Good morning. Welcome to St. James. All are invited down to the lower level to enjoy coffee, donuts, and fellowship. And today we celebrate the fifth Sunday of Easter. Together we sing number 574.

Please stand.

with Christ

him set us free.

Your king [music]

of

trials.

He came to

his glory.

Crownis.

glorify.

Angel.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. May the peace of the risen Lord Jesus be with you. Well, as we come together on this beautiful sunny spring morning, we welcome all who are visiting our community and we continue the message of the resurrection. Jesus promises us the gift of new life. And so we pause to call to mind the mercy and forgiveness of a loving God.

Lord Jesus, you were raised from the dead to bring us new life. Lord have mercy. You come to heal us and forgive us. Christ have mercy. You promise us the power of your holy spirit. Lord have mercy. May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our everlasting life. Glory

to God. Glory to God. Glory to God in the highest and on earth

to

Glory

to God. Glory

to God [music] in the highest and on earth on earth to people [music] will

praise you. We bless you. We adore you. We glorify you. We give you thanks for your great glory.

[music]

Oh God might father. Glory to God. Glor to God. Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace

to people of good will

only be son

God, son of

the s of the world, have mercy on us.

You take the s of the world. Our pray

to God [music] in the highest and on Earth

to [music]

you alone are the holy one. You alone are the Lord. You alone are the highest Jesus Christ

with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God.

Glory to God. Glory to God. Glory to God in the highest and on earth

to people of good will.

Let us pray.

Almighty everliving God, constantly accomplish the pascal mystery within that those you were pleased to make new in holy baptism may under your protective care bear much fruit and come to the joys of life eternal through our Lord Jesus Christ your son who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit God forever. Forever and ever.

A reading from the Apostles. As the number of disciples continu

filled with the spirit and wisdom appointed

ourselves with prayer and the ministry of the word. The proposal was acceptable to the whole community. So they chose to filter

and

The word of God continually.

Thanks be to God.

Lord, let your mercy be on

you.

Lord, let your mercy be on us as we trust in you.

Your joy to the Lord, oh you

for praise is fitting for the upright. Give thanks to the Lord upon the heart with a 10 string loot. Sing himord

as we place our trust in you.

For the word of the Lord is faithful and all his work to be trusted. The Lord loves

his merciful fills the earth.

Lord, let your mercy on us as we trust in you.

The Lord's eyes are on those who fear him, who hope in his mercine

as we pray.

in you.

A reading from the first letter of St. Peter. Beloved, come to him a living stone rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God. And like living stones, let yourself be built into a spiritual house. a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it says in scripture, "Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in it shall not be put to shame. Therefore, it value is for you who have faith, but for those without faith, The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. A stone that will make people stumble and a rock that will make them fall. They stumble by disobeying the word as is their destiny. You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own so that you may announce the praises of him. you out of darkness into his wonderful light. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

Hallelu. Hallelu.

Hallelu.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah. Hallelu.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

Hallelu. [music]

I am the way and the truth and the life.

No one comes to the father except by me.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah.

[music]

The Lord be with you. A reading from the Holy Gospel according to John.

Jesus said to his disciples, "Do not let your hearts be troubled, you have faith in God, have faith also in me. In my father's house, there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I've been going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself so that where I am, you als Lord said Thomas, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way? Jesus told I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the father but through me. If you know me, then you will also know my father. From now on, you do know him and you have seen him. Philip said to him, "Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us." Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you for so long a time and you still don't know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father? How can you say, "Show us the Father?" Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak to you, I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his work. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me. Or else believe because of the works themselves. Amen. Amen. I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the work that I do and will do greater than thee because I am going to the Father. The Gospel of the Lord.

