Eldad – Hampton Pastoral Charge
of the United Church of Canada.
Rev. Doug Ferris
Music Director: Evan Funnell
April 5, 2026
Services are recorded, contact eldadunitedchurch@gmail.com,
if you wish to receive a link each Sunday to the service.
PRE-SERVICE: WE PREPARE FOR WORSHIP
PRE-SERVICE SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
Psalm 16: 7-11
I shall bless the LORD who gave me counsel through the nights that my conscience would lash me. I set the LORD always before me on my right hand, that I not stumble. So my heart rejoices and my pulse beats with joy; my whole body abides secure. For you will not forsake my life to Sheol, You won’t let your faithful one see the Pit . Make me know the path of life. Joys overflow in Your presence, delights in your right hand forever. Amen. (Robert Alter Transl. 2007)
LIGHTING THE CHRIST CANDLE
The Angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay, then go quickly and tell his disciples: He had been raised from the dead.” Today, we light this candle declaring that the light of the Risen Christ shines both with us and within us. Thanks be to God, Amen.
ANNOUNCEMENTS & CELEBRATIONS
ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF THE LAND
We acknowledge this land as the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee and Huron-Wendat First Nations, governed by the Williams Treaties and Treaty Number Twenty. We give thanks for the stewardship of the first people of this land. May we live in to the agreements of Truth and Reconciliation as e partner together.
WE GATHER FOR WORSHIP
GATHERING IN WORSHIP
One: People of God: On this Resurrection Sunday, we proclaim that Christ has risen!
ALL: Christ has risen, indeed!
One: God is Alive
ALL: and new birth is given
One: Hope is Alive
ALL: and a new age is dawning
One: Joy is Alive
ALL: and redemption is here
One: Love is Alive
ALL: and despair cannot overwhelm us
One: We are Alive
ALL: and God’s Spirit enlivens us.
CONGREGATIONAL PRAYER OF APPROACH:
One: 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 Christ our Lord, Amen.
HYMN OF APPROACH: Voices United 155 “Jesus Christ is Risen Today”
PRAYERS OF CONFESSION AND AFFIRMATION:
One :In the springtime light of the resurrected Christ, we become more aware of the growing weeds of doubt, despair and discouragement that have bloomed in the soil of our lives. Let us confess our doubts and disappointments to the Gardener, trusting that God can root out the weeds that have overshadowed the sunlight of the resurrection. Let us join together in responsive prayer:
Loving God, in the bright light of Christ’s Resurrection, our shortcomings are exposed.
When we deny you,
LOVING GOD, FORGIVE.
When we wash our hands of the responsibility of helping others,
LOVING GOD, FORGIVE.
When we cast lots, betting on the powerful and the oppressor,
LOVING GOD, FORGIVE.
When we fail to witness for truth amongst society’s influential elite,
LOVING GOD, FORGIVE.
When we scorn others because they remind of our own vulnerability,
LOVING GOD, FORGIVE.
ALL: Merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against You in thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and what we have left undone. We have not loved you with our whole heart, mind, and strength. We have not loved our neighbours as ourselves. We are truly sorry, and we humbly repent. Forgiving God, have mercy on us have been, help us to amend what we are, and direct what we shall be so that we may delight in Your will and walk in Your ways to the glory of Your name through Jesus Christ, Amen.
One: Friends, this is the Good News: Easter has come, and Christ is Risen, indeed. God loves each one of us with a deep and profound love beyond our human understanding, and God delights in an honest and contrite heart. Through transparency we are renewed, through humility we rise, and through contrition we are restored to a vibrant relationship with our Eternal source. Thanks be to God for the paradox of God’s love.
PASSING THE PEACE
One: The peace of Christ be with you all.
ALL: And also with you.
One: Let us greet one another with the Peace of Christ.
WORDS FOR THE YOUNG–AND EVERYONE: Discovering God in the Everyday: Poetic ‘Intimations of Immortality’ in Nature: Whispers in Warm Breezes, Smiles in Soft Sunshine, Embraces in Fresh Water.
FAMILY IN SONG: Voices United #238 “How Great Thou Art”
MINISTRY OF THE WORD
PRAYER OF ENLIGHTENMENT:
Matthew 28: 1-10 [Link to Scriptures]
Acts 10: 34-43
One: The Word of God for the people of God.
ALL: Thanks be to God for the Word.
THE CHURCH RESPONDS TO THE WORD
THANKSGIVING AND DEDICATION: Offertory
We bring our Gifts of Service and Support before God and for the Work of the Church.
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE & THE LORD’S PRAYER:
One: The Scriptures remind that, ‘the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. Therefore, as we pray, let us do so asking that God will shape us in the image of our prayers. LET US PRAY:
For the faithful all over the world, that all who love you may be united in your service. We pray for the church both here at home and throughout the world that your people will share your good news with the poor, and liberation for the captives, and witness that the day of the Lord has come near. Loving God, hear our prayer
ALL: AND IN YOUR LOVE, ANSWER.
One: God of Peace, we pray for peace. We pray for the people and leaders of the nations, that they may be reconciled one to another, in pursuit of Your justice and Your peace. We pray for our fragile world… God of Peace, hear our prayer
ALL: AND IN YOUR LOVE, ANSWER.
One: God of the victim, we pray for all who suffer from prejudice, greed or violence, we pray for all who suffer from war, and insecurity, we pray for all who suffer injustice because of the misuse of politics, religion, and power. We pray for relief from oppression and for the return of justice for all. God of Equality, hear our prayer
ALL: AND IN YOUR LOVE, ANSWER.
One: And here at home, Our Loving Parent, here in our own community, we pray for all who suffer the pain of sickness, loneliness, fear, or loss. We pray for those whose names are on in our hearts, in our thoughts, and on our lips. We pray for weaknesses known to all, and for challenges known by You alone. Loving God we pray that they may receive strength, courage, healing, grace, and a renewed love and understanding of your presence in their lives, as we recall their needs in silence or repeat their names aloud in supplication before you
[PAUSE FOR A MOMENT OF SILENT PERSONAL PRAYER OR EXTEMPORANEOUS SPOKEN PRAYER]
One: God, you have promised that where two or three are gathered in your name, you are here, in our midst. Fulfill now the desires and petitions of your people as may be best for us, granting us in this world knowledge of your truth, and in the world to come, life everlasting through the Spirit of Christ, who taught us to pray saying:
ALL: 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. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen.¹
RESPONDING TO THE WORD IN THE UNITED CHURCH’S EXPRESSION OF FAITH, “A SONG OF FAITH”:
With Christians throughout time, we affirm our belief in the Old and New Testaments as primary standards of Christian faith and life. The United Church of Canada also affirms these timeless truths as expressed for our day in the poetic phrases of “A Song of Faith.”
ALL: We are not alone. We live in God’s world.
We believe in God, who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new, who works in us and others by the Spirit.
We trust in God. We are called to be the Church:
to celebrate God’s presence, to live with respect in Creation,
to love and serve others, to seek justice and resist evil, to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen, our judge and our hope.
In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God.
RENEWED, COMMISSIONED AND SENT FORTH INTO THE MINISTRY OF THE BODY OF CHRIST
BENEDICTION & BLESSING
Hampton United Church 