May 2011 Archives

THE FIRST LESSON John 14:15-21

THE GOSPEL LESSON Acts 17:22-31

SERMON "Being and Abiding"

Worship Notes

Welcome to worship at Westminster on this Sixth Sunday of Easter in which we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The liturgical season of Eastertide began on Easter Sunday (April 24) and concludes with our observance of Ascension Sunday (June 5) before the season of Pentecost begins on June 12. The liturgical color for Eastertide is white.

Throughout Eastertide, we reflect in worship on how we encounter and recognize the risen Christ in our midst. In today's scripture, we reflect on our encounter with God who lives in us, between us, and among us always through the gift of the "Spirit of Truth." The music through which we worship today reflects on this ever-present nature of the Divine that lives in us every day.

THE FIRST LESSON 1 Peter 2:2-10

THE GOSPEL LESSON John 14:1-14

SERMON "Knowing the Way"

Worship Notes

Welcome to worship at Westminster on this Fifth Sunday of Easter in which we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The liturgical season of Eastertide began on Easter Sunday (April 24) and concludes with our observance of Ascension Sunday (June 5) before the season of Pentecost begins on June 12. The liturgical color for Eastertide is white.

Throughout Eastertide, we reflect in worship on how we encounter and recognize the risen Christ in our midst. In today's scripture, we reflect on our encounter with Christ as "the way, the truth, and the life." The music through which we worship today includes hymns and service music that express our recognition of Jesus Christ as the "way" to God.

THE EARLY CHURCH LESSON Acts 2:42-47

THE GOSPEL LESSON John 10:1-10

SERMON "Discerning the Shepherd's Voice"

Worship Notes

Welcome to worship at Westminster on this Fourth Sunday of Easter in which we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The liturgical season of Eastertide began on Easter Sunday (April 24) and concludes with our observance of Ascension Sunday (June 5) before the season of Pentecost begins on June 12. The liturgical color for Eastertide is white.

Throughout Eastertide, we reflect in worship on how we encounter and recognize the risen Christ in our midst. The Fourth Sunday of Easter is also called "Good Shepherd Sunday," because the lectionary texts for this particular Sunday always include the 23rd Psalm and other scriptures in which include the image of the shepherd. Many of the hymns and service music through which we worship this morning also lift up the metaphor of a shepherd the sheep. The Chancel Choir will sing one such setting by American composer Virgil Thomson (1896-1989) as a response to the gospel lesson. Thomson is credited with developing a particular style of choral music that later was termed the "American Sound." In addition to choral compositions, Thomson had a noteworthy career as composer for both film and theater. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 1949 for one of his film scores. Our service concludes today with the hymn, "Lead On, O King Eternal," through which we pray that God, our shepherd, will continue to lead us on our journey of faith.

THE FIRST LESSON Acts 2:14a, 36-41

THE GOSPEL LESSON Luke 24:13-35

SERMON Open My Eyes, Lord!

Worship Notes

Welcome to worship at Westminster on this Third Sunday of Easter in which we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The liturgical season of Eastertide began on Easter Sunday (April 24) and concludes with our observance of Ascension Sunday (June 5) before the season of Pentecost begins on June 12. The liturgical color for Eastertide is white.

Throughout Eastertide, we reflect in worship on how we encounter and recognize the risen Christ in our midst. In worship today, we read the account of the walk the disciples took with an unrecognized Jesus on the road to Emmaus. It was only in the breaking of bread that they came to identify Christ as the stranger with whom they had journeyed. It was before recognizing Jesus that the disciples asked the stranger to: "stay with us." This phrase becomes a central theme in our worship today. Three of the hymns and service music pieces through which we worship this morning are settings of this text. The Chancel Choir will sing one setting by Norwegian composer Egil Hovland (b. 1924) as a response to the gospel lesson, the congregation will sing a contemporary hymn setting of the text in response to God's word proclaimed, and the Choir will sing a third setting of the text from the Taize Ecumenical Community in response to our corporate Prayers of the People.

This is the lesson and sermon from Easter Sunday, May 1, 2011

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