Welcome and Announcements
Introit, Create in Me, A Clean Heart O God, Terry Talbot
Create in me a clean heart oh God
Let me be like you in all my ways.
Give me your strength, teach me your song,
Shelter me in the shadow of your wings
For we are your righteousness
If we die to ourselves and live through your death
We shall be born again to be blest in your will!
Call to Worship, I Peter 1:17-23
Followers of Jesus, by his cross we are redeemed from the futility of sin.
Alleluia!
By his rising we are free from the fear of death.
Alleluia!
By his love we are made new in the living and enduring Word of God.
Alleluia! Thanks be to God! LET US WORSHIP GOD!
Hymn, All Creatures of Our God and King, 15, vs. 1-4, 6
Prayer of the Day
Prayer of Confession
Almighty God, our world is filled with corruption: power disguises itself as truth; convenience masquerades as goodness; selfish pleasure imitates love. We confess to You, O God, that we have been caught in the web of the world’s sin. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, save us from these deceptions and free us for glad obedience, that we may see the joy of Jesus’ resurrection and receive the promise of everlasting life.
Assurance of Pardon
Prayer for Illumination
O God, You opened the meaning of the Scriptures to the disciples on the road to Emmaus and set their hearts ablaze. By the power of Your Spirit kindle our hearts as we hear Your Word proclaimed, that we may receive You with joy. AMEN.
Time for Children, Jenny Newman
Hebrew Reading, Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19
1 I love the Lord, because he has heard
my voice and my supplications.
2 Because he inclined his ear to me,
therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
3 The snares of death encompassed me;
the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;
I suffered distress and anguish.
4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:
“O Lord, I pray, save my life!”
12 What shall I return to the Lord
for all his bounty to me?
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord,
14 I will pay my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people.
15 Precious in the sight of the Lord
is the death of his faithful ones.
16 O Lord, I am your servant;
I am your servant, the child of your serving girl.
You have loosed my bonds.
17 I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice
and call on the name of the Lord.
18 I will pay my vows to the Lord
in the presence of all his people,
19 in the courts of the house of the Lord,
in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord!
Epistle Reading, I Peter 1:17-23
17 If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. 18 You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. 20 He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. 21 Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God.
22 Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth[a] so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply[b] from the heart.[c] 23 You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God.[d]
Gospel Reading, Luke 24:13-35
13 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem, 14 and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16 but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad.[b] 18 Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” 19 He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth,[c] who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.[d] Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. 22 Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, 23 and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” 25 Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26 Was it not necessary that the Messiah[e] should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
28 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29 But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us[f] while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” 33 That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34 They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Sermon, “The Stranger Along the Way,” Rev. Vincent Kolb
Hymn, Let Us Talents and Tongues Employ, 526
Affirmation of Faith, I Peter 1:3-5
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Pastoral Prayer
The Lord’s Prayer, 2019 Vatican Update
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 debts,
as we forgive our debtors;
do not let us fall into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.
Anthem, Draw Us in the Spirit’s Tether, Harold Friedell
Draw us in the Spirit’s tether, for when humbly in your name
Two or three are met together, you are in the midst of them.
Alleluia! Here we touch your garment’s hem.
As disciples used to gather in the name of Christ to sup,
Then with thanks to God the giver break the bread and bless the cup.
Alleluia! So now bind our friendship up.
All our meals and all our living make as sacraments of you,
That by caring, help, giving, we may be disciples true.
Alleluia! We will serve with faith anew.
Percy Dearmer
Closing Hymn, Christ, Be Our Light!, 314, vs. 1, 2, 4, 5
Benediction
Announcements
* The Session has closed the building through April 30 to observe the governmental restrictions of social distancing.
* The Session will be meeting Wednesday, April 29 and will discuss continued building closure. We will share the decision May 1.
* Many thanks to Beth Hazlett and Rev. Betty Voigt for being part of the service this week!
* Want to join Pastor Vincent’s Wednesday morning Bible study on the lectionary texts? Contact the office to get on the email list for connection to the Zoom meeting.
* Zoom confused? Set up a call with Amy, and we’ll work through it together.
* It’s not the same as the thrill of putting the envelope in the plate, but you can still pay on your pledges either through eGive (click here!) or by mailing your check to the church. We continue to need your support in this challenging time!
* Weekly Sunday school lessons and other resources are on Jenny’s Children and Youth blog (click here!)
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