Lent Theme
Follow Jesus on the Journey: Open our Hearts to Reconciliation
Lent Theme Write-up
written by Matthew Reece, Director of Music Ministries
Follow Jesus on the Journey: Open Our Hearts to Reconciliation
The season of Lent invites us to embark on a sacred journey with Jesus, walking the path of repentance, renewal, and grace. As we follow Him through the wilderness, His teachings, and ultimately to the cross, we are called to open our hearts to the transformative power of reconciliation. Just as Christ extends His mercy to us, we are urged to seek healing in our relationships—with God, with others, and within ourselves. This journey is not one of mere reflection but of action, as we humbly acknowledge our need for forgiveness and embrace the call to be instruments of peace in a broken world.
Through prayer, fasting, and acts of love, we allow God’s grace to soften our hearts and lead us toward true reconciliation. The Lenten journey is a time to let go of burdens that hinder our relationship with God and to seek restoration in areas where division and hurt have taken root. As we walk with Jesus, may we be reminded that reconciliation is at the heart of the Gospel—a gift freely given and a mission to which we are called. In opening our hearts to God’s mercy, we are empowered to extend that same mercy to others, drawing ever closer to the promise of Easter’s new life.
Thursday, April 17, 2025 – Maundy Thursday Worship
All Saints Lutheran Church will offer a Maundy Thursday Worship Service on Thursday, April 17th in the sanctuary at 6:30 pm. This service will use the Holden Evening Prayer service but will add Holy Communion and Stripping of the Altar to the worship services.
Introduction
This evening our Lenten observance comes to an end, and we gather with Christians around the world to celebrate the Three Days of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Tonight we remember Christ’s last meal with his disciples, but the central focus is his commandment that we live out the promise embodied in this meal. As Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, so we are called to give and receive love in humble service to one another. Formed into a new body in Christ through this holy meal, we are transformed by the mercy we have received and carry it into the world. Departing worship in solemn silence, we anticipate the coming days.
Scripture
1 Corinthians 11:23-26
Proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes
In the bread and cup of the Lord’s supper, we experience intimate fellowship with Christ and with one another because it involves his body given for us and the new covenant in his blood. Faithful participation in this meal is a living proclamation of Christ’s death until he comes in the future.
John 13:1-17, 31b-35
The service of Christ: footwashing and meal
The story of the last supper in John’s gospel recalls a remarkable event not mentioned elsewhere: Jesus performs the duty of a slave, washing the feet of his disciples and urging them to do the same for one other.
Friday, April 18, 2025 – Good Friday Worship
All Saints Lutheran Church will offer a Good Friday Worship Service on Friday, April 18th in the sanctuary at 6:30 pm. This will be a Tenebrae worship service which is like a “Lessons and Carols” worship service.
Introduction
Life and death stand side by side as we enter into Good Friday. In John’s passion account, Jesus reveals the power and glory of God, even as he is put on trial and sentenced to death. Standing with the disciples at the foot of the cross, we pray for the whole world in the ancient bidding prayer, as Christ’s death offers life to all. We gather in solemn devotion, but always with the promise that the tree around which we assemble is indeed a tree of life. We depart silently, and we anticipate the culmination of the Three Days in the Easter Vigil.
Scripture
Isaiah 52:13 — 53:12
The suffering servant
The fourth servant poem promises ultimate vindication for the servant, who made his life an offering for sin. The servant pours himself out to death and is numbered with the transgressors, images that the early church saw as important keys for understanding the death of Jesus.
John 18:1 — 19:31-42
The passion and death of Christ
On Good Friday, the story of Jesus’ passion—from his arrest to his burial—is read in its entirety from the Gospel of John.
Sunday, April 20, 2025 – Easter Sunday Breakfast and Worship
Come and celebrate Easter at All Saints Lutheran Church with an Easter Breakfast and fellowship before the worship service from 8:30 – 9:45 am in the gathering space. The Easter Sunday worship will be at 10 am in the sanctuary. This service will be available to attend in-person or via Facebook Live.
He is Risen!
He is Risen Indeed!
Easter Theme
Follow Jesus on the Journey: Bring Easter Life to Others
Theme Write-up
written by Matthew Reece, Director of Music Ministries
Follow Jesus on the Journey: Bring Easter Life to Others
Having walked the Lenten path of repentance and reconciliation, Easter calls us to step into the fullness of new life in Christ. The resurrection is not just an event to be celebrated but a reality to be lived and shared. Jesus’ victory over sin and death empowers us to become bearers of His life-giving love, bringing hope, joy, and renewal to a world in need. As we follow the Risen Christ, we are sent forth as His disciples, called to embody His grace in our words, actions, and relationships. The empty tomb is our invitation to live with bold faith, trusting that God’s transformative power continues to work through us.
Bringing Easter life to others means reflecting Christ’s love in tangible ways—offering compassion to the suffering, justice to the oppressed, and kindness to the weary. It is a call to proclaim the Good News, not just with our voices but through lives that radiate the light of resurrection hope. Just as Jesus breathed peace upon His disciples and sent them into the world, we too are commissioned to be agents of healing and restoration. May our hearts, once opened to reconciliation, now overflow with the joy of Easter, as we share God’s boundless love and build His kingdom here on earth.
Ardor (Worship Musicians)
The musicians rehearse from 9:00 – 9:45 am every Sunday morning. All are welcome! The musicians for worship can find the service orders and music in the crate on the back pew in the sanctuary for each week of the month. Contact the office if you plan to help lead worship.
Sunday School
The Sunday class is taking a break.
Worship Information
Join us in-person for the weekly Worship Service at 10:00 am in-person or via Facebook Live if you are unable to attend in person (https://www.facebook.com/allsaintsdavenport/). The service will later be uploaded to YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@allsaintslutheranchurchdav1987) for your viewing.
If you would like the words for the worship service, contact the office (office@allsaintsdavenport.org) to request the information.
Introduction
“The last enemy to be destroyed is death,” Paul writes. Today Christ is risen, and we gather together with astonishment and joy. Christ is risen, and we have been set free from the bonds of death. Christ is risen, and we are forgiven. Christ is risen, and with the women at the tomb and Peter, we are amazed. Let us rejoice: Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia!
Prayer of the Day
Scripture
- Acts 10:34-43
God raised Jesus on the third day
Peter’s sermon, delivered at the home of Cornelius, a Roman army officer, is a summary of the essential message of Christianity: Everyone who believes in Jesus, whose life, death, and resurrection fulfilled the words of the prophets, receives forgiveness of sins through his name.
- Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. (Ps. 118:24)
- 1 Corinthians 15:19-26
Christ raised from the dead, the first fruits
Paul describes the consequences of the resurrection, including the promise of new life in Christ to a world that has been in bondage to death. He celebrates the destruction of evil and the establishment of God’s victorious rule over all.
- Luke 24:1-12
The women proclaim the resurrection
Evidently expecting to find Jesus’ corpse, some of the women among his followers go to the tomb with embalming spices. After a perplexing encounter with the empty tomb and angelic visitors, the women become the first to proclaim the amazing news of resurrection.
Fellowship Time
You are invited to stay after worship for refreshments and fellowship time in the gathering space.