Prayer for Easter
Resurrected Jesus, you underwent the greatest torture and passion so that we may have a path to return to you, our cornerstone. Strengthen us, we pray, that we may spread your Good News, building communities that are based on what is above rather than the ways of the world. You have conquered sin and death! Alleluia! Let us rejoice and be glad as we celebrate your great victory with all our heart! Amen.
Easter Blessings to You All,
Please click the link below to view the Easter Message. https://youtu.be/ztou80ZF2UA
Easter Sunday: You Will See Him
He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. Matthew 28:7
Opening Hymn – Jesus Christ Is Risen Today – LSB #457
Please rise for verse 4 in Honor of the Triune God
1. Jesus Christ is ris’n today, Alleluia!
Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!
Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!
2. Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!
Unto Christ, our heav’nly king, Alleluia!
Who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!
Sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia!
3. But the pains which he endured, Alleluia!
Our salvation have procured; Alleluia!
Now above the sky he’s king, Alleluia!
Where the angels ever sing. Alleluia!
4. Sing we to our God above, Alleluia!
Praise eternal as his love; Alleluia!
Praise him, all ye heav’nly host, Alleluia!
Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Alleluia!
Invocation and Litany
P In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.
C Amen.
P Christ is risen!
C He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
P I shall not die, but I shall live,
C And recount the deeds of the Lord.
P The Lord has disciplined me severely,
C But he has not given me over to death …
P The stone that the builders rejected
C Has become the cornerstone.
P This is the Lord’s doing;
C It is marvelous in our eyes.
P This is the day that the Lord has made;
C Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
P Christ is risen!
C He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Confession and Absolution
P Let us confess our sins to God and ask his forgiveness for the sake of Jesus, our crucified and risen Lord.
C Almighty God, we have been buried and raised with Christ, but we do not always walk in the new life that is ours by faith. We sin against you daily in our thoughts, words and actions. We do not love others as we should. Our words and our lives do not always bear witness to our risen and reigning Savior. Have mercy on us and forgive us.
P God has had mercy on us. He sent his Son to be our Savior. Jesus was crucified for our sins and God raised him from the dead. His victory is our victory. Through faith in Jesus’ name we have forgiveness and life. I announce to you that your sins are forgiven in the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Christ is risen!
C He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Prayer of the Day
P Crucified and risen Lord, you laid down your life for us to pay the debt of sin that we owed, to suffer the penalty of death that we earned for ourselves. On the third day you took up your life again and, as you have promised, because you live, we will live in your presence forever. Until your return in glory on the great day of resurrection, empower us by your Spirit to live as citizens of your kingdom, as servants who share your love and compassion with others and share the good news of forgiveness and life granted through faith in your name. On this day of victory, hear our prayer and accept our praise. Amen.
Hymn – Come, You Faithful, Raise the Strain – #LSB #487 (v.1&2)
1. Come, you faithful, raise the strain
Of triumphant gladness!
God has brought his Israel
Into joy from sadness,
Loosed from Pharaoh’s bitter yoke
Jacob’s sons and daughters,
Led them with unmoistened foot
Through the Red Sea waters.
2. ’Tis the spring of souls today:
Christ has burst his prison
And from three days’ sleep in death
As a sun has risen;
All the winter of our sins,
Long and dark, is flying
From his light, to whom is giv’n
Laud and praise undying.
Children’s Message
Hymn – Come, You Faithful, Raise the Strain – #LSB #487 (v.4&5)
4. For today among his own
Christ appeared, bestowing
His deep peace, which evermore
Passes human knowing.
Neither could the gates of death
Nor the tomb’s dark portal
Nor the watchers nor the seal
Hold him as a mortal.
5. Alleluia! Now we cry
To our King immortal,
Who, triumphant, burst the bars
Of the tomb’s dark portal.
Come, you faithful, raise the strain
Of triumphant gladness!
God has brought his Israel
Into joy from sadness!
Old Testament Reading – Isaiah 25:6-9
On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all fac-es, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the Lord has spo-ken. It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.”
Epistle Reading – 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 54-58
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Fa-ther after destroying every rule and every au-thority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death … When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swal-lowed up in victory.” “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
Gospel Reading – Matthew 28:1-10
Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his cloth-ing white as snow. And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
Sermon Hymn – Christ the Lord Is Risen Today – LSB #469
1. “Christ the Lord is ris’n today!”
Saints on earth and angels say;
Raise your joys and triumphs high;
Sing, ye heav’ns, and earth, reply.
3. Vain the stone, the watch, the seal;
Christ hath burst the gates of hell.
Death in vain forbids his rise;
Christ has opened paradise.
