Liturgy
This is the day,
when tears are wiped away;
shattered hearts are mended
and fears are replaced with joy.
This is the day our Lord
rolls away the stone of fear,
throws off death’s clothes
and goes ahead of us into God’s future.
This is the day the Lord has made:
death has no fear over us;
sin has lost its power over us;
God opens the tombs of our hearts
to fill us with life.
This is Easter day.
It begins with our Resurrected Savior, Jesus
and continues through us.
We celebrate and worship
the Father, the Risen Son,
and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Congregational Prayer
Let us pray together as a community.
God of the empty tomb, we come today
to celebrate the knowledge that you have made this day.
Let us focus only on you this week,
and guide our timid eyes to the cross.
Remind us again of the tomb; filled and now empty.
Remind us again of Mary’s tears; of sorrow and now joy.
Remind us again of Peter’s words; denial and now telling.
God of the empty tomb,
grant us the grace to accept
both the cost and the joy of following you.
Lord of our lives, have mercy on us.
We bless you, oh God,
and thank you for the gift of your Son,
that we may have life in abundance.
We pray to our God in community, holy in One.
Amen.
Reflection
How do we deal with the weights on us and the questions in our lives?
How can we participate in what we typically observe as Easter?
Benediction
Raise us up, oh Lord! Renew our lives!
Father of life, we see your light!
We were once in darkness and had lost hope
but Jesus Christ, your Son,
has won over death – for all humanity, for me, and for you.
So many times in our lives our eyes are closed,
but today we see and proclaim the good news of our risen Lord.
Thank you for this day of hope,
thank you for such incredible love.
May our very lives reflect your grace and resurrection for all.
We go into this week, celebrating
the name of the Father,
of the Risen Son
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Go in peace and live the church.
See you throughout the week.
[Photo by julie ann tingley @ Flickr]