Celebrating Eastertide from Home: 7th Thursday of Easter
In these worship resources,
we continue our journey in Eastertide.
Getting started
Read a reflection on Eastertide and ideas for celebrating this season from home
Opening to the Word
You show me the path of life.
In your presence there is fullness of joy.Notas mihi fecisti vias vitae;
adimplebis me laetitia cum vultu tuo.
Psalm 15 (16):11
The Liturgy of the Word
Click on one of these references to read today’s Bible readings:
Short Reflection
Division and unity
Paul uses the divisions in his accusers to set one against the other (a true politician!).
Coming from a background as a Pharisee, he is able to set them against the Saducees, a distinct religious group in Judaism, with their own traditions and practices.
Conversely, Jesus prays for the unity of his disciples, that the world may believe.
Just as the Father and he are one, so may the Church be one.
Of course, as we know, the Church experienced divisions from the very beginning, and we’ve heard about some of these during this Eastertide season.
And these divisions continue today (although there have been huge strides forward in terms of trust and respect).
Yet Jesus’ prayer is still valid:
I ask not only on behalf of these,
but also on behalf of those
who will believe in me through their word,
that they may all be one.As you, Father, are in me and I am in you,
may they also be in us,
so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
The scandal of Christian division is mirrored in the scandal of a divided world, where those who have are pitted against those who have not;
where the elite swagger about, thinking they can do what they want, with no repercussions;
where half of our country is owned by a tiny number of people
(and this probably relates to many countries in the world);
Mary, the mother of Jesus, had this to say:
God’s mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
Luke 1:50-53
In a world with such inequality, fear and division, we may be tempted to despair;
and yet we too are called to work for the Reign of God,
so that,
little by little,
step by step,
these prophetic words may be fulfilled
– and God’s kingdom come.
Prayer
At this time, continue to pray for our politicians and leaders,
that they may learn wisdom and integrity.
Pray for those who nurse and care for patients with COVID-19
for everyone working to protect the most vulnerable in society from this disease
for those who are most at risk from the pandemic, especially those in enclosed environments
Pray for essential workers.
Pray for us all.
Music for reflection *
Paul Hindemith: Organ Sonata II, ‘Ruhig bewegt’
An Eastertide hymn
1 Blest be the everlasting God,
the Father of our Lord!
Be God’s abounding mercy praised,
and majesty adored!
2 When from the dead he raised his Son,
and called him to the sky,
God gave our souls a lively hope
that they should never die.
3 There’s an inheritance divine
reserved against that day;
’tis uncorrupted, undefiled,
and cannot fade away
4 Saints by the power of God are kept,
till that salvation come;
we walk by faith as strangers here,
till Christ shall call us home.
Isaac Watts, alt.
Alternative Eastertide Hymn (especially for the evening)
1 Stay with us Lord, for day is almost over;
Come to us in peace and greet us with your word.
You we have known, your love has sought and found us:
Speak to us now, our brother and our Lord.
2 Stay with us Lord, your word like fire within us
Sheds its searching light on all our despair:
We had forgotten you, the risen Master,
Taking our way, you talked with us there.
3 Stay with us Lord, and ever go before us,
Soon will your future dawn on us like day;
Stretch out your hand to hold and lead us always,
Gentle and strong one, Lord of our way.
Words: Alan Griffiths
© 1995 Alan Griffiths
from ‘Hymns for Prayer & Praise‘
The Lord’s Prayer
You can say this in any language you choose.
Here it is, in English, Latin and French.
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your Kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those
who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom,
the power and the glory are yours.
Now and for ever. Amen.
Pater noster, qui es in cælis;
sanctificatur nomen tuum:
adveniat regnum tuum;
fiat voluntas tua,
sicut in cælo, et in terra.
Panem nostrum cotidianum da nobis hodie:
et dimitte nobis debita nostra,
sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris:
et ne nos inducas in tentationem:
sed libera nos a malo.
Quia tuum est regnum,
et potestas, et gloria, in saecula.
Amen.
Notre Père qui es aux cieux,
que ton nom soit sanctifié.
Que ton règne vienne.
Que ta volonté soit faite sur la terre comme au ciel.
Donne-nous aujourd’hui notre pain de ce jour.
Pardonne-nous nos offences
comme nous pardonnons aussi
à ceux qui nous ont offensés.
Et ne nous soumets pas à la tentation,
mais délivre-nous du mal.
Car c’est à toi qu’appartiennent le règne,
la puissance et la gloire
pour les siècles des siècles. Amen.
Concluding prayer
O God, the King of glory,
you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ
with great triumph to your kingdom in heaven:
do not leave us comfortless,
but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen us,
and exalt us to that place
where our Saviour Christ has gone before;
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
Alleluia! Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia.
* You can find more organ music from Holy Trinity Church, Stirling
on Alistair Warwick‘s website and on SoundCloud
In these strange times, we are called to trust
Other resources
Acknowledgements
The Bible texts of the Old Testament, Epistle and Gospel lessons are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993, 1995 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Collects are from the Scottish Episcopal Church, 1982.
The hymn ‘Stay with us Lord’ by Alan Griffiths, is taken from ‘Hymns for Prayer & Praise‘.
Images, unless otherwise stated, are from lockdown, by Alistair Warwick.
Music engraved by The Art of Music.
Purchases made by clicking links on this website will cost you no more than buying directly from the supplier; we may receive a small commission, which helps with the costs of maintaining and running this website.
Enabling Music (part of The Art of Music) is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.