Sermon Message – You Will See Him
We live in a culture that some scholars today call “post-Christian.” That means that fewer and fewer people accept the Christian faith and attend church. Many people openly—and even angri-ly—reject Christianity, while others simply can’t be bothered with it. Some people embrace atheism. Others create a “religion” of their own choosing by collecting bits here and there from a variety of world religions. Still others claim that they are spiritual but not religious. Yet even in our current cul-ture of unbelief, most people are willing to admit that Jesus of Nazareth was a real person, an actual historical figure. They may even admit to admiring him as a great teacher, a wise Jewish rabbi of first-century Palestine. They may recognize him as caring and compassionate person and a good example to follow in life or they may see him as a rebel who opposed power and authority of the Roman Empire. But they refuse to accept or believe that he is the Son of God and the Savior of the world. Many people who deny the Christian faith, although not all, will acknowledge that Jesus was, in the end, crucified by the Romans. But that is where the story ends for those still lost in unbelief. As far as they are concerned, Jesus of Nazareth was crucified. He died and was buried, sealed in a tomb or maybe thrown into a mass grave for the unclaimed bodies of criminals. As far as they are concerned, that is the end of the story of Jesus.
What if that was the end of the story? We could perhaps still follow Jesus as a wise teacher and a good example—but no more than that. To believe that the story of Jesus simply ends with his death and burial would mean that there is no resurrection, no hope of eternal life, no resurrection for us on the Last Day and no Last Day. If Jesus’ life ended in death and burial, that is where our lives would end too—in death and burial. If that was the end of the story, what are we doing here this morning? The apostle Paul summed up what he thought of following Jesus merely as a wise teacher and good example, but with no hope of resurrection and life. Paul said, “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.” What a sorry bunch of losers …
But we are not the losers here, and the apostle Paul has more to say on the subject, a lot more! If Jesus did not rise from the dead, Paul argues, everything he and the other apostles preached was “in vain”—all for nothing. If Jesus did not rise, Paul’s preaching was all for nothing and our faith is all for nothing. If Jesus Christ did not rise from the dead, your faith is useless and you are still lost in sin. If Jesus did not rise, all of the saints, the loved ones you miss so much, the ones who died be-lieving, are gone, dead and buried, and that’s the end of it.
But that is not the end. That is why we are here this morning! That is why we are here every Sunday morning. As Paul goes on to say: “In fact Christ has been raised from the dead!” What kinds of facts do you know? You know how old you are. You know that it is spring and the weather is getting warmer. You know that today is Sunday; in fact, it is Easter morning. You know you are in church. Here is another fact: Jesus Christ has risen from the dead! That is an absolute fact! The life of Jesus of Nazareth did not end when his body was wrapped for burial and sealed in a borrowed tomb. Je-sus was crucified and buried on the day we call Good Friday, the day before the Jewish Sabbath. On that Sabbath, that Saturday of rest, his body lay in the sealed tomb. But on the third day, the tomb was opened and he was gone! Death could not hold the innocent Son of God. Jesus was raised to life and glorified, never to die again. We are dealing in facts here. There were eyewitnesses who saw Jesus alive. This was no ghost or wishful thinking or hallucination. They not only saw the risen Lord, they talked to him, they touched him; they saw the scars of the nails in his hands and feet. They saw the scar where the spear had been thrust through his side. They ate with him and he ate in front of them. They could hardly believe it themselves! Scripture says that at one point, “they still disbelieved for joy.” They were so happy they could not believe what they were seeing and hearing! But there was no doubt about it. Jesus of Nazareth, who had been crucified, who was dead and who had been buried, had left the grave behind. He was now alive and in the flesh, just as he had prom-ised.
Jesus is called the firstfruits of the resurrection. The firstfruits were the first part of the harvest, usu-ally given as an offering to God. The firstfruits were the beginning, the first crops taken from a great harvest to follow. Jesus is the firstfruits, and all who die, who fall asleep in death believing in him, will be raised up from death as a part of the great harvest to follow. It will be a harvest of life gathered up on the Last Day when our crucified and living Lord returns. On that great day he will destroy the last enemy—death itself. We will be called to rise from our graves as Jesus was raised from the grave, and we will be dressed in immortality, our bodies transformed and glorified, yet in the flesh, as Jesus rose in the flesh.
The apostle Paul mocks and ridicules death as a defeated enemy: “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” Are we the losers here? No, death it-self is the loser because our Lord Jesus Christ conquered death and his victory is our victory. Jesus, the apostle Paul writes, is the one “who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10).
When the women arrived at the tomb on the first Easter morning, they found the tomb open and empty. The angel who had rolled back the stone from the door of the tomb invited them to come and see the place where the body of Jesus had been placed. But Jesus was not there—he had risen from the dead. The angel said, “He is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.” The disci-ples went to Galilee and there they saw Jesus, their risen Lord who had gone there before them. Jesus is the firstfruits, the first of the great resurrection harvest of life on the Last Day. He has gone before us, he has gone ahead of us to prepare a place for us in his Father’s house (John 14:2). One day we follow him and we will see him. We will see the scars in his hands and feet and side, the scars that are the marks of our salvation. Like the disciples and the women on that first Easter day, we will see him and we will live in his presence forever. Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia! Amen.
Hymn of Response – I Know That My Redeemer Lives – LSB #461 (v.1,2&6-8)
1. I know that my Redeemer lives;
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, he lives, who once was dead;
He lives, my ever-living head.
2. He lives triumphant from the grave;
He lives eternally to save;
He lives all glorious in the sky;
He lives exalted there on high.
