The brightly-colored hard-boiled eggs gradually disappear, mixed into cobb salads or egg salads or eaten plain with a dash of salt & pepper. The chocolate bunnies and pastel candies disappear faster. Pastors and priests — who have been going full-steam since the start of Advent (yes, I said Advent) — now collapse into well-deserved vacations.

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But wait! There’s one detail that must be done before packing the car and getting out of town for a few days: the bulletin for the guest preacher on April 27th. For the liturgically exhausted pastor, today’s Monday Muse offers worship ideas and liturgies based on the Revised Common Lectionary readings for the Second Sunday of Easter.

CALL TO WORSHIP (on 1 Peter 1:3-9)

One: Blessed be the God and Parent of us all!
Many: Blessed be the Holy One who gives birth to life!
One: Blessed be the Resurrected Christ whose glory is our hope!
Many: Blessed be the God of power who meets us with mercy!
One: Rejoice in the Great Gift that is indestructible, imperishable and unceasing!
Many: Rejoice in faith, for the love of Christ is forever!
One: Laugh to know it: God’s salvation has the final word!
Many: Laugh for this Good News: Christ’s resurrection is our inheritance!
One: Come and worship in the joy of Eastertide!

EASTER AFFIRMATION (on Psalm 16)

One: Let us bless the LORD and affirm our faith.
Many: The One God is our God. God is our help and our hope, our joy and our meaning. God knows the bounds of our lives, every length and width and intersection, therefore we keep God ever before us. The LORD of Life is our source of wisdom by day and by night; our hearts rest in peace. Our spirits are singing! Our feet are sure! With the God of Resurrection, we walk confidently in the path of life. Here we find fullness of joy! With the Living God, there is life evermore!

SERMON IDEAS

“All of Us Are Witnesses” on Acts 2:14a, 22-32. Lead a conversation with the congregation, asking “What is your witness to God’s power and faithfulness? How have you experienced joy in your faith journeys?”

“Body and Breath: The Grossness of Resurrection” on John 20:19-31. Easter Sunday is an occasion of high triumph, soaring music, and a miracle beyond imagination. On the Sunday after Easter, the miracle gets up close & personal — Jesus breathes on the disciples and lets Thomas touch his scars. The resurrection is not only glorious & spiritual: it’s also beautifully sweaty and smelly and life-changing.

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