Sundays at All Hallows (Sunday, April 27, 2025)
This Sunday is the Second Sunday of Easter, also known as Doubting Thomas Sunday (or simply Thomas Sunday) or Low Sunday. It is called Doubting Thomas Sunday or Thomas Sunday because it “commemorates the story of Thomas the Apostle's initial disbelief in the resurrection of Jesus and his later confession of faith after seeing Jesus' wounds.”
The Gospel of John’s account of Thomas’ disbelief is the origin of the expression, “doubting Thomas,” a reference to “a skeptic who refuses to believe without direct personal experience.” The retort, “Don’t be such a doubting Thomas,” enjoyed wider use when I was a boy than it does today.
The origin of the name “Low Sunday” for the Second Sunday of Easter is uncertain. It may allude to the fact it is not as special an occasion as the great Easter Sunday festival which preceded it. It is not an excuse for not attending church on this Sunday, after having attended church on Easter Sunday, as the name “Low Sunday” is sometimes misused.
The topic of this Sunday’ message is the Great Commission, the charge which the risen Jesus gave to the apostles and to all subsequent generations of his disciples.
GATHER IN GOD’S NAME
Open this link in a new tab to hear Jonathan Anderson’s arrangement of Robert Lowry’s CHRIST AROSE for piano and violin.
Alleluia! Christ is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Silence may be kept.
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 neighbors 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 may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.
Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins
through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all
goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in
eternal life. Amen.
Lord, open our lips.
And our mouth shall proclaim your praise.
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.
Alleluia.
Open this link to hear James Quinn’s “Sing All Creation” (Psalm 100).
1 Sing, all creation, sing to God in gladness!
Joyously serve him, singing hymns of homage!
Chanting his praises, come before his presence!
Praise the Almighty!
2 Know that our God is Lord of all the ages!
He is our maker; we are all his creatures,
people he fashioned, sheep he leads to pasture!
Praise the Almighty!
3 Enter his temple, ringing out his praises!
Sing in thanksgiving as you come before him!
Blessing his bounty, glorify his greatness!
Praise the Almighty!
[Instrumental interlude]
4 Great in his goodness is the Lord we worship;
steadfast his kindness, love that knows no ending!
Faithful his word is, changeless, everlasting!
Praise the Almighty!
Open this link in a new tab to hear Psalm 150 (Laudate Dominum).
Hallelujah!
Praise God in his holy temple; *
praise him in the firmament of his power.
Praise him for his mighty acts; *
praise him for his excellent greatness.
Praise him with the blast of the ram's-horn; *
praise him with lyre and harp.
Praise him with timbrel and dance; *
praise him with strings and pipe.
Praise him with resounding cymbals; *
praise him with loud-clanging cymbals.
Let everything that has breath *
praise the Lord.
Hallelujah!
Silence.
God of life and love,
whose Son was victorious over sin and death,
make us alive with his life,
that the whole world may resound with your praise;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles
Acts 5:27-32
The apostles were brought before the council where the high priest confronted them: “In no uncertain terms, we demanded that you not teach in this name. And look at you! You have filled Jerusalem with your teaching. And you are determined to hold us responsible for this man’s death.”
Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than humans! The God of our ancestors raised Jesus from the dead—whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God has exalted Jesus to his right side as leader and savior so that he could enable Israel to change its heart and life and to find forgiveness for sins. We are witnesses of such things, as is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.”
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Carl P. Daw, Jr.’s “Blessed Be the God of Israel (Benedictus Dominus Deus).”
1 Blessed be the God of Israel
who comes to set us free
and raises up new hope for us:
a Branch from David's tree.
So have the prophets long declared
that with a mighty arm
God would turn back our enemies
and all who wish us harm.
2 With promised mercy will God still
the covenant recall,
the oath once sworn to Abraham,
from foes to save us all;
that we might worship without fear
and offer lives of praise,
in holiness and righteousness
to serve God all our days.
3 My child, as prophet of the Lord,
you will prepare the way,
to tell God's people they are saved
from sin's eternal sway.
Then shall God's mercy from on high
shine forth and never cease
to drive away the gloom of death
and lead us into peace.
A reading from the Revelation to John.
Revelation 1:4-8
John, to the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace and peace to you from the one who is and was and is coming, and from the seven spirits that are before God’s throne, and from Jesus Christ—the faithful witness, the firstborn from among the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To the one who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, who made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father—to him be glory and power forever and always. Amen.
