Come join us as we close the day and welcome the evening in this devotional time.
To use closed captioning when viewing the recording, click on the Settings button (gear symbol - bottom right), then click on Subtitles/CC, then click on English (auto-generated).
Now click on Play to begin. (Triangle - bottom left).
A SERVICE OF EVENING PRAYER
April 8, 2021
Prelude
Now the Green Blade Rises ELW 379
Now the green blade rises from the buried grain,
wheat that in dark earth many days has lain;
love lives again, that with the dead has been;
love is come again like wheat arising green.
In the grave they laid him, love by hatred slain,
thinking that he would never wake again;
laid in the earth like grain that sleeps unseen;
love is come again like wheat arising green.
Forth he came at Easter, like the risen grain,
he that for three days in the grave had lain;
raised from the dead, my living Lord is seen;
love is come again like wheat arising green.
When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain,
your touch can call us back to life again,
fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been;
love is come again like wheat arising green.
Christ the Lord Is Risen Today! (vs. 1, 2, 5 & 6) ELW 373
"Christ the Lord is ris'n today!"
All on earth with angels say;
raise your joys and triumphs high;
sing, O heav'ns; and earth, reply.
Love's redeeming work is done,
fought the fight, the battle won;
Lo! The sun's eclipse is o'er.
Lo! He sets in blood no more.
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!
King of glory, soul of bliss,
everlasting life is this:
thee to know, thy pow'r to prove,
thus to sing, and thus to love!
Welcome
Dialogue
Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
We are illumined by the brightness of his rising.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Death has no more dominion over us.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
Thanksgiving for Baptism
Holy God, holy and merciful, holy and mighty, you are the river of life, you are the everlasting wellspring, you are the fire of rebirth.
Glory to you for oceans and lakes, for rivers and streams. Honor to you for cloud and rain, for dew and snow. Your waters are below us, around us, above us: our life is born in you. You are the fountain of resurrection.
Praise to you for your saving waters: Noah and the animals survive the flood, Hagar discovers your well. The Israelites escape through the sea, and they drink from your gushing rock. Naaman washes his leprosy away, and the Samaritan woman will never be thirsty again.
At the font, holy God, we pray: Praise to you for the water of baptism and for your Word that saves us in this water. Breathe your Spirit into all who are gathered here and into all creation. Illumine our days. Enliven our bones. Dry our tears. Wash away the sin within us and drown the evil around us.
Satisfy all our thirst with your living water, Jesus Christ, our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Amen.
Thanksgiving for Light
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
We give you thanks, O God, for in the beginning you called light into being,
and you set lights in the sky to govern night and day.
In a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night
you led your people into freedom.
Enlighten our darkness by the light of your Christ; may your Word be
a lamp to our feet and a light to our path; for you are merciful,
and you love your whole creation, and with all your creatures we give you glory,
through your Son Jesus Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
now and forever. Amen.
Psalm 133
1How very good and pleasant it is
when kindred live together in unity!
2It is like the precious oil on the head,
running down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
running down over the collar of his robes.
3It is like the dew of Hermon,
which falls on the mountains of Zion.
For there the LORD ordained his blessing,
life forevermore.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be. Amen.
Psalm 11
1In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to me,
"Flee like a bird to the mountains;
2for look, the wicked bend the bow,
they have fitted their arrow to the string,
to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart.
3If the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?"
4The LORD is in his holy temple;
the LORD's throne is in heaven.
His eyes behold, his gaze examines humankind.
5The LORD tests the righteous and the wicked,
and his soul hates the lover of violence.
6On the wicked he will rain coals of fire and sulfur;
a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
7For the LORD is righteous;
he loves righteous deeds;
the upright shall behold his face.
Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be. Amen.
Reading Acts 4:32-35
32Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common. 33With great power the apostles gave their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34There was not a needy person among them, for as many as owned lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold. 35They laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.
Reflection
Response
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness.
Offering Prayer
Faithful God, you walk beside us in desert places, and you meet us in our hunger with. abundant provision from your gracious hand. Accompany us in this journey that we may pass over from death to life, through Jesus the Christ. Amen.
