Readings for Sunday – 4/14/24
COLLECT
O God, whose blessed Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of
bread: Open the eyes of our faith, that we may behold him in all his redeeming
work; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now
and for ever. Amen.
FIRST LESSON A Reading from: Acts 3:12-19
Peter addressed the people, “You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why
do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him
walk? The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God
of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and
rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him. But
you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given
to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To
this we are witnesses. And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this
man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has
given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you. “And now, friends, I
know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. In this way God
fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would
suffer. Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out.”
Reader: The Word of the Lord People: Thanks be to God
PSALM: Psalm 4
Cum invocarem
1 Answer me when I call, O God, defender of my cause; *
you set me free when I am hard-pressed; have mercy on me and
hear my prayer.
2 “You mortals, how long will you dishonor my glory; *
how long will you worship dumb idols and run after false gods?”
3 Know that the LORD does wonders for the faithful; *
when I call upon the LORD, he will hear me.
4 Tremble, then, and do not sin; *
speak to your heart in silence upon your bed.
5 Offer the appointed sacrifices *
and put your trust in the LORD.
6 Many are saying, “Oh, that we might see better times!” *
Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O LORD.
7 You have put gladness in my heart, *
more than when grain and wine and oil increase.
8 I lie down in peace; at once I fall asleep; *
for only you, LORD, make me dwell in safety.
THE EPISTLE A Reading from: 1 John 3:1-7
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of
God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it
did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has
not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will
be like him, for we will see him as he is. And all who have this hope in him
purify themselves, just as he is pure.
Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. You
know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No
one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him.
Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is
righteous, just as he is righteous.
Reader: The Word of the Lord People: Thanks be to God
GOSPEL HYMN: Lord of the Dance
- I danced in the morning, When the world was begun, And I danced in the
moon, And the stars and the sun, And I came down from heaven, And I danced on the earth, At Bethlehem I had my birth. - They cut me down, And I leapt up high; I am the life, That’ll never, never die;
I’ll live in you, If you’ll live in me – I am the Lord Of the Dance, said he.
Reprise: Dance, then, wherever you may be, I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I’ll lead you all, wherever you may be, And I’ll lead you all in the Dance, said he.
The Holy GOSPEL of our Lord Jesus Christ according to:
Luke 24:36b-48
Jesus himself stood among the disciples and said to them, “Peace be with
you.” They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing a
ghost. He said to them, “Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in
your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me
and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And
when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While in their
joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said to them, “Have you
anything here to eat?” They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and
ate in their presence.
Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still
with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets,
and the psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand
the scriptures, and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to
suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and
forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning
from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.
Reader: The Gospel of the Lord People: Praise to you, Lord Christ