Cycle C Easter 2

4/7/2013 Confession

Sunday Title: Still! Resurrection Sunday!

Sermon Title: Carry the Resurrection forward!

Previously:

Sunday Title: Fai(do(se(believe)e)ubt)th Sunday

Sermon Title: Doubt in Faith

Sunday Title: Fear Sunday

Sermon Title: “Faith & Fear”

Scripture Cuttings:

Acts 5:27-32 But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than any human authority.”

Psalm 150 Let everything that breathes praise the Lord!

Revelation 1:4-8 …from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.

John 20:19-31 When [Jesus] had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Confession:

All may make the sign of the cross in remembrance of baptism

as the presiding minister begins:

P:  In the Name of the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen

P:  God redeems!

Let us get ready by being honest about our fears.  (pause for self-examination)

P:  Merciful God...

C: we know we buckle to authority

to the government

  to the economic culture

    to the peer pressure we still face as grown ups.

      You understand: “You have to go along to get along.”

But we stand up and gripe hard for our own self interest.

  We stir our friends as advocates for our point of view.

    If we’ve been wronged,

      we reinforcing our selfishness with a course of gossip.

We “teach a lesson” long before forgiving.

So when it come to You…

  an Alleluia is quick on our lips Sunday morning

    and then your Holiness lags for a week.

Faithful intensity fades fast in our world of fear.

  We forget your faithfulness saves us.

Save us from our self-deception.

   forgive us our fears. (Pause for reflection)

P: The God of Peace greets us with the gift of grace in his Son our Lord Jesus the Christ. It is for Christ sake that our sins are forgiven! Our fears are blown away! We are sent powered by the Holy Spirit to be faithful witnesses of the first born of the dead,  we now serve as priest in the kingdom of the ruler of the rulers of the earth, so that all may come to know the glory of our faithful God. In the name of the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit.

C: Amen. -wjw

P:  Christ is risen!

C: He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

P:  The peace of the Lord be with you always!

C: And also with you!