Hybrid Church, Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023 10:00am Rev. Sally Bullas

Hybrid Church, Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023 10:00am

Rev. Sally Bullas

Musician: Dorothy Dittrich

We acknowledge these lands upon which we worship are the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the Snuneymuxw First Nation.

Whoever you are and wherever you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here!

Welcome & Announcements

Whether you are gathering in person, on zoom or worshipping at home with the bulletin, welcome! We are one community, one in the body of Christ. 

Centering & Stillness        (John O’Donohue)

“Somewhere, out at the edges, the night is turning and the waves of darkness begin to brighten the shore of dawn.  The heavy dark falls back to earth and the freed air goes wild with light, the heart fills with fresh, bright breath and thoughts stir to give birth to colour.”                                                                                    

(invitation to sit in silence)

The Christ Candle is Lit 
One:  Love lifts the Light!
All:    New light is shining…
One:  for all around.

Introit: Rise Up, Rise Up      MV #130 

Rise up, rise up, rise up, O my soul.
Rise up and sing this blessing to God’s name.
Rise up, rise up, rise up, O my soul.

Rise up and sing this blessing to God’s name.

Greeting
One:  The grace of Christ Jesus, the love of God, 

          and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

All:     And also with you

Opening Words      (John O’Donohue)

One:  I arise today 

All:    In the name of Silence 

One:  Womb of the Word,

All:    In the name of Stillness 

One:  Home of Belonging, 

All:    In the name of Solitude 

One:  Of the Soul and the Earth. 

All:    I arise today

One:  Blessed by all things,

All:    Wings of breath,

One:  Delight of eyes,

All:    Wonder of whisper,

One:  Intimacy of touch,

All:    Eternity of soul.

Hymn: Morning Has Broken     VU #409

1Morning has broken like the first morning,

blackbird has spoken like the first bird.

Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning!

Praise for them, springing fresh from the Word!

2Sweet the rain’s new fall sunlit from Heaven,

like the first dewfall on the first grass.

Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden,

sprung in completeness where God’s feet pass.

3Ours is the sunlight! Ours is the morning,

born of the one light Eden saw play!

Praise with elation, praise every morning,

God’s re-creation of the new day!

Prayer     (John O’Donohue, adapted) 

One:  We arise today
All:    Urgency of thought
One:  Miracle of health,

All:    Embrace of God.

One:  May we live this day

All:    Compassionate of heart,

          Clear in word,

          Gracious in awareness,

          Courageous in thought,

          Generous in love.        

One:  We arise today!

(a time of reflection)

Passing of the Peace

One:    The peace of Christ be with you! 

All:      And also with you!

You are invited to turn to those directly around you and share Christ’s peace. Those on zoom, please unmute and share with one another.                                                                                                                                                    

    Reader: Lisa Griffith

Reader: By the gift of your Spirit, calm and quiet our souls that we may hear your Word today and be lifted up to walk with you. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen

Psalm 118 (Parts One, Two, and Three)       VU# 837

Refrain:  

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Let Israel now say:

“God’s love endures for ever.”

Let the house of Aaron say:

            “God’s love endures for ever.”

Let those who fear God say:

            “God’s love endures for ever.”   R

God is my strength and by song, God has become my salvation.

There are shouts of joy and deliverance in the tents of the righteous.

The right hand of God does mighty things; 

The right hand of God raises up.

            The right hand of God does mighty things.

I shall not die, but live; and I shall proclaim what God has done.

            God indeed punished me, but did not give me over to death.  R

Open to me the gates of the temple, 

that I may enter and give thanks to God.

            This is the gate of God; through it the righteous shall enter.

I thank you for you have answered me; you have become my salvation.

            The stone which the builders rejected

            has become the chief cornerstone.

This is God’s doing, marvellous in our eyes.

            This is the day that God has made,

            let us rejoice and be glad in it!   

Epistle:  Colossians 3:1-4 (NRSV)       Reader: Lisa Griffith

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

Gospel Reading:        Reader: Lisa Griffith

As is your custom, please stand or sit for the reading of the gospel. 

Reader: God be with you.  
All:    And also with you

Reader:           The Good News of Jesus the Christ according to Matthew

All:     Glory to you, Christ Jesus.

Matthew 28:1-10 (NRSV)

After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, “He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.” This is my message for you.’ So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.’          

          Reader: This is the Gospel of Christ.   

          All:           Praise be to Jesus Christ       

 

Reflection:   “Risen-With-Us”

(silent reflection)

Hymn: Now the Green Blade Rises                                                         VU #186  

1Now 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.

2In 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.

3Forth 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.

4When 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.

A New Creed                                                                                                                       (VU pg.918)

Let us affirm our faith . . . 

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.

Choir Anthem: Jesu, Joy of Our Desiring

Offering Invitation

Doxology          MV #115

            Behold, behold, I make all things new, 
            beginning with you and starting from today.  
            Behold, behold, I make all things new, 
            my promise is true, for I am Christ the way.

Offering Prayer         (Glen E. Rainsley, adapted)
One:  Holy One, through the offering of these gifts may we become more open people.
All:      Help us to be open-minded in hearing your word and wisdom, open-hearted in healing a broken world, and open-handed in heeding your call for compassion and enacted love.
One:  With thanks for all good gifts, we present a portion of our substance and the whole of ourselves.
All:      In Christ’s name.  Amen.

Prayers of the People     Susan Brockley                                                                                          

One:  God, our Salvation,

All:    Hear Our Prayer.

Communion Hymn: Bread of Life, Feed My Soul     MV #194  

1Bread of life, feed my soul,

as the presence of the Spirit

makes me whole.

Bread of life, fill my heart

with the grace and mercy you impart.

