33B - Easter 3B — 35B - Easter 5B
See also my posts from 2012, 2015, 2018, 2021, 2024
CALL TO WORSHIP (Psalm 23)
The Lord God is my shepherd, I shall not want.
You spread a table before me in the presence of those who trouble me.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely your goodness and lovingkindness shall pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord God forever.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE (from Psalm 23)
Divine mystery we name God, you care for me;
I need nothing more.
Hear the cry of those who are hungry;
hungry for justice, and dignity, hungry for freedom, and love.
You lead me into a haven of peace and rest.
Hear the cry of those who are alone;
those who grieve a relationship broken by death or human failing,
those who live in the isolation of a hospital room, a prison cell,
a frail body, a confused mind.
You breath new life into me and lead me in new ways.
Holy One whose breath is life itself,
we pray for a just and caring use of your creation;
a fair sharing of its abundance, an ethical searching of its mysteries.
You are with me, and comfort me,
even when the darkness of the world looms large.
We pray for those who seek the truth;
those who cannot speak, and those who cannot be heard,
that the light of your Word
may shine in the darkness which overshadows their lives
In the face of those who trouble me
you provide for me, and pour out your blessings.
Hear the cry of those trampled by racial or religious intolerance,
disoriented by homelessness, defeated by unemployment;
Holy, just and compassionate,
Source of life,
Word of life,
Breath of life,
ever present,
with the promise to sustain me all my life,
enlarge our vision of life, make us bold in our hope.
Let our cry come to you;
…and with the saints in every age we pray,
Our Father in heaven…
PSALM 23
LORD God, divine shepherd;
in the days ahead, just as it has been all my life,
I shall not want for anything.
You will rest me in rich pasture
and lead me beside calm waters.
You will bring my inner being back where it belongs,
and lead me along the right paths,
for the sake of your name.
Even when things seem at their darkest,
sensing your presence, I fear nothing;
you are sure of the way ahead, and you protect me.
Indeed, in spite of the adversity surrounding me
you continue to provide abundantly for my well-being;
anointing me with your hospitality
and pouring out blessing upon blessing.
Surely good and lovingkindness will pursue me all my days,
I will return, and you, O LORD,
shall be my dwelling-place for days without end.
PSALM 23 (yet another translation from Jeff)
LORD God, divine shepherd;
I shall not want for anything.
You will rest me in rich pasture
and lead me beside calm waters.
You will bring back my life where it belongs,
and lead me along the right paths,
for the sake of your name.
Even when things seem at their darkest,
sensing your presence, I will fear nothing;
you are sure of the way ahead,
and you will protect me.
In spite of the adversity surrounding me
you provide everything for my well-being;
anointing me with your hospitality
and pouring out blessing upon blessing.
Surely good and lovingkindness will pursue me all my days,
I will return, and you, O LORD,
shall be my dwelling-place for days without end.
A CREATIVE MOMENT – Psalm 23
During the reading/singing of Psalm 23 project images (e.g. 35mm transparencies, Overhead Projection Transparencies, digital data projection) which resonate with the word images of the psalm.
Also, click here for some ideas for worship in Lent and Easter gleaned from the pages of “On the Move” (now out of print) originally published by the Joint Board of Christian Education, Melbourne, Australia.
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
(A prayer to gather the spoken and silent concerns/joys/thanks expressed by the congregation and lead into a more structured Intercession with connection to the lections for the day. Sometimes this prayer will borrow lightly from other sources e.g. Uniting in Worship 2 or publications of the Iona Community.)
Holy and compassionate God,
in you is hope:
hope which has endured throughout every age.
In that hope we remember now
those we have named on our lips
and in the silence of our hearts…
By the light of your Word
and the warmth of your Spirit
help us bring consolation to those know to us,
return to our memory those whom we have forgotten
and be present to those who have no-one;
we pray in the name of the good and gracious shepherd.
(The Prayers of the People continue)
Looking for contemporary music and song resources?
Try David MacGregor’s Together to Celebrate
Or metrical psalms? Try Dale A. Schoening’s Sing the Psalms
| HYMN SUGGESTIONS FOR EASTER 4 – YEAR B |
|
| A new commandment I give unto you | TIS 699 |
| Behold the amazing gift of love | TIS 115 |
| Do not be afraid, I am with you | TIS 16 |
| God is our song, and every singer blest | TIS 646 |
| Jesus, lover of my soul | TIS 211 |
| Join all the glorious names of wisdom,love | TIS 205 |
| O for a heart to praise my God | TIS 568 |
| O for a thousand tongues to sing | TIS 210 |
| Acts 4: 5-12 |
|
| Christ is made the sure foundation | TIS 432 |
| Christ is our cornerstone | TIS 433 |
| I know that my redeemer lives | TIS 376 |
| The church’s one foundation | TIS 457 |
| Psalm 23 |
|
| Author of life divine | TIS 506 |
| Farewell, we come to send you on the way | |
| I need you, Lord, for I have seen | TIS 625 |
| I set the Lord before my eyes | TIS 673 |
| In all my ways, in every task | TIS 553 |
| In heavenly love abiding | TIS 588 |
| Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King.. | TIS 111 |
| The Lord is my shepherd and I want to follow | TIS 659 |
| The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing | TIS 11 |
| The Lord’s my shepherd, I’ll not want | TIS 10 |
| The king of love my shepherd is | TIS 145 |
| 1 John 3:16-24 |
|
| All the sleepy should have a place to sleep | TIS 697 |
| Author of faith, eternal word | TIS 565 |
| God of freedom, God of justice | TIS 657 |
| Help us, O Lord, to learn | TIS 428 |
| I come with joy to meet my Lord | TIS 533 |
| Lord Christ, we praise your sacrifice | TIS 251 |
| Lord, keep us steadfast in your word | TIS 436 |
| Nature with open volume stands | TIS 343 |
| Seek, O seek the Lord, while he is near | TIS 464 |
| John 10: 11-16 |
|
| Dear Shepherd of your people, hear | TIS 444 |
| Holy Spirit, go before us | TIS 420 |
| I bind unto myself today | TIS 478 |
| Jesus the Lord said, ‘I am the bread’ | TIS 239 |
| The King of Glory comes | TIS 279 |
| The king of love my shepherd is | TIS 145 |
| There’s a wideness in God’s mercy | TIS 136 |
| You satisfy the hungry heart | TIS 539 |