April 18, 2021.
Third Sunday of Easter, Celebration of the Resurrection with Holy Communion
Thank you for worshipping with us at Calvary Moravian Church. To support our ministries, you can mail the office a check (948 N. 21st St. Allentown 18104). An online giving portal is at: https://mmfa.info/calvary-moravian-church-pa-donation-form/
Every Sunday morning, continue to use this Zoom address at 10 a.m. for Sunday school check-in and 10:45 a.m. for worship.
https://zoom.us/j/673028163, Meeting ID: 673 028 163
You can call this number and listen to the service on any telephone as well:
(929) 205-6099 (enter 673028163#).
April 25: Virtual Worship – Fourth Sunday of Easter, Celebrating God’s Creation, Warren Gericke will share with us about his journey into beekeeping as an act of stewardship for creation.
Looking Ahead: Coming back to In-person worship with Option for Livestreaming to Youtube!
We will continue to provide the option to worship with us via our Calvary Moravian Church Allentown Youtube Channel every Sunday. Worship services also will be recorded for future viewing there. Zoom will no longer be available starting May 2.
May 2 and May 9, 10:45 a.m. Outside Worship on Livingston St. side of the church, weather -permitting. (If weather does not permit, we will be inside, with physical distancing). Please wear a mask and observe physical distancing. Chairs will be provided or you can bring your own.
Welcome and Announcements.
Liturgy for Evangelism pg. 133.
Holy! Holy! Holy! The Lord Almighty is holy!
God’s glory fills the world!
TUNE: NICAEA (144 C)
Holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty!
All your works shall praise your name
in earth and sky and sea.
Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!
God in three persons, blessed Trinity!
God of creation, whose love invites all people to receive the blessing reserved for us since before time began,
Grant ears of faith, that each one may clearly hear your gracious call.
God of salvation, whose love encompasses all humanity, who assumed flesh and blood and died that all might live,
Give eyes of faith, Lord Jesus, that everyone may plainly see you among us.
God of inspiration, whose love initiates new ways of reaching out to all who risk believing,
Guide our lives in faith, that we may willingly become your instruments of love and
truth.
With gratitude to the Lord we remember our rich heritage of committed servants, who carried the good news to their neighbors throughout the world, who followed Jesus’ command: Go to all people and make them my disciples.
We thank you, Eternal God, for those who have gone before us, faithful to the great commission. We praise you for imparting to us the same mission to reach others for Christ.
With humility before the Lord, we confess our sin:
When we fail to communicate Jesus’ promise of new life,
When we have not reached beyond ourselves with the word entrusted to us,
When we retreat into comfortable sanctuaries and do not seek to be a light to the nations,
When we become preoccupied with church involvement for its own sake, and do not labor to proclaim salvation to the ends of the earth,
Forgive us, we pray.
When we fail to recognize that the measure of success is not only in the number of constituents, but also in the sincerity of conversion,
When we are too timid or afraid to speak the gospel message to those you want to hear it,
When we allow a life of ease to divert us from those who need your love through us,
Forgive us, we pray.
Touch our lips with the burning coals of your forgiveness,
And purify our hearts.
The Lord your Redeemer says: Now your guilt is gone and your sins are forgiven.
TUNE: THE ASH GROVE
With praise and thanksgiving to God ever living
the tasks of our everyday life we will face,
our faith ever sharing, in love ever caring,
embracing God’s children of each tribe and race.
God’s grace did invite us, God’s love shall unite us
to work for the kingdom and answer its call.
The seed of Christ’s teaching, receptive souls reaching,
shall blossom in action for God and for all.
TEXT: © 1964 by World Library Publications, a division of J.S. Paluch Company, Inc., Shiller Park, IL 60176
TUNE: Setting © 1972 by Contemporary Worship 4: Hymns for Baptism and Holy Communion.
Reprinted by permission of Augsburg Fortress
(Prayer may be offered for a particular evangelism concern of the congregation.)
Throughout the ages God’s call to mission summons a response.
We affirm our heartfelt yearning to reply.
God asks: Whom shall I send? Who will be my messenger?
And like Isaiah, the answer flows from our soul and forms on our lips, “I will go. Send me.”
God, our Redeemer, we share a longing to minister as partners, together with you and each other. Our desire is shaped by your will, our commitment molded by your covenant.
We dedicate ourselves again this day. We accept the challenge joyfully to proclaim Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
We covenant with you to be loving instruments of understanding and forgiveness among those to whom you send us.
We promise anew to be living invitations for others to meet you as Lord and Savior.
We press on with resolve so that your word may spread rapidly and you may be glorified everywhere. We must work the works of him who sends us while it is day; night is coming when no one can work.
We will go. Send us.
FESTAL SONG
Good news is ours to tell!
Let no one fail to hear!
God gives us life; God conquers death!
There’s nothing we must fear.
Proclaim the gracious word:
God loves the whole wide earth,
to lift, to save, to reconcile,
to grant essential worth!
TEXT: © by Jane Parker Huber
Reprinted or adapted from the 1995 Moravian Book of Worship with the permission of the Interprovincial Board of Communication, Moravian Church in America. © 1995 IBOC.
Prayers of the People
Pastoral Prayer
Scripture: Luke 24:28-48 Lynne Handwerk.
Hymn 502. Break now the Bread of Life.
Break now the bread of life, dear Lord, to me,
as when you broke the loaves beside the sea;
Beyond the sacred page I seek you, Lord;
My spirit waits for you, O living Word.
Bless your own truth, dear Lord, to me, to me.
as when you blessed the bread by Galilee.
Then shall all bondage cease, all fetters fall;
and I shall find my peace, my All-in-All!
You are the bread of life, dear Lord, to me,
Your holy Word the truth that rescues me.
Give me to eat and live with you above;
teach me to love your truth, for you are love.
Sermon “In the Breaking of Bread and Sharing of Fish?”
Special Music. “How Beautiful”. By Twila Paris arranged by Fred Bock, performed by Bob Kahle.
Holy Communion in Celebration of the Resurrection pg. 209.
Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, be with you all.
Amen.
Hymn pg. 211 (“Long before the World is Waking” by Timothy Dudley-Smith)
Christ is risen! Grief and sighing, sins and sorrows, fall behind;
fear and failure, doubt, denying, full and free forgiveness find.
All the soul’s dark night is past, morning breaks in joy at last.
Morning breaks, and Jesus meets us, feeds and comforts, pardons still;
as his faithful friends he greets us, partners of his work and will.
All our days, on every shore, Christ is ours for evermore!
Prayer of Thanksgiving
(Lord’s Prayer)
Our Lord Jesus Christ, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said: Take, eat, this is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.
(All partake together.)
Silent prayer
By your divine presence,
By the holy sacraments,
By all the merits of your life, sufferings, death, and resurrection,
Bless and comfort us, gracious Lord and God. Amen.
In the same way, after supper our Lord Jesus Christ took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sin. Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.
(All partake together.)
Silent prayer
Christ, the Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world;
Grant to us your peace. Amen.
Whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death,
Until he comes.
Hymn pg. 221. (“Now Let Us from this Table Rise”, by Fred Kaan).
Now let us from this table rise, renewed in body, mind and soul;
with Christ we die and rise again, his selfless love has made us whole.
To fill each human house with love, it is the sacrament of care;
the work that Christ began to do, we humble pledge ourselves to share.
Then grant us grace, Companion-God, to choose again the pilgrim way
and help us to accept with joy, the challenge of tomorrow’s day.
The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you;
The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace;
In the name of Jesus. Amen. (Sung Response)
Calvary Moravian Church 