Well, as we come together this morning, we continue the Easter season. The Easter season runs from Easter Sunday for 50 days to Pentecost. And each and every Sunday, we listen to the first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. and the act of the apostles is the story of how the disciples built the church. When the 12 disciples were in the room after Jesus died and he appeared to them, they were very much afraid. They also felt very guilty because Jesus promised that he would be raised from the dead, but they didn't believe. But Jesus didn't reprimand them. He just said go and share the good news with others. And they started building the church. And here we are thousands of years later coming together to celebrate that same event. But through it all, the apostles struggled. But the scriptures always say they were of one voice and they trusted in God. Each of the apostles were martyrs. Each of them died very awful death but they continue to be believers in Jesus message and to share his love his peace and his hope. That's why we hold on to the Easter season for so long because we have enough worries and anxieties and concerns in life that we get caught up in. But we have to remember who we are and who we are. that we are God's sons and daughters. Jesus never abandoned his disciples. Jesus will never abandon us. We sometimes stray from God because God doesn't hear the prayers that I'm giving to him. But God does hear and answer all of our prayers. Not in the way that I want them answered often times. This past week I celebrated my 45th uh anniversary as priest and I'm very grateful to this community of St. James as I've shared with you so many times growing up here in Liberty and being ordained on April 25th of 1981 celebrating my first mass as a priest in our former church that was only three weeks old. That was a real gift and that was a real blessing and my family has always been extremely supportive and I've been blessed these past 14 years to be here at St. and to end my career as pastor being here has been a real gift and that's what life is all about being grateful for all that God has given me and how do I live that love out how do I live that gratitude think of the people we admire in our lives I don't admire people who are selfish and self-centered and greedy but I admire people very difficult struggles continue to be people of hope, continue to be people of peace, and continue to be people of love. There will always be division. There will always be problems and issues to solve. Whether it's in a church community, whether it's in a larger community, or certainly as we look into our world today, but we can't give up on the message of Jesus. That's why the Easter candle burns for 50 days to remind us that no matter what the darkness or worry or concern of our lives, the light of Christ always shines and the light of Christ is brighter than whatever fear or worry or anxiety. This weekend we have much to celebrate. We the Columbuser have the relay for life and the relay for life is tremendous effort that's gone on for so many years and help battle cancer and we have had so many issues, individuals, families who have trouble with cancer, but the relay for life is a source of hope that that hopefully someday that cancer can. We also have a bone marrow transplant opportunity that's going on this weekend, too. Several of our prisoners have received that has saved their lives and we have the opportunity to offer that again to help those in need. Our Knights of Columbus are selling their breakfast burritos which are always a great treat. And all of these are efforts to bring our community together and to be sources of hope and of peace and God's love in our own ordinary ways. And so we pray that as we continue our liturgy this morning, may we trust in the message of God and remember that God is always with us, guiding us and leading us and calling us to put our trust, our hope and our peace.

Together

we stand as we profess. I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and visible. I believe in one word, Jesus Christ, the only begotten son of God, born of the father before all ages, God from God, light from light, true God from true God, begotten not with the father. Through him all things were made. For us, he came down by the Holy Spirit was incarned of the Virgin Mary and became man for our was crucified under he was buried and rose again on the third day in accordance with the scriptures. He 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. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, with the Father and the Sonor and glorified, who has spoken to the Father. I believe in one holy Catholic, apostolic church. I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen. Jesus is the way to the father because he is truth and life. Let us in confidence bring our needs to go that those who have never heard the gospel may hear it and put their faith in the word of the Lord. We pray to the Lord. Lord our pray for all who serve as deacons and those preparing to be deacons that they may grow in the spirit of service. We pray to the Lord. Lord our pray that we the people of God as his own may bear witness the protection of human life from conception to natural death. We pray to the Lord our pray for our young people who are receiving Jesus's body and divinity for the very first time that they may be a model of the excitement we should all experience when we receive. We pray to the Lord

for our brothers and sisters in hospitals and nursing homes and for the people who care for them. We pray to the Lord. Lord our pray that all those whom God has called this world may enjoy the peace and life of the world to come. We pray to the Lord

for the attention of this mass whom we hold in prayer and the prayer warriors for those on the St. pray and for the prayers we hold in the silence of our hearts

for all of these we pray to the Lord our praying God we thank you for the gift of your risen son deepen and strengthen our faith our hope and love to live out that love in all that we do through Christ our Lord Together

we sing number 683. Be not afraid. Number 683.

shall not die.

