These liturgical texts are appropriate for use throughout the Season of Easter and may be repeated from week to week.
Confession and Lament
As a new Easter dawns,
may God’s light shine in our hearts
and burn away all fault.
Trusting in God’s eternal grace,
let us ask for God’s forgiveness together.
Risen Lord,
while we proclaim your victory
over sin and death,
we confess the heavy sins we carry.
We sing, “Alleluia,”
but we have abandoned you and one another.
We shout, “He is risen,”
but we fail to care for the life around us.
Forgive us.
Loosen our reliance on violent patterns
and free us for joyful belonging,
that the story of your resurrection might bring us to life.
Turn our hearts and hands to your work
of justice, joy, and stubborn hope. Amen.
Friends, hear the good news.
In Jesus Christ, we are already forgiven.
He knows us and loves us beyond any power to condemn us.
There is nothing to fear; a new day has dawned.
He is risen! Alleluia! Amen.
Invitation to Discipleship
We are God’s people.
Let God’s word ring through your being
and God’s Spirit breathe new life into your lungs.
What does it mean to be disciples of Christ?
To be moved by gratitude for all we have been given,
to live as neighbors amid difference,
to speak truth with compassion,
to act in gentleness and mercy,
and to rebuke what is harmful and inhumane, in God’s name.
With one voice, in many tongues,
go from here united in purpose,
that we may speak of the good news of the resurrection
wherever we go:
Christ is risen, and a new life has begun.
Prayer of Great Thanksgiving
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
Almighty Triune God,
with wisdom you have made all things,
blessed all things, and loved all things.
In this season when all things are made new
and our hope is resurrected once more,
we praise you with our whole hearts.
With thanksgiving,
we remember your great acts of faithfulness,
for you have never let us go.
In the face of slavery, oppression, and war,
through fear and grief,
you pulled your people close.
In the midst of our sin, you called us your own.
On the darkest nights you promised a new dawn,
and you gave us yourself.
Our hearts overflow with joy
as we remember your promises in the rainbows
and proclaim your eternal might
and tender faithfulness,
together with all the saints of every time and place
who forever sing to the glory of your name:
The Sanctus may be sung (GTG 551-609) or spoken.
In Jesus Christ you gave us yourself, gracious God.
Born in a manger in Bethlehem,
he shared human life with us
and changed us with his ministry
by befriending us, challenging us, teaching us,
and revealing the depth of your love.
We give you thanks for the hope of salvation.
He did not hold himself back from us,
even enduring death on the cross.
With his sacrifice he taught us that death is not
the end and that love has the final victory.
And so we proclaim the great mystery at the heart of our faith:
The memorial acclamation may be sung (GTG 551-609) or spoken.
Holy God, we are your Easter people.
We wait and watch for your new creation,
shining with the light of eternity and the hope of resurrection.
Send your Holy Spirit, our blessed guide and friend,
upon this feast we share,
that this bread and cup may teach us your
incarnate love and guide us in shared service.
Every reconciling action, every declaration of peace,
every liberating word, every softening of heart,
every person fed and housed,
and every stranger claimed as kin
shows us the miracle of your presence.
In the light of this new day,
with gladness in our hearts and voices lifted in alleluias,
unite us and send us out as your own
to share your good news for all people,
now and forever.
Through Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor are yours, almighty God.
We pray together as Christ taught us, saying,
The Lord’s Prayer
