April 14th, 2024

3rd Sunday 0f Easter

Find this service at www.graceunitedthornbury.ca/live

Leading us today in Worship:

Worship Leader: Phyllis Fleming

Music Director: Dr. Christopher Burton

Lay Leader: Carol Clarke

Leader: regular font ~ All: bold font ~ Sung words: bold italics

Asterisk * Indicates when the congregation may stand if able.

 

We Gather Together in Community

 

PRELUDE:

“Air and Variations” -  G.F. Handel

 

GREETING: (2 Cor. 13:13)

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all!

And also with you!

 

LIGHTING the CHRIST CANDLE:

The light of Christ is with us always!

The light of Christ is in this place!

The light of Christ fills us with hope and courage

and gives us strength for the journey ahead!

 

Thanks be to God for the light of Christ!

 WELCOME & INTRODUCTION:

 OUR COMMITMENT to SAFE SPACE & ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the LAND:

We believe all people are made in the image of God and are entitled to dignity and respect.  At Grace United Church we try to offer a safer, inclusive and generous space for all who are seeking a faith community.  We offer full participation of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, all races, ages and abilities in the life and work of the ministry.

 

Grace United Church is situated on the traditional territories of

the Anishinaabek, Petun, Huron-Wendat, and Mississauga

peoples, located within the boundary of Treaty 18 region of

1818. We humbly acknowledge the First Nations, Metis and Inuit

peoples of Canada as traditional stewards of the land on

which we work and worship and are committed to working

actively toward genuine restitution and reconciliation.

 

CALL to WORSHIP:

Christ is risen!

Christ is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

We know that Easter is not just one day; Easter is a season.

That is why we say with joy, Christ is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

Easter is even more than one day and a season. Every Sunday is a celebration of Easter, because without the Resurrection, we would not be worshipping today.

That is even more reason to say, Hallelujah! Christ is risen indeed!

Come, let us worship the God of Easter.

 

*OPENING HYMN:

VU #179 - Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Give Thanks

Refrain:

Hallelujah, hallelujah.

Give thanks to the risen Christ;

hallelujah, hallelujah!

Give praise to God’s name.

1. Jesus is Lord of all the earth,

firstborn of all creation.

Refrain:

Hallelujah, hallelujah.

Give thanks to the risen Christ;

hallelujah, hallelujah!

Give praise to God’s name.

 

2. Spread the good news o’er all the earth:

Jesus has died and is risen.

Refrain:

Hallelujah, hallelujah.

Give thanks to the risen Christ;

hallelujah, hallelujah!

Give praise to God’s name.

 

3. We have been crucified with Christ,

now we shall live for ever.

Refrain:    

Hallelujah, hallelujah.

Give thanks to the risen Christ;

hallelujah, hallelujah!

Give praise to God’s name.

 

4. Come let us praise the living God,

joyfully sing to our Saviour.

Refrain:    

Hallelujah, hallelujah.

Give thanks to the risen Christ;

hallelujah, hallelujah!

Give praise to God’s name.

 

OPENING READING: (1 John 3:1-7, with commentary)

See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

As children, we can learn from our heavenly parent by spending time getting to know God in prayer, by joining together in worship, and by reading the Bible.

The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.

The world does not recognize us as the children of God because they don’t understand what God is like.

Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

We are children of God, and Jesus is like our big brother. And what an awesome big brother he is! We can look up to him and learn from him, by spending time with Jesus in prayer, by joining tougher in worship,

and by reading the Bible.

All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

Jesus is pure and without sin. We cannot claim that for ourselves, but we can try to follow Jesus’s example and leave sin behind.

Everyone who sins breaks the law; in fact, sin is lawlessness.

To sin is to separate ourselves from the love of God, to turn away from God.

But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our sins. And in him is no sin.

No one who lives in him keeps on sinning.

When we follow the example of Jesus, really take him into our being so that he lives in us, sin gets pushed to the edges.

No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him.

If we find that we continue to sin, to turn away from God, we can repent – turn ourselves around – and get to know Jesus better, so that we can understand how God wants us to live.

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.

We are children of God, and we will keep learning from our heavenly parent and our big brother Jesus.

Thanks be to God!

 

SINGING:

I am a child of God,

I am a glimpse of God's new creation.

I am a child of God,

I am a child of God.

