörd, | be my | helper."

12 You have turned my | wailing • into | dancing; *

you have put off my | sack-cloth • and | clothed me • with | joy.

♰13 Therefore my heart sings to you | without | ceasing; *

O Lord my God, I will | give you | thanks for | ever.

The Second Lesson: Revelation 5:11-14

I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders; they numbered myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, singing with full voice,

"Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!"

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, singing,

"To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!"

And the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the elders fell down and worshiped.

Reader: The Word of the Lord.     People: Thanks be to God.

Sequence Hymn: #343 Shepherd of souls, refresh and bless

The Gospel:  John 21:1-19

Gospeller: The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John.
People: Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said to him, "We will go with you." They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.

Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to them, "Children, you have no fish, have you?" They answered him, "No." He said to them, "Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord!" When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish that you have just caught." So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. Jesus said to them, "Come and have breakfast." Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" because they knew it was the Lord. Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." A second time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" He said to him, "Yes, Lord; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Tend my sheep." He said to him the third time, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" And he said to him, "Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my sheep. Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go." (He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, "Follow me."

Gospeller: The Gospel of the Lord. People: Praise to you, Lord Christ.

The Sermon: Youth Preachers, Grace Farr and Ian Wood


The Baptismal Covenant

Do you believe in God the Father?
I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?
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.

Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?
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.

Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in the Prayers?
I will, with God’s help.

Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?
I will, with God's help.

Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ?
I will, with God's help.

Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
I will, with God's help.

Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
I will, with God's help.

Prayers for the Candidates

Let us now pray for Banks, who is to receive the Sacrament of new birth this Easter.

Deliver her, O Lord, from the way of sin and death. Lord, hear our prayer.
Open her heart to your grace and truth. Lord, hear our prayer.
Fill her with your holy and life-giving Spirit. Lord, hear our prayer.
Keep her in the faith and communion of your holy Church. Lord, hear our prayer.
Teach her to love others in the power of the Spirit. Lord, hear our prayer.
Send her into the world in witness to your love. Lord, hear our prayer.
Bring her to the fullness of your peace and glory. Lord, hear our prayer.

Grant, O Lord, that all who are baptized into the death of Jesus Christ your Son may live in the power of his resurrection and look for him to come again in glory; who lives and reigns now and forever. Amen.

The Holy Communion

The Peace + Offertory Sentence

Birthdays/Anniversaries

Birthday Prayer

O God, our times are in your hand: Look with favor on these your servants as they begin another year. Grant that they may grow in wisdom and grace, and strengthen their trust in your goodness all the days of their lives: and the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be upon each of you this day and in the days to come. Amen.

Wedding Anniversary

O gracious and everliving God, look mercifully upon those who come to renew the promises they have made to each other. Grant them your grace and assist them with your power, that with true fidelity and steadfast love they may honor and keep their promises and vows; through Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen

Blessing of the Graduates

Loving God, we thank You for all who graduate from middle school, high school, college and seminary this time of the year. You have blessed them during their years in school with wisdom, friendships, and skills. You continue to challenge them to make this world a better place because of their education.

Help them to look forward to their next steps: continuing in their education or entering the work world. Particularly help those who are seeking employment to find a job suitable to their education.

Give them faith and a sense of purpose in their next steps.

Show them how to serve others in effective ways.

And may they always be aware in everything they do, that they will find fulfillment in doing Your will, that You will be with them always, and that You will bring to completion the good work You have begun in them. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, we pray. Amen

Offertory Music: O Sacrum Convivium - Thomas Pavlechko

O sacred banquet! in which Christ is received,
the memory of his Passion is renewed,
the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory to us is given.

The Doxology

The Great Thanksgiving

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 right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.  But chiefly are we bound to praise you for the glorious resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; for he is the true Paschal Lamb, who was sacrificed for us, and has taken away the sin of the world. By his death he has destroyed death, and by his rising to life again he has won for us everlasting life.

Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:

Sanctus: S-128

Holy and gracious Father: In your infinite love you made us for yourself, and, when we had fallen into sin and become subject to evil and death, you, in your mercy, sent Jesus Christ, your only and eternal Son, to share our human nature, to live and die as one of us, to reconcile us to you, the God and Father of all. He stretched out his arms upon the cross, and offered himself, in obedience to your will, a perfect sacrifice for the whole world.

On the night he was handed over to suffering and death, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me."

After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, "Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me."

Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

We celebrate the memorial of our redemption, O Father, in this sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Recalling his death, resurrection, and ascension, we offer you these gifts. Sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of your Son, the holy food and drink of new and unending life in him. Sanctify us also that we may faithfully receive this holy Sacrament, and serve you in unity, constancy, and peace; and at the last day bring us with all your saints into the joy of your eternal kingdom.

All this we ask through your Son Jesus Christ: By him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and forever. AMEN.

And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say,

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, for ever and ever. Amen.

The Breaking of the Bread

Celebrant breaks Bread; silence is kept.

Alleluia. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us; Therefore let us keep the feast. Alleluia.

Invitation to Communion

The Gifts of God for the People of God. Take them in remembrance that Christ died for you and feed on him in your hearts by faith, with thanksgiving.

Communion Music

Be Still My Soul - arr. Kari Jobi

Post-Communion Prayer

Let us pray.

Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted us as living members of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have fed us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of his Body and Blood. Send us now into the world in peace, and grant us strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Blessing

May the author of life, the risen Lord Jesus, pour out the Holy Spirit upon you this day so that you will live a new resurrected life all of your days, and on the last day rise to eternal life in God’s kingdom. And the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be with you and remain with you always. Amen.

Recessional Hymn: #182 Christ is alive!

Dismissal & Closing Announcements

Postlude:

Musicians for Today’s Service

Dan Dufford, Director of Music
Sarah Kanyok, cantor