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Worship Outline: May 17 2026 - Seventh Sunday of Easter (Holy Communion)
Worship Outline: May 17 2026 - Seventh Sunday of Easter (Holy Communion)
Introduction to the day
In these days between Ascension and Pentecost, we gather with the disciples in the upper room, waiting for the Spirit to transform the church around the world. In today’s gospel Jesus prays for his followers and for their mission in his name. Amid religious, social, and economic divisions, we seek the unity that Jesus had with his Father. Made one in baptism, we go forth to live our faith in the world, eager for the unity that God intends for the whole human family.
(* = please stand, as able)
Quiet Time for Reflection and Prayer
Prelude
Welcome and Announcements
*Confession and Forgiveness
All may make the sign of the cross, the sign that is marked at baptism.
In the name of the Father, and of the ☩ Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom 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 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and of one another.
Silence is kept for reflection.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we are captive to sin and cannot free ourselves. We have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done and by what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ, have mercy on us. Forgive us, renew us, and lead us, so that we may delight in your will and walk in your ways, to the glory of your holy name. Amen.
God, who is rich in mercy, loved us even when we were dead in sin, and made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. In the name of ☩ Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven. Almighty God strengthen you with power through the Holy Spirit, that Christ may live in your hearts through faith. Amen.
*Gathering Song A Hymn of Glory Let Us Sing! (# 393)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K129QlWa1QA
A hymn of glory let us sing!
New hymns throughout the world shall ring:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Christ, by a road before untrod,
Ascends until the throne of God.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
The holy apostolic band
Upon the Mount of Olives stand,
Alleluia! Alleluia!
And with his faithful foll’wers see
Their Lord ascend in majesty.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
To whom the shining angels cry,
“Why stand and gaze upon the sky?”
Alleluia! Alleluia!
“This is the Saviour!” thus they say,
“this is his glorious triumph day!”
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
“You see him now, ascending high
Up to the portals of the sky.”
Alleluia! Alleluia!
“Here after Jesus you shall see
Returning in great majesty.”
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
O risen Christ, ascended Lord,
All praise to you let earth accord:
Alleluia! Alleluia!
You are, while endless ages run,
With Father and with Spirit one.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
(Text: Bede; tr. ‘Lutheran Book of Worship,’ © 1978, Augsburg Fortress. Reprinted with permission under OneLicense.net #A-714392. All rights reserved. Music: ‘Geistliche Kirchengesänge,’ Köln, 1623, public domain.)
*Greeting (p. 98)
The grace of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
And also with you.
*Kyrie (p. 98, sung)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DboXKDOd41U
In peace, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace from above, and for our salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For the peace of the whole world, for the well-being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
For this holy house, and for all who offer here their worship and praise, let us pray to the Lord.
Lord, have mercy.
Help, save, comfort, and defend us, gracious Lord.
Amen, amen.
*Canticle of Praise (p. 101, sung)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMZrlPTt4aI
Refrain:
This is the feast of victory for our God.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Worthy is Christ, the Lamb who was slain,
whose blood set us free to be people of God.
Power and riches, wisdom and strength,
and honor and blessing and glory are his.
Refrain:
Sing with all the people of God,
and join in the hymn of all creation:
Blessing and honor, glory and might
be to God and the Lamb forever. Amen.
Refrain:
For the Lamb who was slain has begun his reign.
Alleluia.
Refrain:
*Prayer of the Day
O God of glory, your Son Jesus Christ suffered for us and ascended to your right hand. Unite us with Christ and each other in suffering and in joy, that all the world may be drawn into your bountiful presence, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
First Reading: Acts 1:6-14
Today’s reading is part of the introduction to the narrative of the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost. These verses tell of the risen Lord’s conversation with his disciples on the eve of his ascension, in which he promises that they will receive the power of the Holy Spirit.
6 When [the apostles] had come together, they asked [Jesus], “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” 9 When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. 11 They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
12 Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. 13 When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying: Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. 14 All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers.
