Sunday Worship + May 2, 2021

Sunday Worship + May 2, 2021

+ This Sunday’s image of how the risen Christ shares his life with us is the image of the vine. Christ the vine and we the branches are alive in each other, in the mystery of mutual abiding described in the gospel and the first letter of John. Baptism makes us a part of Christ’s living and life-giving self and makes us alive with Christ’s life. As the vine brings food to the branches, Christ feeds us at his table. We are sent out to bear fruit for the life of the world. +

Thanksgiving for Baptism

Alleluia! Christ is risen.
Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Refreshed by the resurrection life we share in Christ,
let us give thanks for the gift of baptism.

We thank you, risen Christ,
for these waters where you make us new,
leading us from death to life, from tears to joy.

We bless you, risen Christ, that your Spirit comes to us
in the grace-filled waters of rebirth,
like rains to our thirsting earth,
like streams that revive our souls,
like cups of cool water shared with strangers.

Breathe your peace on your church when we hide in fear.
Clothe us with your mercy and forgiveness.
Send us companions on our journey as we share your life.

Make us one, risen Christ.
Cleanse our hearts.
Shower us with life.
To you be given all praise,
with the Holy Spirit,
in the glory of God,
now and forever.
Amen.

GATHERING HYMN: Now the Green Blade Rises (ELW #379 + Verses 3 & 4 )

3 Forth he came at Easter, like the risen grain,
he that for three days in the grave had lain;
raised from the dead, my living Lord is seen;
love is come again like wheat arising green.

4 When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain,
your touch can call us back to life again,
fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been;
love is come again like wheat arising green.

Text: John MacLeod Campbell Crum, 1872-1958
Text from Oxford Book of Carols © Oxford University Press 1928. All rights reserved

GREETING

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the love of God, and the communion
of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.

HYMN OF PRAISE: Glorify Your Name (W&P #42 + Verse 1)

Father we love You.
We worship and adore You.
Glorify Your name in all thee earth.
Glorify Your name.
Glorify Your name.
Glorify Your name in all the earth.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

O God, you give us your Son as the vine apart from whom we cannot live. Nourish our life in his resurrection, that we may bear the fruit of love and know the fullness of your joy, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

READINGS

Acts 8:26-40

+ Led by the Spirit, Philip encounters an Ethiopian official who is returning to his African home after having been to Jerusalem to worship. Philip uses their encounter to proclaim the gospel to him. Upon coming to faith in Jesus, he is baptized by Philip. +

The first reading comes from Acts beginning at the 8^th chapter.

²⁶An angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) ²⁷So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship ²⁸and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. ²⁹Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” ³⁰So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” ³¹He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. ³²Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:
 “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter,
  and like a lamb silent before its shearer,
   so he does not open his mouth.
 ³³In his humiliation justice was denied him.
  Who can describe his generation?
   For his life is taken away from the earth.”
³⁴The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” ³⁵Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. ³⁶As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?” ³⁸He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. ³⁹When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. ⁴⁰But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

Word of God, Word of Life. Thanks be to God.

Psalm 22:25-31

+ All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord. (Ps. 22:27) +

Together we will read responsively from Psalm 22.

 ²⁵From you comes my praise in the great assembly;
  I will perform my vows in the sight of those who fear the Lord.
 ²⁶The poor shall eat and be satisfied,
  Let those who seek the Lord give praise! May your hearts live forever!
 ²⁷All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord;
  all the families of nations shall bow before God.
 ²⁸For dominion belongs to the Lord,
  who rules over the nations. 
 ²⁹Indeed, all who sleep in the earth shall bow down in worship;
  all who go down to the dust, though they be dead, shall kneel before the Lord.
 ³⁰Their descendants shall serve the Lord,
  whom they shall proclaim to generations to come.
 ³¹They shall proclaim God’s deliverance to a people yet unborn,
  saying to them, “The Lord has acted!” 

1 John 4:7-21

+ We love God and others because God first loved us. We cannot say we love God, whom we have not seen, while hating fellow Christians, whom we regularly see. Love toward God is to be matched by love toward others because the essence of God is love. +

The second reading comes from 1 John beginning at the 4^th chapter.

⁷Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. ¹⁰In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.
  ¹³By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. ¹⁵God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. ¹⁶So we have known and believe the love that God has for us.
  God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. ¹⁷Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. ¹⁸There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. ¹⁹We love because he first loved us. ²⁰Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. ²¹The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sisters also.

Word of God, Word of Life. Thanks be to God.

