Seventh Sunday of Easter Worship Order of Service

St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church
7TH SUNDAY OF EASTER  –  Coronavirus
05-16-2021      10:00AM Zoom Worship

OPENING RITE FOR EASTER 7:

L   He was their leader and teacher for three years…

C    but then he was suddenly arrested, condemned, and crucified.

L   He was buried behind a boulder…

C    but then on the third day he suddenly rose from the dead.

L   He appeared to them for forty days…

C    but then he was suddenly taken up into heaven.

L   Right before he left them for the last time, he showed them his wounds…

C    and he proved that he was again alive.

L   Right before he left them for the last time, he opened their minds to the scriptures…

C    and he reminded them that the Christ would suffer, die, and RISE.

L   Right before he left them for the last time, he gave them a command to witness…

C    and he promised them power from on high.

L   Right before he left them for the last time, he told them to wait…

C    and he commanded them to stay in the city.

L   and right after he left them…

C    they were looking up,

     they were surprised,

          they were searching the clouds,

               they were not quite ready to witness,

       or even to move.

L   Right after he left them, they had to be pushed and prodded, encouraged and assured by angels…

C    and – thank God! – they stayed together,

            they waited together,

                 they prayed together,

                 and they expected something to happen!

L   Praise God for the peace, the power, and the promises of Jesus!

C    Jesus is risen, Jesus is alive, and Jesus is Lord! Alleluia!

OPENING SONG:        “Somebody Prayed for Me”                                                              Tan #505 

CELEBRATION OF OUR NEW LIFE IN CHRIST:     

L   Brothers and sisters, Jesus has prayed for his disciples of every time and place.

He has prayed that we might continue his mission to the world and be protected, safe, and holy.

He has prayed that we might recognize that we are sent to offer the love that he lived and died for.

C      And he has prayed that we might be unified in our love and united in sharing words and deeds of love.

Every Christian shares in Christ’s ministry and bears the good news of God’s love.

     Let us affirm this mission of love and practice receiving and offering God’s redeeming love here and now…  

 “Receive [+] the sign of the cross. Because HE died, YOU are alive!”

SONG OF PRAISE:    “This Is the Day”        Youth Choir

THE PRAYER OF THE DAY:                              

     Holy God, open our hearts and our lives to that wonderful awareness that you have chosen us to be your new 

     disciples with new ministries in Jesus’ name.  We pray to be faithful, responsible, and even courageous.  Amen.   

FIRST READING:  ACTS 1:15-17, 21-26     [Staying and praying together in readiness. We are here for a purpose!]

1:15 In those days Peter stood up among the believers (together the crowd numbered about one hundred twenty persons) and said,

1:16 “Friends, the scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit through David foretold concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus —

1:17 for he was numbered among us and was allotted his share in this ministry.”

1:21 So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us,

1:22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us–one of these must become a witness with us to his resurrection.”

1:23 So they proposed two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also known as Justus, and Matthias.

1:24 Then they prayed and said, “Lord, you know everyone’s heart. Show us which one of these two you have chosen

1:25 to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.”

1:26 And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias; and he was added to the eleven apostles.

SECOND READING:  1 JOHN 5:9-13     [Holding on to the Gospel. We are to hear, believe, and live it!] 

5:9 If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son.

5:10 Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son.

5:11 And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.

5:12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

GOSPEL VERSE:  “Oh, how He loves you and me. Oh, how He loves you and me.       

                        He gave His life, what more can He give?

                  OH, HOW HE LOVES YOU; OH, HOW HE LOVES ME;       

                                     OH, HOW HE LOVES YOU AND ME!           

      Jesus to Calv’ry did go, His love for this world to show.

                                What He did there brought hope from despair…”

GOSPEL READING:  JOHN 17:6-19   [Being “prayed up” by Jesus for unity in faithful discipleship!]   

17:6 “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.

17:7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you;

17:8 for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me.

17:9 I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours.

17:10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them.

17:11 And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.

17:12 While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled.

17:13 But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves.

17:14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.

17:15 I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one.

17:16 They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.

17:17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

17:18 As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.

17:19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.

THE SERMON:         Sister Ramona Cecille Daily

SONG RESPONSE:         “Standing in the Need of Prayer”                                                     Tan #441

AN AFFIRMATION OF OUR FAITH:           

We confess our FAITH in the God who has given us love and new life…

I trust in God who has made me his own. I know that God loves me. To God I am as precious as his own

          Son, Jesus Christ, who lived and died in obedience to his Father’s will. Jesus suffered our pain, and 

    through his suffering and death has brought us into fellowship with God.

     I believe that God through his Spirit will give me strength when I am oppressed and weary… will give me love

     when I am afraid and lonely… and will guide his Church to make people free at last.

     I believe that God lives in the fellowship of those who trust him, and that God wants all people to be brought

into that fellowship.

     I believe that nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

     Living in hope and trust, I will deny myself, take up my cross, and walk the Jesus walk of faithful servant love.

       Amen.

OFFERING   [Today we have heard how Jesus prayed for our discipleship, that we might be united in sharing God’s love with each other and with this broken, confused, and love-starved world. Let us be like trees planted by streams of water, bearing fruit through faithful living and fervent loving.]

THE OFFERTORY SONG:    “Get all excited, go tell ev’rybody that Jesus Christ is King!    [sing this line 3 times]

  Jesus Christ is still the King of kings, the King of kings!”               

OFFERING PRAYER:           

     We praise you and thank you, O God, for giving us amazing joy, grace, and hope in the resurrection of  Jesus our Lord! Now give us the bold confidence and the passionate love to dry tears, to lift up broken hearts, and to testify with our gifts and our lives that there is NEW LIFE in Jesus Christ.   Amen.

MUSIC SELECTION:    Dennis Fortune

THE PRAYERS… We pray that all people might be transformed by the GOOD NEWS of Easter!     

THE LORD’S PRAYER

CLOSING SONG:       

THE BENEDICTION:

L   Alleluia! Christ is risen!

C    He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

L   Leave with a message upon your heart… on your lips… revealed through your daily living: I have seen the Lord! 

Go in the faith-filled power of the Risen Christ (+) to love God and to serve your neighbor in all that you do!  AMEN!