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Incarnation Lutheran Church
Easter 3, Sunday, April 26th, 2020
Prelude
Living Hope – Phil Wickham
Performed by Revived
Verse 1
How great the chasm that lay between us How high the mountain I could not climb In desperation I turned to heaven And spoke Your name into the night Then through the darkness Your loving-kindness Tore through the shadows of my soul The work is finished the end is written Jesus Christ my living hope
Verse 2
Who could imagine so great a mercy What heart could fathom such boundless grace The God of ages stepped down from glory To wear my sin and bear my shame The cross has spoken I am forgiven The King of kings calls me His own Beautiful Savior I’m Yours forever Jesus Christ my living hope
Chorus
Hallelujah praise the One who set me free Hallelujah death has lost its grip on me You have broken every chain There’s salvation in Your name Jesus Christ my living hope
Verse 3
Then came the morning that sealed the promise Your buried body began to breathe Out of the silence the Roaring Lion Declared the grave has no claim on me (Repeat)
Jesus Yours is the victory whoa
Chorus
Hallelujah praise the One who set me free Hallelujah death has lost its grip on me You have broken every chain There’s salvation in Your name Jesus Christ my living hope
Jesus Christ my living hope Oh God You are my living hope
“Living Hope” words and music by
Brian Johnson and Phil Wickham
© 2017 Phil Wickham Music, Simply Global Songs,
Sing My Songs, Bethel Music Publishing Used by Permission. CCLI License #1581515
Announcements
Temple Talk
Greg Nelson
Special Music
Improvisation on "Be Thou My Vision"
Performed by Elias Symons
Confession & Absolution
P In the name of the Father, and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
P Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
C Amen.
P Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
P Most merciful God,
C we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.
P In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for his sake God forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained minister of the Church of Christ, and by His authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
First Reading
Acts 2:14, 36-43 - The Message
14 That’s when Peter stood up and, backed by the other eleven, spoke out with bold urgency:
36“All Israel, then, know this: There’s no longer room for doubt—God made him Master and Messiah, this Jesus whom you killed on a cross.”
37 Cut to the quick, those who were there listening asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers! Brothers! So now what do we do?”
38-39 Peter said, “Change your life. Turn to God and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, so your sins are forgiven. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is targeted to you and your children, but also to all who are far away—whomever, in fact, our Master God invites.”
40 He went on in this vein for a long time, urging them over and over, “Get out while you can; get out of this sick and stupid culture!”
41-42 That day about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and were signed up. They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers.
Second Reading
1 Peter 1:17-25 - The Message
17 You call out to God for help and he helps—he’s a good Father that way. But don’t forget, he’s also a responsible Father, and won’t let you get by with sloppy living.
18-21 Your life is a journey you must travel with a deep consciousness of God. It cost God plenty to get you out of that dead-end, empty-headed life you grew up in. He paid with Christ’s sacred blood, you know. He died like an unblemished, sacrificial lamb. And this was no afterthought. Even though it has only lately—at the end of the ages—become public knowledge, God always knew he was going to do this for you. It’s because of this sacrificed Messiah, whom God then raised from the dead and glorified, that you trust God, that you know you have a future in God.
22-25 Now that you’ve cleaned up your lives by following the truth, love one another as if your lives depended on it. Your new life is not like your old life. Your old birth came from mortal sperm; your new birth comes from God’s living Word. Just think: a life conceived by God himself! That’s why the prophet said,
The old life is a grass life, its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers; Grass dries up, flowers droop, God’s Word goes on and on forever.
This is the Word that conceived the new life in you.
D Word of God, word of life.
C Thanks be to God.
Sermon Hymn
Alleluia! Jesus is Risen! – ELW 377
Led by The Liturgical Choir
1 Alleluia! Jesus is risen!
Trumpets resounding in glorious light!
Splendor, the Lamb, heaven forever!
Oh, what a miracle God has in sight!
Refrain
Jesus is risen and we shall arise.
Give God the glory! Alleluia!
3 Jesus the vine, we are the branches;
life in the Spirit the fruit of the tree;
heaven to earth, Christ to the people,
gift of the future now flowing to me. Refrain
5 City of God, Easter forever,
golden Jerusalem, Jesus the Lamb,
river of life, saints and archangels,
sing with creation to God the I AM! Refrain
Gospel
Luke 24:13-35 - The Message
13-16 That same day two of them were walking to the village Emmaus, about seven miles out of Jerusalem. They were deep in conversation, going over all these things that had happened. In the middle of their talk and questions, Jesus came up and walked along with them. But they were not able to recognize who he was.
17-18 He asked, “What’s this you’re discussing so intently as you walk along?”
They just stood there, long-faced, like they had lost their best friend. Then one of them, his name was Cleopas, said, “Are you the only one in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard what’s happened during the last few days?”
19-24 He said, “What has happened?”
They said, “The things that happened to Jesus the Nazarene. He was a man of God, a prophet, dynamic in work and word, blessed by both God and all the people. Then our high priests and leaders betrayed him, got him sentenced to death, and crucified him. And we had our hopes up that he was the One, the One about to deliver Israel. And it is now the third day since it happened. But now some of our women have completely confused us. Early this morning they were at the tomb and couldn’t find his body. They came back with the story that they had seen a vision of angels who said he was alive. Some of our friends went off to the tomb to check and found it empty just as the women said, but they didn’t see Jesus.”
25-27 Then he said to them, “So thick-headed! So slow-hearted! Why can’t you simply believe all that the prophets said? Don’t you see that these things had to happen, that the Messiah had to suffer and only then enter into his glory?” Then he started at the beginning, with the Books of Moses, and went on through all the Prophets, pointing out everything in the Scriptures that referred to him.
28-31 They came to the edge of the village where they were headed. He acted as if he were going on but they pressed him: “Stay and have supper with us. It’s nearly evening; the day is done.” So he went in with them. And here is what happened: He sat down at the table with them. Taking the bread, he blessed and broke and gave it to them. At that moment, open-eyed, wide-eyed, they recognized him. And then he disappeared.
32 Back and forth they talked. “Didn’t we feel on fire as he conversed with us on the road, as he opened up the Scriptures for us?”
33-34 They didn’t waste a minute. They were up and on their way back to Jerusalem. They found the Eleven and their friends gathered together, talking away: “It’s really happened! The Master has been raised up—Simon saw him!”
35 Then the two went over everything that happened on the road and how they recognized him when he broke the bread.
P The gospel of the Lord.
C Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon
Passing of the Peace/ Offering
Offertory Music
Gothic Suite: Minuet - Leon Boellmann
Performed by Dr. John Naples
The Apostle’s Creed
P Let us now confess our common faith in the words of the Apostles’ Creed.
C 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
P Uplifted by the promised hope of healing and resurrection, we join the people of God in all times and places in praying for the church, the world, and all who are in need...
P Lord, in your mercy,
C hear our prayer.
P With bold confidence in your love, almighty God, we place all for whom we pray into your eternal care; through Christ our Lord.
C Amen.
Communion Instructions
Words of Institution
Lord’s Prayer
P Lord, remember us in your kingdom, and teach us to pray:
C Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Communion
Benediction
Postlude
This Joyful Eastertide - Arr. Hugh S. Livingston, Jr.
performed by Karen Zajac
Sending
P Christ is risen, just as he said.
Go in peace. Share the good news. Alleluia!
C Thanks be to God. Alleluia!
Liturgy from SundaysandSeasons.com. Copyright 2006 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.
Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #23831.