Look, he is coming with the clouds! Every eye will see him, including those who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him.
This is so. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the one who is and was and is coming, the Almighty.”
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to play Christopher Idle’s metrical paraphrase of the Te Deum laudamus, “God, We Praise You!”
1 God, we praise you! God, we bless you!
God, we name you sovereign Lord!
Mighty King whom angels worship,
Father, by your church adored:
all creation shows your glory,
heaven and earth draw near your throne
singing 'Holy, holy, holy,
Lord of hosts, and God alone!'
2 True apostles, faithful prophets,
saints who set their world ablaze,
martyrs, once unknown, unheeded,
join one growing song of praise,
while your church on earth confesses
one majestic Trinity:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
God, our hope eternally.
3 Jesus Christ, the King of glory,
everlasting Son of God,
humble was your virgin mother,
hard the lonely path you trod:
by your cross is sin defeated,
hell confronted face to face,
heaven opened to believers,
sinners justified by grace.
4 Christ, at God's right hand victorious,
you will judge the world you made;
Lord, in mercy help your servants
for whose freedom you have paid:
raise us up from dust to glory,
guard us from all sin today;
King enthroned above all praises,
save your people, God, we pray.
A reading from the Gospel according to John
John 20:19-31
It was still the first day of the week. That evening, while the disciples were behind closed doors because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities, Jesus came and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. When the disciples saw the Lord, they were filled with joy. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you don’t forgive them, they aren’t forgiven.”
Thomas, the one called Didymus, one of the Twelve, wasn’t with the disciples when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We’ve seen the Lord!”
But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my finger in the wounds left by the nails, and put my hand into his side, I won’t believe.”
After eight days his disciples were again in a house and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus entered and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here. Look at my hands. Put your hand into my side. No more disbelief. Believe!”
Thomas responded to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus replied, “Do you believe because you see me? Happy are those who don’t see and yet believe.”
Then Jesus did many other miraculous signs in his disciples’ presence, signs that aren’t recorded in this scroll. But these things are written so that you will believe that Jesus is the Christ, God’s Son, and that believing, you will have life in his name.
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Have you ever been so excited about something that you cannot stop telling people about it? May be it was a new baby—your first child or grandchild. You showed everybody photos of the new baby on your phone.
May be it was a new computer game. You wanted all your friends to try it.
When something causes us to have strong feelings of happiness and enthusiasm, we want to tell everyone else about it. We want to share our happiness and enthusiasm with them.
We learn from Luke's Acts of the Apostles, Acts 5: 27-32, that the high priest’s earlier warning had not dissuaded Peter and the apostles from spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. It had not dampened their determination to proclaim their risen Lord to their people of Jerusalem. This determination so alarmed the Jewish religious authorities that they ordered the apostles arrested and brought before them again.
What accounts for such determination? They had encountered Jesus, alive and risen from the dead. They had not only met him unexpectedly but also had spent time with him. They had witnessed him ascend into heaven and upon returning to Jerusalem in obedience to his instructions, they had received the promised Holy Spirit. They could not have contained their excitement had they wanted to.
It may be hard for us to imagine the happiness that they must have felt, the energetic interest that they had in telling others, and their eagerness to do just that.
Fabricating a story about the resurrection of Jesus, something of which the apostles have been accused, would not have generated that kind of excitement. It would not have given them the determination that they showed. They had seen the risen Lord. It had been a life-transforming event for them, an event that changed their lives more than the time that they spent with Jesus before his death.
A fabricated story would not have compelled the apostle Thomas to travel from Jerusalem to India, following the ancient trade routes from the Mid-East to that subcontinent, no easy undertaking. In India, Thomas would preach the gospel, make disciples, plant churches, and suffer a martyr’s death.
Thomas had at first refused to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead until he saw his risen Lord with his own eyes and saw and touched his wounds. He demanded concrete proof of Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus appeared to Thomas and gave him the proof that he demanded. Thomas’ response was to acknowledge Jesus not only as Lord but also as God. He no longer had any doubts.
The Gospel of John does not tell us what exactly was Thomas’ reaction when he saw the risen Jesus. He may have fallen on his knees, a look of surprise and awe on his face. John only records Thomas’ words and Jesus’ reply. “Do you believe because you see me? Happy are those who don’t see and yet believe.” In some translations of the New Testament “happy” is rendered as “blessed.”
