The Lord be with you.
And with you also.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give our thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
God came into our world, an infant small and fragile.
Human and Divine, this child, humbly born
into a poor carpenter’s family, became extraordinary.
Named Jesus, meaning salvation,
he lived what he taught:
love of God and neighbor,
justice for the poor and marginalized,
hope for the widow and prisoner,
mercy for the sinner.
He touched and healed wounds
of the body and heart.
He offered the vision of God’s Kingdom
to the lowly and the rich.
His stories reimagined human law
into God’s commandments.
He upended conventional wisdom,
creating havoc among the rulers and leaders.
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
Jesus was arrested, beaten,
given a robe and crown of thorns,
and nailed to a cross.
He died as he lived,
full of love, forgiveness, and mercy;
a humble man of God,
a maligned Savior.
What seemed like the end, however, was only the beginning.
Death could not extinguish Hope.
The stone of mockery and shame was rolled away
and Love was resurrected.
God would have the first and the last Word.
Sin lost its power and nothing,
No, nothing, could ever separate us from
the love of God through Jesus the Christ!
Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
And so, we come united as Christ’s people
to celebrate the gift of salvation given to us
through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
We remember who we are and whose we are
as we share the bread and juice of communion.
In this act we express our gratitude, our praise, and delight
for a Savior whose constant presence teaches
and guides us each day.
Hymn “I Come with Joy” RH617
Liturgy for This and That 