THE RESURRECTION OF OUR LORD
April 17, 2022
AS WE GATHER
“He is risen!”—the Church shouts with confidence—“He is risen indeed!” The high point of our Christian life is celebrated this morning as we gather with all of God’s children to rejoice in the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. As today’s Gospel from Luke 24 will show us, confusion and fear give way to confident faith when the women who went to the tomb realize Jesus is alive and then share this good news with the other disciples. Through those disciples, this message has reached us also! Just as God had promised through His prophets of old, the Lord Himself will restore creation and bring harmony to all life—beginning with Jesus’ resurrection and continuing until the Last Day, when Jesus returns in glory, destroys death itself, and raises us up to new lives in His eternal kingdom. With confidence in God’s promises, we say: “I know that my Redeemer lives!” What comfort, what hope, what joy this sweet sentence gives!
HYMN “Jesus Christ Is Risen Today” LW 127
INVOCATION
Pastor: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
EASTER ACCLAMATION
Pastor: Alleluia! Christ is risen!
People: He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION 1 Corinthians 15:22; Romans 6:11
Pastor: For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
People: So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
A moment of silence to reflect on our sin and our need for the Lord’s mercy and forgiveness.
Pastor: Let us confess our sins to God our Father.
People: Heavenly Father, You have created each of us to live life with You and in Your image. Yet our sin destroys that life and brings death into our world. Forgive us, Father, for our sins against You in the things that we think, the words that we speak, and the ways that we act. Forgive us for failing to live our lives as You designed them and for failing to share Your life with others. Breathe into us Your life-giving Spirit so that we turn from our sin and receive the fresh start of a forgiven life. For the sake of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who lived, died, and rose from the grave for us, call us back from the death of sin to live for Your glory all our days. Amen.
Pastor: Your merciful God is the author and giver of life! He hears your prayers and forgives you all your sins. Through Jesus, He takes your death upon Himself at the cross and, by His resurrection, gives you the free gift of life everlasting. As your pastor, it is my privilege to remind you of this forgiving grace of Jesus and, because He has granted His authority to do so, I forgive you all your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
People: Amen.
Pastor: Alleluia! Christ is risen!
People: He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
HYMN OF PRAISE “This Is the Feast” (p.161 in front of the hymnal)
SALUTATION
Pastor: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
PRAYER OF THE DAY
Pastor: Let us pray. Almighty God the Father, through Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, You have overcome death and opened the gate of everlasting life to us.
People: Grant that we, who by faith know that our risen Savior is with us now, may be raised from the death of sin by Your life-giving Spirit;
Pastor: through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
OLD TESTAMENT READING Job 19:23–27 (I know that my Redeemer lives.)
23“Oh, that my words were recorded, that they were written on a scroll, 24that they were inscribed with an iron tool on lead, or engraved in rock forever! 25I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. 26And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; 27I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!
Lector: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
PSALM 16 (The Lord will not abandon His holy one.)
Pastor: Preserve me, O God, for in You I take refuge.
People: I say to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from You.”
Pastor: As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight.
People: The sorrows of those who run after another god shall multiply;
Pastor: their drink offerings of blood I will not pour out or take their names on my lips.
People: The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You hold my lot.
Pastor: The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.
People: I bless the LORD who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me.
Pastor: I have set the LORD always before me; because He is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
People: Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure.
Pastor: For You will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let Your holy one see corruption.
People: You make known to me the path of life;
Pastor: in Your presence there is fullness of joy;
People: at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. 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.
EPISTLE 1 Corinthians 15:19–26 (Christ has been raised from the dead.)
19If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. 20But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
Lector: This is the Word of the Lord.
People: Thanks be to God.
VERSE 2 Timothy 1:10b, adapt.
Pastor: Alleluia. Christ Jesus has abolished death.
People: He has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Alleluia.
HOLY GOSPEL Luke 24:1–12 (The stone has been rolled away! Jesus has risen!)
1On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8Then they remembered his words. 9When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
Pastor: This is the Gospel of the Lord.
People: Praise to You, O Christ.
HYMN “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” LW 264 (vv. 1-4)
SERMON Job 19:23–27
In the Book of Job we’re told that he was a strong _________________ in the Lord.
Job __________ all of his possessions and children, just like that.
After some time Job lost his ______________.
Yet he still clung to his __________ in God.
Job says that he knows that in the end he will see his __________________ in the flesh, which means that Job believed in the resurrection from the dead.
Already back then people were aware of God’s plan to __________________ all people from the dead on the Last Day.
______________, too, like Job will be raised from the dead on the Last Day.
Jesus’ _____________________ confirmed what Job believed.
Even though everything will come to an end for us here in this life on the day we die, the promise of life with the Lord _______________.
In the church the resurrection of our Lord is a ______________ celebration.
What’s more, he ____________________ the crown of glory when he died.
We will receive the same as a result of our faith in the _____________.
