The Lord’s Day
Easter Sunday
April 24, 2011
Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
(Psalm 33:8)
Prelude
Musical Offering Easter Anthem (text follows)
The Lord is ris’n indeed;
Hallelujah!
Now is Christ risen from the dead,
And become the firstfruits of them that slept.
Hallelujah!
And did He rise?
Hear, O ye nations; hear it, O ye dead:
He rose, He rose;
He burst the bars of death
And triumphed o’er the grave!
Apostolic Greeting
*Call to Worship Psalm 96:1–2
Sing to the Lord a new song;
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.
*Gloria Patri No. 734
*Prayer of Invocation
*Hymn Christ the Lord Is Risen Today No. 277
Public Confession
O Lord, we ask for mercy and forgiveness. For our sinful speech and thoughts, we seek forgiveness. For our sinful attitudes and actions, we ask forgiveness. We rejoice in our Savior, and we rest in Him alone.
Words of Assurance Titus 3:47
When the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Response I Know That My Redeemer Lives (inside front)
Prayer for the Tithe and Offerings
Collection of the Tithe and Offerings
*Doxology No. 731
*Declaring Our Faith2 Heidelberg Catechism
Do our good works contribute to our righteousness before God?
No, because the righteousness that can be approved of before God must be perfect and in all respects conformable to divine law; our best works, however, are imperfect and defiled.
Do our good works merit any blessing from God?
Any blessing from God is not of merit, but of grace.
Pastoral Prayer
*Responsive Reading Psalm 72:1–13
Give the king Your judgments, O God,
And Your righteousness to the king’s son.
May he judge Your people with righteousness
And Your afflicted with justice.
Let the mountains bring peace to the people,
And the hills, in righteousness.
May he vindicate the afflicted of the people,
Save the children of the needy and crush the oppressor.
Let them fear You while the sun endures,
And as long as the moon, throughout all generations.
May he come down like rain upon the mown grass,
Like showers that water the earth.
In his days may the righteous flourish,
And abundance of peace till the moon is no more.
May he also rule from sea to sea
And from the River to the ends of the earth.
Let the nomads of the desert bow before him,
And his enemies lick the dust.
Let the kings of Tarshish and of the islands bring presents;
The kings of Sheba and Seba offer gifts.
And let all kings bow down before him,
All nations serve him.
For he will deliver the needy when he cries for help,
The afflicted also, and him who has no helper.
He will have compassion on the poor and needy,
And the lives of the needy he will save.
*Hymn Sing, Choirs of New Jerusalem (pp. 4, 5)
*Public Reading of the Word Isaiah 60
*Prayer for the Ministry of the Word
Sermon We Are of All Men Most to Be Pitied 1 Cor. 15:19
Hymn Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bonds No. 279
Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper
*Hymn Lift High the Cross No. 263
*Benediction
*Hymn Come Ye Faithful, Raise the Strain No. 266
* Congregation will please stand
+ Visitors: please see the note on the back of this bulletin
2 These questions and responses are based on the Heidelberg Catechism.