The Third Sunday of Easter

Join us as we celebrate the third Sunday of Easter. This is an in-person worship service that will be live streamed via Zoom. It will be available to watch on demand via YouTube after the service ends.

Christ Episcopal Church
The Third Sunday of Easter
Holy Eucharist Rite II — 10:00 A.M

Prelude                           “Variations on Hymntune Vreuchten”                        Charles Callahan            

Opening Hymn                                   “Christ is alive!”                                Hymnal 182 v, 1, 2, 3

1          Christ is alive!  Let Christians sing.

            His cross stands empty to the sky.

            Let streets and homes with praises ring.

            His love in death shall never die.

2          Christ is alive!  No longer bound

             to distant years in Palestine,

            he comes to claim the here and now

            and conquer every place and time.

3          Not throned above, remotely high,

            untouched, unmoved by human pains,

            but daily, in the midst of life,

            our Saviour with the Father reigns.

The Word of God

Celebrant: Alleluia, Christ is Risen

People: The Lord is Risen indeed, Alleluia

Gloria [Mathias] (sung by soloist)                                                                            Hymnal S278 

The Collect of the Day

Celebrant: The Lord be with you

People: And also with you

Celebrant: Let us pray

O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

First Reading: Acts 3:12-19                                                                              Reader: J. Ehmke

Peter addressed the people, “You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you. “And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out.”

Celebrant: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Psalm 4 (spoken)

1 Answer me when I call, O God, defender of my cause; *

you set me free when I am hard-pressed;

have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

2 “You mortals, how long will you dishonor my glory; *

how long will you worship dumb idols

and run after false gods?”

3 Know that the Lord does wonders for the faithful; *

when I call upon the Lord, he will hear me.

4 Tremble, then, and do not sin; *

speak to your heart in silence upon your bed.

5 Offer the appointed sacrifices *

and put your trust in the Lord.

6 Many are saying, “Oh, that we might see better times!” *

Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O Lord.

7 You have put gladness in my heart, *

more than when grain and wine and oil increase.

8 I lie down in peace; at once I fall asleep; *

for only you, Lord, make me dwell in safety.

Second Reading: 1 John 3:1-7                                                                      Reader: J. Ehmke

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.

Celebrant: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Sequence Hymn                    “Sing praise to our Creator”              Hymnal  295 v. 1, 2, 3

1          Sing praise to our Creator, O you of Adam’s race

            God’s children by adoption, baptized into his grace.

2          To Jesus Christ give glory, God’s coeternal Son;

            who sanctifies and guides us, made strong in our rebirth.

3          And praise the Holy Spirit, poured forth upon the earth;

            who sanctifies and guides us, made strong in our rebirth.

The Gospel: Luke 24:36b-48                                        Read by The Rev. Deacon Kay Drebert

Deacon: The Holy Gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ according to John

People: Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Jesus himself stood among the disciples and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence. Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.

Deacon: The Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to you, Lord Christ. 

The Sermon                                                                                         The Rev. Elizabeth Ewing

Nicene Creed                                                                                                                BCP p. 358

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made,

of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit, he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son, he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

The Prayers of the People for Eastertide

Verse: Risen Christ

Response: To you we give undying praise.

The Peace                                                                                                                       BCP p. 358

The Holy Communion

Know that whoever you are, wherever you find yourself on your journey of faith there is a place for you. All baptized Christians are invited to receive communion.

The Offertory                   

Anthem                                 “Lift your voice rejoicing, Mary”                                Hymnal  190

                                                                                                             Soloist – S. MacLennan

Lift your voice rejoicing Mary,

Christ has risen from the tomb;

on the cross a suffering victim,

now as victor he is come.

Whom our tears in death were mourning,

welcome with your smiles returning.

Let your alleluias rise!

Raise your weary eyelids Mary,

see him living evermore;

see his countenance how gracious,

see the wounds for you he bore.

All the glory of the morning

pales before those wounds redeeming.

Let your alleluias rise!

Life is yours forever Mary,

for your light is come once more

and the strength of death is broken;

now your songs of joy outpour.

