16. Year A - Easter Evening

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16. Year A - Easter Evening

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VERSION: 25 February 2002

 

EASTER EVENING

FIRST SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEARS A, B, C

 

In 2002: 31 Mar

In 2003: 20 Apr

In 2004: 11 Apr

In 2005: 27 Mar

In 2006: 16 Apr

In 2007: 8 Apr

In 2008: 23 Mar

In 2009: 12 Apr

In 2010: 4 Apr

In 2011: 24 Apr

In 2012: 8 Apr

In 2013: 31 Mar

In 2014: 20 Apr

In 2015: 5 Apr

In 2016: 27 Mar

- - -

 

Note: For explanations and suggestions on the various resources provided, see the documents 'General notes and resources' and 'Easter season' in the 'General and seasonal' folder.

 

LITURGY

 

SENTENCE

See the document 'General notes and resources', under 'Sentence', in the 'General and seasonal' folder for suggestions on using a Sentence.

 

Stay with us, O Lord, because it is almost evening; alleluia;

and the day is now nearly over. Alleluia! (Luke 24:29 NRSV)

 

OR, use one of the standard Easter Sentences in the document 'Easter season', under 'Sentence', in the 'General and seasonal' folder.

 

PRAYER OF THE DAY (COLLECT)

Traditional

Almighty God,

since you have overcome sin and death

by the death of your Son,

and have restored innocence and eternal life

by his resurrection,

so that we may be delivered from the power of the devil

and live in your kingdom:

Grant that we may confidently believe this

and always praise you with our whole heart;

through your Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

 

OR, modernised traditional

Almighty God,

you have overcome sin and death

through the death of your Son,

and have brought forgiveness and eternal life

through his resurrection.

Help us confidently to believe this

and always praise you with our whole heart.

We ask this through your Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

 

OR, another traditional

Almighty God,

you have overcome death

through your Son Jesus Christ,

and have opened for us

the gate to eternal life.

As you give us good desires,

help us continually

to bring them to good effect.

We ask this through your Son,

Jesus Christ our Lord,

who lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

 

OR, new (revised alternative)

(Let us pray that we rejoice in Christ's victory. [silence])

Everliving God,

we thank you that you have overcome

the old powers of sin and death

through the mighty resurrection of your Son,

and have made all things new in him.

Make us dead to sin and alive to you in Jesus Christ.

For he lives and reigns

with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

 

FIRST READING

Isaiah 25:6-9 God will prepare a banquet

 

PSALM

Psalm 114

Antiphon:

Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord. (Ps 114:7a NRSV)

 

SECOND READING

1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 Remove the old yeast of sin, and be pure

 

ALLELUIA VERSE

Alleluia, alleluia.

(Since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again;

death no longer has any power over him.

Alleluia!)

Were not our hearts burning within us

while the Lord was opening the Scriptures to us?

(Luke 24:32 NRSV alt)

Alleluia.

 

GOSPEL

Luke 24:13-49 Jesus made known in the breaking of the bread

 

PRAYER AFTER THE GOSPEL

This is the gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ (, raised to live forever).

Thank you, Lord Jesus,

for revealing yourself in the Scriptures and the breaking of the bread.

Strengthen our faith through your word and sacraments.

Amen.

 

OFFERING PRAYER

Living God,

cleanse our lives of darkness and sin,

and let us celebrate together the new life of Christ.

Strengthen our faith through the Scriptures

and come to us through your holy meal,

so that we may go out to serve and to witness to others.

Amen.

 

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

Call to prayer

Our risen Lord Jesus revealed himself in the breaking of the bread. Here at this meal, let us pray that we may be fed with the bread of life.

 

The regular response, OR:

Father, feed us with the bread of life,

so that we may hunger no more.

 

Suggested intercessions

*

For the hungry and the starving throughout the world

*

For those who hunger and thirst for righteousness and peace

*

For farmers who struggle to make a living producing food for others

*

For the sick and the dying, who hunger for health

*

For those who hunger for understanding, that God's word may be revealed to them

*

For the whole communion of saints, that we may see Jesus in the breaking of bread.

 

Concluding prayer

Father, in the resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ, you have swallowed up death forever, and opened up the way for all people to sit with you at the feast of eternal life. Feed us now and always with the bread of life, our Lord Jesus Christ, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

Amen.

 

SEASONAL PREFACE

It is indeed right and good,

Lord God, holy Father,

that we should at all times and in all places

give thanks to you,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

But most of all we praise you

for the glorious resurrection of your Son,

the true Passover Lamb,

who has taken away the sin of the world.

By his death he has destroyed death,

and by his rising again he has restored life.

And so, with Mary Magdalene and Peter

and all the other witnesses of the resurrection,

with earth and sea and all their creatures,

and with angels and archangels,

cherubim and seraphim,

we adore and praise your glorious name:

 

COMMUNION INVITATION

Jesus says: 'Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life, and I will raise them up on the last day.'

(Thanks be to God.)

Come, everything is ready.

 

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

For an Easter post-communion prayer, see the document 'Easter season', under 'Prayer after communion', in the 'General and seasonal' folder. Alternatively, use this prayer:

 

Stay with us, Lord Jesus Christ,

because it is almost evening

and the day is nearly over.

As we have heard your word

and seen you in the breaking of the bread,

send us into the world

with the good news of your resurrection.

For you live and reign

with the Father and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

 

SEASONAL BLESSING

This seasonal blessing is used together with (ie before) the usual blessing in the order of service.

