Worship - April 16, 2006

Leader: This the day that the Lord has made.
                 Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
People: This is the day that the stone is cast aside
                 And the mantle of darkness is torn away.
Leader: God has swallowed up death forever
                 And brushed our tears away.
People: This is the day of salvation.
Leader: Be glad and rejoice -
                 The Lord of light has come and reigns forever.
             Christ is risen!
People: Christ is risen indeed!
       All: Alleluia! Alleluia!

Hymnal #668. Altered from
All the Seasons of Mercy, by Diane Karay,
John Knox Press, � 1987 Diane Karay.

Opening Prayer

Gracious Source of Life, on this morning we gather and sing hallelujah, for the sadness and fear of Good Friday have been replaced as we rejoice in the life and power of Easter Sunday. From death rises new life; out of despair rises powerful hope.

O God of wonder and surprises, rise in our lives this Easter morning, that divine grace and human love may spill forth from each of us and our lives may witness to your resurrecting power. In the spirit of the Risen One we pray. Amen

by Carol A. Wise
taken from pg. 44-45,
For All Who Minister, �1993, Brethren Press

Pastoral Prayer

written closer to the time (if not at the moment)

For Children
"The un-wrappings"

"Imagine your birthday party or Christmas day, after all the presents have been opened. What's left over? The wrapping paper. The presents have moved on to other places, to be played with or looked at or used. All that remains are what covered the present - sometimes torn and tossed, sometimes carefully removed and folded. When you open a wrapped present, do you do it gently - trying to save the paper, or do you gleefully rip it off and let it drop? Anyway, the leftovers - the wrapping paper - is sometimes all you see of the joy of the occasion afterward.

"That's sort of like what the first Easter was like. When Mary, then Peter and the other disciple went to where Jesus had been buried (you know, after he had died on the cross), the tomb was empty. All they saw was what was leftover. There, where his body had been placed, was what he had been wrapped in [go to the worship center and pick up the linen cloth lying there]. It was sort of like the wrapping paper left over after all the presents have been opened. That was all they saw at first. They didn't understand, though. Instead of seeing this cloth as evidence that a wonderful present had been opened, they thought somebody had stolen the present. They were sad, and maybe a little mad, and very confused. What didn't they understand? [playfully work with their answers].

"Right now I'd like you to help me do something with this wrapping paper, I mean this linen cloth. Would you help me drape it over the cross? Then, when we look at this cross, and see the wrapping paper, I mean the linen cloth, on it we can remember that the present has been opened, that Jesus - who died - is alive. God opened the package, I mean the tomb. Jesus isn't there any more. Christ is alive! [together, put the cloth on the cloth while the congregation sings "Christ is alive! Let Christians sing!" #278]"

Returning our Tithes and Offerings

The good news is not something God intended to keep wrapped up in a box. No, the tomb that held Jesus, is empty. Not because someone stole his body, but because God raised him from the dead. Christ is alive, indeed! That belief lies at the heart of our faith, as we trust God to raise us from the dead, also. All because of Jesus.
Let's not keep this good news all wrapped up. Let's make sure it gets opened and shared, not just in this room, but out wherever we live and work and play. Please pray with me.

Lord, it is a temptation to keep what you have given all to ourselves, to wrap it up tight, tie it with a bow, and place it on a table to admire how pretty it looks, but never open. Help us, God, to tear off the paper and open it up with child-like abandon. And then, Living Christ, nudge us to share. Thank you for all that you have given. May we rise to the occasion by your power and live empty tomb lives. In your name. Amen.

Ushers?

Unison Prayer

O God, it is for you that we have waited so long, and it is your story that we celebrate again today. May our voices never tire of saying and may our hearts never cease to beat with the promise that you showed us the way through the resurrection: He is risen indeed! Go with us from this place, but more importantly, may we take you from this place to share with our neighbors and strangers in our community. Let us be glad and rejoice in the opportunity to experience new life in Christ, just as we enjoy new foods and new faces around our potluck table. Let us be glad and rejoice! Amen.

Angie Yoder, General Board Member
Peoria, Arizona
Church of the Brethren Living Word Bulletin
Anchor/Wallace, Sleepy Eye MN 56085, "The Living Word Series"

Benediction