Worship Resources for
the Center for Faith and Giving
2nd Sunday of Easter
Acts 2:14a, 22-32
Psalm 16
1 Peter 1:3-9
John 20:19-31
Call to Worship (inspired by Easter and by Psalm 16)
One: Alleluia! Christ is risen!
Many: Alleluia! New life opens before us, and our hearts are glad!
One: Our resurrecting God continues to breathe new life into all creation.
Many: Our loving God shows us the path of life.
One: We know with God’s Spirit there is fullness of joy.
ALL: So let’s come together, rejoicing in God’s good gift of life!
Opening Prayer
Holy God, Giver of Life,
In raising Jesus from the dead, you conquered the grave!
We continue to rejoice in the new life we know as disciples of the Christ.
Accept our praise today, and fill us once more with your Spirit,
that we might daily proclaim your Good News
in our words and in our actions.
AMEN
Moment for Stewardship
Margaret Renkl, a contemporary writer, wrote about being in worship following Easter. She affirmed, “I will … remember the ones I loved who sat beside me in the pew and whose participation in the eternal has found another form. I will lift my voice in song and give thanks for my life. I will pray for my church and my country, especially the people my church and my country are failing. And then I will walk into the world and do my best to practice resurrection.” (From “Easter Is Calling Me Back to the Church,” New York Times, March 25, 2018)
I will walk into the world and do my best to practice resurrection.
That’s our calling as Easter people! New life gives us new opportunities to practice resurrection. Like the first disciples, having received the resurrected Jesus’ gift (“receive the Holy Spirit!”), our best actions include using our time, our talents, and our treasure to offer LIFE to a world of need.
Join me in sharing from our finances and in committing to sharing our time and our talents to plant this as a place where many are enabled to practice resurrection.
With generous hearts, let’s act out our identity as resurrection people!
Prayer of Thanksgiving
God of abundant life, thank you for the Good News of resurrection!
Thank you for the ways we’re inspired to live out that message through our daily lives. Accept these gifts and accept our intention not to hoard our time talents, and treasure, but to share them as “Alleluia!” signals of the life you desire for all your beloved children. AMEN
Invitation to Communion
In John’s Gospel we hear how the resurrected Jesus appeared in a locked room where many of the disciples were hiding out (John 20), and then appeared again later when some of the disciples had gone fishing (John 21).
In that story, Jesus had a fire going on the shore as the fishermen brought their catch in. Jesus offered breakfast: fish and bread.
I’m grateful at this table we have bread and juice!
(Would anyone rather have fish?)
Just as Jesus reached out and invited the disciples to a meal he had prepared, we’re invited as followers of Jesus, to share in this meal. We remember Jesus sharing bread and wine, and we remember Jesus as we share this simple feast.
Come! All is prepared, and you are invited to participate as we eat and drink, remembering Jesus.