Ended now the night of sorrow,

love has brought the blessed morrow.

Let your alleluias rise!

The Great Thanksgiving (The People Stand)                                                              BCP p. 367

Eucharistic Prayer B                                                                                                    BCP p. 367

Celebrant: The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.

Celebrant: Lift up your hearts.

People: We lift them to the Lord.

Celebrant: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

People: It is right to give him thanks and praise.

Then, facing the Holy Table, the Celebrant proceeds

It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and every-where to give thanks to you, Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth.

Here a Proper Preface is sung or said on all Sundays, and on other

occasions as appointed.

Therefore we praise you, joining our voices with Angels and Archangels and with all the company of heaven, who for ever sing this hymn to proclaim the glory of your Name:

Celebrant and People

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might,

heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

The people stand or kneel.

Then the Celebrant continues

We give thanks to you, O God, for the goodness and love  which you have made known to us in creation; in the calling  of Israel to be your people; in your Word spoken through the  prophets; and above all in the Word made flesh, Jesus, your  Son. For in these last days you sent him to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary, to be the Savior and Redeemer of the world. In him, you have delivered us from evil, and made us worthy to stand before you. In him, you have brought us out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of death into life.

At the following words concerning the bread, the Celebrant is to hold it,

or to lay a hand upon it; and at the words concerning the cup, to hold or

place a hand upon the cup and any other vessel containing wine to be

consecrated.

On the night before he died for us, our Lord Jesus Christ took bread; and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat: This is my Body,  which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.”

After supper he took the cup of wine; and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and said, “Drink this, all of you: This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”

Therefore, according to his command, O Father,

Celebrant and People

We remember his death,

We proclaim his resurrection,

We await his coming in glory;

The Celebrant continues

And we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to you, O Lord of all; presenting to you, from your creation, this bread and this wine. We pray you, gracious God, to send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts that they may be the Sacrament of the Body of Christ and his Blood of the new Covenant. Unite us to your Son in his sacrifice, that we may be acceptable through him, being sanctified by the Holy Spirit. In the fullness of time, put all things in subjection under your Christ, and bring us to that heavenly country where, with [_____and] all your  saints, we may enter the everlasting heritage of your sons and daughters; through Jesus Christ our Lord, the firstborn of all creation, the head of the Church, and the author of our salvation.

By him, and with him, and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.

Holy, holy, holy (Sanctus & Benedictus)(Soloist)[Mathias]                                Hymnal S128

The Lord’s Prayer (Spoken)                                      

The Breaking of the Bread                                                                                       Hymnal S154

All baptized persons are welcome to receive Holy Communion and others to receive a blessing

Fraction (Soloist)                                                                                                      Hymnal S154

Music at Communion [Organ]       

The Post Communion Prayer     

Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image and nourishing us with spiritual food in the Sacrament of Christ’s Body and Blood. Now send us forth a people, forgiven, healed and renewed; that we may proclaim your love to the world and continue in the risen life of Christ our Savior. Amen.        

The Blessing 

The Dismissal 

Closing Hymn                          “Sing ye faithful”                                   Hymnal   492 v. 1, 2, 3, 4

1          Sing, ye faithful, sing with gladness,

            wake our noblest, sweetest strain,

            with the praises of your Savior

            let his house resound again;

            him let all your music honor,

            and your songs exalt his reign.

2          Sing how he came forth from heaven,

             bowed himself to Bethlehem’s cave,

            stooped to wear the servant’s vesture,

            bore the pain, the cross, the grave,

            passed within the gates of darkness,

            thence his banished ones to save.

3          So, he tasted death for mortals,

            he, of humankind the head,

            sinless one, among the sinful,

            Prince of life, among the dead;

            thus he wrought the full redemption,

            and the captor captive led.

4          Now on high, yet ever with us,

            from his Father’s throne the Sone

            rules and guides the world he ransomed,

            till the appointed work be done,

            till he see, renewed and perfect,

            all things gathered into one.

Postlude                                 “Eastertide Postlude on “Handel”                              Janet Correll