 

(May) the God of peace,

who raised from the dead our Lord Jesus,

provide you with every good thing you need

in order to do his will; . . .

 

DISMISSAL

Go with the peace and new life of Christ our Lord.

Thanks be to God. OR In the name of Christ. Amen.

 

 

HYMNS AND SONGS

 

FOR THE READINGS

 

Please note:        * =        Modernised version available

      G3, G4 . . . =        Guitar chords available in the Music Package 3, 4 . . .

      GS =        Guitar chords in the Supplement to LH

 

First reading: Isaiah 25: 6-9

LHS

834

At the Lamb's high feast we sing G3

841

O welcome, all ye noble saints of old GS

842

Praise the Lord, rise up rejoicing G3

847

The Lamb's high banquet called to share (tune 227) G5

AT

77

O welcome, all ye noble saints of old

TIS

516

Here, gracious Lord, we see you face to face (holy communion)

529

By your priestly power, O risen Lord (holy communion)

545

Shout for joy! The Lord has let us feast (after holy communion)

 

Second reading: 1 Corinthians 5 : 6b-8

LHS

89

Christ Jesus lay in death's strong bands * G5

90

Christ the Lord is risen again

91

Christ the Lord is risen today G4

834

At the Lamb's high feast we sing G3

842

Praise the Lord, rise up rejoicing G3

847

The Lamb's high banquet called to share (alt tune 227, G5)

AT

267

Bread of heaven

397

These I lay down

TIS

359

Hymn of the Risen Christ (v 1)

361

The day of resurrection

364

Christ Jesus lay in death's strong bands (omits LHS v 3)

365

Christ the Lord is risen again

543

God's Paschal Lamb is sacrificed for us

 

Gospel: Luke 24 : 13-49

LHS

96

Ere yet the dawn has filled the skies G4

181

Abide, O dearest Jesus* G5

541

Abide with us, the day is waning

543

Abide with me G8

764

Now the green blade rises GS

AT

15

Love has come again

26

He is Lord

178

I can't hear your voice until you

239

Listen to him

241

On the day of resurrection

297

Let us talents and tongues employ

304

Stay with me, I'll stay with you

321

Lord, draw near

343

Jesus come and stand among us

437

I have seen the Lord

TIS

254

O changeless Christ, forever new

360

Light's reddening dawn gleams (Pt 2)

361

The day of resurrection

382

Now the green blade rises

395

Alleluia, Christ is risen

424

Christians, lift up your hearts

499

Lord Jesus, joy of loving hearts

514

Be known to us in breaking bread

524

Come, risen Lord, and deign to be our guest

529

By your priestly power, O risen Lord

551

O stay with us, Lord Jesus

586

Abide with me; fast falls the eventide

 

PSALM 114

For musical settings of Psalm 114, see Music Package 3.

 

Here is a metrical version of Psalm 114 by David Sch¸tz. It is sung to the tune Warum sind der Tr‰nen, LH 298. If reproducing this version, please put 'Words (c) David Sch¸tz' at the beginning or the end of the psalm.

 

When Israel left Egypt, left that foreign land,

where they'd been held prisoner under Pharaoh's hand:

God appointed Judah as his sanctuary,

and he made a kingdom out of Israel.

 

When the Red Sea saw them, it turned back and fled,

and the flowing Jordan banked up at its head.

When the mountains saw them, they skipped up like rams,

and the hills before them, jumped about like lambs.

 

Why, O Red Sea, did you turn and flee away?

Why, O River Jordan, cease to flow that day?

Why, O mountains, did you quake and skip like rams?

Why, O hills, why did you jump about like lambs?

 

Earth, now quake and tremble, here comes Jacob's God;

tremble as you see the coming of the Lord.

He alone turns dry ground, flint and rock and stone

into flowing rivers, he and he alone.

 

IONA COMMUNITY SONG

From John L Bell & Graham Maule, Wild Goose Songs vol. 2 Enemy of Apathy

 

page 76

Easter evening

 

Note that the Iona Community is willing to allow a church or worship assembly to reproduce the words only of a song from these publications on a service sheet or overhead transparency that is to be used once only on a non-commercial basis, provided that the title of the song and the name of the copyright holder is clearly shown.

 

SONGS FROM PRAISE FOR ALL SEASONS

Praise for All Seasons (Acorn Press, 1985), edited by Ellaine Downie and Digby Hannah, is a collection of 100 songs for worship by Australian songwriters. It contains the following songs that are appropriate for this occasion:

 

PFAS 11

Jesus is alive        © Digby Hannah

PFAS 18

Emmaus        © Dave Brown, 1982

 

 

VISUAL

 

VISUALS FOR THE READINGS

Pictures or symbols could be displayed on banners or the overhead screen during the readings. For instance,  the gospel could be accompanied by a picture of Jesus walking with the two disciples, or of Jesus breaking bread, or of the risen Jesus standing among the disciples.

 

 

DRAMA

 

'MEGA DRAMA'

See a drama for the day in Mega Drama resources (Openbook Publishers), originally included in these worship resources when they were released on disks.

 

DRAMATISING THE READINGS

The readings can be read by more than one person to make the dramatic meaning of the text clearer. For instance, the gospel from Luke could be read (and partially acted out) by three readers: narrator (the pastor), Jesus, Cleopas.

 

 

CHILDREN

 

CHILDREN AND THE READINGS

Children could be shown a picture such as one suggested above under 'Visuals for the readings', and/or be involved in the dramatic reading of the gospel.