April 21, 2024
After Easter - Living the Life of a Disciple
Prelude - Hymn of Heaven
Call to Worship
Our hearts praise you, O Lord, our spirits rejoice in God our Savior, for you have remembered us, your humble servants. Mighty God, we celebrate the great things you have done for us—your name is holy! You have kept your promises to us; you have come to our help; you will show your people your love forever; our hearts praise you, O Lord, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Hymn - Praise to the Lord
Invocation and Lord's Prayer
Forgive us, Mighty God, and look with grace upon us. We rejoice because we live secure in your love. Move us toward peace and in seeking to do your will, as was done by Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, as we pray as he taught us saying: 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. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Scripture Reading - Acts 6:8-15
8 Now Stephen, a man full of God’s grace and power, performed great wonders and signs among the people. 9 Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called)—Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia—who began to argue with Stephen. 10 But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.
11 Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, “We have heard Stephen speak blasphemous words against Moses and against God.”
12 So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. 13 They produced false witnesses, who testified, “This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. 14 For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us.”
15 All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.
Joys and Concerns
Loving God, our spirits do rejoice in all your gracious acts towards us, most of all, we thank you for the wonderful and precious gift of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. We give thanks for the willingness of Mary to believe that the impossible could and would happen. Help us to have a similar faith. Open our hearts and minds to believe that your promises can come to surprising fulfillment. Show us how we can best serve you with mercy and in humility, empowering people to live lives of dignity and worth. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
Hymn - Fill Me Now
Sermon - Face of an Angel
For Video version, click below.
Hymn - Wherever He Leads I Will Go
Benediction
Let us go knowing we matter and that we too can present to others the face like that of an angel. Amen.