"Easter is Over - Or Not"
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First Presbyterian Church of Homewood
P.O. BOX 1519
Homewood IL 60430
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WE GATHER IN GOD’S NAME
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF HOMEWOOD
MISSION STATEMENT
Through the grace of God, faith in Jesus Christ, and the power of the Holy Spirit, we prayerfully seek to discern God’s will for this congregation and to reach beyond ourselves to feed the hungry, body and soul. Adopted by Session 7/31/17
PRAYER FOR PEACE
You are the peace of all things calm
You are the place to hide from harm
You are the light that shines in dark
You are the heart's eternal spark
You are the door that's open wide
You are the guest who waits inside
You are the stranger at the door
You are the calling of the poor
You are my Lord and with me still
You are my love, keep me from ill
You are the light, the truth, the way
You are my Saviour this very day.
(celtic oral tradition - 1st millennium)
PRELUDE
*CALL TO CONTINUING WORSHIP
The good news resounds: Christ is risen! Alleluia!
We celebrate the God who is our refuge.
In God’s presence there is gladness and rest.
God is always before us; we shall not be shaken.
*HYMN 255 ||| O Sons and Daughters, Let Us Sing ||| O Filii Et Filiae
CALL TO CONFESSION
God shows us the path of life, offering companionship along the way. Therefore we trust in God, admitting the ways we struggle to stay on that path.
*PRAYER OF CONFESSION
Embodied God, you pour out your Holy Spirit upon us, imbuing us with the grace and patience that you have shown to us time and again. We experience your presence, but are quick to judge those who do not believe as we do. We look down on those who ask for proof, we scorn those who scoff at our faith. Forgive us and soften our hearts. Remind us of our own human doubts, that we might have compassion for all and freely share your grace.
(silent prayer)
Amen.
*DECLARATION OF FORGIVENESS
God has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. God has promised us love that is not bound by life or death. God has promised us mercy and grace. I say to you that those promises are true. God's mercy and grace and love are ours. Thanks be to God for such a gift.
Alleluia!
*THE GLORIA 581
MOMENT WITH OUR CHILDREN ||| Rev. Jeanne A. Johnston
WELCOME AND CHURCH COMMUNICATIONS
WE HEAR GOD’S WORD
PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION
FIRST SCRIPTURE READING ||| Psalm 16
1Protect me, O God, for in you I take refuge.
2I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.”
3As for the holy ones in the land, they are the noble, in whom is all my delight.
4Those who choose another god multiply their sorrows; their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names upon my lips.
5The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot.
6The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; I have a goodly heritage.
7I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.
8I keep the LORD always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices; my body also rests secure.
10For you do not give me up to Sheol, or let your faithful one see the Pit.
11You show me the path of life. In your presence there is fullness of joy; in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
SPECIAL MUSIC
SECOND SCRIPTURE READING ||| John 20:19-31
19 When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 20After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.” 24But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” 26A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.” 30Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.
The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God!
SERMON ||| "Easter is Over - or Not" ||| Rev. Jeanne A. Johnston
WE RESPOND TO GOD’S WORD
*HYMN 767 ||| Together We Serve ||| San Anselmo
*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH ||| The Brief Statement of Faith 1983
In life and in death we belong to God. Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, we trust in the one triune God, the Holy One of Israel, whom alone we worship and serve.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER
…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 debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
OFFERING OF OUR GIFTS
INVITATION TO OFFERING
God has given us gifts beyond our imagining. In the spirit of love and grace, we have an opportunity to bring our gifts for God to use.
OFFERTORY
*DOXOLOGY 606 ||| Old Hundredth
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.
*PRAYER OF DEDICATION
For the blessings of this and all our days, we thank you, gracious God. Accept, we pray, not just this money but also our lives freely offered in gratitude for all you have done for us. Use them both, in this place and wherever you might take us. Amen.
WE GO IN GOD’S NAME
*HYMN 238 ||| Thine Is the Glory ||| Judas MacCabeus
CHARGE & BLESSING
Therefore, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, put on compassion, kindness, meekness, lowliness, patience, forbearing one another, forgiving one another. And above all put on love which binds everything together in Christ Jesus.
May the love of God, Maker of the Universe, the peace of Jesus Christ, Risen and Alive, and the grace of the Holy Spirit be with us all as we go from this place. Alleluia, Amen.
POSTLUDE
Go in peace to love and serve the Lord! Thanks be to God!
Rev. Matt Lang, Pastor
Mrs. Mary Ann Wenzelman, Interim Organist/Pianist
Worship Liturgist: Susan Zorns
Ushers: Charlene Hansen, Bob James, Eleanor Steiner
Web Techs: Shirley Armistead, Nancy Beaudoin, Phil Dillman, Kathie Hazlett
Today, we welcome back Rev. Jeanne A. Johnston to the pulpit. Rev. Johnston is a retired UCC pastor. Ordained in 1978, Jeanne has served parishes in northwest Illinois, South Dakota, and Indiana. She has spent the last 18 years as an adjunct math teacher and tutor at Ivy Tech Community College in Evansville, Indiana and now resides in Park Forest.
CHRIST IS RISEN – HE IS RISEN INDEED! We greet those who are visiting with us today in the name of our risen Savior. We are gathered as a community of Christians. Our center is Jesus Christ. We are here to know again the touch of his forgiving and healing hand.
SCRIPTURES IN WORSHIP – Next Sunday we will be reading Acts 2:13a, 36-41; Luke 24:13-35; Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19; 1 Peter 1:17-23.
PRAYER CHAIN – If you want prayer requests included on the prayer chain, contact Shirley Armistead at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..