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Prelude: Roll Away the Stone
Acknowledgement
Welcome
Gathering Song: 210 CP Yours Be the Glory, Risen, Conquering Son
Yours be the glory, risen, conquering Son: endless is the victory over death you won. Angels robed in splendour rolled the stone away, kept the folded grave-clothes where your body lay.
Refrain: Yours be the glory, risen, conquering Son: endless is the victory over death you won.
See! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb; lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom. Let the church with gladness hymns of triumph sing, for her Lord is living, death has lost its sting! Refrain
No more we doubt you, glorious Prince of life; what is life without you? Aid us in our strife; make us more than conquerors through your deathless love; bring us safe through Jordan to your home above. Refrain
Gathering (from Celebrations along the Way, Dorothy McRae-McMahon) Journeying on the road, before we reach our home. You find us and join us, O Christ Within our anxious musings, between our sadder longings, You find us, O Christ There in the brokenness, there in the nearness of our heart space, You find us and join us, Jesus Christ. Let us worship our God. Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing choirs of angels! Alleluia! Christ our king is risen. Alleluia! Exult, all creation! Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendour! Alleluia Christ our king is risen. Alleluia! Christ has conquered! Glory fills you! Christ our king is risen. Alleluia! Darkness vanishes forever! Christ dispels the darkness of our night! Alleluia Christ our king is risen. Alleluia!
Collect of the Day
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.
Children’s Ministry Time
Song: Garden Song
Chorus:
Inch by inch, row by row,
Gonna make this garden grow
Gonna mulch it deep and low
Gonna make it fertile ground
Inch by inch, row by row,
Please bless these seeds I sow.
Please keep them safe below
‘Till the rain comes tumbling down.
Pulling weeds and pickin’ stones,
We are made of dream and bones.
Need a place to call my own,
‘Cause the time is close at hand.
Grain for grain, sun and rain.
Find my way in nature’s chain
Tune my body and my brain
To the music of the land. Chorus
Plant your rows both straight and long;
Season with a prayer and song.
Mother Earth will make you strong
if you give her loving care.
Old crow watching from a tree,
He’s got his hungry eye on me.
In my garden I’m as free
as that feathered thief up there.
Inch by inch, row by row,
Gonna make this garden grow
Gonna mulch it deep and low
Gonna make it fertile ground
Inch by inch, row by row,
Please bless these seeds I sow.
Please keep them safe below
‘Till the rain comes tumbling down.
The Proclamation of the Word
A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles (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. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord’s great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ “You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know— this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken; therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; moreover my flesh will live in hope. For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One experience corruption. You have made known to me the ways of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ “Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying, ‘He was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption.’ This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”’ 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. Listen to the leading of the Spirit Thanks be to God Psalm 116 (sung): I Will Take The Cup of Salvation
I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
How shall I make a return to the Lord for all the good God has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up, and I will call upon the name of the Lord.
I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
Precious in the eyes of the Lord is the death of God’s faithful ones.
I am your servant, the child of your handmaid; you have loosed my bonds.
I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving, and I will call upon the name of the Lord. My vows to the Lord I will pay in the presence of all God’s people.
I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
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.
Listen to the leading of the Spirit Thanks be to God
Gradual Hymn: 642 CP From the Waiting Comes the Sign From the waiting comes the sign—come, Holy Spirit, come;
from the presence comes the peace—come, Holy Spirit, come;
from the silence comes the song—come, Holy Spirit, come
and be to us, in truth, the sign, the peace, the song.
In the burning is the fire—come, Holy Spirit, come;
in the spending is the gift—come, Holy Spirit, come;
in the breaking is the life—come, Holy Spirit, come
and be to us, in faith, the fire, the gift, the life.
The Lord be with you And also with you
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to St. Luke (24:13-49)
Glory to you Lord Jesus Christ
Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate in their presence. Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”
The Gospel of Christ Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ
Homily
Affirmation of Faith (from Celebrations Along the Way, Dorothy McRae-McMahon)
On the road we find our God walking alongside as though knowing where we are going, travelling with our questions and fears, opening for us wisdom, from one who knows the journey, who has never really left the road of life for the greener fields of heaven.
In our minds we find our God, lifting the veil from the mysteries, calling us away from easy fantasies, joining us on our way, measured step by honest step, looking reality in the face, in the counting of the cost of risen life.
In our hearts we find our God, responding to our need for company which stays towards the night, sharing our table and taking the things we know in hands which break and bless and give all that we need for the lifting of our lives in hope. Amen
Prayers of Intercession
Lord of the Emmaus Road, we thank you for this good news, in the journey today you listen to the disappointment, grief and fear of the disciples, your journey is one of listening. Remind us to quietly listen to the stories of others, to really hear what they need to share with us, to listen to what is not being said. Walk with us, listen to our story and let us hear yours from the empty tomb.