The commission that the risen Christ gave to the apostles before he ascended into heaven, telling the apostles to leave the place from which he ascended and to make disciples of all the peoples of the earth, baptizing them, and instructing them in what he had commanded, he gave not just to the apostles but to his whole Church for all time.
We are to keep on making new disciples until he comes again in glory. We are to point people of all ages, all walks of life, all nationalities and races, men and women, to Jesus. If they accept him as their Savior and Lord, we are to disciple them. Fulfilling that commission is our principal task as his Church, his people here on earth.
While, unlike the apostles, we have not seen our risen Lord, we have, like the apostles, received the gift of the Holy Spirit, God’s indwelling presence, that empowers us to fulfill God’s purposes. God also supplies us with an unimaginable abundance of grace to the same end.
If we lack the excitement, interest, and energy of the apostles, we should ask God to give us same zeal and determination that the apostles displayed, the same great enthusiasm and eagerness to spread the good news of Jesus Christ and the same ability to keep making new disciples despite the difficulties that we may face.
We may meet with opposition as did the apostles. However, our response must be the same as that of Peter and the apostles to the high priest. “We must obey God rather than human authority.”
To many of us who are accustomed as we are to the routine of attending a Sunday school class and a church service on a Sunday and doing very little in God’s service between Sundays, spreading the good news and making new disciples may appear to be a formidable undertaking. As daunting as it may seem, we must do what the apostles did, put our faith and trust in Jesus’ word. He would not give us such a task without giving us the wherewithal to accomplish it. We have his word on it.
Silence.
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth;
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
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.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Show us your mercy, O Lord;
And grant us your salvation.
Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
Let your people sing with joy.
Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
For only in you can we live in safety.
Lord, keep this nation under your care;
And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
Let your way be known upon earth;
Your saving health among all nations.
Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
Create in us clean hearts, O God;
And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.
Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery
established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all
who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body
may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
O God, you make us glad with the weekly remembrance of
the glorious resurrection of your Son our Lord: Give us this
day such blessing through our worship of you, that the week
to come may be spent in your favor; through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Genevieve Glen and Gael Berberick’s “Word of God, You Spoke Creation.”
1 Word of God, you spoke creation
From the chaos of the flood;
Word made flesh, you wrought salvation
By the spilling of your blood.
Love of God revealed among us,
Life of God made light of earth,
Into being here you’ve sung us,
Into life brought us to birth.
2 Word of God, we all adore you,
Flame that burns away the night.
Word made flesh, we bow before you,
Child who topples thrones of might:
Splendor of God’s hidden glory,
Fullness of God’s faithful love;
Born with us to death’s dark story,
Raised for us in light above/
3 Word of God, we sing and praise you,
Melody with love entwined.
Word of God, we glorify you
For the gift of love Divine.
Spirit of God’s living presence,
Breath of God, received as gift;
Saving power, loving essence,
To you, God, our souls we lift.
God of providence, God of love,
we pray for all people: make your way known to them, your saving power
among all nations.
[Especially we pray for…]
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer.
We pray for your Church throughout the world: guide and
govern by your Holy Spirit, that all who call themselves Christians
may be led in the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit,
in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life.
[Especially we pray for…]
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer.
We commend to your fatherly goodness all who are afflicted or distressed
in mind, body, or circumstances. Relieve them according to their needs.
Give them patience in their sufferings, and deliverance in their afflictions.
[Especially we pray for…]
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Draw your Church together, O Lord, into one great company of disciples, together following our Lord Jesus Christ into every walk of life, together serving him in his mission to the world, and together witnessing to his love on every continent and island. We ask this in his name and for his sake. Amen.
THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Alleluia. Alleluia.
Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely
more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from
generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus
for ever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21
who comes to set us free
and raises up new hope for us:
a Branch from David's tree.
So have the prophets long declared
that with a mighty arm
God would turn back our enemies
and all who wish us harm.
2 With promised mercy will God still
the covenant recall,
the oath once sworn to Abraham,
from foes to save us all;
that we might worship without fear
and offer lives of praise,
in holiness and righteousness
to serve God all our days.
3 My child, as prophet of the Lord,
you will prepare the way,
to tell God's people they are saved
from sin's eternal sway.
Then shall God's mercy from on high
shine forth and never cease
to drive away the gloom of death
and lead us into peace.
A reading from the Revelation to John.
