The Third
Sunday in Easter
**Please note this service is based on
the format of the Anglican Church of Canada. Unless otherwise indicated, all
prayers come from the Book of Alternative Services (BAS) and the hymns from the
Book of Common Praise (BCP). Other hymns and prayers have been sourced to give
appropriate credit.
**NRSV translation used for the
readings, unless otherwise stated.
**This is for
personal use at home as the church is unable to gather in our houses of worship
but together we can worship in our own homes.
Opening Prayer
Lord Jesus, open
to us the scriptures; make our hearts burn within us while you speak. (Luke 24:32)
Living God,
Long ago,
faithful women proclaimed the good news of Jesus’ resurrection, and the world
was changed forever. Teach us to keep faith with them, that our witness may be
as bold, our love as deep, and our faith as true. Amen. (Revised Common
Lectionary Prayers)
Opening Hymn – Lord, We Hear Your Word with
Gladness (BCP #447)
The grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy
Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
Alleluia!
Christ is risen!
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
May his grace
and peace be with you.
May he fill our hearts with joy.
Collect for Purity
The Gloria
Collect of the Day
Let us pray.
O God, your
Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of bread. Open the eyes
of our faith, that we may see him in his redeeming work, who is alive and
reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
The Readings
A reading from
the Book of Acts 2:14a,36-41
But
Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, “Men of
Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to
what I say. Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that
God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
Now
when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the
other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and
be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may
be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise
is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the
Lord our God calls to him.” And he testified with many other arguments and
exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” So those
who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand
persons were added.
The word of
the Lord.
Thanks be the God.
Psalm 116
I love the
Lord, because he has heard the voice of my supplication, *
because he has
inclined his ear to me whenever I called upon him.
The
cords of death entangled me;
the
grip of the grave took hold of me; *
I
came to grief and sorrow.
Then I called
upon the Name of the Lord: *
"O Lord,
I pray you, save my life."
Gracious
is the Lord and righteous; *
our
God is full of compassion.
The Lord
watches over the innocent; *
I was brought
very low, and he helped me.
Turn
again to your rest, O my soul. *
for
the Lord has treated you well.
For you have
rescued my life from death, *
my eyes from
tears, and my feet from stumbling.
I
will walk in the presence of the Lord *
in
the land of the living.
I believed,
even when I said,
"I have
been brought very low." *
In my distress
I said, "No one can be trusted."
How
shall I repay the Lord *
for
all the good things he has done for me?
I will lift up
the cup of salvation *
and call upon
the Name of the Lord.
I
will fulfill my vows to the Lord *
in
the presence of all his people.
Precious in
the sight of the Lord *
is the death
of his servants.
O
Lord, I am your servant; *
I
am your servant and the child of your handmaid;
you
have freed me from my bonds.
I will offer
you the sacrifice of thanksgiving *
and call upon
the Name of the Lord.
I
will fulfill my vows to the Lord *
in
the presence of all his people,
In the courts
of the Lord's house, *
in the midst
of you, O Jerusalem.
Hallelujah!
Glory
to the Father, and to the Son, *
and
to the Holy Spirit:
As it was in
the beginning, is now, *
and will be
for ever. Amen.
A reading from
the First Letter of Peter 1:17-23
If
you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to
their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. You know that
you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with
perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ,
like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. He was destined before the
foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake.
Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and
gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God.
Now
that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you
have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. You have been
born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and
enduring word of God.
The word of
the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Gradual Hymn – He Comes to Us AS
One Unknown (Words from BCP #456)
The Lord be
with you.
And also with you.
The Holy
Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Luke. 24:13-35
Glory to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
The Gospel of
Christ.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
Sermon
The
people have just witnessed the passion and crucifixion of Jesus. Now what? Some
hang about waiting to see what comes next, because they have heard the stories
that Jesus was to be the saviour of the people. They weren’t expecting him to
die without accomplishing that feat.
The
majority of the people who had been present that fateful morning were not from
Jerusalem and are now making their way home.
That’s
what these two people in Luke’s account are doing; they are headed home to a
village called Emmaus, and they are talking about everything that had happened.
While
they were walking, a man suddenly appeared and asked what they were talking
about. The men couldn’t believe that there was anyone around that wasn’t aware
of everything that had happened in the last few days.
When
you read this passage, it easy to say “how did these two not know that it was
Jesus who was walking with them?”
But
Luke doesn’t say they didn’t recognize him. He says “their eyes were kept from
recognizing him”. It’s not like they wouldn’t remember what Jesus looked like.
They had just watched him die on a cross only 3 days prior!
“Their
eyes were kept from recognizing him” – Jesus has veiled his identity from the
two in front of him. He appears to them but he doesn’t allow them to recognize
that it is really him.
It’s as if Jesus wants to hear what
they have to say about him and about what happened.
Cleopas, the only of the two to be
named, told the story of the last three days, but in doing, reduces Jesus from
the Messiah to a prophet – “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a
prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people.”
Cleopas has lost his faith, his
hope. To Cleopas, Jesus was to have been to saviour and redeemer of Israel but
three days after his death, nothing has changed in the world.
So he decided to leave Jerusalem and
go home, believing the Jesus had only been a prophet, not the promised Messiah.
Surprisingly, this is even after he
admitted the fact that he knew about the empty tomb, that he had heard the
story from the women who had visited Jesus’ tomb and found it empty.
Until this point, Jesus had been
listening patiently, knowing better than anyone what had happened at cavalry,
but once Cleopas admitted the fact that he still didn’t believe that Jesus was
alive even after receiving the report of the empty tomb and the message from
the angels, Jesus rebuked the men.