The Lord is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia
Lord of our hope, be present with us when we are filled with despondency when our plans and our hopes fall apart around us. Remind our weary souls of your presence. Walk with us, listen to our story and let us hear yours from the empty tomb. The Lord is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia
Lord of our journeys, help us to listen to the stories that you have opened to us in the scripture so that we are inspired anew by the vitality and truth that we find in the scriptures. Walk with us, listen to our story and let us hear yours from the empty tomb. The Lord is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia
Lord of open doors, you accepted the hospitality of all who offered. You ate and drank with sinners and outcasts. You found a warm welcome among strangers who urged you to stay longer. Help us to live your example by welcoming the stranger into our midst for it is when we welcome others we find we have entertained angels unawares. Walk with us, listen to our story and let us hear yours from the empty tomb. The Lord is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia Lord of grief, you walked with the disciples on the road letting them pour out their anguish over your death, help us to know that you still walk this journey, still listen to those who are grieving and offer hope and comfort in the things that are familiar and through the shared memories. Help all those who mourn on this hard, lonely road know that they never travel alone because you are with them.
The Lord is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia
In the broken bread and the blessed wine, the companions on the journey to Emmaus recognized you. Let our eyes be opened to see you and be aware of you in the familiar events around us and through us showing your presence to others in the world. Walk with us, listen to our story and let us hear yours from the empty tomb.
The Lord is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia
The Peace
Offering Hymn: 405 CP Alleluia No. 1 Refrain: Alleluia, alleluia! Give thanks to the risen Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia! Give praise to his name.
Jesus is Lord of all the earth;
He is the king of creation. Refrain
Spread the good news o’er all the earth:
Jesus has died and is risen. Refrain
We have been crucified with Christ:
now we shall live for ever. Refrain
Come, let us praise the living God,
joyfully sing to our Saviour. Refrain
Prayer over the Gifts
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
The Great Thanksgiving (Anglican Eucharistic Liturgies p. 59-60)
Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Worship and praise belong to you, Author of all being, your power sustains, your love restores, our broken world.
You are increasingly at work, from chaos bringing order and filling emptiness with life.
Christ raised from the dead, proclaims the dawn of new hope. He lives in us that we may walk in light.
Your Spirit is fire in us, your breath is power to purge our sin and warm our hearts to love.
As children of your redeeming purpose, freed by him who burst from the tomb and opened the gate of life, we offer you our praise, with angels and archangels and the whole company of heaven, singing the hymn of your unending glory;
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might Heaven and Earth of your glory are full Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest.
Blessed is one who comes in the name of the Lord
Blessed is one who comes in the name of the Lord
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of power and might Heaven and Earth of your glory are full Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the Highest.
Praise and thanksgiving be to you, Lord of all, for by the cross eternal life is ours and death is swallowed up in victory. In the first light of Easter glory broke from the tomb and changed the women’s sorrow into joy. From the garden the mystery dawned that he whom they had loved and lost is with us now in every place forever.
Making himself known in the breaking of the bread, speaking peace to the fearful disciples, welcoming weary fishermen on the shore, he renewed the promise of his presence and of new birth in the Spirit who sets the seal of freedom on your sons and daughters.
Before he was given up to suffering and death, recalling the night of Israel’s release, the night in which slaves walked free at supper with his disciples, Jesus took bread and offered you thanks. He broke the bread and gave it to them saying, “Take, Eat. This is my body; it is broken for you.”
After supper, Jesus took the cup, he offered you thanks, and gave it to them saying: “Drink this, all of you. This is my Blood of the new covenant; it is poured out for you, and for all, that sins may be forgiven. Do this in remembrance of me.”
We now obey Jesus’ command. We recall his blessed passion and death, his glorious resurrection and ascension; and we look for the coming of the Kingdom. Made one with Jesus, we offer you these gifts and with them ourselves, a single, holy, living sacrifice.
Hear us. Most merciful God and send your Holy Spirit upon us and upon this bread and this wine, that, overshadowed by Jesus’ life-giving power, they may be the Body and Blood of your Son, and we may be kindled with the fire of your love and renewed for the service of your kingdom.
Help us, who are baptized into the fellowship of Christ’s Body to live and work to your praise and glory; may we grow together in unity and love until at last, in your new creation, we enter into our heritage in the company of Mary the mother of Jesus, the apostles, and prophets and all of our brothers and sisters living and departed.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, with whom and in whom, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honour and glory be to you, Lord of all ages, world without end. Amen
The Lord’s Prayer (Cameron)
Lord, we died with you on the cross.
Now we are raised to new life.
We were buried in your tomb.
Now we share in your resurrection.
Live in us, that we may live in you.
These are the Gifts of God for the people of God
Thanks be to God
The Communion
Hymns during Communion: Instrumental Name Above All
Prayer after Communion
Author of life divine, in the breaking of bread we know the risen Lord. Feed us always in these mysteries, that we may show your glory to all the world. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
The Doxology
Glory to God, whose power, working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine. Glory to God from generation to generation, in the Church and in Christ Jesus, for ever and ever. Amen.
The Blessing
Announcements
Closing Hymn: 237 Now the Green Blade Rises
Now the green blade rises from the buried grain,
wheat that in the dark earth many days has lain;
love lives again, that with the dead has been:
love is come again, like wheat arising green.
In 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. Forth 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. When 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.
The Dismissal
Go forth into the world, rejoicing in the power of the Spirit.
Thanks be to God. Alleluia!
Postlude: The Nazarene