NICENE CREED N(p. 166 in front of the hymnal)
OFFERING
PRAYER OF THE CHURCH
Pastor: Let us pray for the whole people of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs. With great joy and thanksgiving, we praise You, our Father in heaven, for the glorious resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Redeemer. By His life, death, and resurrection, He has granted us everlasting life with You. He has opened the way for us to know You forever and to live with confidence that You hear us when we pray, for: He lives, He lives, who once was dead;
People: He lives, my ever-living head.
Pastor: In a world full of chaos and confusion, we find refuge in the fact that You are on Your throne as the King of kings and Lord of lords. Instead of foolishly looking to this world for our peace and purpose, help us, O Father, to look to Jesus, who is seated in power at Your right hand, for: He lives all-glorious in the sky;
People: He lives exalted there on high.
Pastor: We bring to You, faithful Lord, the needs of our lives and the concerns of those we love. For those who are hungry and hurting, doubting and dismaying, grant that the message of Christ’s resurrection bring restoration and peace, for we know: He lives my hungry soul to feed;
People: He lives to help in time of need.
Pastor: There are many among us who are in need, O Lord. For the sick, suffering, hurting, and ailing, we ask for Your healing touch. Help them to know that: He lives to comfort me when faint;
People: He lives to hear my soul’s complaint.
Pastor: When the troubles of life seem overwhelming, steady us with Your presence, gracious God. Be the rock on which Your Church is built and through whom we confidently share the Good News of Christ’s resurrection with the world He died to save. When we waver, help us to remember: He lives to calm my troubled heart;
People: He lives all blessings to impart.
Pastor: Death was not the end for Jesus; neither is it the end for those who trust in You. Give peace, hope, and the certainty of the coming Day of resurrection to all those who mourn and grieve. We are confident that: He lives my mansion to prepare;
People: He lives to bring me safely there.
Pastor: What a blessing it is to be in Your house today, Lord God, as we celebrate the resurrection of our Savior! His triumph over sin, death, and the devil is the reason we rejoice this day, and every day, knowing that: He lives, and while He lives, I’ll sing;
People: He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King.
Pastor: He lives, all glory to His name! He lives, my Jesus, still the same;
People: Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives: I know that my Redeemer lives!
LORD’S PRAYER Matthew 6:9–13
PREFACE 2 Timothy 4:22
Pastor: The Lord be with you.
People: And also with you.
Pastor: Lift up your hearts.
People: We lift them to the Lord.
Pastor: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
People: It is right to give Him thanks and praise.
Pastor: It is truly good, right, and salutary that we should at all times and in all places give thanks to You, holy Lord, almighty Father, everlasting God. And most especially are we bound to praise You on this day for the glorious resurrection of Your Son, Jesus Christ, the very Paschal Lamb, who was sacrificed for us and bore the sins of the world. By His dying He has destroyed death, and by His rising again He has restored to us everlasting life. Therefore with Mary Magdalene, Peter and John, and with all the witnesses of the resurrection, with angels and archangels, and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify Your glorious name, evermore praising You and singing:
SANCTUS “Holy, Holy, Holy” (from p. 170 in front of the hymnal)
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of pow’r and might:
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING
Pastor: Blessed are You, O author of life and salvation, for You have filled our hearts with unending joy in the resurrection of Your Son, our Redeemer, Jesus Christ. As we gather to remember His sacrifice and to receive the benefits of His death and resurrection, You fill us with Your peace through the very presence of Christ in our midst.
People: He lives triumphant from the grave! He lives eternally to save!
Pastor: To You alone, O Father, be all glory, honor, and worship, with the Son and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
THE WORDS OF OUR LORD Matthew 26:26–28; Mark 14:22–24; Luke 22:19–20; 1 Corinthians 11:23–25
PROCLAMATION OF CHRIST 1 Corinthians 11:26; Revelation 22:20
Pastor: As often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
People: Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
PAX DOMINI
Pastor: The peace of the Lord be with you always.
People: Amen.
AGNUS DEI (p. 172 in front of the hymnal)
DISTRIBUTION HYMNS “At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing” LW 126; “Awake, My Heart, with Gladness” LW 128; “Jesus Lives! The Victory’s Won” LW 139
POST-COMMUNION CANTICLE (p. 173 in front of the hymnal)
done. Let all who seek the Lord rejoice and proudly bear his
name. He recalls his promises and leads his people forth in
joy with shouts of thanksgiving. Alleluia, alleluia.
POST-COMMUNION THANKSGIVING
Pastor: Let us pray. Father in heaven, through Your Son’s body and blood, the blessings of forgiveness have been given to us again on this day of Your Son’s resurrection! Confident that our Savior is with us now and remains with us always, help us to go forth and share the hope of the resurrection so that all people may know Your saving love; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
People: Amen.
BENEDICTION Numbers 6:24–26
Pastor: The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look upon you with favor and give you peace.
People: Amen.
EASTER ACCLAMATION
Pastor: Alleluia! Christ is risen!
People: He is risen indeed! Alleluia!
HYMN “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” LW 264 (vv. 5-8)
Creative Worship for the Lutheran Parish, Series C, Quarter 2. Copyright © 2021 Concordia Publishing House. All rights reserved. Used by permission.