Revelation 1:4-8
John, to the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace and peace to you from the one who is and was and is coming, and from the seven spirits that are before God’s throne, and from Jesus Christ—the faithful witness, the firstborn from among the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To the one who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, who made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father—to him be glory and power forever and always. Amen.
Look, he is coming with the clouds! Every eye will see him, including those who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him.
This is so. Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the one who is and was and is coming, the Almighty.”
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to play Christopher Idle’s metrical paraphrase of the Te Deum laudamus, “God, We Praise You!”
1 God, we praise you! God, we bless you!
God, we name you sovereign Lord!
Mighty King whom angels worship,
Father, by your church adored:
all creation shows your glory,
heaven and earth draw near your throne
singing 'Holy, holy, holy,
Lord of hosts, and God alone!'
2 True apostles, faithful prophets,
saints who set their world ablaze,
martyrs, once unknown, unheeded,
join one growing song of praise,
while your church on earth confesses
one majestic Trinity:
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
God, our hope eternally.
3 Jesus Christ, the King of glory,
everlasting Son of God,
humble was your virgin mother,
hard the lonely path you trod:
by your cross is sin defeated,
hell confronted face to face,
heaven opened to believers,
sinners justified by grace.
4 Christ, at God's right hand victorious,
you will judge the world you made;
Lord, in mercy help your servants
for whose freedom you have paid:
raise us up from dust to glory,
guard us from all sin today;
King enthroned above all praises,
save your people, God, we pray.
A reading from the Gospel according to John
John 20:19-31
It was still the first day of the week. That evening, while the disciples were behind closed doors because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities, Jesus came and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. When the disciples saw the Lord, they were filled with joy. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven; if you don’t forgive them, they aren’t forgiven.”
Thomas, the one called Didymus, one of the Twelve, wasn’t with the disciples when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We’ve seen the Lord!”
But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my finger in the wounds left by the nails, and put my hand into his side, I won’t believe.”
After eight days his disciples were again in a house and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus entered and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here. Look at my hands. Put your hand into my side. No more disbelief. Believe!”
Thomas responded to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!”
Jesus replied, “Do you believe because you see me? Happy are those who don’t see and yet believe.”
Then Jesus did many other miraculous signs in his disciples’ presence, signs that aren’t recorded in this scroll. But these things are written so that you will believe that Jesus is the Christ, God’s Son, and that believing, you will have life in his name.
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God
𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗹 𝗧𝗮𝘀𝗸
Have you ever been so excited about something that you cannot stop telling people about it? May be it was a new baby—your first child or grandchild. You showed everybody photos of the new baby on your phone.
May be it was a new computer game. You wanted all your friends to try it.
When something causes us to have strong feelings of happiness and enthusiasm, we want to tell everyone else about it. We want to share our happiness and enthusiasm with them.
We learn from Luke's Acts of the Apostles, Acts 5: 27-32, that the high priest’s earlier warning had not dissuaded Peter and the apostles from spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. It had not dampened their determination to proclaim their risen Lord to their people of Jerusalem. This determination so alarmed the Jewish religious authorities that they ordered the apostles arrested and brought before them again.
What accounts for such determination? They had encountered Jesus, alive and risen from the dead. They had not only met him unexpectedly but also had spent time with him. They had witnessed him ascend into heaven and upon returning to Jerusalem in obedience to his instructions, they had received the promised Holy Spirit. They could not have contained their excitement had they wanted to.
It may be hard for us to imagine the happiness that they must have felt, the energetic interest that they had in telling others, and their eagerness to do just that.
Fabricating a story about the resurrection of Jesus, something of which the apostles have been accused, would not have generated that kind of excitement. It would not have given them the determination that they showed. They had seen the risen Lord. It had been a life-transforming event for them, an event that changed their lives more than the time that they spent with Jesus before his death.
A fabricated story would not have compelled the apostle Thomas to travel from Jerusalem to India, following the ancient trade routes from the Mid-East to that subcontinent, no easy undertaking. In India, Thomas would preach the gospel, make disciples, plant churches, and suffer a martyr’s death.
Thomas had at first refused to believe that Jesus had risen from the dead until he saw his risen Lord with his own eyes and saw and touched his wounds. He demanded concrete proof of Jesus’ resurrection. Jesus appeared to Thomas and gave him the proof that he demanded. Thomas’ response was to acknowledge Jesus not only as Lord but also as God. He no longer had any doubts.
