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SERVICE OF LIGHT
Greeting/Invocation
We light the EASTER CANDLE and say or sing:
Christ our Light!
~Thanks be to God!
Christ is risen, alleluia!
~He is risen indeed, alleluia!
HYMN FOR AN EASTER EVENING
Daylight fades in days when deathless Light has robbed earth’s night of fear:
On the edge of all our twilights Easter’s angel shall appear;
When hearts broken by believing count their faith and hope as dead,
Christ will greet them in each other and in breaking of the bread.
Wondrous myst’ry of love’s giving! Our forgiving Abba’s Son,
Crushed in sorrow, raised to glory death had conquered; life has won!
Once in silence he submitted, Now earth sings to him, our Light!
Fear will ever flee defeated When love makes our hearts so bright.
O Love Jesus, risen Savior, Hear our joyful hymn of praise;
grant a season of salvation, Peace, and joy these Easter days.
To our Abba and the Spirit Equal praises ever be;
Born again, we sing Your goodness, Now and through eternity.
Text: Based in Luke 24:28-35 by Peter Scagnelli (c) 1973, alt. ; Tune: DOMHNACH TRIONOIDE, 87.87.D
SERVICE OF THE WORD
Evening Psalmody
Antiphon
Tell it among the nations:
“Our Love has reigned from the Tree, Alleluia!”
Psalm 95/96
Sing a new song to Adonai!
Sing it and bless God’s Name!
Sing it everyone, and everywhere!
Proclaim God’s help every day,
Tell every nation about the triumph!
God’s glory and wonders among the peoples.
A God so great deserves all praise,
and the dread of all other gods,
far too many value their worthless idols
but it was Adonai who made the heavens;
to God belong majesty and power
and splendorous beauty in the temple.
Proclaim Adonai, O families of nations,
Praise the glory of God’s power
Praise the glory of the Holy Name.
Bring gifts to offer in the temple,
worship with reverence and awe,
O Earth, join us in praise.
Tell it among the nations:
“Adonai reigns with justice!
As the firmness of Earth is not swayed,
nothing will sway the justice of God.
Let heaven and Earth be glad,
the sea and its creatures render praise;
the fields and their animals exult,
the trees and their birds sing for joy,
at the presence of Adonai who comes–
who comes to reign on Earth.
With justice God will set Earth aright;
with truth restore the world to right order!
Glory to the ONE and to the WORD
and to the BREATH of Love.
As always before
so now and evermore. Amen.
Tell it among the nations:
“Our Love has reigned from the Tree, Alleluia!”
READING AcTS 5:34, 38-39
A Pharisee in the Sanhedrin named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, respected by all the people, …said to the Sanhedrin, “…Have nothing to do with these men, and let them go.
For if this endeavor or this activity is of human origin, it will destroy itself.
But if it comes from God, you will not be able to destroy them;
you may even find yourselves fighting against God.
Responsory
R. We are a chosen race, a royal priesthood,*a holy nation, a people set apart; alleluia, alleluia! V. Once we were not a people, but now we are God’s people *a holy nation, a people set apart; alleluia, alleluia! V. Glory to the Abba and the Word and the Holy Breath of Love.
Gospel Canticle
Antiphon
“Gather the fragments left over,
so that nothing will be wasted,” alleluia, alleluia!
Canticle of Mary
My heart + is radiant with the Lord,
My whole being delights in God my Savior.
All people now will call me blessed
For God has loved this humble handmaid.
The Almighty has shown me great favor
Holy is the NAME,
Whose mercy embraces the faithful,
From one generation to the next.
The mighty arm of God,
Scatters the proud in their own conceit,
Pulls tyrants from their thrones
While lifting up the lowly:
Fills the famished with bounty,
And reveals the emptiness of riches.
Rescues lowly Israel,
Sharing such loving kindness,
As promised to our ancestors
To Abraham and Sarah, and their descendants forever.
Glory to the One and to the Word
And to the Breath of Love
As always before
So now and evermore. Amen
“Gather the fragments left over,
so that nothing will be wasted,” alleluia, alleluia!
SERVICE OF PRAYER
Litany of Intercession
O Risen Love, you are the Firstborn of the dead; ~may your resurrection destroy the power of death and change tears of agony into cries of joy.
O Risen Love, you are the new Springtime in our life; ~ may your resurrection cover the fields with flowers and restore health to Earth’s air, water and soils.
O Risen Love, you are the new Passover Lamb slain to set us free and shared in the Paschal feast; ~ may your resurrection set our tables to share the bread of sincerity and truth.
O Risen Love, you are the new Exodus from the land of slavery to selfishness and sin;
~ may your resurrection lead us to a land flowing with the milk of justice and the honey of peace.
O Risen Love, you are the new Moses revealing to us the heart of Torah;
~ may your resurrection write your law of love on our hearts.
O Risen Love, you are the New Covenant sealed with your blood and your final breath;
~ may your resurrection fill us with your Spirit and course through our veins.
O Risen Love, you are the Prophet of the messianic age;
~ may your resurrection usher in the new heavens and the new Earth.
Prayer of Jesus
Our Father…
Closing Prayer
We bless and thank you, O Gracious God, for all that you have done in raising Jesus from the dead. You have conquered the power of death and opened to us the way to the freedom, flourishing and fullness of life which your love offers to us and all of your creation. May the Risen Christ open our eyes and breathe into our hearts that we may recognize him in the wounds of the world, know him in the breaking and sharing of bread, and follow him in his risen life now and forever. Amen
Blessing
May the God of Life who brought Jesus through death to resurrection+ bless us with Peace and Joy, Alleluia! ~Amen, Alleluia!
Let us bless Adonai, Alleluia, Alleluia! ~Thanks be to God, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Those who wish may end evening prayer with the Marian Antiphon for the Easter Season.
O Queen of Heaven, be joyful, alleluia!
For He whom you rejoiced to bear for us, alleluia!
Has arisen, as he promised, alleluia!
Pray now for us to our God, alleluia!
Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, Alleluia!
For our Love is truly risen, Alleluia!
Let us pray.
Holy, Immortal and Mighty God, you have brought joy to the world by raising Jesus from the dead. By the prayers of Mary his Mother, and of all the myrrh-bearing women,
raise us up with Jesus and bring us to the fullness of life. We ask this through the same Jesus Christ, our Risen Love. Amen.