Worship for Easter 3

Friday after Easter 2
April 16, 2010

The Lord be with you

I’m a little late in posting these notes because I was out of the office all this week at either a District Convention or a Circuit Pastors’ retreat. Both represent time well spent, but they have seriously but a dent in my time for doing my regular duties. If I have time, I will post something about each of these gatherings, but for right now I will focus on Sunday’s service.

This coming Sunday is the Third Sunday of Easter. The appointed lessons continue to be from Acts, Revelation and the Gospel of John. We will be using the service of Matins for our liturgy. Our opening hymn is the one we are learning, “Our Paschal Lamb, That Sets Us Free” (LSB 473). Our Sermon Hymn will be “This Joyful Eastertide” (LSB 482). Our closing hymn will be “Come, You Faithful, Raise the Strain” (LSB 487). As we are in the Easter Season, each hymn is an Easter Hymn. Our appointed lessons are Acts 9:1-22; Revelation 5:8-14; and John 21:1-14. The appointed Psalm is Psalm 30. The Antiphon is a little unusual. I will chant the first half of verse 11. The congregation will chant with the second half of verse 12. Look below to see how that works. The sermon is based on the Gospel lesson and is titled “Do Over.”

The hymn “Come, Ye Faithful, Raise the Strain” is truly a “good old hymn.” It was written by John of Damascus and is based on Exodus 15. John lived in the 8th Century AD. He is considered one of the last of the Fathers of the Greek Church and has been called the greatest of her poets. He wrote many theological works and hymns, and his music for worship continues to this day to have a major impact on the Greek Orthodox liturgy.

The following video was found on YouTube. It is of the choir at Kings College, Cambridge singing “This Joyful Eastertide.” You can hear the melody for “Come, You Faithful, Raise the Strain” at Better Noise (see the link on the side bar).

Preview of the Lessons

Acts 9:1-22: This is one of the accounts of the conversion of Saul/Paul as he traveled to Damascus to persecute the Christians in that city. The Resurrected Lord appeared to him and turned his world upside down. He would no longer live his “religious” life in a fashion he felt, right down to the core of his bones, to be correct. Instead he would follow Jesus. It is like Paul was given a “do over.” This time, instead of doing whatever was right in his own heart (Judges 21:25), he would listen to the Lord Jesus (who often leads us in ways quite contrary to our hearts).

Revelation 5:8-14: The readings from Revelation are always too rich to do justice in these notes. In this case John sees a scene where Jesus has ascended and we see a piece of what we confess in the Creeds with the words, “ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.”

John 21:1-14: This is the text for Sunday. Jesus has risen, but not yet ascended. Peter and some of the other Apostles return to fishing. Jesus appears on the shore after they have spent a fruitless night plying their old trade. Our Lord not only gives them a miraculous catch of fish, but also prepares breakfast for them.

Sunday’s Collect

O God, through the humiliation of Your Son You raised up the fallen world. Grant to Your faithful people, rescued from the perils of everlasting death, perpetual gladness and eternal joys; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Gradual (adapted from Matt 28:7; Heb 2:7; Ps 8:6)

Christ has risen from the dead.
God the Father has crowned him with glory and honor,
He has given him dominion over the works of his hands;
He has put all things under his feet.

Verse (Romans 6:9; John 20:29b)

Alleluia. We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. Alleluia. Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures? Alleluia.

Psalm 30 (antiphon: vv. 11a, 12b)

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; (verse 11a)
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever! (verse 12b)

I will extol you, O LORD, for you have drawn me up
and have not let my foes rejoice over me.
O LORD my God, I cried to you for help,
and you have healed me.
O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol;
you restored me to life from among those who go down to the pit.
Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger is but for a moment,
and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night,
but joy comes with the morning.
As for me, I said in my prosperity,
“I shall never be moved.”
By your favor, O LORD,
you made my mountain stand strong;
you hid your face;
I was dismayed.
To you, O Lord, I cry,
and to the Lord I plead for mercy:
“What profit is there in my death,
if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it tell of your faithfulness?
Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me!
O LORD, be my helper!”
You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
you have loosed my sackcloth
and clothed me with gladness,
that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!
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.

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;
O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!

Adult Bible Study

We continue, in our adult Bible class, our series titled Puzzlers and Questions About the Bible. We are in a little sub-series which looks at some “really old laws.” This week we will field two questions: In “Genesis 38:10 – Was Onan masturbating or practicing early withdrawal? And why is either a sin at all, let alone worthy of death?” and “What was … the strange fire offered by Nadab and Abihu? (Leviticus 10:1-2)” The study is called “Onan, Nadab and Abihu.” As always, our Bible study hour begins at 9:00 AM.

Blessings in Christ,
Pastor John Rickert