This is part of the worship series,
"Grounded and Growing—Journeying from Lent to Easter”
Series Introduction | Ash Wednesday | Lent 1 | Lent 2 | Lent 3 | Lent 4 | Lent 5 |
Palm/Passion Sunday | Maundy Thursday | Good Friday | Easter
Leading Prayers of the People During Lent | A Communion Liturgy for Lent
Also in this year-long Grounded and Growing series: Advent and Christmas | Epiphany
Throughout the season of Lent, we have been walking with Jesus—through wilderness and testing, through pruning and promise, through sorrow and waiting. We followed him into Jerusalem. We watched as the light faded and the shadows gathered. We ate a memorial meal on Thursday. Then on the Friday we call “Good,” we stood at the foot of the cross and listened as the story seemingly concluded and was buried.
Today, we come to the morning after the long night.
But Easter is not a return to normal. It is not a sentimental ending to a difficult story—the “happily ever after” we all expect from our favorite narratives. No, it is the beginning of something entirely new, something that had to pass through death in order to live. The seed that fell into the earth has broken open.
The gospel tells us that the women came to the tomb at dawn, carrying spices to embalm…well…the corpse they expected to find. Instead, they found an empty grave and a revelation that could barely be spoken aloud. Mark’s shorter conclusion leaves us hanging a little bit. Resurrection did not arrive with trumpets or certainty. It arrived quietly, like light slipping over the horizon, like life stirring underground.
This is what it means to be grounded and growing in the Easter faith. We trust that God is at work beneath the surface. We believe that new life is already pushing up through the soil of grief and fear. We follow a risen Christ who still bears the marks of the cross. Not erased, but redeemed.
We come today with alleluias on our lips, but questions in our hearts. We come with joy and with scars. We come from a world that still knows violence and loss, but also from a God who has refused to let death have the last word.
Christ is risen.
The tomb is empty.
The garden of the whole world is waking.
And we are invited to grow into this new life.
Service Outline
GATHERING
Call to Worship
This opening song is an adaptation of the most ancient Easter chant Christendom knows. Beneath the spoken words, the musicians play the Gm (Em with Capo III) chord quietly, keeping time.
During this section, attend to these gestures as indicated:
- Light the Christ candle
- Lift and place the Scriptures
- Pour water into the font
“O Sons and Daughters of the King” early 16th C., tr. Neale
This is the good news—
the cross is empty.
The grave is empty!
[The musicians continue, bouncing to Dm7 (Bm7 with Capo III) to cue the congregation]
[Easter Opening 1 Music to come]
This is the good news—
the light shines in the darkness
and the darkness can never put it out.
[Light the Christ candle]
[Easter Opening 2 Music to come]
This is the good news—
the Word is near you.
It is in your mouth and in your heart
[Lift and place the Scriptures]
[Easter Opening 2 Music to come]
This is the good news—
once we were no people,
now we are God’s people
[Pour water into the font]
[Easter Opening 2 Music to come]
Christ is Risen!
Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia.
Opening Songs of Praise
“Glory to God Who Does Wondrous Things” (st. 1–2) Haugen
[Or one or more other Easter songs that celebrate Christ’s resurrection.]
Welcome & Season Framing
[Brief word naming this week’s theme, and the Grounded and Growing theme (see introduction).]
Prayer of Confession
[In some traditions is it customary to omit the penitential sequence during the season of Easter. If you choose to do so, skip ahead to the Prayer for Illumination. If not, let this season’s confession land a bit lighter on the spirit.]
Risen Christ,
we come to you with alleluias on our lips
but doubts in our hearts.
We want resurrection without the waiting,
new life without the letting go,
and hope without the cost of love.
We confess that we cling to what is familiar
even when you are doing something new.
We confess that we trust what we can see
more than what you have promised.
Forgive us, O God.
Turn us again toward life.
Teach us to walk in the way of your risen Son.
Amen.
Silence is kept
Assurance of Pardon
Hear the good news:
The tomb is empty.
Death has been defeated.
The powers of this world have not won.
In Jesus Christ, God has broken the hold of sin and death.
In Jesus Christ, a new creation has begun.
In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven and made new.
Christ is risen.
Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia.