The Gospel of John does not tell us what exactly was Thomas’ reaction when he saw the risen Jesus. He may have fallen on his knees, a look of surprise and awe on his face. John only records Thomas’ words and Jesus’ reply. “Do you believe because you see me? Happy are those who don’t see and yet believe.” In some translations of the New Testament “happy” is rendered as “blessed.”
The commission that the risen Christ gave to the apostles before he ascended into heaven, telling the apostles to leave the place from which he ascended and to make disciples of all the peoples of the earth, baptizing them, and instructing them in what he had commanded, he gave not just to the apostles but to his whole Church for all time.
We are to keep on making new disciples until he comes again in glory. We are to point people of all ages, all walks of life, all nationalities and races, men and women, to Jesus. If they accept him as their Savior and Lord, we are to disciple them. Fulfilling that commission is our principal task as his Church, his people here on earth.
While, unlike the apostles, we have not seen our risen Lord, we have, like the apostles, received the gift of the Holy Spirit, God’s indwelling presence, that empowers us to fulfill God’s purposes. God also supplies us with an unimaginable abundance of grace to the same end.
If we lack the excitement, interest, and energy of the apostles, we should ask God to give us same zeal and determination that the apostles displayed, the same great enthusiasm and eagerness to spread the good news of Jesus Christ and the same ability to keep making new disciples despite the difficulties that we may face.
We may meet with opposition as did the apostles. However, our response must be the same as that of Peter and the apostles to the high priest. “We must obey God rather than human authority.”
To many of us who are accustomed as we are to the routine of attending a Sunday school class and a church service on a Sunday and doing very little in God’s service between Sundays, spreading the good news and making new disciples may appear to be a formidable undertaking. As daunting as it may seem, we must do what the apostles did, put our faith and trust in Jesus’ word. He would not give us such a task without giving us the wherewithal to accomplish it. We have his word on it.
Silence.
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth;
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.
He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
and born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again.
He ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
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.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
Show us your mercy, O Lord;
And grant us your salvation.
Clothe your ministers with righteousness;
Let your people sing with joy.
Give peace, O Lord, in all the world;
For only in you can we live in safety.
Lord, keep this nation under your care;
And guide us in the way of justice and truth.
Let your way be known upon earth;
Your saving health among all nations.
Let not the needy, O Lord, be forgotten;
Nor the hope of the poor be taken away.
Create in us clean hearts, O God;
And sustain us with your Holy Spirit.
Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery
established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all
who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body
may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
O God, you make us glad with the weekly remembrance of
the glorious resurrection of your Son our Lord: Give us this
day such blessing through our worship of you, that the week
to come may be spent in your favor; through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Genevieve Glen and Gael Berberick’s “Word of God, You Spoke Creation.”
1 Word of God, you spoke creation
From the chaos of the flood;
Word made flesh, you wrought salvation
By the spilling of your blood.
Love of God revealed among us,
Life of God made light of earth,
Into being here you’ve sung us,
Into life brought us to birth.
2 Word of God, we all adore you,
Flame that burns away the night.
Word made flesh, we bow before you,
Child who topples thrones of might:
Splendor of God’s hidden glory,
Fullness of God’s faithful love;
Born with us to death’s dark story,
Raised for us in light above/
3 Word of God, we sing and praise you,
Melody with love entwined.
Word of God, we glorify you
For the gift of love Divine.
Spirit of God’s living presence,
Breath of God, received as gift;
Saving power, loving essence,
To you, God, our souls we lift.
God of providence, God of love,
we pray for all people: make your way known to them, your saving power
among all nations.
[Especially we pray for…]
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer.
We pray for your Church throughout the world: guide and
govern by your Holy Spirit, that all who call themselves Christians
may be led in the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit,
in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life.
[Especially we pray for…]
Lord, in your mercy
hear our prayer.
We commend to your fatherly goodness all who are afflicted or distressed
in mind, body, or circumstances. Relieve them according to their needs.
Give them patience in their sufferings, and deliverance in their afflictions.
[Especially we pray for…]
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Draw your Church together, O Lord, into one great company of disciples, together following our Lord Jesus Christ into every walk of life, together serving him in his mission to the world, and together witnessing to his love on every continent and island. We ask this in his name and for his sake. Amen.
THE SENDING FORTH OF GOD’S PEOPLE
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Alleluia. Alleluia.
Glory to God whose power, working in us, can do infinitely
more than we can ask or imagine: Glory to him from
generation to generation in the Church, and in Christ Jesus
for ever and ever. Amen. Ephesians 3:20,21
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