21. Year C - Sixth Sunday of Easter

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VERSION: 29 April 2002

SIXTH SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR C

In 2004: 16 May

In 2007: 13 May

In 2010: 9 May

In 2013: 5 May

In 2016: 1 May

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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.

The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city (Alleluia),

and his servants will worship him (Alleluia);

they will see his face (Alleluia),

and his name will be on their foreheads (Alleluia).

(Rev 22:3b,4 NRSV)

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

OR, use one of the general Sentences in the document 'General notes and resources', under 'Sentence', in the 'General and seasonal' folder.

PRAYER OF THE DAY (COLLECT)

Traditional

O God, the giver of all good things,

inspire us, your humble servants,

to think what is right,

and guide us to do it;

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

Lord God, the giver of all good things,

inspire us to think what is right

and guide us to do it.

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, alternative

(Let us pray for the fruit of the Spirit. [silence])

Almighty and merciful God,

you send your Holy Spirit

to be the light and life of all your people.

Open our hearts to receive his riches,

so that we may produce the fruit of the Spirit

in love and joy and peace.

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

(Let us pray that we love one another. [silence])

Jesus, our loving friend and Saviour,

you have promised to give us your Spirit

to be with us forever.

Stay within our hearts,

so that we love one another

as you have loved us.

For you live and reign

with the Father and the Holy Spirit,

one God, now and forever.

Amen.

FIRST READING

Acts 16:9-15 Paul takes the good news to Philippi

PSALM

Psalm 67

Antiphon:

(Let the peoples praise you, O God;) let all the peoples praise you. (Ps 67:3 NRSV)

SECOND READING

Revelation 21:10,22 - 22:5 The new Jerusalem

(If using NRSV, begin: 'In the spirit one of the seven angels carried me . . .'; if using NIV, begin: 'One of the seven angels carried me . . .')

ALLELUIA VERSE

Alleluia.

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

death no longer has any power over him.

Alleluia.)

Those who love me will keep my word,

and my Father will love them,

and we will come to them and make our home with them.

(John 14:23 NRSV)

Alleluia.

GOSPEL

EITHER

John 14:23-29 'I am going to the Father'

(Begin: 'Jesus said:')

OR

John 5:1-9 Jesus heals a man at the pool

PRAYER AFTER THE GOSPEL

This is the gospel of the Lord.

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

EITHER (John 14)

Thank you, Lord Jesus,

for sending your promised Holy Spirit.

May the Spirit keep us close to you and the Father forever.

Amen.

OR (John 5)

Thank you, Lord Jesus,

for your compassion and healing.

Have mercy on us and make us well.

Amen.

OFFERING PRAYER

Lord, you have made us yours

and have given us your Spirit to live in us.

Help us to live as your people.

Use us and what you have given us

to do your work among others.

Amen.

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

Call to prayer

Our Lord Jesus promised that the Father would send us his Spirit. In the power of the Spirit, let us pray with confidence to the Father for all our needs.

The regular response, OR:

Father, through the Spirit of your Son,

come and make your home with us.

Suggested intercessions

Concluding prayer

Heavenly Father, through the Spirit of your Son, may we remain in your word so that you will make your home with us. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

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 the third prayer of the day (as listed above) at this point. It may be modified as follows.

Almighty and merciful God,

by the gift we have received in this sacrament,

may we produce the fruit of the Spirit

in love and joy and peace.

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.

BEFORE THE BLESSING

The following words may be said before the blessing:

Jesus said: 'Peace I leave with you;

my peace I give you.

Do not let your hearts be troubled

and do not be afraid.' (John 14:27ac NIV)

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 in peace. Walk in the light of the 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: Acts 16:9-15

LHS

AT

TIS

Second reading: Revelation 21: 10,22 - 22:5

LHS

AT

TIS

Gospel(a): John 14:23-29

LHS

AT

TIS

Gospel(b): John 5:1-9

LHS

AT

-

TIS

PSALM 67

For musical settings of Psalm 67, see Music Packages 4 and 8.