John 15:1-8

+ On the night of his arrest, Jesus taught his disciples about the relationship they would have with him. Those who abide in his word and love bear fruit, for apart from him, they can do nothing. +

The Holy Gospel according to John beginning at the 15^th chapter. Glory to you, O Lord.

[Jesus said:] ¹“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. ²He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. ³You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. ⁴Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. ⁵I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. ⁷If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.”

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

SERMON

HYMN OF THE DAY: We Know that Christ is Raised ( ELW #502 + Verses 1 & 4 )

1 We know that Christ is raised and dies no more.
Embraced by death, he broke its fearful hold,
and our despair he turned to blazing joy.
Hallelujah!

4 A new creation comes to life and grows
as Christ’s new body takes on flesh and blood.
The universe restored and whole will sing:
Hallelujah!

Text: John B. Geyer, b. 1932
Text © John B. Geyer

THE APOSTLES’ CREED

Let us confess our faith saying the words of the Apostles’ Creed.

I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ,
God’s only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
Amen.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

Alive in the risen Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, we bring our prayers before God who promises to hear us and answer in steadfast love.

+ A brief silence. +

God of all fruitfulness, you abide in your church and your church abides in you. Cleanse us by your word and give yourself to the whole church on earth so that it bears fruit and witnesses to your love. Receive our prayer, O God.
Your mercy is great.
You have created the heavens and the earth. As we wonder at the beauty of creation, may we seek vital connections among all that depends on the earth for life. Receive our prayer, O God.
Your mercy is great.
You rule the nations with justice and love. Give the leaders of the earth assurance of your abiding presence, that they lead not by fear but with love for those they are called to serve. Receive our prayer, O God.
Your mercy is great.
You have loved us so that we can love others. We pray for all in need of your love: those who are poor, lowly, outcast, weak, or fearful. Provide for the needs of all especially Bob Sarro, Fredrica Vidair, Briana, Joseph and Joan Galagher, the family of Coleen Gallagher Gerardi and the family of Sherry Seemadray. Receive our prayer, O God.
Your mercy is great.
You give comfort and healing of those who cry out to you. Surround everyone in need of healing with your tender presence. Come to our aid in this Coronavirus pandemic, heal those who are sick, support and protect their families from being infected, grant access to vaccines for all. Receive our prayer, O God.
Your mercy is great. 
You give fortitude to those who experience racism as part of their daily realities, who fear for their lives and that of those whom they love. May we do our part to learn about racism’s presence in our world, to accompany, and to advocate when members of your beloved community are not treated with the respect deserving of one created in your image. Receive our prayer, O God.
Your mercy is great. 
You gather us with all the saints by the power of your Spirit. With them, may our hearts live forever in your keeping. Receive our prayer, O God.
Your mercy is great.
In the hope of new life in Christ, we raise our prayers to you, trusting in your never-ending goodness and mercy; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

SHARING OF CHRIST’S PEACE

The peace of Christ be with you always!
And also with you!
Let us share Christ’s peace with one another.

OFFERING MESSAGE & PRAYER

Please consider continuing to mail in your offering or giving online!  We continue to have expenses that need to be covered during this time. We are most grateful for your generosity.

God of love,
you call us beloved children and welcome us to your table.
Receive our lives and the gifts we offer.
Abide with us and send us in service to a suffering world;
for the sake of your beloved Child, Jesus Christ.
Amen.

OFFERTORY HYMN: Give Thanks (W&P #41)

Give thanks with a grateful heart, 
give thanks to the Holy One,
give thanks because he’s given Jesus Christ, his Son.
Give thanks with a grateful heart,
give thanks to the Holy One,
give thanks because he’s given Jesus Christ, his Son.

And now let the weak say, “I am strong,” 
let the poor say, “I am rich,”
because of what the Lord has done for us.
And now let the weak say, “I am strong,”
let the poor say, “I am rich,”
because of what the Lord has done for us.
Give thanks!

Text: Henry Smith
© 1978 Integrity’s Hosanna! Music (ASCAP). All rights reserved. International © secured.

GREAT THANKSGIVING                                            

The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.                          
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.

PREFACE  

It is indeed right our duty and our joy that we should at all times and in all places offer thanks and praise to you, O Lord, holy Father, through Christ our Lord. In the wonder and mystery of the Word made flesh you have opened the eyes of faith to a new and radiant vision of our glory; that, beholding the God made visible, we may be drawn to love the God whom we can-not see. And so, with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

HOLY, HOLY, HOLY

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.

