St. Paul’s Lutheran Church

24 E. Baltimore St. PO Box 148 Funkstown, MD 21734 301.791.1738

April 18, 2021

WELCOME

CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

God of all mercy and consolation, come to the aid of your people,

turning us from our sin to live for you alone. Give us the power of your

Holy Spirit that, attentive to your Word, we may confess our sins,

receive your forgiveness, and grow into the fullness of your Son, Jesus

Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.

Silence for reflection and self-examination.

Gracious God,

have mercy on us. In your compassion forgive us our sins, known

and unknown, things done and left undone. Uphold us by your

Spirit so that we may live and serve you in newness of life, to the

honor and glory of your holy name; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

In the mercy of almighty God, Jesus Christ was given to die for us, and

for his sake God forgives us all our sins. As a called and ordained

minister of the Church of Christ, and by his authority, I therefore declare

to you the entire forgiveness of all your sins, in the name of the Father,

and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Alleluia! Christ is risen.

He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

 

GATHERING HYMN ELW 522

 

PRAYER OF THE DAY

The Lord be with you. And also with you.

Holy and righteous God, you are the author of life, and you adopt us to be

your children. Fill us with your words of life, that we may live as witnesses to

the resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives

and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

READINGS

Acts 3:12-19

Psalm 4

1 John 3:1-7

Luke 24:36b-48

 

First Reading: Acts 3:12-19

12[Peter] addressed the people, “You Israelites, why do you wonder at this,

or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had

made him walk?13The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of

Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you

handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided

to release him. 14But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to

have a murderer given to you, 15and you killed the Author of life, whom God

raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. 16And by faith in his name,

his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the

faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence

of all of you. 17“And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did

also your rulers. 18In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all

the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. 19Repent therefore, and turn to

God so that your sins may be wiped out.”

 Psalm 4

1Answer me when I call, O God, defender of my cause; you set me free

when I was in distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer.

2“You mortals, how long will you dishonor my glory; how long will you

love illusions and seek after lies?”

3Know that the LORD does wonders for the faithful; the LORD will hear

me when I call.

4Tremble, then, and do not sin; speak to your heart in silence upon

your bed.

5Offer the appointed sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD.

6Many are saying, “Who will show us any good?” Let the light of your

face shine upon us, O LORD.

7You have put gladness in my heart, more than when grain and wine

abound.

8In peace, I will lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make

me rest secure.

Second Reading: 1 John 3:1-7

1See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of

God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that

it did not know him. 2Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be

has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed,

we will be like him, for we will see him as he is. 3And all who have this hope

in him purify themselves, just as he is pure. 4Everyone who commits sin is

guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5You know that he was revealed to

take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6No one who abides in him sins;

no one who sins has either seen him or known him. 7Little children, let no

one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is

righteous.

Gospel: Luke 24:36b-48

36bJesus himself stood among [the disciples] and said to them, “Peace be

with you.” 37They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were

seeing a ghost. 38He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do

doubts arise in your hearts? 39Look 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.” 40And when he had said this, he showed them his

hands and his feet. 41While in their joy they were disbelieving and still

wondering, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42They gave

him a piece of broiled fish, 43and he took it and ate in their presence.

44Then 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.” 45Then he opened their minds to

understand the scriptures, 46and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the

Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, 47and that

repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all

nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things.”

SERMON

SPECIAL MUSIC

 

APOSTLES’ CREED

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the

power of the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He suffered under

Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into

hell. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is

seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the

living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of

saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life

everlasting. Amen

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION

Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

PREFACE

The Lord be with you. And also with you.

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 & praise.

It is indeed right and salutary that we should at all times and in all places offer

thanks and praise to you, O Lord, holy Father, almighty and ever-living God. But

chiefly we are bound to praise you for the glorious resurrection of our Lord; for he

is the true Passover Lamb who gave himself to take away our sin, who by his

death has destroyed death, and by his rising has brought us to eternal life. And so,

with Mary Magdalene and Peter and all the witnesses of the resurrection, with

earth and sea and all their creatures, and with angels and archangels, cherubim

and seraphim, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

SANCTUS

Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might. Heaven and earth are full of

your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is he who comes in the name

of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

WORDS OF OUR LORD

In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;

broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given

for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.

Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying:

This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the

forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.

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.

 

DISTRIBUTION

The body of Christ, given for you. The blood of Christ, shed for you. You may respond: Amen.

PRAYER

We give you thanks, almighty God that you have refreshed us through the healing

power of this gift of life; and we pray that in your mercy you would strengthen us,

through this gift, in faith toward you and in fervent love toward one another; for the

sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

BLESSING

The blessing of the living God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, surround and

sustain you, keep you from harm, and fill you with courage. Amen.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

SENDING HYMN “Alleluia, Alleluia, Give Thanks” WOV 671

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 has risen. Refrain.

We have been crucified with Christ.

Now we shall live forever. Refrain.

God has proclaimed the just reward:

Life for all men, alleluia! Refrain.

Come, let us praise the living God,

Joyfully sing to our Saviour. Refrain.

Text/Music Donald Fishel, b. 1950, Copyright 1973, International Liturgy Publications CCLI Song 32376

DISMISSAL

Go in peace. Share the good news. Thanks be to God.

POSTLUDE

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