He rebuked them for their lack of
faith, for not believing the prophets who had come before Jesus. These men
would have known the scriptures. They would have heard the stories of Moses and
Isaiah and all the prophets who foretold of a Messiah who would have to “suffer
before entering into his glory.”
And yet, even after hearing stories
of Jesus’ life and ministry, after witnessing his death, and after receiving
the message from the tomb, Cleopas has chosen to not believe the prophets from
whom he would have grown up learning.
He is lacking faith.
Jesus called them foolish men and
could have stormed off in disgust. But he doesn’t.
He meets them where they are, in
their pain and their doubt, in their brokenness and their lack of faith. And
then evangelizes to them through the scriptures as they walked the road to
Emmaus.
When Jesus finally reveals himself
to Cleopas and his companion, it is through his words at the table that were
identical to the words used at the last supper in the upper room. Jesus reveals
himself and then disappears, leaving the two to realize the burning fire of
faith renewed in their hearts.
Once that faith was restored, their
eyes were opened once again.
The fulfillment of the prophets did
not end with the resurrection of Jesus. It is happening every day as our faith
burns within us.
As he did with Cleopas and his
companion, Jesus walks with us through our pain and sadness, doubts and fear,
and even, or especially, our loss of faith.
It’s easy to lose our faith and to
be blind to what’s before us, especially in times of fear and sadness as we are
experiencing during this pandemic, mass shootings, poverty, war…
Jesus walks with us down our own
road to Emmaus and it is our faith in Jesus that will open our eyes to the
beauty and glory of his resurrection.
It’s okay to doubt. Doubt is not the
opposite of faith, in fact it is a requirement of faith. Honestly, in light of
all the death and trauma and disappointment and tragedy that colors every human
life, it’s not really surprising that we would have at least some difficulty
believing the promise that God not only raised one person, Jesus, from the
dead, but also promises new life and second chances and forgiveness and grace
to all.
But it is our faith in Jesus that
will give us the strength to keep moving forward, to support one another from
afar, and to be witness to the beauty that can be found in the world even in
the face of the horrific situation we currently find ourselves in.
Affirmation of Faith
Let us confess
the faith of our baptism, as we say the Apostles’ Creed:
The Prayers of the
People
Holy God,
You invite us
to bring our doubts and fears, our joys and concerns, our petitions and praise,
and offer them for the earth and all its creatures, (Revised
Common Lectionary Prayers) saying:
Lord, hear our prayer.
(From the
book of Intercessions for the Christian People) Let us pray.
For the church
universal and for this community of faith, that we may wholeheartedly devote
ourselves to the apostolic teaching, to common life, to the breaking of bread,
and the life of prayer, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.
For all
nations and people of this wide earth, that we may be delivered from human devices
of oppression, and from false idols and futile ways, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.
That all who
grieve or who are desperate or haunted by violence may know the hidden strength
of Christ present, let us pray to the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.
For the homeless,
those without bread, those tempted by vengeance and driven to rage, that they
may find refuge and strength in the one who walks with them, let us pray to the
Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.
For the
children of calamity, and for our own children, that they may come to know and to
claim the promises of God to all generations, near and far off, let us pray to
the Lord. Lord, hear our prayer.
Please take time to offer your own intercessions or to pray
in silence.
Living Jesus, whose
presence on our daily road we often fail to see; warm our hearts with fresh
confidence in your Word, so that, in making room for the stranger beside us, we
find your hospitality awaiting us, and the reassurance of your presence to
inspire us to tread the road again and to share the good news of your
resurrection life. Amen. (Posted on the Monthly Prayers page of the Christian Aid
website. http://www.christianaid.org.uk/)
Gathering our
prayers together, let us pray as Christ has taught us,
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.
Save us from the time of trial,
And deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
The power, and the glory,
For ever and ever. Amen.
Confession and
Absolution
Dear friends
in Christ,
God is
steadfast in love and infinite in mercy; God welcomes sinners and invites them
to the table. Let us confess our sins, confident in God’s forgiveness.
(Silence)
Most merciful God, we confess that 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
neighbour as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake
of your son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we might
delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of your name. Amen.
Almighty God,
have mercy upon you, pardon and deliver you from all your sins, confirm and
strengthen you in all goodness, and keep you in eternal life; through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
The peace of
the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
Prayer over the Gifts
**Although not physically at our church buildings to share
our offering together I would encourage you to set your offering of money aside
so that it can be dropped off or placed in the church once services resume, to
mail your offering to the church, or to make donations online. Please remember
ministry is still taking place.
Let us pray.
Creator of
all, you wash away our sins in water, you give us new birth by the spirit, and
redeem us in the blood of Christ. As we celebrate the resurrection, renew your
gift of life within us. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ the risen Lord.
Amen.
Blessing
May God,
who comes to
us
in the things
of this world,
bless your
eyes
and be in your
seeing.
May Christ,
who looks upon
you
with deepest
love,
bless your
eyes
and widen your
gaze.
May the
Spirit,
who perceives
what is
and what may
yet be,
bless your
eyes
and sharpen
your vision.
May the Sacred
Three
bless your
eyes
and cause you
to see. Amen.
(From In
the Sanctuary of Women, copyright © Jan L. Richardson. Posted on the painted prayerbook. http://paintedprayerbook.com/)
Closing
Hymn –
You Are Salt for the Earth (BCP #502)
Dismissal
Go forth into the world, rejoicing in
the power of the Spirit. Alleluia!
Thanks be
to God. Alleluia!
This is a very beautiful service! Thank you especially for all the music! I love it!
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