Our long journey through Lent has finally brought us to this place of joy and wonder, hope and life! Today we stand at the empty tomb and shout our Alleluias and sing our praises that God is victorious even over death!

Our celebration of Easter is all about new life! Springtime is a wonderful way the earth tells the story of new life and Easter. Flowers are beginning to sprout in our gardens, plants are turning green again. And all of this reminds us that Jesus is risen and lives with us today! Tune into Immanuel Kids Moment to hear about the Good News of Easter and make some Easter flowers to share this celebration with family and friends!

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

               Christ is risen indeed!

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

               Christ is risen indeed!

Alleluia! Christ is risen!

               Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!

How joyful it is, to celebrate the good news of God’s love!

Darkness cannot claim us!

Christ is risen!

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

The Lord be with you.

Let us pray. O God, you gave your only Son to suffer death on the cross for our redemption, and by his glorious resurrection you delivered us from the power of death. Make us die every day to sin, that we may live with him forever in the joy of the resurrection, through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

First Reading   Isaiah 25:6-9

⁶On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples

a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines,

of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.

⁷And he will destroy on this mountain

the shroud that is cast over all peoples,

the sheet that is spread over all nations;

⁸he will swallow up death forever.

Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,

and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,

for the Lord has spoken.

⁹It will be said on that day,

Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.

This is the Lord for whom we have waited;

let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.

Word of God. Word of life

¹Give thanks to the Lord, for the Lord is good;

God’s mercy endures forever.

²Let Israel now declare,

¹⁴The Lord is my strength and my song,

and has become my salvation.

¹⁵Shouts of rejoicing and salvation echo in the tents of the righteous:

¹⁶The right hand of the Lordis exalted!

The right hand of the Lord acts valiantly!”

¹⁷I shall not die, but live,

¹⁸The Lord indeed punished me sorely,

but did not hand me over to death.

¹⁹Open for me the gates of righteousness;

²⁰“This is the gate of the Lord;

here the righteous may enter.”

²¹I give thanks to you, for you have answered me

²²The stone that the builders rejected

has become the chief cornerstone.

²³By the Lord has this been done;

²⁴This is the day that the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it. 

Gospel   Mark 16:1-8

The Holy Gospel according to Mark.

¹When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint [Jesus’ body]. ²And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. ³They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” ⁴When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. ⁵As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. ⁶But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. ⁷But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” ⁸So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

 Each petition concludes

Hear us, O God,

The peace of the risen Christ be with you always!

God of love,

Blessed are you, O God of the universe.

Your mercy is everlasting

and your faithfulness endures from age to age.

Praise to you for creating the heavens and the earth.

Praise to you for saving the earth from the waters of the flood.

Praise to you for bringing the Israelites safely through the sea.

Praise to you for leading your people through the wilderness

to the land of milk and honey.

Praise to you for the words and deeds of Jesus, your anointed one.

Praise to you for the death and resurrection of Christ.

Praise to you for your Spirit poured out on all nations.

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.

With this bread and cup

we remember our Lord’s passover from death to life

as we proclaim the mystery of faith:

O God of resurrection and new life:

Pour out your Holy Spirit on us

and on these gifts of bread and wine.

Bless this feast.

Grace our table with your presence.

Reveal yourself to us in the breaking of the bread.

Raise us up as the body of Christ for the world.

Breathe new life into us.

Send us forth,

burning with justice, peace, and love.

With all your holy ones of all times and places,

with the earth and all its creatures,

with sun and moon and stars,

we praise you, O God,

blessed and holy Trinity,

now and forever.

The risen Christ invites us to this table.

Come, eat and be satisfied.

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

Let us pray.

Wellspring of joy,

through this meal you have put gladness in our hearts.

Satisfy the hunger still around us,

and send us as joyful witnesses,

that your love may bring joy to the hearts of all people,

through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Alleluia! Christ is risen.

Go in peace. Share the good news. Alleluia!

O God, receive this gift as you receive us: like a mother receives her child, with arms open wide. Nourish us anew in your tender care, and empower us in faithful service to tend to others with this same love, through Jesus Christ, our saving grace. Amen.

On April 11, Bishop Macholz and the synod staff will lead worship for congregations across the Upstate New York Synod. The service will be pre-recorded, and will be shared by email and on Immanuel’s website and Facebook page. What a wonderful opportunity to hear the bishop share God’s Word and celebrate the Easter season with us!

Log in to learn about food and the Bible as we gather together with folks from both Immanuel and Incarnate Word on Zoom Sunday, April 25 at 4:00 pm. In this fun event, Pastors Doug and Joanne will lead us as we cook together and hear how food was a part of many stories throughout the Bible. We’ll learn about 1st century kitchens and meal preparation. And we’ll put together a whole meal! We’ll make cheese, bake bread, put together a main dish and veggies, learn about 1st century wine and beer, and top it all off with some real honest-to-goodness Roman cheesecake from a 2nd century cookbook!

Pastor Joanne will share recipes ahead of time and you are invited to cook along in your own kitchen, or simply watch and try it out later.

You are then invited to make a donation to World Hunger in thanks of how God provides for us! You may send your gift to Immanuel and mark it for World Hunger. Come learn about food and Jesus’ ministry, and get a taste of some ancient recipes!

Meeting ID: 854 3963 4251

Passcode: 378941

Alleluia! Jesus Is Risen! Text © 1995 Augsburg Fortress, Music Text ©, 1969 Contemporary Worship I, admin. Augsburg Fortress. Reprinted by permission under OneLicense #A-714459.