Announcements by the Celebrant
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Processional:  Hymnal #175
Hail Thee Festival Day!

[Refrain:]
Hail, thee festival day!
Blest day that art hallowed for ever,
day whereon Christ arose,
breaking the kingdom of death.

1 Lo, the fair beauty of earth,
from the death of the winter arising!
Every good gift of the year
now with its Master returns: [Refrain]

2 He who was nailed to the cross
is Lord and the ruler of nature;
all things created on earth
sing to the glory of God: [Refrain]

3 Daily the loveliness grows,
adorned with glory of blossom;
heaven her gates unbars,
flinging her increase of light: [Refrain]

4 Rise from the grave now, O Lord,

who art author of life and creation.

Treading the pathway of death,

life thou bestowest on all: [Refrain]

5 God the Creator, the Lord,
who rulest the earth and the heavens,
guard us from harm without,
cleanse us from evil within: [Refrain]

6 Jesus the health of the world,
enlighten our minds, thou Redeemer,
Son of the Father supreme,
only begotten of God: [Refrain]

7 Spirit of life and of power,
now flow in us, fount of our being,
light that dost lighten all,
life that in all dost abide: [Refrain]

8 Praise to the Giver of good!
Thou love who art author of concord,
pour out thy balm on our souls,
order our ways in thy peace: [Refrain]

Opening Acclamation, Book of Common Prayer (BCP) – p.355
Celebrant: Alleluia, Christ is risen.
People: The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia. Amen.

Collect for Purity
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your holy Name, through Christ our Lord. Amen.


The Gloria: Hymnal #S 280   
1. Glory to god in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. 
2. Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory. 
3. Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, Lord God, Lamb of God,
4. you take away the sin of the world: have mercy on us;
5. you are seated at the right hand of the Father: receive our prayer. 
6. For you alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord,
7. you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit, in the glory of God the Father. Amen. 

The Collect for Easter Day
Celebrant:  The Lord be with you.
People:  And also with you.
Celebrant:  Let us pray.
Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord’s resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles 10:34-43

Peter began to speak to Cornelius and the other Gentiles: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ--he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

The Word of the Lord
Thanks be to God

The Psalm is 118:1-2 , 14-24 page 760 in the Book of Common Prayer
We will speak it responsively by half-verse.

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; *
his mercy endures for ever.

2 Let Israel now proclaim, *
"His mercy endures for ever."

14 The Lord is my strength and my song, *
and he has become my salvation.

15 There is a sound of exultation and victory *
in the tents of the righteous:

16 "The right hand of the Lord has triumphed! *
the right hand of the Lord is exalted!
the right hand of the Lord has triumphed!"

17 I shall not die, but live, *
and declare the works of the Lord.

18 The Lord has punished me sorely, *
but he did not hand me over to death.

19 Open for me the gates of righteousness; *
I will enter them;
I will offer thanks to the Lord.

20 "This is the gate of the Lord; *
he who is righteous may enter."

21 I will give thanks to you, for you answered me *
and have become my salvation.

22 The same stone which the builders rejected *
has become the chief cornerstone.

23 This is the Lord's doing, *
and it is marvelous in our eyes.

24 On this day the Lord has acted; *
we will rejoice and be glad in it.

A reading from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians 15:1-11

I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you--unless you have come to believe in vain.

For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them--though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.

The Word of the Lord

Thanks be to God.

Gradual Hymn: Hymnal # 193

That Easter Day

1 That Easter day with joy was bright:
the sun shone out with fairer light
when, to their longing eyes restored,
the apostles saw their risen Lord!

2 His risen flesh with radiance glowed;
his wounded hands and feet he showed;
those scars their solemn witness gave
that Christ was risen from the grave.

3 O Jesus, King of gentleness,
do thou thyself our hearts possess
that we may give thee all our days
the willing tribute of our praise.

4 O Lord of all, with us abide
in this our joyful Eastertide;
from every weapon death can wield
thine own redeemed forever shield.

5 All praise, O risen Lord, we give
to thee, who, dead, again dost live;
to God the Father equal praise,
and God the Holy Ghost, we raise.

The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John (20:1-18)

Glory to you, Lord Christ.

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peterand reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

The Gospel of the Lord        

Praise to you, Lord Christ