LH 216, May God bestow on us his grace, is a paraphrase by Luther of Psalm 67, although the traditional tune is difficult for congregations to sing. TIS 37, our God, be gracious unto us, is also a paraphrase of this psalm.

The following paraphrase by David Sch¸tz may be sung to the tune at ATO 331. If reproducing this version, please put 'Words (c) David Sch¸tz' at the beginning or the end of the psalm.

God be gracious and bless us,

make your face shine upon us,

then the earth will know your way,

nations know your saving.

Let the peoples praise you, God;

all humanity praise you.

Let the nations all rejoice,

let them sing with gladness.

You guide every race on earth,

and you judge us with justice.

Let the peoples praise you, God;

all the peoples praise you.

Earth has yielded its reward,

God, our own God, has blessed us.

May God bless us always and

all the earth revere him.

NOTES ON THE READINGS

See the document 'General notes and resources', under 'Notes on the readings', in the 'General and seasonal' folder.

ACTS 16:9-15: Paul and his helpers had been prevented by the Spirit from going further into Asia and Bithynia with his intended journey. The vision of an appeal from a man from Macedonia now took them and the gospel onto the European continent for the first time. Philippi appeared to present little encouragement as apparently there were not enough Jewish men there to open a synagogue. The gospel found response, though, in the businesswoman, Lydia, and among a small group of women meeting with her by the river. God's direction of the gospel to Philippi resulted in a church which grew there.

REVELATION 21:10,22 - 22:5: Once again the heavenly Jerusalem comes down in John's vision. Heaven is here depicted as a place of light. God is its light. Therefore sin and shame are excluded and life is complete and perfect. John sees both leadership and populace bringing only honour and glory into the holy city, with no dark deeds anymore to contaminate it. God's purpose for humankind is now fulfilled. The river providing water of life and the tree of life and healing symbolise the constant energy and purity emanating from God to its occupants. The Lamb occupies the throne together with God.

JOHN 14:23-29: Love is what unites believers with the Lord together with their faith. The Father in his grace comes to dwell in such a believer who in turn keeps (believes, confesses and obeys) the words of Christ. Christ promised the disciples that the Spirit sent from the Father in his name would continue the leadership he had given during his earthly ministry. Their love would weather his absence because of their faith in his destination and return.

OR JOHN 5:1-9: The healing of this man was carried out on the Sabbath (v 10 of ch 5). While the miracle was an undeniable sign of Jesus' messiahship and sonship, his enemies only hated him all the more because of his priority of healing over their Sabbath laws. His claim to sonship of God brought out the desire to kill him.

VISUAL

VISUALS FOR THE READINGS

Pictures or symbols could be displayed on banners or the overhead screen during the readings. For instance, the second reading could be accompanied by a picture like the illustration in the TEV Bible for Revelation 22:1,2.

RIVER AND TREE OF LIFE

The second half of the second reading from Revelation (22:1-5) is full of strong visual images that could be recreated as the reading is read. As this part of the reading is read, a length of blue cloth could be unrolled down the aisle, leading to the altar or cross. Twelve children (one for each month) could stand either side of the cloth, carrying branches or stylised cutout leaves and fruit.

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 first reading could be read by three readers: narrator, man of Macedonia, and Lydia; and the second alternative gospel could be read by three readers: narrator (the pastor), Jesus, and the sick man.

CHILDREN

RIVER AND TREE OF LIFE

Children could be involved in the depiction of the river and the tree of life. See above under 'Visual'.

'COME AND SEE JESUS'

The Come and See Jesus curriculum published by Openbook Publishers has a wealth of material and ideas that may be adapted for use in worship. Please note that a new edition of this material is now available for the Revised Common Lectionary.

The story for the Sixth Sunday of Easter in year C is: Paul's vision (Acts 16:9–15) (both original edition and RCL edition, Series C, Semester 1, Easter 6).