The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
Hymn Great Is Thy Faithfulness (# 733)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wicUNwaE6GM
Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father,
There is no shadow of turning with thee;
Thou changest not, thy compassions they fail not;
As thou hast been, thou forever wilt be.
Refrain:
Great is thy faithfulness! Great is thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed thy hand hath provided;
Great is thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.
Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon, and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To thy great faithfulness, mercy, and love.
Refrain:
Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth,
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!
Refrain:
(Text: Thomas O. Chisholm. Music: William M. Runyan. Text and music: © 1923, ren. 1951 Hope Publishing Co. Reprinted with permission under OneLicense.net #A-714392. All rights reserved.)
Second Reading: 1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11
Our faith in Christ does not make us immune from the scorn of others. Nevertheless, we are to resist the designs of evil when we experience disparagement from others because we trust God’s grace will strengthen and guide us.
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 13 But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. 14 If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you.
5:6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. 7 Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. 8 Discipline yourselves; keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. 10 And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. 11 To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.
The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
*Gospel Acclamation (p. 102, sung)
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Lord, to whom shall we go?
You have the words of eternal life.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
*Gospel: John 17:1-11
The Holy Gospel according to John. Glory to you, O Lord.
On the night before his crucifixion, Jesus prays to his heavenly Father, asking that those who continue his work in this world will live in unity.
1 After Jesus had spoken these words [to his disciples,] he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. 5 So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.
6 “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you, 8 for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you, and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I have been glorified in them. 11 And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”
The gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.
Sermon – Pastor Matthew
*Hymn of the Day Lord, Be Glorified (# 744)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIP7BDz5PNc
In my life, Lord, be glorified, be glorified;
In my life, Lord, be glorified today.
In our song, Lord, be glorified, be glorified;
In our song, Lord, be glorified today.
In your church, Lord, be glorified, be glorified;
In your church, Lord, be glorified today.
In your world, Lord, be glorified, be glorified;
In your world, Lord, be glorified today.
(Text and music: Bob Kilpatrick. © Bob Kilpatrick, 1978, assigned 1998 to Lorenz Corporation. Reprinted with permission under OneLicense.net #A-714392. All rights reserved.)
*Nicene Creed (p. 104)
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
*Prayers of Intercession
Trusting in the power of Christ’s resurrection to heal and redeem our broken world, let us pray for the needs of all creation.
A brief silence.
O God, your people sing praises throughout the church. By your Holy Spirit, inspire our partners in mission in the Anglican congregations of the Thunder Bay North deanery to continue to proclaim the gospel of Jesus. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
Your creative power fills the universe. Bring favorable weather, nurture plants and animals, protect us from natural disasters, and guide us to care for all you have made. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
Your creation in the Middle East needs healing. May all people in the region, including those in our partner churches, be protected, safe from harm. May its crises and wars end. May the injured and distressed know your healing presence. May the powerful and the decision-makers follow the paths of justice, mercy and peace. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
Your likeness is revealed in all humanity. Every human identity, in all our sexual and gender diversity, in all our racial and cultural diversity, bears your sacred image. Press us, compel us, inspire us, to fully live the power and beauty of this truth every day. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
Your compassion and care come through the gifts of medicine and relationships. Soothe the anxious, protect widows and orphans, comfort those living with memory loss and their families, and heal the sick. Those we remember include … Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
Your love radiates throughout the world. Accompany us as we offer our silent prayers ... Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
O God, your promise of eternal life is certain and sure. Inspire us by the faith of those who have gone before us, so that we may be confident in the assurances you give. Merciful God,
receive our prayer.
God of resurrection power, use us and these prayers to proclaim the good news of new life to all the world, through Jesus Christ, our risen Saviour.
Amen.
*Peace
The peace of Christ be with you always.
And also with you.
Offering (please be seated)
As our offerings are being collected by passing plates down the pews, please join in singing:
Offertory Christ Is Alive! Let Christians Sing
(# 389, st. 1 and 5)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0rxbAXCuQg
Christ is alive! Let Christians sing.
The cross stands empty to the sky.
Let streets and homes with praises ring.
Love, drowned in death, shall never die.
