 The Lord is risen indeed!
Alleluia! The Second Sunday in Eastertide Earth Sunday April 19, 2020 Online Worship Opening Hymn All creatures of my God and King Hymnal #400 All creatures of my God and King, lift up your voices, let us sing: Alleluia! Alleluia! Bright burning sun with golden beams, pale silver moon that gently gleams. O Praise him, O praise him, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia! Opening Acclamation: Alleluia. Christ is risen. The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia. Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you 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 Christ our Lord. Amen. Song of Praise Let us read responsively: "The Earth. . . is a sparkling blue and white jewel. . . laced with slowly swirling veils of white. . . like a small pearl in a thick sea of black mystery." (Edgar Mitchell, US Astronaut) "All creation is a song of praise to God." (Hildegard of Bingen, Mystic) "O moving force of Wisdom, you surround the wheel of the cosmos, you encompass all that is, all that has life, in one vast circle." (Hildegard of Bingen, Mystic) "All creation is a song of praise to God." "It could be that God has spread, as our vision and understanding of the universe have spread, to a fabric of spirit and sense so grand and subtle, powerful in a new way, that we can only feel blindly of its hem." (Annie Dillard, naturalist writer) "All creation is a song of praise to God” ". . . stardust is not just fairy-tale magic; it is what we are really made of. . ." (Elisabet Sahtouris, Ecofeminist) "All creation is a song of praise to God” "Great Spirit, . . . give me the strength to walk the soft earth, a relative to all that is! . . . All over the earth the faces of living things are all alike. . . This is my prayer; hear me!" (Black Elk, Oglala Sioux) "All creation is a song of praise to God." "There is not anything new to be born. It has always been within you. It has only to be awakened, to become aware of itself in you." (Zen saying) “All creation is a song of praise to God." ". . . for in God we live/ and move/ and have our being." (Acts 17:28) “All creation is a song of praise to God” ". . . When you stand in the presence of the moon, you become a new creation. . . The elementary particles of your body have absorbed an influence and in that sense they--and you--are brand spanking new, a human being resonating everywhere with moonlight." (Brian Swimme, physicist) "All creation is a song of praise to God." "We shall not cease from exploration/ And the end of all our exploring/ Will be to arrive where we started/ And know the place for the first time." (T. S. Eliot, poet) "All creation is a song of praise to God." Collect of the Day The Lord be with you. And also with you. Let us pray. God, our Creator, as we reflect on the mystery of our fragile planet, we celebrate the wonders of Earth as our home. Teach us to sense the presence of God in Earth, making it a living sanctuary. Teach us to love Earth as our home. In the name of Christ, the Word of God, who is the creative impulse in all creation. Amen. Amen. The First Lesson: A Reading from the Book of Acts [2:14a, 22-32] Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd, “You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know— this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will live in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One experience corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ “Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying, ‘He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption.’ This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses.” The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Psalm 16 Conserva me, Domine You may choose to read the psalm together, or responsively on the half verse. Or one member of the household may read it aloud. 1 Protect me, O God, for I take refuge in you; * I have said to the Lord, "You are my Lord, my good above all other." 2 All my delight is upon the godly that are in the land, * upon those who are noble among the people. 3 But those who run after other gods * shall have their troubles multiplied. 4 Their libations of blood I will not offer,* nor take the names of their gods upon my lips. 5 O Lord, you are my portion and my cup; * it is you who uphold my lot. 6 My boundaries enclose a pleasant land; * indeed, I have a goodly heritage. 7 I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel; * my heart teaches me, night after night. 8 I have set the Lord always before me; * because he is at my right hand I shall not fall. 9 My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices; * my body also shall rest in hope. 10 For you will not abandon me to the grave, * nor let your holy one see the Pit. 11 You will show me the path of life; * in your presence there is fullness of joy, and in your right hand are pleasures for evermore. The Holy Gospel of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ according to John [20:19-31] Glory to you Lord Christ When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained." But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, "We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe." A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you." Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe." Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe." Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Christ. Prayers of the People Members of each household may take turns reading these prayers. In thanksgiving and praise for the beauty and abundance of our universe, let us pray to our gracious God, whose breath gives life to the world and whose voice is heard in the wind . . . We give you thanks and praise, O God of creation, for the grandeur of all that you have made, saying We thank you, God. For the healing waters of creation, which bring pleasure and health, purity and life, We thank you, God. For the richness of the good Earth that brings forth fruits and flowers, a pleasure to taste and a joy to behold, We thank you, God. For the soaring birds of the air, the crawling creatures on the Earth, the gliding fishes in the seas, for all creatures great and small with whom we share this precious web of life, We thank you, God. For the life-giving sunlight of day, the deepening mystery of night, the wonder of the stars, and the call of the unknown in the universe, We thank you, God. From heedless misuse and dishonoring of the wonders of your hand, Good Lord deliver us. From squandering resources, abusing our companion species, and polluting the habitat we all share, Good Lord deliver us. From the folly of imagining ourselves free from the fate of your whole creation, Good Lord deliver us. For the wisdom and vision to treasure your smallest gifts of earthly life Strengthen us, O Spirit. For the conviction that you have called us to love and restore the Earth, Strengthen us, O Spirit. For the determination to begin our stewardship anew, Strengthen us, O Spirit. In thanksgiving for our health and in hope that he may reveal the light of his presence to comfort and strengthen those who are weak in body and soul, especially the victims of COVID-19, their families and caregivers, and those whose health of body, mind, and soul is imperiled by the coronavirus, Let us pray to our Creator, in Christ our Risen Savior In thanksgiving for the gift of eternal life, and in hope that he may enfold in his joyful presence those who have died, especially those who have died from complications of COVID-19 and those we now name. . . . [Pause] Let us pray to our Creator, in Christ our Risen Savior O merciful Creator, your hand is open wide to satisfy the needs of every living creature: Make us always thankful for your loving providence; and grant that we may be faithful stewards of your good gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever, Amen. Communion Hymn Come my Way, my Truth, My Life #487 Come, my Way, my Truth, my Life: such a way as gives us breath; Such a truth as ends all strife; such a life as killeth death. Come my Joy, my Love, my Heart; such a joy as none can move; Such a love as none can part; such a heart as joys in love. Holy Communion The Lord be with you. People: And also with you. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise. All thanks and praise are yours at all times and in all places, our true and loving God; through Jesus Christ, your eternal Word, the Wisdom from on high by whom you created all things. You laid the foundations of the world and enclosed the sea when it burst out from the womb; You brought forth all creatures of the earth and gave breath to humankind. Wondrous are you, Holy One of Blessing, all you create is a sign of hope for our journey; and so as the morning stars sing your praises we join the heavenly beings and all creation as we shout with joy: Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Glory and honor are yours, Creator of all, your Word has never been silent; you called a people to yourself, as a light to the nations, you delivered them from bondage and led them to a land of promise. Of your grace, you gave Jesus to be human, to share our life, to proclaim the coming of your holy reign and to give himself for us. Through Jesus Christ our Redeemer, you have freed us from sin, reconciled us to you, and restored us to the glory you intend for us. On the night before he died for us, Jesus was at the table with his friends. He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to them, saying: Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. As you do this, remember me. As supper was ending, Jesus took the cup of wine, he gave thanks, gave it to them, and said: Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is poured out for you and for all for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, remember me. Gathered in our own homes, as your children, we are made one body in Jesus Christ, Who came in love, lived in love, and died in love, who was and is and is to come. We share in offering our gifts of bread and wine, and we offer to you our lives--all we have been, are, and will become. Pour out your Spirit upon our offering, that it may be for us the body and blood of Christ, drawing us together as one Spirit in you. Through Christ and with Christ and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, to you be honor, glory, and praise, for ever and ever. Amen. And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us, we are bold to say, The Lord’s Prayer The Celebrant breaks the consecrated bread and participants break their bread at home: We break this bread to share in the Body of Christ. We who are many and in many places, are one body, for in Christ we all share in the one bread, one cup All share in communion. Prayer of Thanksgiving Christ, you are risen with the sun; you are light in our darkness. In our separation, may we find our true place in your living body. May the new covenant through us bring healing and reconciliation to this wounded world. Alleluia! You are risen. We are risen with you. Praise and glory to the living God. Amen. Blessing: May the Spirit of God, who is above all and in all and through all, fill you with the knowledge of God’s presence in Earth and the living Christ within you. And the blessing of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be with you always. Amen. Closing Hymn All things bright and beautiful Hymnal #405 Refrain: All things bright and beautiful, creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful, God made them all Each little flower that opens, each little bird that sings, He made their glowing colors, he made their tiny wings. [Refrain] He gave us eyes to see them and lips that we might tell How great is God Almighty, who has made all things well. [Refrain]
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