EUCHARISTIC PRAYER

Holy God, Creator of all and Source of life, at the birth of time your word brought light into the world. In the fullness of time, you sent your Word, born of Mary, to shine in our darkness and to make us your daughters and sons.

In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.

Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.

Remembering, therefore, his birth and life among us, his death and resurrection, we await his coming again when all things will be restored in him.

By your Spirit bless us and this bread and cup, that, held and nourished by you, we may live as your children, shining with the light of your Son.

Through him all glory and honor is yours, Almighty Father, with the Holy Spirit, in your holy Church, both now and forever.
Amen

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Lord, remember us in your kingdom and teach us to pray:

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;    
and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.     

For thine is the kingdom,
and the power,
and the glory,
forever and ever.
Amen.

TABLE BLESSING & COMMUNION PRAYER

The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in his grace.
Amen

Christ Jesus,
at this table we have feasted on your very life
and are strengthened for our journey.

Send us forth from this banquet
nourished in body and in spirit
to proclaim your good news
and serve others in your name.
Amen.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

IN PERSON WORSHIP

In person services will begin on May 2 at 10:00am. Reservations are not necessary, but masks are.

CONFIRMATION

May 2nd at 11:30am via Zoom. See email from Pastor Analyse for the week’s Zoom Link, class materials, and reminders about sermon notes!

SUNDAY SCHOOL

Virtual Sunday School will take place on April 18th via Zoom. Julia Klarman will send out more information closer to that date so look out for her email.

PRAYER LETTERS

Even while we are still worshiping online prayer letters are still available. If you are interested in receiving the weekly prayer list please contact Ruth.

COFFEE HOUR
11:00am via Zoom.  Contact Carol Robinson for additional information.  It’s an opportunity to stay in touch with fellow Members.

COUNCIL MEETING
May 11^th meeting via ZOOM @ 7:30 pm

WORSHIP BULLETINS

Worship bulletins are available on Tuesdays for the following Sunday and may be found outside the red doors at the entry door for the office.

CELL PHONE DONATIONS

Holy Trinity is in need of a few more spare smartphones for Worship live streaming. If you have a spare iPhone or Android phones that you would be willing to donate please contact the church office, Ruth, Pastor Analyse, or Carol R. to make arrangements to drop them off. We can wipe the memory from the phone for you and it will be used to record video and audio. Thank you to those who have already donated. We really appreciate it.

NEW PARAMENTS

We are in the process of buying some much needed paraments for the altar. We welcome any gifts to purchase them as they are quite expensive.

WOMEN’S GROUP

April 21th via ZOOM @ 7:00pm

COVID VACCINE

As of April 6th, 2021 all New York residents over the age of 16 are eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

To see if you qualify click here, find the location for your vaccination, and to make an appointment visit nyc.gov/vaccinefinder, turbovax.info, the NY State Vaccine website or you can call 1-877-VAX-4NYC (1-877-829-4692) NOTE: When you make an appointment you must fill out the form at https://forms.ny.gov/s3/vaccine.

Get real time updates for appointment openings straight to your phone by following TurboVax’s Twitter Account. ( Click the link, then the follow button and then click the notification bell). TurboVax tracks appointment availability for the 5 boroughs, Long Island, and Upstate.

If you need to find a COVID test, locations are updated by zip code weekly at nyc.gov/covidtest or by calling 1-212-COVID19 (1-212-268-4319).

Holy Trinity is happy to help you with this process. Please contact Pastor Analyse at pastoranalyse@holytrinitybellerose.org or 516-400-2438.

Other announcements are located in the downloadable bulletin at the top of this webpage.

BLESSING

May our glorious God grant you a spirit of wisdom
to know and to love the risen Lord Jesus.
The God of life,
Father, ☩ Son, and Holy Spirit,
bless you now and forever.
Amen.

SENDING HYMN: Shout to the Lord (ELW #821)

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, praise to the King.
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.

Text: Darlene Zschech, b. 1965
Text © 1993 Darlene Zschech/Hillsong Publishing, admin. in the USA & Canada by Integrity’s Hosanna! Music (ASCAP) c/o Integrity Media, Inc., 1000 Cody Road, Mobile, AL 36695.

DISMISSAL

What is our Mission?  Welcoming all to grow in faith; living Christ’s message of serving and loving neighbors near and far.
Alleluia! Christ is risen.
Christ is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Go in peace. Share the good news. Alleluia!
Thanks be to God. Alleluia!

Contact Us

holytrinitybellerose.org