6. He lives, my kind, wise, heav’nly friend;
He lives and loves me to the end;
He lives, and while he lives, I’ll sing;
He lives, my Prophet, Priest and King.
7. He lives and grants me daily breath;
He lives, and I shall conquer death;
He lives my mansion to prepare;
He lives to bring me safely there.
8. He lives, all glory to his name!
He lives, my Jesus, still the same;
Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives:
I know that my Redeemer lives!
Offering (Thank You to everyone who has donated, please remember you may donate at Pathway Bank Drive-Thru window.)
Prayers – Each petition ends with the following response:
P Living Lord and Savior,
C In you alone we have life and hope.
+
P Crucified and risen Lord, in you alone we have victory over sin, death and the devil. As you have promised, because you live, we will live also. We look forward to the day of your return, when we will be raised bodily from our graves to live in your presence forever. Living Lord and Savior,
C In you alone we have life and hope.
P Crucified and risen Lord, you have overcome death and we too will rise. Until that great day, lead us to love and serve others in your name. Give us opportunities to bring comfort and hope to those who need to hear the good news of life and who need to know the joy that you alone can bring. Living Lord and Savior,
C In you alone we have life and hope.
P Crucified and risen Lord, empower us to share the good news of your life, death and resur-rection with those who have no hope. There are so many still lost in the darkness of sin and despair. Work through our witness to bring hope to them in your name. Living Lord and Savior,
C In you alone we have life and hope.
P Christ is risen!
C He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
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.
Benediction
P Christ is risen!
C He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
P Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable,
C Always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
P Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Je-sus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.
C Amen.
P Christ is risen!
C He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Closing Hymn – Crown Him with Many Crowns – LSB #525 (v.1,3-5)
1. Crown him with many crowns, the Lamb upon his throne;
Hark how the heav’nly anthem drowns all music but its own.
Awake, my soul, and sing of him who died for thee,
And hail him as thy matchless king through all eternity.
3. Crown him the Lord of love, behold his hands and side,
Rich wounds, yet visible above, in beauty glorified.
No angels in the sky can fully bear that sight,
But downward bend their wond’ring eyes at mysteries so bright.
4. Crown him the Lord of life, who triumphed o’er the grave
And rose victorious in the strife for those he came to save.
His glories now we sing, who died and rose on high,
Who died eternal life to bring and lives that death may die.
5. Crown him the Lord of heav’n, enthroned in worlds above,
Crown him the king to whom is giv’n the wondrous name of Love.
Crown him with many crowns as thrones before him fall;
Crown him, ye kings, with many crowns, for he is king of all.
By Carol Geisler. © 2020 Creative Communications for the Parish, a division of Bayard, Inc., 1564 Fencorp Dr., Fenton, MO 63026. 800-325-9414. www.creativecommunications.com. All rights reserved. Reprinted with Permission.
ANNIVERSARIES THIS WEEK
Heath & Sara Hadenfeldt April – 12, 2003 (17)
BIRTHDAYS THIS WEEK
Jennifer Hansen – April 12
Lindsey Harders – April 13
Robert Serr – April 13
Brayden Dibbern – April 16
Evan Meyer – April 16
Benjamin Dibbern – April 18
PRAYERS THIS WEEK
Suffering from Cancer
Flora Meester, friend of Catherine Garrett
Cheryl Klock, Julie Whitefoot’s Sister
Barb Meyer
Jeff Bexten, Former member of CLC
Pat Hughes, Barb Teichmeier’s Sister
Judy Kemptar, Kristin Schultz mother
Deb Homolka, Rick Gilbert’s Sister
Lorie Stahl, Ravenna NE.
THANK YOU to everyone who has donated to the church during this time of difficulty. Please if you would like to donated to the church you may drop off your donation at the Pathway Bank Drive-up Window or by mailing your check to the church.
Our Offerings
3/16/2020 – 4/7/2020 – $11, 910.00
Weekly CalendarSunday, April 12 – Easter Sunday
Ex. 14:10—15:1, Psalm 118:15–29
1 Cor. 15:1–11, John 20:1–18
No worship or Activities at Church – Watch your email for more information regarding Worship and the COVID-19 Virus updates.
Monday April 13
Tuesday April 14
Wednesday April 15
Thursday April 16
Friday April 17
Saturday April 18
Sunday, April 19 – 2nd Sun of Easter
Acts 5:29–42, Psalm 148
1 Peter 1:3–9, John 20:19–31
SAVE the DATE
Moses Basket Auction POSTPONED
Church Clean Up Day (Outside & Inside) POSTPONED
Habitat For Humanity Build for April POSTPONED Megan will contact in May with new dates
Vacation Bible School May 26-29
Project Hunger Easter Basket Extravaganza RESCHEDULED June 6
Progressive Ag Day – Cairo NE – June 9
Cairo Cornstalk Festival – June 12
GO BIG GIVE – POSTPONED – July 7
Our 100th Anniversary Celebration – July 10 & 11, 2021
Christ Lutheran Church
Cairo, NE
This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24
