Life and Laughter

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Service of Worship

Meditation from Organ Sonata No.3
Felix Mendelssohn

Opening Prayer
People of God, rejoice!
Celebrate before the Lord with gladness and great joy!
Sing praise to God, play music to his name,
lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds!
For he is the Lord—
rejoice in his presence!

Scripture Reading — Psalm 126 (NRSV)

1 When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,a
we were like those who dream.
2 Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
then it was said among the nations,
“The LORD has done great things for them.”
3 The LORD has done great things for us,
and we rejoiced.

4 Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the watercourses in the Negeb.
5 May those who sow in tears
reap with shouts of joy.
6 Those who go out weeping,
bearing the seed for sowing,
shall come home with shouts of joy,
carrying their sheaves.

Opening Hymn — #224 Good Christian Friends Rejoice

1. Good Christian friends rejoice
With heart and soul and voice
Give ye heed to what we say
Jesus Christ was born today
Ox and ass before him bow
And he is in the manger now
Christ is born today
Christ is born today

2. Good Christian friends rejoice
With heart and soul and voice
Now ye hear of endless bliss
Jesus Christ was born for this
He has opened heaven’s door
And we are blest forevermore
Christ was born for this
Christ was born for this

3. Good Christian friends rejoice
With heart and soul and voice
Now ye need not fear the grave
Jesus Christ was born to save
Calls you one and calls you all
To gain his everlasting hall
Christ was born to save
Christ was born to save

Good Christian Friends Rejoice (In Dulci Jubilo)
Gary Alan Smith | John Mason Neale
Words: Public Domain
© Music: 1989 The United Methodist Publishing House
CCLI License # 656051

Children’s Time with Ms Becky

Announcements, Joys and Concerns, and Pastoral Prayer

Pastoral Prayer
God of grace, God of love and laughter, we thank you that we are so wondrously created and that we are made for relationship with you and with one another. We thank you for laughter with friends and loved ones. We thank you for the laughter of children, and the song it creates in our hearts.

By your great unending love, you inspire in us a spirit of imagination and creativity. Help us to use that spirit to play more, to laugh more, and to create beauty in every way possible. Remind us to laugh out loud, for doing so will heal some of the wounds within us. Not all, but some.

God, we pray for those who cannot find their laughter today. For those who are grieving, or suffering illness of body, mind or spirit…for those who are lonely and in need of someone to share their time and friendship… for those who have not yet moved into the season and spirit of Easter and find themselves stuck in the gloom of Good Friday.

May these and the troubles of all your people be soothed, blessed, and comforted by your holy presence. May we each find the laughter within us that sets our spirits free, and in that freedom, may we take your love into every part of our lives. These and all the prayers of our hearts we offer now in the name of Jesus, who taught us to pray together 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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power, and glory forever. Amen.

Offering Our Gifts to the Lord
For those who are called and able, gifts and tithes can still be made through online giving, by mailing them in, and by dropping them off to the office through the secure mail slot to the left of the double door entry to the church hallway.

Offertory — Sam Chlanda

Doxology

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
praise him, all creatures here below;
praise him above, ye heavenly host;
praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow (Old 100th)
Louis Bourgeois | Thomas Ken
Public Domain

Offertory Prayer

God of laughter and smiles, we thank you for the joy of Easter morning through the resurrection of Christ our Lord. We thank you for life, love and laughter, especially in the midst of struggles and trials. We offer back to you this morning our hearts, our lives and our gifts. Bless the gifts that we give to you through your church so that through them your Kingdom can be present and powerful here and now to all. For all this we do in praise and thanksgiving, amen.

Sermon – Pastor Stacy Dickson
Life and Laughter

Closing Hymn — #327 Crown Him with Many Crowns

1. Crown Him with many crowns
The Lamb upon His throne
Hark how the heavenly anthem drowns
All music but its own
Awake my soul and sing
Of Him who died for thee
And hail Him as thy matchless King
Through all eternity

2. Crown Him the Lord of life
Who triumphed o’er the grave
And rose victorious in the strife
For those He came to save
His glories now we sing
Who died and rose on high
Who died eternal life to bring
And lives that death may die

3. Crown Him the Lord of peace
Whose power a sceptre sways
From pole to pole
That wars may cease
And all be prayer and praise
His reign shall know no end
And round His pierced feet
Fair flowers of paradise extend
Their fragrance ever sweet

4. Crown Him the Lord of love
Behold His hands and side
Rich wounds yet visible above
In beauty glorified
No angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight
But downward bends each burning eye
At mysteries so bright

Crown Him With Many Crowns (Diademata)
George Job Elvey | Godfrey Thring | Matthew Bridges
Public Domain

Benediction

May the God of surprises
bring smiles and joys to the everyday and ordinary.

May the God of love
be seen in all we do and say.

Go forth rejoicing,
for the good work has just begun!
Amen.

Postlude – Hani

Recessional
F.W. Asper

CCLI Streaming Licence: CSPL052773