Response/Gloria:
“We Are Not Overcome”(st. 3 + refrain) Wardell, Heiskell, Radcliffe
OR
“Oh, Qué Bueno Es Jesús/Oh, How Good is Christ the Lord” Puerto Rican
WORD
Prayer for Illumination
O Christ,
after your resurrection you appeared to your disciples;
you breathed on them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.
Breathe on us that we might receive your spirit
to recognize you in the reading of your Word.
Amen.
Scripture Reading
- Acts 10:34–43 (alternate: Isaiah 25:6–9)—God’s promise fulfilled in the risen Jesus, whom God made both Lord and Savior. (Typically in the Easter season a reading from Acts replaces the OT reading, but either of these readings are fitting).
- Psalm 30—A song of thanksgiving for deliverance—God turns mourning into joy and restores life from the brink of death.
- John 20:1–18 (alternate: Mark 16:1–8)—Mary Magdalene encounters the risen Jesus at the empty tomb.
- 1 Corinthians 15:1–11 (alternate: Acts 10:34–43)—Christ’s resurrection: cornerstone of faith and hope, witnessed and shared.
Sermon
“Raised to New Life”
[See notes from introduction.]
Song of Response
“Te ensalzaré, Señor” Bell [sung refrain with a reading of Psalm 30]
OR
Choral arrangement of “Te ensalzaré, Señor” Bell [with sung verses and
congregational refrain.]
OR
Download congregational version with stanza and refrain and copyright permission
Prayers of the People
Begin by naming the day and its place in the season.
• Locate the congregation in the story of God.
• Name the theme of the service (resurrection, new life, hope, etc.).
• Invite the community into prayer with confidence in God’s mercy.
Example framing cues:
• “Trusting in the God who brings life out of death…”
• “Rooted in Christ’s resurrection hope…”
• “With hearts open to the Spirit who is making all things new…”
For the Church
Pray for:
• The global church and its witness
• Pastors, teachers, and leaders
• Communities of faith in places of fear, violence, or persecution
Attend to:
• Faithfulness
• Courage
• Unity
• Truth-telling
For the World
Pray for:
• Nations and leaders
• Places of war, displacement, and injustice
• The poor, the hungry, the hunted, and the forgotten
Name:
• Abuse of power
• Environmental degradation
• Systems that crush the vulnerable
Ask for:
• Justice
• Peace
• Wisdom
• Repair
For the Earth
Pray for:
• Creation’s healing
• Land, water, air, and creatures
• Those who work the soil and steward resources
Use grounded language:
• Soil, seed, root, harvest, waters, wilderness
For the Local Community
Pray for:
• The city, campus, or neighborhood
• Schools, hospitals, shelters, and caregivers
• Those affected by violence, addiction, or despair
For Those in Need
Pray for:
• The sick and grieving
• The anxious and exhausted
• The lonely and forgotten
• Those carrying hidden burdens
Allow silence for names.
Closing Prayer
Gather the prayers:
• Return to the day’s theme
• Affirm trust in God’s mercy
• Offer hope rooted in Christ
End with a doxological or resurrection-shaped confession of faith.
TABLE
Lord’s Supper
[Adapt “Grounded and Growing—A Communion Liturgy for Lent”]
SENDING
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Risen God,
we thank you for the gift of this day
and for the good news that has met us here:
that the tomb is empty,
that love is stronger than death,
and that your life is already at work in the world.
You have turned our mourning into dancing,
our fear into hope,
and our waiting into praise.
You have planted resurrection in the soil of our lives
and called us into the joy of your new creation.
Send us out now as a people who live by your promise,
who trust your power to make all things new,
and who follow Christ in the way of life.
Ground us in your grace.
Grow us in your love.
Lead us on your way.
Amen.
Closing song
“Now the Green Blade Rises” Crum
“Glory to God Who Does Wondrous Things” (st. 4) Haugen
Closing Prayer
[Attend to the three gestures named in the introduction to this service.]
This is the good news—
The grave is empty
Alleluia!
The light shines in the darkness
Alleluia!
The Word is near you
Alleluia!
We are God’s people!
Alleluia!
Benediction
May the God of peace,
who raised to life the great shepherd of the sheep
make us ready to do his will in every good thing,
through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever.
Alleluia! Amen.
Bless the Lord.
The Lord’s name be praised.
Go in peace…
A sign of peace may be exchanged.
