Lukan Lessons and Carols for Lent: Easter Sunday (April 17, 2022)

 HE IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN INDEED! 

(This is the tenth liturgy in a series of Lukan Lessons and Carols for Lent. The Ash Wednesday Liturgy and a more detailed explanation of the series can be found here; Lent 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6 can be found here, here, here, here, here, and here; the Maundy Thursday & Good Friday liturgies can be found here and here . I am excluding parts of the worship that were not directly connected to the series as well as parts that I give extemporaneously.)

I'm happy for anyone to use any part(s) of this series in their own worship contexts with proper attribution, but I would request that you let me know in the comments that you're doing so.

Liturgy by Rev. Katey Schwind Williams

*Call to Worship (based on Luke 24:1-8)
Leader: We come to the tomb prepared for grief, but we leave in joy and wonder.
People: Alleluia!
Leader: Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here.
People: Alleluia!
Leader: Christ is risen!
People: He is risen indeed!
Leader: Let us worship the Lord.

*Hymn GTG #232 “Jesus Christ is Risen Today”

Call to Confession
Leader: On this day, we celebrate how God has taken a story of tragedy and transformed it into a story of divine victory. And yet, the story still isn’t over. God has given us the gift of new life through Christ; it is up to us what we do with it. So let us start this new chapter with honesty and humility, confessing our sins to the One whose only begotten Son was given for our salvation.

Confession of Sin (based on Luke 24:13-27)
People: O Holy One, we confess that our eyes, ears, and hearts remain closed to you. We have more faith in death’s power than in your promise of resurrection. We are so absorbed with our own concerns that we don’t recognize you when you walk beside us. We are foolish people with dull minds. Forgive us. Teach us. Inspire us. Feed us. Overcome our self-centeredness so that we can hear and believe your good news for ALL people. In your mercy, hear our prayer… [Silent prayers of personal forgiveness]

Declaration of Forgiveness (based on Luke 24:2, 32)
Leader: Beloved, look at the evidence around you: the stone is rolled away! The tomb is empty! Our hearts are on fire with the Good News: Christ is risen!
People: He is risen indeed!
Leader: God’s promises have been fulfilled; sin and death no longer have any power over us. Through Christ, we are forgiven and freed. Thanks be to God!

In Other Words… [Children will remain in worship following the message*

Lessons & Carols**

The Women at the Tomb:                          Luke 24:1-12
Testimony***
Hymn GTG #462:                          “I Love to Tell the Story” [vv. 1]


The Road to Emmaus:                                Luke 24:13-35
Testimony
Hymn GTG #462:                          “I Love to Tell the Story” [vv. 2]

Jesus Appears to the Apostles:                Luke 24:36-53
Testimony
Hymn GTG #462:                          “I Love to Tell the Story” [vv. 3]

Leader: This is the Word of the Lord!
People: Thanks be to God!

 
*Hymn GTG #238 “Thine Is the Glory”

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*This week, we "unburied" the Alleluia.

**I'm reading primarily from the International Children's Bible (see my explanation for this on my Ash Wednesday Post). I'm also preparing "scripts" ahead of time with the dialogues highlighted and asking members of the congregation to "play" those characters. We're not involving any costumes or acting beyond enthusiastic reading, but you could do a lot with these sections to keep them interesting. 

***I asked three of our members to take a few minutes to share their own experience of Jesus.