Easter Sunday Bulletin, Apr 20 2025

Veradale United Church of Christ

An Open & Affirming Congregation

Worshiping God in Christ – Welcoming All – Working for Justice & Peace

“No matter who you are, or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome here!”

April 20, 2025 • 10:30 a.m.

Easter

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Gathering and Prelude

Wayne Shull, Music Director

Charlie Salt, AV

Tom Cuilla, AV and Usher

Jerry Brines, Usher

Joe McSwain, Usher and Candle Lighter

Naomi Hanvey, Scripture Reader

Scotty Patton, Zoom Monitor

______Fellowship Set-Up

Naomi Hanvey Fellowship Clean-up

Rev. Gen Heywood, Pastor

10:30am Entrance of the Light of Christ

Land Acknowledgement

We worship on the unceded traditional territory of the Spokane, Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla, Coeur d’Alene, and other tribes. We acknowledge the history of indigenous genocide, removal, and erasure that continues to this day.  We recognize the role that Christian communities played in these injustices, and we recommit ourselves to seeking more peaceful, just, and neighborly ways of sharing this land with all who call it home.

Community Affirmation

God lives among us . . . all the time!

All the time . . . God lives among us!

Service and Fellowship Opportunities 

Next Sunday, Honest Thomas

Lenten Book Study: Chapters from Speaking Christian Monday at 7pm

Silent Prayer, Tuesday 9:00 to 9:30am

Wednesday: String-A-Lings 5:30 and Sing-A-Lings 6:30

Ding-A-Lings after Worship

 Community giving: Coats for Kids

Passing the Peace of Christ and Welcoming the Light of Christ

We sing and flower the cross. You are invited to share the blessing of peace with those around you as you place flowers on the cross.

Hymn: “Christ the Lord, is Risen Today” 233 (NCH)

1. Christ the Lord, is risen today, Alleluia! Mortal tongues and angels say, Alleluia! Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! Sing, glad heavens, and earth, reply, Alleluia!

2. Let the Victor’s people sing, Alleluia! Where, O death, is now your sting? Alleluia! Dying once, Christ lives to save, Alleluia! Where your victory, O grave? Alleluia!

3. Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia! Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia! Death in vain forbids Christ rise, Alleluia! God has opened paradise, Alleluia!

4. Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia! Following our exalted Head, Alleluia! Made like Christ, like Christ we rise, Alleluia! Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!

Community Prayer

Hymn: “Change My Heart” RB 50

Change my heart, O God. Make it ever true. Change my heart, O God. May I be like you. You are the potter; I am the clay. Mold me and make me; This is what I pray. Change my heart, O God. Make it ever true. Change my heart, O God. May I be like you.

Prayers of Gratitude 

Refrain: Change my heart, O God. Make it ever true. Change my heart, O God. May I be like you.

Prayers of Concern 

Refrain

Prayers in Silence 

Refrain

The Lord’s Prayer (brought to us from Louise)

A version of The Lord’s Prayer from The New Zealand Prayer BookEternal Spirit, Earth-maker, Pain-bearer, Life-giver, Source of all that is and that shall be, Father and Mother of us all, Loving God, in whom is heaven: The hallowing of your name echo through the universe! The way of your justice be followed by the peoples of the world! Your heavenly will be done by all created beings! Your commonwealth of peace and freedom sustain our hope and come on earth. With the bread we need for today, feed us. In the hurts we absorb from one another, forgive us. In times of temptation and testing, strengthen us. From trials too great to endure, spare us. From the grip of all that is evil, free us. For you reign in the glory of the power that is love, now and forever. Amen.

Response: Holy, Holy, Holy  277(NCH)

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty! All your works shall praise Thy name, in earth and sky and sea. Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty. God in three persons, blessed Trinity!

A Time of Offering

An Invitation to Share

Dedication Hymn: “Give Thanks”

Give thanks with a grateful heart. Give thanks to the Holy One. Give thanks because God’s given Jesus Christ, the son. (Repeat) And now let the weak say, “I am strong!” Let the poor say, “I am rich because of what the Lord has done for us!” (repeat)

Give thanks. Give thanks.

Dedication prayer:

Renewer of Life, bless these offerings of our time, talent, and treasure. May we live as your people overcoming hardship and rejoicing in new beginnings.  With trust in your Spirit, we pray. Amen

Listening for God


Message with Young Hearts

What is your favorite part of Easter?

Acts 10:34-43 NRSVUE Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every people anyone who fears him and practices righteousness is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced:  how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.  We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead.  All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

John 20:1-18 NRSVUE Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus’s head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed, 9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples returned to their homes.

11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look[a] into the tomb, 12 and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir,[b] if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew,[c] “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not touch me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Message:  No Partiality

Silence

Announcement Reminders

Our Light moves into the World God Loves

Hymn: “The Day of Resurrection” 245(NCH)

The day of resurrection! Earth, tell it out abroad; The Passover of gladness, the Passover of God. From death to life eternal, from earth unto the sky, our Christ hath brought us over, with hymns of victory.

Our hearts be pure from evil, that we may see aright the Christ who reigns eternal in resurrection light. We listen for the teachings once heard so calm and plain, for we, too, want to follow and raise the victor strain.

Now let the heav’ns be joyful! Let earth the song begin! The whole world keep high triumph, and all that is therein! Let all things seen and unseen their notes in gladness blend, for Christ again has risen, our joy that hath no end.

Benediction 

Go forth into the world in peace. Be of good courage. Hold fast to that

which is good. Render to no one evil for evil. Strengthen the

fainthearted. Support the weak. Help the afflicted. Honor all people.

Love and serve God, rejoicing in the power of the Holy Spirit. The

Grace of Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the

Holy Spirit, be with us all. Amen.

Community Blessing

Be Yourself.

Grow in Christ.

Live with Compassion.