2I have heard your voice calling,

“Come, my friend, and share

in the feast that is laid out for you

to show how much I care.”

3Bread of life, help me live

a life as pure and true as Jesus did.

Bread of life, help me see

the boundless love of Christ

for you and me.

4I have heard your voice calling,

“Come, my friend, and share

in the feast that is laid out for you

to show how much I care.”

5Bread of life, feed my soul,

as the presence of the Spirit

makes me whole.

Bread of life, fill my heart

with the grace and mercy you impart.

We Celebrate at the Table
 

Great Thanksgiving

One:  Christ is risen! 

All:    Christ is risen indeed!

One:  Lift up your hearts. 

All:    We lift them up to the God of Love and Life. 

One:  Let us give thanks to God. 

All:    It is right to give our thanks and praise. 

One:  Holy Mystery that is Wholly Love, you are beyond complete              knowledge, above perfect description.
All:    Source of Life, Living Word, and Bond of Love,

One:  you are creative and self-giving, generously moving               

          in all the near and distant corners of the universe.

All:    Nothing exists that does not find its source in you.

One:  Through fear-filled days and aching nights when the powers              of death have done their worst, your love has never desert us. 

All:    Even when we turn away from you, you are with us; 

          your presence never fails us, your gifts of hope and new life transform us.

 

The Prayer of Jesus (sung)          VU #959

Our Father in heaven, 
hallowed be your name,

          your Kin-dom 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 kin-dom, the power
and the glory are yours,

now and forever.

 

One:  We praise you for Jesus Christ, risen to life, eternal as your love. With the women at the tomb, we raise the strain of gladness. 

All:    Hallelujah! Life is stronger than death!

One:  The day of resurrection has come, scattering fear and gloom. 

All:    And so we rejoice with all your people of every time and  place to proclaim the glory of your name:

Sanctus and Benedictus    MV #203

O holy, holy holy God, O God of time and space.

All earth and sea and sky above bear witness to your grace.

Hosanna in the highest heav’n, creation sings your praise.

And blessed is the One who comes and bears your name always.          

One:  It is Jesus, God incarnate, the Risen Christ, who joins us                   together as a community of broken but hopeful believers:

All:    loving what he loved, living what he taught, and striving to be his faithful servants in our time and place.

One:  In this meal we remember Jesus, his promises, and the price he paid for who he was, what he said, and what he did.

One:  On the night before Jesus died, he took a loaf of bread, gave             thanks, broke it, and said, “Take and eat, whenever you do this,     remember me.”  After supper, Jesus took the cup, and poured,                        saying, “This is the new covenant, remember me.”

All:    We remember his life of love, his friendship, his teaching,             his dying, and his rising to life again. 

One:  In sharing this meal, we live out the mystery of our faith:

Memorial Acclamation     MV #204

Sing Christ has died and Christ is risen, Christ will come again!

Sing Christ has died and Christ is risen, Christ will come again!

One:  Holy Mystery, God the Spirit, we call on you to transform these   miliar things, as you continually transform the world around us. Bless this bread and this cup, the wheat and the grape, the seed 

          and the sower, that in the sharing of these simple elements in community, we may taste and see your goodness.

          Through Christ, in Christ, and with Christ, in the unity of the  Holy Spirit, all glory is yours, God most holy, now and forever. 

Breaking the Bread, Pouring the Cup 

One:  The body of Christ, the bread of life. (bread is broken)

          The lifeblood of Christ, the cup of blessing.  (wine is poured)

          The gifts of God for the people of God,

All:    Thanks be to God!

Sharing the Meal 

Prayer after Communion

One:  Thank you, O Christ, for this feast of life. 

All:    We are fed by your love; we are strengthened by your life. 

One:  We are sent forth into this world to live your way and share your 

          joy. 

All:    We are now commissioned to: feed as we have been fed,

forgive as we have been forgiven, love as we have been loved.

One:  Thanks be to God.  Amen.  

Hymn: The Spring Has Come  VU #187

1The spring has come

let all the church be part of it!

The world has changed,

and God is at the heart of it!

New light, new day,

new colour after winter grey.

New light, new day,

the spring has come,

let all the church be part of it!

2The sun is warm,

let all God's children play in it!

The world expands,

let's spread the Gospel way in it!

New leaf, new thrust,

new greening for the love of Christ.

New leaf, new thrust,

the sun is warm,

let all God's children play in it!

3The spring has come,

new people are the flowers of it.

Through wind and rain,

new life is in the showers of it.

New bud, new shoot,

new hope will bear the Spirit's fruit.

New bud, new shoot,

the spring has come,

new people are the flowers of it!

Benediction  (Enfleshed, adapted)

If we believe that Love remains, let us not grow weary in seeking its presence - searching all the world for signs of life we might nurture together. Through weeping and singing, protesting and praying, we accompany the living Christ in one another.  May you find the strength and courage to carry on the witness of the faithful. Go in peace!

Thank You

Blessing       (Keri K. Wehlander, adapted)                                          

If you are with another person, you’re invited to bless each other, taking every other line.

One: Spirit of Life:  May we yield to your love.

Right/ Resting in your spaciousness, mending from our frenzy,

Zoom turning to still waters.

One:  May we trust your quiet rhythm;

Left:  to calm us back to centre, soften brittle places, to bring      new joy in living.

One:  May we receive this Easter gifting.  May we honour time as friend.

All:    May we listen for your heartbeat, and bring peace into our own.  Allelujah and Amen!

 

(Today’s Easter Communion Liturgy was inspired by the “Song of Faith,” and adapted from a service prepared by Alydia Smith and the Rev. Alison Etter, UCofC)