Easter 2

Sunday, April 24th 2022

PRELUDE Christ Is Arisen” arr. Charles Callahan

WELCOME AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS
In the name of the Father,
and of the ☩ Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.

Most merciful God, we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.

In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and for his sake God forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained minister of the church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Father, and of the ☩ Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

GATHERING SONG“That Easter Day with Joy was Bright”  ELW 384

GREETING
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.

CANTICLE OF PRAISE  “Glory To God in the Highest”

PRAYER OF THE DAY
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray. O God of life, you reach out to us amid our fears with the wounded hands of your risen Son. By your Spirit’s breath revive our faith in your mercy, and strengthen us to be the body of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

WORD

CHILDREN’S TIME

FIRST READING:

Acts 5:27-32

A reading from Acts.

²⁷When they had brought [the apostles,] they had them stand before the council. The high priest questioned them, ²⁸saying, “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and you are determined to bring this man’s blood on us.” ²⁹But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority. ³⁰The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. ³¹God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that he might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. ³²And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.” 

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

PSALM: Psalm 118:14-29
Spoken responsively by verse,  beginning with male voices.
You are my God, and I will exalt you. (Ps. 118:28)

 ¹⁴The Lord is my strength and my song,
and has become my salvation.
¹⁵Shouts of rejoicing and salvation echo in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the Lord acts valiantly!
¹⁶The right hand of the Lord is exalted!
The right hand of the Lord acts valiantly!”
¹⁷I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the Lord. R
¹⁸The Lord indeed punished me sorely,
but did not hand me over to death.
¹⁹Open for me the gates of righteousness;
I will enter them and give thanks to the Lord.
²⁰“This is the gate of the Lord;
here the righteous may enter.”
²¹I give thanks to you, for you have answered me
and you have become my salvation. R
²²The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
²³By the Lord has this been done;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
²⁴This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
²⁵Hosanna! O Lord, save us!
We pray to you, Lord, prosper our days! R
²⁶Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord;
we bless you from the house of the Lord.
²⁷The Lord is God and has given us light.
Form a procession with branches up to the corners of the altar.
²⁸You are my God, and I will thank you;
you are my God, and I will exalt you.
²⁹Give thanks to the Lord, for the Lord is good;
God’s mercy endures forever. R

GOSPEL ACCLIMATION

Gospel: John 20:19-31
The holy gospel according to John.
Glory to you, O Lord.

⁹When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁰After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. ²¹Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” ²²When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

²⁴But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. ²⁵So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”
²⁶A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ²⁷Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” ²⁸Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” ²⁹Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

³⁰Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. ³¹But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

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

SERMON Pastor Eric Trozzo

HYMN OF THE DAY “We Walk By Faith” ELW 635

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.

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
Response after each prayer: hear our prayer.

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

MOMENT FOR MISSION – Providence House
Our offering is a form of worship, taking part in God’s transforming
mission in this world. Each dollar we give contributes to changing lives. Each week we will take a moment to remember one way that our offerings do that. This week, we remember Providence House. Providence House Domestic Violence Services(PHDVS) of Catholic Charities provides comprehensive services for victims of domestic abuse and their children free of charge at outreach offices and emergency safehouses in Burlington and Ocean Counties. We will now receive our offering.

OFFERING PRAYER
Let us pray. Blessed are you, O God, ruler of heaven and earth. Day by day you shower us with blessings. As you have raised us to new life in Christ, give us glad and generous hearts, ready to praise you and to respond to those in need, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

GREAT THANKSGIVING
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.

PREFACE
It is indeed right, our duty and our joy,
that we should at all times and in all places
give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God,
through our Savior Jesus Christ.
You call your people to cleanse their hearts
and prepare with joy for the paschal feast,
that, renewed in the gift of baptism,
we may come to the fullness of your grace.
And so, with all the choirs of angels,
with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven,
we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

HOLY, HOLY, HOLY 

THANKSGIVING AT THE TABLE
You are indeed holy, almighty and merciful God.
You are most holy,
and great is the majesty of your glory.
In the night in which he was betrayed,
our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;
broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:
Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks,
and gave it for all to drink, saying:
This cup is the new covenant in my blood,
shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.
Do this for the remembrance of me.
For as often as we eat of this bread and drink from this cup,
we proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
To you, O God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
be all honor and glory in your holy church, now and forever.

LORD’S PRAYER
Lord, remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray.

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours,
now and forever. Amen.

INVITATION TO COMMUNION
The gifts of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God.

HYMNS DURING COMMUNION
“Peace to Sooth Our Bitter Woes” ELW 381
“Come, You Faithful, Raise the Strain” ELW 363

POST-COMMUNION BLESSING
May the body and blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in God’s grace. Amen

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Let us pray. Life-giving God, in the mystery of Christ’s resurrection you send light to conquer darkness, water to give new life, and the bread of life to nourish your people. Send us forth as witnesses to your Son’s resurrection, that we may show your glory to all the world, through Jesus Christ, our risen Lord. Amen.

SENDING 

BLESSING
May the strength of God sustain us; may the power of God preserve us; may the hands of God protect us; may the way of God direct us; may the love of God go with us this day and forever. Amen.

SENDING SONG “Thine Is The Glory” ELW 376

DISMISSAL
Go in peace. Christ is with you. Thanks be to God.

POSTLUDE “This Joyful Eastertide” arr. Charles Callahan