
We will be worshipping in person at Trinity at 8:30 AM and at Grace at 10:30 AM. Please join us there or online through Facebook or our website.
Order of Worship: Easter – April 4, 2021
PRESERVICE MUSIC
EASTER DIALOGUE
P: Alleluia! Christ is risen!
C: He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
P: This is the day the Lord has made;
C: Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Alleluia!
P: Give thanks to the Lord for He is good;
C: His love endures forever. Alleluia!
P: Let Israel say:
C: His love endures forever. Alleluia!
P: Let the house of Aaron say:
C: His love endures forever. Alleluia!
P: Let those who fear the Lord say:
C: His love endures forever. Alleluia!
P: This is the day the Lord has made;
C: Let us rejoice and be glad in it. The Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever. Amen.
P: This is the day the Lord has made;
C: Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
EASTER HYMN: 366 The Strife is O’er, the Battle done
Refrain: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
1.The strife is o’er, the battle done; Now is the victor’s triumph won; Now be the song of praise begun: Alleluia!
2. The pow’rs of death have done their worst; Jesus their legions has dispersed; Let shouts of holy joy outburst: Alleluia!
3. The three sad days are quickly sped; Christ rises glorious from the dead; All glory to our risen Head: Alleluia!
4. Christ closed the yawning gates of hell; The bars from heav’n’s high portals fell; Let hymns of praise His triumphs tell: Alleluia!
5. Lord, by the stripes which wounded You, from death’s sting free your servants too, That we may live and sing to you. Alleluia!
Refrain 5: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
WELCOME
P: CHRIST HAS RISEN
C: HE HAS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA!
CONFESSION & EASTER GOOD NEWS
P: Holy God of Easter morning, we come to admit our need for you to save us and welcome us into eternity. We want to move from thinking there’s life beyond death to knowing there’s life beyond death. Hear our prayers of confession:
C: Almighty, merciful, loving God, we stand here on the edge of eternity and admit the sin of our human condition that is most evident in our thoughts, words, and actions; those things we do and fail to do. In the quiet of this Easter morning we confess our sin to you. (Silence for confession.)
P: We give you thanks and praise for your Easter invitation into eternity. We are filled with thanksgiving for the saving action of your Son, Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and resurrection gives us the promise of life beyond death. Jesus is risen!
C: He is risen!
P: Jesus is alive!
C: He is alive! We worship you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! Amen!
PRAYER OF THE DAY
P: Let us pray . . .
C: Father in heaven, through the death and resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ, You destroyed death, and through the forgiveness of sins You give us life and salvation. Grant that we may, without doubt believe and find comfort in the salvation from sin, death, and the devil that You won for us; through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
EASTER PRAISE: “Halle, Halle, Hallelujah” ELW #172
Halle, halle, hallelujah! Halle, halle, hallelujah!
Halle, halle, hallelujah! Halle, halle, hallelujah!
+ WE HEAR FROM GOD’S WORD +
FIRST READING: Acts 10:34-43
34Peter began to speak to [the people]: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. 37That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 38how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
SECOND READING 1 Corinthians 15:1-11
1Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, 2through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain. 3For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, 4and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them—though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. 11Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.
EASTER PRAISE: “Halle, Halle, Hallelujah” ELW #172
Halle, halle, hallelujah! Halle, halle, hallelujah!
Halle, halle, hallelujah! Halle, halle, hallelujah!
THE HOLY GOSPEL John 20:1-18
P: The Holy Gospel of John, the 20th chapter and I read in Jesus’ name.
C: Glory to You, O Lord.
1Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10Then the disciples returned to their homes. 11But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 12and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
P: The Gospel of the Lord!
C: Praise to You, O Christ.
Children’s Message
SERMON
EASTER HYMN: 364 Christ Has Arisen, Alleluia
1. Christ has arisen, alleluia,
Rejoice and praise Him, alleluia.
For our Redeemer burst from the tomb,
Even from death, dispelling its gloom.
Refrain: Let us sing praise to Him with endless joy;
Death’s fearful sting He has come to destroy
Our sin forgiving, alleluia! Jesus is living, alleluia!
2. For three long days the grave did its worst
Until its strength by God was dispersed.
He who gives life did death undergo;
And it its conquest His might did show.
STATEMENT OF FAITH
I have faith in God in response to overwhelming love; I believe that God created me and all that I have, and has given to me gifts beyond measure. I have faith in Jesus who emptied himself out of his love for me. I believe that Christ died on a cross for my sin, conquered death and the power of evil, and was raised to life on the third day. His death is mine; new life is mine because of Jesus’ words and work. I believe in the Holy Spirit in response to His overwhelming love. I believe that the Holy Spirit is present here among us and lives within each child of God. The Holy Spirit continues to call people by the gospel and creates and builds the church of Christ. Through the power of the spirit I have power to stand in strength against all adversity, all temptation. I believe that Jesus is preparing a place for me and will come again to take each of us to be with Him. Amen!
