We are an Open and Affirming, Creation Justice Congregation

Order of Service Easter Sunday, April 12, 2020

We Gather in God’s Presence

Easter Welcome - The novelist Mary Gordon has written, "For me the meaning of Easter, the meaning of the Resurrection is the possibility of possibility. The great perhaps. Perhaps: the open-endedness that gives the lie to death. That opens up the story." The possibility of possibility…the great perhaps…as we begin our worship this morning, I wonder—what possibilities might be opening themselves to you today? What “great perhaps” might today be offering?

CREATION CARE MOMENT — This week’s Creation Care Moment comes from Steve Smith:

“Good morning and Easter blessings, In keeping with our UCC designation as a “Creation Justice” church we have instituted the practice of opening many of our Sunday services with a “Creation Care” moment. This might be some environmental news, instruction on green practices, a prayer or a poem. Accordingly I have chosen a meditation by Wendell Berry with appropriate Easter and spring themes of renewal and rebirth. At start of spring I open a trench in the ground. I put into it the winter’s accumulation of paper, pages I do not want to read again, useless words, fragments, errors. And I put into it the contents of the outhouse: light of the sun, growth of the ground, finished with one of their journeys. To the sky, to the wind, then, and to the faithful trees, I confess my sins: that I have not been happy enough, considering my good luck, have listened to too much noise, have been inattentive to wonders, have lusted after praise. And then upon the gathered refuse of mind and body, I close the trench, folding shut again the dark, the deathless earth. Beneath that seal the old escapes into the new. Introit & Candle Lighting Light a candle and center yourself in the presence of God, connecting the light of the candle with the divine light within you. Listen – “Christ Is Arisen,” sung by our own Weybridge Church Choir, recorded in 2011 Call to Worship This is the day when tears are wiped away, when broken hearts are mended; This is the day when mourning turns to dancing, and sorrow turns to shouts of joy. Alleluia! Alleluia!

This is the day when no stone is too heavy, when no door is too tightly closed; This is the day when God makes a way out of no way, and hope shines forth like the sunrise. Christ is risen! Praise the Lord! This is the day when peace dismantles violence, when trust overcomes fear; This is the day when death is put to death, and love reigns victorious over all. This is the day that God has made! Let us rejoice and be glad in it! OPENING HYMN “Easter Is Dawning” (Tune: BUNNESSAN (“morning is broken”))

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WORDS: V. C. Hoch 2007 BunessanMUSIC: Trad. Gaelic melody 55.54 D

Words copyright © V. C. Hoch, 2007. Published by The General Board of Discipleshipof The United Methodist Church, PO Box 340003, Nashville TN 37203-0003.Telephone 877-899-2780, ext. 7070. Web site http://www.umcworship.org.

This hymn may be copied and used in congregational worship with the inclusion of thecomplete copyright clause above, including telephone and web site, plus the words, "Used bypermission." It may not be used for profit, republished, sold, or placed on a web site.

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PRAYER OF CONFESSION Loving God, we confess that at times we do not share in the joy of the resurrection, but are caught up in the worries of the world. We confess that we do not always live in the spirit of new life, but remain discontent, grumbling, and anxious. Forgive us for not always trusting in the goodness of life. Forgive us when we find it more comfortable to complain than to accept the joy and encouragement of new life in Christ. Call us back to your ways—to seek hope and reconciliation, restoration and peace. Towards the end of becoming your “Easter people,” we pray. Amen.

SILENT REFLECTION WORDS OF ASSURANCE (The Easter Proclamation is said three times, each time louder than the last.)

Alleluia. Christ is Risen. Christ is Risen indeed! Alleluia!

We Listen for God’s Word SCRIPTURE John 20: 1-18 Watch Deacon John Baker read the scripture here SERMON Watch Pastor Daniel’s Easter Sermon here

We Respond to God’s Word

HYMN “We Shall Overcome” (watch and sing along with Deacon Liana Merril here) OFFERING OF GIFTS - We will be checking the church mailbox each week, so please continue to donate to our life

and mission together through the mail. - In addition to our regular offering, this week we will be collecting our Deacons Fund

offering. The Deacons Fund is a discretionary account used to help local Addison County individuals and families in times of acute need. Checks can be made out to the Weybridge Church, with “Deacons Fund” in the memo line.

