Introit and Prelude                

Praise to the Living God

Words by Curtis Beach; Music by George J. Elvey

Arranged by Dennis Allen
Sanctuary Choir and Orchestra

Words: Curtis Beach © 1966 the Estate of Curtis Beach
Music: George J. Elvey, 1868
This arrangement by Dennis Allen 
© 1995 Singspiration Music/Benson Music Group, Inc.

**Processional Hymn:  

Praise to the Living God

Praise to the living God, the God of love and light,
Whose word brought for the myriad suns and set the worlds in flight;
Whose infinite design, which we but dimly see,
Pervades all nature, making all a cosmic unity.

Praise to the living God, from whom all things derive,
Whose Spirit formed upon this sphere the first faint seeds of life;
Who caused them to evolve, unwitting, toward God’s goal,
Till humankind stood on the earth, as living, thinking souls.

Praise to the living God, who knows our joy and pain,
Who shares with us our common life, the sacred and profane.
God toils where’er we toil, in home and mart and mill;
And deep within the human heart God leads us forward still.

Praise to the living God, around, within, above,
Beyond the grasp of human mind, but whom we know as love,
In these tumultuous days so full of hope and strife,
May we bear witness to the Way, O source and goal of life.

 
Words: Curtis Beach © 1966 the Estate of Curtis Beach
Music: George J. Elvey, 1868

Welcome and Life of the Church         

**Sharing of the Peace

Epistle Lesson:

Colossians 3:12-14                                                                                       

Our Epistle Lesson is from the Third Chapter of Paul and Timothy’s Letter to the Colossians. Hear these words



As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as God has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

May God Bless the hearing of these ancient words. Amen.

Gospel Acclamation                  

Gospel Alleluia  

Choir:          Alleluia, alleluia. Alleluia, alleluia.

Choir:

Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed;
Let us keep the feast with joy in the Lord.

**Gospel Lesson:

John 20:19-23    

One: God be with you.

All:    And also with you.

One: A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

All:    Glory to you, O God.

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Temple authorities, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After saying this, the Savior showed them the marks of the crucifixion. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the heavenly Sovereign has sent me, so I send you.” And Jesus breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

One: This is the Gospel of Hope.

All:    Praise to you, Creator, Christ and Holy Spirit.


**Gospel Response

Music by James Chepponis (Gospel Processional G-7202)
©2010 GIA Publications, Inc

Sermon                                               

The Freedom of Forgiveness

Offering Call   

Offertory                                                       

Peace I Give to You

Words: John 14:27; 16:33; Music by Craig Courtney

Sanctuary Choir
Katrina Glaze, violin; David Moldenhauer, organ

Peace I leave you. My peace I give you.
Not as the world gives, I give to you. Peace I give to you.

Let not your heart be troubled and fear not,
In this world you shall have tribulations.
Take heart! I have overcome the world.

Words: John 14:27; 16:33
Music by Craig Courtney
© 2002 Beckenhorst Press, Inc.

Communion       

Words of Institution      

Prayer of Consecration   

Let us pray.

Pour out your Spirit on this bread and cup, gifts of your creation. Reveal yourself to us in the breaking of the bread. Raise us up as the body of Christ for the world and breathe new life in us. Through Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit in your holy Church, all honor and glory are yours, almighty God, now and forever. Amen.

Invitation 

Music during Communion

Hymn of Promise

In the bulb there is a flower, in the seed, an apple tree;
in cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free!
In the cold and snow of winter there’s a Spring that waits to be,
unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.
 

In our end is our beginning; in our time, infinity;
in our doubt there is believing; in our life, eternity.
In our death, a resurrection; at the last, a victory,
unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see. 

Words and Music: Natalie Sleeth
© 1986 Hope Publishing Company

Breathe

This is the air I breathe, this is the air I breathe,

Your holy presence living in me.

This is my daily bread, this is my daily bread,

Your very word spoken to me.

And I, I’m desperate for you. And I, I’m lost without you.

Words and Music: Marie Barnett
© 1995 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing

Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
look full in his wonderful face,
and the things of earth will grow strangely dim
in the light of his glory and grace.

Words and Music: Helen Howarth Lemmel, 1922
© 1986 Hope Publishing Company

Shout to the Lord

My Jesus, my Savior, Lord, there is none like you;

All of my days I want to praise the wonders of your mighty love.

My Comfort, my Shelter, Tower of refuge and strength,

Let ev’ry breath, all that I am, never cease to worship you.

**Shout to the Lord, all the earth, let us sing, 
power and majesty, praises we bring.

Mountains bow down and the seas will roar at the sound of your name.

I sing for joy at the work of your hands, forever I’ll love you, forever I’ll stand;

Nothing compares to the promise I have in you!

Words and Music: Darlene Zschech
© 1993 Darlene Zschech/Hillsong Publishing/Integrity’s Hosanna! Music

**Prayer of Thanksgiving          

**Recessional Hymn:                                                                        

Christ Is Alive! Let Christians Sing

Christ is alive! Let Christians sing. 
The cross hangs empty to the sky.
Let streets and homes with praises ring. 
Love, drowned in death, shall never die!

Christ is alive! No longer bound 
to distant years in Palestine,
but saving, healing, here and now,
and touching ev’ry place and time.

Christ is alive and comes to bring 
good news to this and every age,
‘til earth and sky and ocean ring
with joy, with justice, love and praise.

Words: Brian A. Wren © 1975 Hope Publishing Company 
Music: Charles Burney

OneLicense.net License #A-705445 / CCLI License #123333

**Benediction   

Postlude for Dismissal

The flowers on the chancel are given by Tom Whitley in honor of all the volunteers who serve this church in each of the various ministries that support this church.