Christ is alive, and comes to bring
Good news to this and ev’ry age,
Till earth and sky and ocean ring
With joy, with justice, love, and praise.
(Text: Brian Wren. © 1975, 1995 Hope Publishing Company. Reprinted with permission under OneLicense.net #A-714392. All rights reserved. Music: T. Williams, ‘Psalmodia Evangelica’, 1789, public domain.)
Offering Prayer
Merciful God, accept the fruits of our labor, gathered to give you glory. You have set a table before us, a glimpse of that great day when we will hunger and thirst no more. Nourish us, that goodness and mercy may follow us and bless the world you love. Amen.
*Great Thanksgiving (p.107, sung)
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give our thanks and praise.
It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, through our Savior Jesus Christ; who on this day overcame death and the grave, and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life. And so, with all the choirs of angels, with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG49pxojgjk
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
In the night in which he was betrayed, our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks; broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying: Take and eat; this is my body, given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me.
Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it for all to drink, saying: This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin. Do this for the remembrance of me.
Gathered into one by the Holy Spirit, let us pray as Jesus taught us. Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.
Invitation to Communion
Come to the table of new life. Receive the risen Lord. The body and blood of Christ given and shed for you.
If watching online, when the presiding minister says, ‘The body and blood of Christ, given and shed for you,’ we welcome all to take and eat a piece of bread, remembering and giving thanks for the promises given us in Christ Jesus. Please also do so, taking a glass of wine or another beverage.
During Communion, please join in singing,
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus (# 392, st. 1 and 2)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZzszeWQu8o
Alleluia! Sing to Jesus;
His the sceptre, his the throne;
Alleluia! His the triumph,
His the victory alone.
Hark! The songs of peaceful Zion
Thunder like a mighty flood:
“Jesus out of ev’ry nation
Has redeemed us by his blood.”
Alleluia! Not as orphans
Are we left in sorrow now;
Alleluia! He is near us;
Faith believes, nor questions how.
Though the cloud from sight received him
When the forty days were o’er,
Shall our hearts forget his promise:
“I am with you ever more”?
(Text: William C. Dix, alt. Music: Rowland H. Prichard. Text and music: public domain.)
Prayer after Communion
Holy One, through this meal you have made your home among us and are making all things new. Send us now to speak peace to anxious hearts, to love our enemies, and to bring your healing to the nations. Amen.
*Blessing
God Almighty, who is the beginning and the end, Jesus Christ, the firstborn of the dead, and the Spirit, our advocate and peace, ☩ bless you now and forever. Amen.
*Sending Song You Servants of God (# 825)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv_FMTBL9PU
You servants of God, your Master proclaim,
And publish abroad his wonderful name;
The name, all victorious, of Jesus extol;
His kingdom is glorious and rules over all!
Ascended on high, almighty to save,
Yet still he is nigh, his presence we have.
The great congregation his triumph shall sing,
Ascribing salvation to Jesus, our king!
Salvation to God who sits on the throne!
Let all cry aloud and honour the Son.
The praises of Jesus the angels proclaim,
Fall down on their faces and worship the Lamb.
Then let us adore and give him his right,
All glory and pow’r and wisdom, and might,
All honour and blessing, with angels above,
And thanks never ceasing, and infinite Love!
(Text: Charles Wesley, alt. Music: attr. Johann Michael Hayden. Text and music: public domain.)
*Dismissal
Go in peace. Praise the Lord. Alleluia!
Thanks be to God. Alleluia!
From sundaysandseasons.com. Copyright © 2026 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.
Sermon: May 17, 2026 - Seventh Sunday of Easter
Sermon: May 17, 2026 - Seventh Sunday of Easter
Text: John 17:1-2
When flying home last week from Continuing Education, the rising sun lit up the sky outside my window. At moments, the towering, dark-hued clouds seemed angry. It was almost as though the heavens, to use the phrase heard in our readings, was seeking to disrupt our passage. Indeed, those were the times we experienced the most turbulence. At other points, the layer of clouds seemed to be as smooth and thick and white as a duvet. It was as though they were carrying the airplane, guiding it along, keeping it safe. These were the times of smoothest flight, those occasions when I found myself dozing off. The heavens no longer represented a barrier which sought to exclude us, but rather a place that offered welcome, peace, and rest.