OFFERATORY – “The Angel Rolled the Stone Away” (Peter and Mary Amidon) DOXOLOGY We sing together: “Praise God from whom all blessings flow; Praise God all creatures here below; Praise God above ye heavenly host; Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost.”

Easter Prayer for the World – refrain: God of Persistent Love, hear our prayer… Holy One, In the joy and hope of this Easter morning, we sing Alleluia with fullness of hearts. Christ is Risen! Love is stronger than Death! Christ is Risen! Alleluia! Cries out the chorus of creation Christ is Risen! Alleluia! Sings the heart’s deepest desire Christ is Risen! Alleluia! Shouts the hope and joy of the world! Even so, In the joy and hope of this Easter morning, in the midst of our singing and praise we know also that there are so many presently suffering from the global Covid-19 pandemic – suffering in mind, body, and spirit…paralyzed by fear, isolation, loneliness…feeling the weight of anticipatory grief…and suffering too in body by the virus itself, and the broken hearts who grieve the loss of loved ones, and the loss of the ability to comfort and console during this time of physical distancing…we are all in this together God, and so we pray Easter prayers of hope and renewal for us all…we pray for your presence to be particularly close to the lonely, the lost, the afraid, the confused, the weeping, the angry, the sad … we pray that your love might find them and find each of us at the points of our heart’s deepest ache and need… God of Persistent Love, hear our prayer… We pray for those places and peoples in our world Where the ways of death and domination rule, where the powerful ignore the poor, where children go to bed hungry, where strangers and refugees are seeking welcome where war and violence are a constant presence or possibility, we pray for hospitality to grow in all of our hearts, for generosity to grow in all hearts, for peace and compassion to grow in all hearts…for your Love God, which stretches as far as east is from west, from everlasting to everlasting…to grow in us all God of Persistent Love, hear our prayer… We pray for those places and peoples in our world where accidents happen and where death seems to abound senselessly. We pray for a world where children are safe and don’t have to worry about being shot…we pray for a world where nobody, regardless of race or gender or orientation or expression needs to feel unsafe simply for being in their own skin, in their own diverse way, reflecting the diversity of your Glory God, God of Persistent Love, hear our prayer… We also pray also, God of healing and wholeness, for those held hostage to addiction and to chronic illness that debilitates for those who feel their spirits withering, their bodies failing, their minds dimming, their hearts hardening God of Persistent Love, hear our prayer… And yet God, with Easter

Christ’s resurrection reminds us that the worst thing that we can imagine is never the last thing…the worst thing is never the last thing… Easter reminds us that nothing and no one falls outside of the scope of your Love… Nothing and no one is forgotten… Nothing and no one is beyond your redemption… And so drawing upon the power of joy and hope of Easter, God, We ask your help in realizing the depth and breadth of what it means to be your Easter people. For indeed we are the ones who are called to go into the places in our lives and in our world and to work for justice and life for all in your Creation, and for the flourishing of your Creation itself… We are those now charged with bringing the living to life, With sharing resurrection joy and putting its message of hope into practice And so be with us this day and each day, you our Easter God, and we your Easter people. God of Persistent Love, hear our prayer…

Lord’s Prayer – paraphrase by Parker J. Palmer (Quaker)

Heavenly Father, Heavenly Mother, Holy and blessed is your true name.

We pray for your reign of peace to come, We pray that your good will be done, Let heaven and earth become one. Give us this day the bread we need,

Give it to those who have none. Let forgiveness flow like a river between us,

From each one to each one. Lead us to holy innocence

Beyond the evil of our days — Come swiftly Mother, Father, come.

For yours is the power and the glory and the mercy: Forever your name is All in One.

BENEDICTION—In the words of an ancient Easter Hymn – “The Whole bright world rejoices now” —beloved of God, as you go out in to this bright world, may you go with God’s blessing, and may you go rejoicing in the new thing that God is up to, the new life that God is offering you, and the deep peace that God hopes for you. Amen. Final Hymn / Opening Hymn for our Zoom Fellowship Hour – “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” (see next page for music – note: we will begin our Zoom hour singing this song together) You are welcome to join us for our Easter Zoom Fellowship and Prayer Hour – beginning at 10:30am. We will start our time by singing together “Christ the Lord is Risen Today.” We will then have time for prayer and fellowship. Consider if there is a special Easter prayer of joy or concern that you would like to share. You can join the Zoom meeting at 10:30am here. Meeting password: 96153.

“Resurrection,” by Alma Thomas (1966)