 

I am an endless prayer,

I am a yearning for contemplation,

I am an endless prayer,

I am an endless prayer.

 

I am a song of joy,

I am the moment of jubilation,

I am a song of joy,

I am a song of joy.

 

OPENING PRAYER:

God of Easter, God of new beginnings,

be with us as we worship you.

Send your Holy Spirit among us, so that we may worship you in spirit and in truth.

We remember that we are all your children, so we will praise you joyfully like a child.

God of Easter, God of new beginnings, help us to share your love with the world.

We pray that you will show us how to be a bold, nurturing, liberal Christian presence in our communities, as a congregation.

We also pray for you to show us how to be bold, nurturing, liberal Christians in our own lives.

God of Easter, God of new beginnings, help us to live as you want us to live.

We have good intentions to live as you intend, but sometimes we slip up, and we are filled with regret for things we have done and things we have not done. We ask for your forgiveness where we have fallen short.

In this time we spend together, whether in person or on line, may we be ever mindful that you always love us, even though we are not perfect, even when we slip up. Through the love of Jesus, we know that we are forgiven!

This prayer we offer to you in the perfect name of Jesus.

Amen.

 

SCRIPTURE READINGS:

Acts 3: 1-19 (New International Version)

 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon.  Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.  When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money.  Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!”  So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”  Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong.  He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.  When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

 While the man held on to Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon’s Colonnade.  When Peter saw this, he said to them: “Fellow Israelites, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk?  The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go.  You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you.  You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this.  By faith in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus’ name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him, as you can all see.

 “Now, fellow Israelites, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders.  But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Messiah would suffer.  Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord,

 

Luke 24: 36b-48 (New International Version)

 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost.  He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?  Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”

 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.  And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”  They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate it in their presence.

 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”

 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.  He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,  and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.  You are witnesses of these things.

 

RESPONSE:

May these words, written long ago, help us develop as children of God.  AMEN.

 

ANTHEM:

“A Festive Introit for Easter” -  D. Besig

 

SERMON:

                            

We Respond to God’s Word

 

*HYMN:

MV #171 - Christ Has No Body Now But Yours

Refrain:

Christ has no body now but yours,

no hands but yours.

Here on this earth, yours is the work,

to serve with the joy of compassion.

• 1. No hands but yours to heal the wounded world, no hands but yours to soothe all its suffering, no touch but yours to bind the broken hope of the people of God.

Refrain:

Christ has no body now but yours,

no hands but yours.

Here on this earth, yours is the work,

to serve with the joy of compassion.

• 2. No eyes but yours to see as Christ would see, to find the lost, to gaze with compassion; no eyes but yours to glimpse the holy joy of the city of God.

Refrain:

Christ has no body now but yours,

no hands but yours.

Here on this earth, yours is the work,

to serve with the joy of compassion.

 

• 3. No feet but yours to journey with the poor, to walk this world with mercy and justice. Yours are the steps to build a lasting peace for the children of God.

Refrain:

Christ has no body now but yours,

no hands but yours.

Here on this earth, yours is the work,

to serve with the joy of compassion

 

4. Through ev’ry gift, give back to those in need;

as Christ has blessed, so now be his blessing,

with ev’ry gift a benediction, be

to the people of God.

 

Refrain:

Christ has no body now but yours,

no hands but yours.

Here on this earth, yours is the work,

to serve with the joy of compassion

 

PROFESSION OF FAITH A New Creed                                

We are not alone, we live in God’s world.   We believe in God: who has created and is creating, who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh, to reconcile and make new, who works in us and others by the Spirit.   We trust in God.

We are called to be the Church: to celebrate God’s presence, to live with respect in Creation, to love and serve others, to seek justice and resist evil, to proclaim Jesus,    crucified and risen,    our judge and our hope. In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God.

 

PRAYER of DEDICATION for OUR OFFERINGS

The work of creating a world that works for all,

requires many gifts, many talents, many resources.

We bring all that we have, our courage, our strength,

our prayers and our dreams,

our gifts of time and treasure,

and all the love and acceptance we embody,

To create God’s world of justice and joy.

Thanks be to God.

