5th Sunday of Easter

CALL TO WORSHIP
Christ is Risen!

He is Risen Indeed!

Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He gave us new life and hope by raising Jesus from the dead.

He has claimed us as his own.

He called us from our darkness into the light of his new day.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

He is Risen Indeed! Alleluia!

GATHERING SONG “Easter Sings”

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Let us pray. Almighty God, your Son Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life. Give us grace to love one another, to follow in the way of his commandments, and to share his risen life with all the world, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

LITANY OF THANKSGIVING AND HOPE

-A Blessing of Quilts and Care Kits -

Almighty and gracious God, you have so richly blessed us, but we pray for more, much more. We pray for grateful hearts, for a humble awareness of our abundance amid all the world’s poverty and pain.
Lord, we pray for more.

We pray for the courage to give generously of our resources - our imaginations, our time and abilities, our material wealth.
We pray yet for more, Lord.
We pray for the strength to reject the rationalizations which lead to indifference and silence

in this climate of entitlement and insatiable desire.
Lord, for much more we pray.
We pray for confident hope, in the presence of such overwhelming needs, to know that each offering

of money, quilts, and material resources makes a welcome difference to others, and to you.
For still more, Lord, we pray.
We pray for lifestyles of justice and mercy, living more simply, being advocates for those

more needful than we, being faithful and compassionate in our role as citizens.
Lord, yet again we pray for more.
We pray for your promised forgiveness for the fears, the selfishness, the thoughtlessness, the suspicions, the self-righteousness which hinder our loving service, and then pray for grateful and

greater obedience to mark our thanksgiving.
Yet for one more thing we pray.
We pray you would bless those who labor on our behalf through all the work of Lutheran World Relief and its partners, that we would uphold them with our prayers, our encouragement, our gifts,

our willingness to learn and to invite the support of others.
In the name of our Lord who encouraged us to ask boldly when we pray, Amen.

HYMN OF PRAISE "Lord, Whose Love in Humble Service" #712

PSALM 31:1–5, 15–16

In you, O LORD, have I taken refuge; let me never be put to shame;

deliver me in your righteousness.

Incline your ear to me; make haste to deliver me.

Be my strong rock, a castle to keep me safe, for you are my crag and my stronghold;

for the sake of your name, lead me and guide me.

Take me out of the net that they have secretly set for me,

for you are my tower of strength.

Into your hands I commend my spirit,

for you have redeemed me, O LORD, God of truth.

My times are in your hand;

rescue me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.

Let your face shine upon your servant;

save me in your steadfast love."

THE EPISTLE READING: 1 Peter 2:2–10

Like newborn infants, long for the pure, spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow into salvation— if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God's sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

For it stands in scripture: "See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."

To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe, "The stone that the builders rejected has become the very head of the corner," and

"A stone that makes them stumble, and a rock that makes them fall."

They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Word of God, word of life. Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION Alleluia. Jesus is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

THE GOSPEL FOR THE DAY: John 14:1–14

The holy gospel according to Saint John. Glory to you, O Lord.

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?" Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him."

Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. Very truly, I tell you, the one who believes in me will also do the works that I do and, in fact, will do greater works than these, because I am going to the Father. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If in my name you ask me for anything, I will do it.

The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

SERMON Pastor Brenda Frelsi

HYMN OF THE DAY “Hallelujah! Jesus Lives!” #380

PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH

THE NICENE CREED

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,

was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary

and became truly human.

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,*

who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,

who 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 SIGN OF PEACE IS SHARED

The peace of Christ be with you always. And also with you.

THE OFFERING AND OFFERING PRAYER

Let us pray. Risen Christ, receive these gifts, with our hopes, dreams, and prayers. Reveal yourself to us in the breaking of the bread, that our eyes may be opened to see your presence among us, and our lives filled with the new life of your resurrection. Amen

THE LORD'S PRAYER

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,

thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread;

and forgive us our trespasses

as we forgive those who trespass against us;

and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,

forever and ever. AMEN

BLESSING

SENDING SONG “Now All the Vault of Heaven Resounds” #367

SENDING

Go in peace. Share the good news. Alleluia, alleluia!
Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia!

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.