Prayers of Intercession
P: . . . Hear us O God.
C: Your mercy is great.
EASTER PRAISE: “Halle, Halle, Hallelujah” ELW #172
Halle, halle, hallelujah! Halle, halle, hallelujah!
Halle, halle, hallelujah! Halle, halle, hallelujah!
SHARING OF THE PEACE OF THE RISEN LORD (Listen for instructions)
OFFERING
We join Christians all over the world in worshipping God through our giving of financial resources. Members and friends, the mission and ministry of this congregation is completely dependent upon your generous giving. Our offering is a significant act of worship, and we now worship God through our giving. If you have brought your offering with you today, please place it in the basket in the back as you leave. You may send your giving to the church office or give through the link on our website. Thank you for supporting our ministry.
HOLY COMMUNION
P: God declares that we are Easter people!
Q: We are here because Jesus Christ has died; Jesus Christ has risen; and Jesus Christ will come again.
R: The risen Christ is present in bread and wine.
S: We are the body of Christ who wish to celebrate his resurrection presence among us. Holy God, we thank you for your perfect plan to save all humankind from death and sin. We praise you for the saving action of Jesus Christ and his gift of forgiveness.
WORDS OF INSTITUTION (In the night in which he was betrayed . . . )
P: Come, Holy Spirit, and grant us together as your forgiven people who feast together in resurrection celebration of the One who has come among us and the One who will come again.
A: Amen!
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 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, forever and ever. Amen.
SHARING THE MEAL (Follow instructions given. Ushers will direct you in when to begin.)
COMMUNION HYMN: 389 Christ Is Alive! Let Christians Sing
Christ is alive! Let Christians sing.
The cross stands empty to the sky.
Let streets and homes with praises ring.
Love, drowned in death, shall never die.
Christ is alive! No longer bound
to distant years in Palestine,
but saving, healing, here and now,
and touching every place and time.
In every insult, rift and war,
where color, scorn or wealth divide,
Christ suffers still, yet loves the more,
and lives, where even hope has died.
Women and men, in age and youth,
can feel the Spirit, hear the call,
and find the way, the life, the truth,
revealed in Jesus, freed for all.
Christ is alive, and comes to bring
good news to this and every age,
till earth and sky and ocean ring
with joy, with justice, love and praise.
COMMUNION BLESSING
EASTER HYMN 369 Christ the Lord Is Risen Today; Alleluia!
1. Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia! Christians, hasten on your way; Alleluia! Offer praise with love replete, Alleluia! At the paschal victim’s feet. Alleluia! 2. For the sheep the Lamb has bled, Alleluia! sinless in the sinner’s stead. Alleluia! Christ the Lord is ris’n on high; Alleluia! now he lives, no more to die. Alleluia! 3. Christ, the victim undefiled, Alleluia! God and sinners reconciled. Alleluia! when contending death and life, Alleluia! met in strange and awesome strife. Alleluia! 4. Christians, on this holy day, Alleluia! all your grateful homage pay; Alleluia! Christ the Lord is ris’n on high; Alleluia! now he lives, no more to die. Alleluia!
BENEDICTION
P: Go and live in God’s promise of Easter. Go and love one another in the name of the Risen One, Jesus Christ. Go and serve through the power of the Holy Spirit. He is risen!
A: He is Risen indeed!
P: Go in peace and serve the Lord.
Q: Thanks be to God!
SENDING MUSIC
+ Together In Mission +
WELCOME! If you are a visitor please fill out a “Welcome Card” and drop it in the offering plate. Fountain Grace Trinity Lutheran Parish made up of three congregations of the ELCA in the La Crosse Area Synod. We invite you to participate with us in following Christ as he leads.
Parish Office: 226 Erickson Street, Elroy WI 53929 Parish E-mail: fgtlpadmin@centurytel.net Phone: (608)462-5398 Sunday Organist: Heather Vlasak Sunday Pianist: Bev Rood
Parish Secretary: Kris Stauffacher; Grace Custodian: Dave Clark
Check us out on our web page www.fgtlp.org
AND find us on Facebook search @FGTLutheranParish
We gather each week to worship God, Sunday morning at 10:15 a.m. at Grace & each Sunday morning at 8:30 a.m. at Trinity or Fountain.
Our Communion invitation is for all who seek to partake of the real presence of Christ in this meal. All are welcome to the Lord’s Table.
Office Hours Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 8 AM—1 PM
Next Sunday we plan to have the same schedule. Please sit in the same seats you sat in this Sunday. Invite others to join us, we will find seating for them as well.
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