AMEN

 

Donate online:   www.graceunitedthornbury.ca,  select “DONATE”

or contact the office by email: accounting@graceunitedthornbury.ca or  phone: 519-599-2438 to arrange a cheque pick-up, or an e-transfer

Mail: Grace UC, 140 Bruce St. S. PO Box 219, Thornbury, ON N0H 2P0

or Offering Plate at the back of the sanctuary.

Care, Prayer, Share

 

PRAYERS of the PEOPLE & the LORD’S PRAYER  (VU 910)

 

PASSING THE PEACE OF CHRIST:

The Peace of Christ be with you. And also with you.

 

We share the peace of Christ by typing in the chat box.

You may also think of one person with whom you would like to

share the peace of Christ.

 

MUSIC for PASSING the PEACE:

Improvisation on a Hymn

1. Burton

 

What’s Up At Grace?

 

 

 

*HYMN:

VU# 186 - Now the Green Blade Rises

1. Now the green blade rises from the buried grain,

wheat that in dark earth many days has lain;

love lives again, that with the dead has been:

love is come again, like wheat arising green.

 

2. In the grave they laid him, love by hatred slain,

thinking that he would never wake again,

laid in the earth like grain that sleeps unseen;

love is come again, like wheat arising green.

 

3. Forth he came at Easter, like the risen grain,

he that for three days in the grave had lain;

raised from the dead, my living Lord is seen;

love is come again, like wheat arising green.

 

4. When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain,

your touch can call us back to life again,

fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been;

love is come again, like wheat arising green.

*COMMISSIONING:

Go, children of God!

We go out to spread the love of God in the world.

Go, children of God!

We go out to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.

Go, children of God!

We go out to listen for the voice of the Spirit.

Let us leave this time of worship, knowing that we are children of God.

 

*BENEDICTION:

 

*SUNG BLESSING:

In All of My Life

In all of my life, in all of my ways, in all my priorities, through all of my days, in all that I choose, in all that I say, may love be supreme in my life, this I pray.

In all of our lives, in all of our ways, in all our priorities, through all of our days, in all that we choose, in all that we say, may love be supreme in our lives, this we pray.

 

POSTLUDE:

Fantasy on "Lord of the Dance" -  C. Burton

 

 

LITURGY SOURCES:

OPENING READING: 1 John 3:1-7 (New International Version) arranged with commentary by Phyllis Fleming

Christ Candle lighting and Offering Prayer: written by Rev, Dr. John Greg Smith.

All other prayers: written by Phyllis Fleming, 2024.

 

HYMNS and SUNG VERSES

-“Hallelujah, Give Thanks:” Words, Music: Donald Fishel © International Liturgy Publications, PO Box 50476, Nashville, TN 37205. Arrangement: © 1987 Songs for a Gospel People. Descant: © 1979 Maranatha! Music (Administered by The Copyright Company - obo, P.O. Box 128139, Nashville, TN 37212-8139, tel.: 615-321-1096, fax: 615-321-1099) All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission. Words, Music: International Liturgy Publications. Arrangement: © 1987 Songs for a Gospel People. Descant: Maranatha! Music. One License #608577

-“I Am a Child of God” (verses 1, 2, 5): Words and music copyright © 2002 by Cheryl and Bruce Harding, www.evensong.ca. Used by permission OneLicense #608577

-“Christ Has No Body Now But Yours:” Words: Adapted by Stephen C. Warner, 2003,  from St. Teresa of Avila Music: Rick Gunn, 2006 Words copyright © 2003, World Library Publications, 3708 River Rd., Suite 400, Franklin Park, IL 60131-2158. 800-566-6150. www.wlpmusic.com.Music copyright © 2006 by Rick Gunn,www.rickgunn.com. One License #6089577 -“Now the Green Blade Rises:” Words: John M. C. Crum. Music: medieval French carol. Words, Music © 1928Oxford University Press, Walton St., Oxford OX 2 6DP, England. Words, Harmony: Oxford University Press. Music: Public Domain. CCLI #11203479  -“In All My Life:” Sung Blessing: Used with permission, © 2006 Scott Kearns,   SCRIPTURE PASSAGES: Scripture Passages from The Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.

Prelude: “Air and Variations” -  G.F. Handel Anthem: “A Festive Introit for Easter” - D. Besig. Harold Flammer Music . One License #608577 Passing the Peace: Improvisation on a Hymn - C. Burton Postlude: Fantasy on "Lord of the Dance" -  C. Burton