Contemporary Reading: “It looks like the sky is coming apart and together at the same time”
by Maya Stein
It looks like the sky is coming apart and together at the same time
And the body is holding its losses like a fist. And a fleshy hope
is opening to an unprecedented vastness. And whatever we think
we are leaving behind will keep insisting. And the things we desire
will elude us. And our efforts will pose as failure. And we will not recognize
how far we’ve come. And we will solve one problem and create another.
And we will feel broken. And we will not be broken. And the silence
will be deafening. And we will love destructively. And no one
will appear to be listening. And there will be too many doors
to choose from. And we will keep saying, “I don’t know how to do this.”
And we will be more capable than we ever imagined.
Gospel Canticle (together)
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for you, Lord,
have looked with favor on your lowly servant.From this day all generations will call me bless’d:
you, the Almighty, have done great things for me and holy is your name.
You have mercy on those who fear you,
from generation to generation.
You have shown strength with your arm
and scattered the proud in their conceit,
casting down the mighty from their thrones
and lifting up the lowly.
You have filled the hungry with good things
and sent the rich away empty.
You have come to the aid of your servant Israel,
to remember the promise of mercy, the promise made
to our forebears, to Abraham and his children forever.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.
Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s 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 to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come 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.
Prayers
Living God, giver of life, hear us as we pray, saying, Pour out your blessing, O Lord;
send us your Spirit of peace.
We pray for the church. Let your church be a living sign of the woundedness and healing of Christ, sharing the gift of forgiveness and the gospel of reconciliation. Pour out your blessing, O Lord;
send us your Spirit of peace.
We pray for the earth. Help us to see the scars of death that mark your good creation, and to seek the blessing of life that you offer to all creatures. Pour out your blessings, O Lord;
send your Spirit of peace.
We pray for all nations. Show us how good and pleasant it is when people live together in unity, and anoint us with your wisdom so that we may seek the ways of life . Pour out your blessing, O Lord;
send us your Spirit of peace.
We pray for this community. Give us a vision of the common good: not clinging to our own possessions but seeking the fullness of life for all as a testimony to Christ’s resurrection.
Pour out your blessing, O Lord;
send us your Spirit of peace.
We pray for loved ones. Be near to those who walk in darkness and lead us all into Christ’s light so that our fellowship may be true and our joy may be complete. Pour out your blessing, O Lord;
send us your Spirit of peace.
By the blessing of your Spirit, help us to live as we pray so that the world may come to know the gift of life in Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen
Benediction
Postlude
What a Fellowship, What a Joy Divine ELW 774
What a fellowship, what a joy divine,
leaning on the everlasting arms;
what a blessedness, what a peace is mine,
leaning on the everlasting arms.
Refrain
Leaning, leaning, (Leaning on Jesus, leaning on Jesus,)
safe and secure from all alarms;
leaning, leaning, (leaning on Jesus, leaning on Jesus,)
leaning on the everlasting arms.
Oh, how sweet to walk in this pilgrim way,
leaning on the everlasting arms;
oh, how bright the path grows from day to day,
leaning on the everlasting arms. Refrain
What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
leaning on the everlasting arms?
I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
leaning on the everlasting arms. Refrain
Now the Green Blade Rises Text: John MacLeod Campbell Crum, 1872-1958, Text from Oxford Book of Carols © Oxford University Press 1928. Reprinted and/or streamed with permission under OneLicense #A-722274. All rights reserved.Music:French carol, Public domain.
Christ the Lord Is Risen Today! Text: Charles Wesley, 1707-1788, alt. Public domain, Music: Pierre de Corbeil, d. 1222, arr Lutheran Book of Worship, Arr. © 1978 Augsburg Fortress, Reprinted and/or streamed with permission under OneLicense #A-722274. All rights reserved.
What a Fellowship, What a Joy Divine Text: Elisha A. Hoffman, 1839-1929, Music: Anthony J. Showalter, 1858-1924. Public domain.