I realize that description doesn’t correspond with today’s scientific descriptions of what was happening. Yet, it does connect with Jesus at the beginning of our reading from John. He has just prepared his disciples again for his suffering and death. He has also spoken about his rising again, his earthly ministry being completed, and his return to the Father. Now this passage opens with Jesus taking a moment to be silent, to look up to the heaven. Does he feel God’s closeness, or does he get a sudden chill, thinking of the rough times ahead between now and there? Does he sense the possibility of it being an impenetrable barrier? Does Jesus wish for the safety of heaven, of what he defines as being God’s dwelling place, being offered to him right away instead of later?
In the prayer that Jesus next offers next to God, Jesus turns his and our focus back from waiting with him for heaven to being God’s people here on earth, the living heirs of the resurrection at this end of the Easter season and beyond.
Just prior to the start of this passage, Jesus says to the disciples, “The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each one to his home, and you will leave me alone. … In the world you face persecution, but take courage: I have conquered the world!” (16:32f). Related to that final declaration, instead of giving the disciples instructions about getting to heaven, avoiding this world, in this prayer Jesus asks for knowledge and unity among them so that they might continue in that place when he is no longer with them.
The knowledge Jesus seeks for them centres on ‘eternal life.’ Yet, his focus connects more with the here and now rather than with what comes after this life, what is associated with ‘the heaven.’ His understanding here of “eternal life” refers more to an action than a place. It is knowing, and continuing to trust, that God is the true God and Jesus Christ is the one whom God has sent. “At the beginning of the Gospel, John describes Jesus as the Word of God: Jesus is what God is communicating to the world. Jesus is God’s message. Not just a messenger, but the message itself. All these things are the message of God: the way Jesus treats people, the way he interacts with the world around him, the things he advocates for, what he says he’s about …Knowing the life of Jesus is the stuff of eternal life for us. It will connect us to God and to each other.’ It will connect us not only to what is to come, but what is around us right now. (FL)
Presbyterian Pastor Rory Chambers writes that Jesus desires those overhearing these words of prayer, including you and me all these years later, to know that ‘Eternal life is for living now! Knowing that Jesus is the Word of God invites us to focus on living the way he does, empowered by the Spirit, lifting our heads to see a horizon beyond our own lives. We are invited into what God is doing in the world. (FL) To receive the gift of ‘eternal life’ is to give you and I an identity, and a relationship, with God and with each other, through the grace revealed in Christ. It is to live with God, not just in the heavens, but on Farrand Street, in Thunder Bay, in Jerusalem and the Holy Land, and in the days and weeks to come. Rather than afraid, because God the Son no longer is present with us, we live so as to continue to share God’s love, God’s good news, God’s hope.
“Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.’ The word here ‘protect’ might remind us of the police or of the armed forces. Yet especially because Jesus addresses it to his Father, we can hear it being more parental in tone than one of organized security. Jesus asks God to gather his disciples, and to watch over them, keep them together, help them to continue as one to respond to the ‘eternal life’ that has been revealed to them.
Pastor Margaret Koizumi, Assistant to the Bishop of our Synod of Alberta and the Territories, has written the sermon for this Sunday’s Day of Prayer for Jerusalem and the Holy Land. In these words of Jesus, she doesn’t hear a desire for erasing difference, nor for forcing agreement. She imagines Jesus asking God to call you and me to a unity that is built not on borders and boundaries but on relationship. This isn’t our own doing, but reflects the One who loves us, as we share that love with others.
So we sing today: “Christ is alive! Let Christians sing. The cross stands empty to the sky. Let streets and homes with praises ring. Love, drowned in death, shall never die. // Christ is alive! No longer bound to distant years in Palestine, but saving, healing, here and now, and touching ev’ry place and time.’ (389). We look, with Jesus, to heaven. We turn, united in him, to continue to share gifts and works of love with the world. The season of Easter is over. The good news of the Son continues. Amen.
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