You shall

do not

shall speak

and all [music] the wonder

of God [music]

praise.

I hold you

follow me and I will give you praise.

If you

shall

walk,

you shall be

You can

know that I am with you.

I go before

and I will give you

the king shall

One day you shall

wicked

[music]

blessed.

King of praise.

I go before you.

My friends, let us pray that our gifts might be acceptable to God our almighty father.

Oh God, who by the wonderful exchange effected in this sacrifice have made us partakers of the one supreme God. Grant we pray that as we have come to know your truth, we may make it ours by a worthy way of life through Christ our Lord. The Lord be with you. Lift up your hearts. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is truly right and just our duty and our salvation always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy father, almighty and eternal God, but especially in this Easter season with Christ our Passover has been sacrificed. For with the old order destroyed, a universe passed down is renewed, and integrity of life is restored to us in Christ. Therefore, overcome with pascal joy, every land, every people exalts in your praise as together we acclaim,

holy, holy, [music] God of host

and earth are full of your glory.

in the highest

in the highest. Blessed is he blessed

in the name of the Lordana

in the highestana

in the highestana

in the highestana

in

You are indeed holy, O Lord, the f of all holiness. Make holy, therefore, these gifts we pray that by sending down your spirit upon them like the dwfall that they may become for us the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the night at the time he was betrayed and entered willingly into his passion, he took bread, giving you thanks, broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take this all of you and eat for this is my body which will be given up for you.

In a similar way, when supper was ended, he took the chalice once more giving thanks, gave the chalice to his disciples, saying, "Take this all of you and drink from it. For this is the chalice of my blood, the blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many, for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me.

We

procla

Therefore, as we celebrate the memorial of his death and resurrection, we offer you, Lord, the bread of life and the chalice of salvation, giving thanks that you have held us worthy to be in your presence and minister to you. Humbly we pray that partaking of the body and blood of Christ, we may be gathered into one by the Holy Spirit. Remember

make us grow in love. James our bishop

also fall asleep in the hope of the resurrection and all who have died in your mercy. Welcome them into the light of your face. Have mercy on us all. We pray that with the blessed virgin Mary mother of God with St. Joseph her spouse with St. James and all the saints who have pleased you throughout the ages. May we praise you in union with them and give you glory through your son Jesus Christ. Through him and with him and in him oh God almighty father in the unity of the holy spirit all glory and honor is yours forever and ever.

Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

And together we pray in the words that Jesus taught. Our Father, who art in heaven, 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. Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil. Graciously grant peace in our days that by the help of your mercy we may always be free from s from all distress as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our savior Jesus Christ. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever. Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles, "Peace I give you, my peace I give you. Look not on our s but on the faith of your church and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will. Who live and reign forever and ever. May the peace of the Lord be with you all. Let us extend the greeting of peace.

of God. You take away the sins of the world.

You take away the sins of the world.

God, you take the s of the world.

Behold

the Lamb of God. Behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those who are called to the supper of the Lamb.

Together

we sing hymn number 929. Joyou number 929

and Children take us down

Christ.

Glorious.

Hallelujah.

Peace and straight river.

Hallelu

Christ.

Hallelu

Godl.

Hallelu

Christ

joyou.

Hallelu

Earthl.

Hallelu

Christy

breath. Hallelu

for the Hallelu

Christ.

Earth.

Hallelu.

Hallelu

Christy

Hallelu

people

Christ our Christ our Hallelu

Christ

and heaven holy joy.

Hallelu

Jallelu

poorl.

Christy

joyle.

proclaim.

Hallelu

from every

holy [music]

joy.

mighty.

Hallelujah.

Let us pray.

Graciously be present to your people, we pray, O Lord, and lead those you have imbued with heavenly mystery to pass from former ways to newness of life. Christ our Lord. The Lord be with you. May God bless you and keep you. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord and one another. Together we sing him number 542. That Easter day with joy was bright. Number 543.

Christ.

Christ

Jesus

Halleluah.