3. "Verily, verily, I say unto
thee, Except a man be born of
water and of the Spirit
(pneuma), he cannot enter into
the kingdom of God.“ John 3:5
Jesus breathes his life and spirit into you. How can
you explain this to a child or new believer?
4. 1 O sons and daughters of the King,
Whom heav'nly hosts in glory sing,
Today the grave hath lost its sting!
Alleluia! alleluia! alleluia!
2 That Easter morn, at break of day,
The faithful women went their way
To seek the tomb where Jesus lay.
Alleluia! alleluia! alleluia!
3 An angel clad in white they see
Who sits and speaks unto the three,
"Your Lord will go to Galilee."
Alleluia! alleluia! alleluia!
4 That night the Apostles met in fear;
Among them came their master dear
And said: "My peace be with you here."
Alleluia! alleluia! alleluia!
5 When Thomas first the tidings heard
That they had seen the risen Lord,
He doubted the disciples' word.
Alleluia! alleluia! alleluia!
6 "My pierced side, O Thomas, see,
And look upon My hands, My feet;
Not faithless but believing be."
Alleluia! alleluia! alleluia!
7 No longer Thomas then denied;
He saw the feet, the hands, the side;
"You are my Lord and God!" he cried.
Alleluia! alleluia! alleluia!
8 How blest are they that have not seen
And yet whose faith has constant been,
For they eternal life shall will.
Alleluia! alleluia! alleluia!
9 On this most holy day of days
Be laud and jubilee and praise:
To God your hearts and voices raise.
Alleluia! alleluia! alleluia!
5. Let us pray for the whole Church
of God in Christ Jesus and for all
people according to their needs.
God of mercy, when Thomas
refused to believe, our Lord
revealed Himself so that
Thomas might know the
peace, joy and comfort of our
Lord’s resurrection. Deliver from
doubt and fear all who hesitate
to believe the promise of Your
Gospel and who seek a greater
sign than our Lord’s
resurrection. Lord, in Your
mercy, hear our prayer.
God of mercy, restore those who
have wandered from the faith
and are lost in error’s maze.
Rekindle the fire of the Spirit in
the hearts of those whose faith
has grown cold, and restore the
many who have lost their way…
enlighten Your Church, that she
may shine the light of Your
Gospel on all those who sit in
darkness and death. Bless
Matthew, our Synod president;
[_________, our district
president; _________ our
pastor(s);] and all church
workers and missionaries. Give
them zeal for Your Word and for
Your house…
God of mercy, come to the aid of
the nations. Where there is
war, bring peace. Where there is
disaster and suffering, bring
comfort and hope. Where there
is injustice and cruelty, bring
relief to the oppressed. Where
there is violence and
hatred, bring love. Bless
especially our
president, governor, mayor and
all elected and appointed civil
servants on every level of
6. God of mercy, lead us to be
good citizens and good
neighbors. Help us to aspire
to what is good and
right, that we may show forth
the virtue of Your grace in
our love for one another
within the household of Your
Church and those not yet of
the Kingdom…
God of mercy, prepare us for
this Holy Communion, that
we may keep faithfully the
body and blood of Christ that
we receive in this bread and
cup and so adorn this
Gospel with glad hearts in all
godliness and holy living…
God of mercy, accept the
tithes and offerings we bring
as part of our worship and
praise. All that we call our
own has come from
You, and we return to You
what is already Yours as an
act of faith and gratitude…
God of mercy, hear us and
the prayers and
supplications we bring to
You. Give us all things
needful for this body and
life, and keep us, we
pray, holy and
blameless, that we may be
ready to receive You when
You come again in Your
glory; through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
