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Hymns
Hymn GTG #267, “Come, Christians, Join to Sing”
Hymn GTG #250, “In the Bulb There Is a Flower”
Call to Worship (based on Acts 7:55-56)
Leader: Look! Heaven is on display and the Human One is standing at God’s right side!
People: Holy Spirit, grant us eyes to see it!
Leader: In glimpses of God’s majesty, we find the strength to speak God’s truth.
People: In Christ’s resurrection, death has lost its hold on us.
Leader: Let the resurrection people rejoice!
People: Let us worship the Lord!
Call to Confession (based on Acts 7:53)
Leader: We know God’s Law well; we have received it directly from divinely-sent messengers, studied it, and celebrated it. But in spite of our intellectual devotion, we have failed to keep it in our hearts and actions. In recognition of this, let us now confess our sins.
Prayer of Confession (based on Acts 7:52)
You are invited to speak a word or short phrase that describes a personal or
collective sin of which you repent and seek forgiveness.
When the gathered community is finished sharing, we pray together:
People: We confess, O God, that your Word frightens us. Even as it promises resurrection, it demands risk and sacrifice. We want change without pain; we prefer Easter without Good Friday. We only accept your message in part, and we harass and destroy the prophets you send to challenge our comfort. Forgive us, Holy One; grant us the strength and courage that it takes to truly be an Easter people. In your mercy, hear our prayers…
(Silent prayers of personal confession)
Declaration of Forgiveness (based on Acts 6:10)
Leader: God’s Spirit moves as She will and cannot be resisted. Who are we, then, to refuse the mercy which, in God’s wisdom, She offers to us? In Christ Jesus, we are all forgiven!
People: Thanks be to God!
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