John Calvin Presbyterian Church

1. Here in this place, new light is streaming, now is the darkness

vanished away; See, in this space, our fears and our dreamings,

brought here to you in the light of this day.

Gather us in – the lost and forsaken, gather us in  

the blind and the lame; Call to us now, and we shall awaken,

we shall arise at the sound of our name.

2. We are the young – our lives are a mystery, we are the old who yearn for your face. We have been sung throughout all of history,

called to be light to the whole human race.

Gather us in – the rich and the haughty, gather us in  the 

proud and the strong; Give us a heart so meek and so lowly;

give us the courage to enter the song.

3. Here we will take the wine and the water, here we will take the bread of new birth. Here you shall call your sons and your daughters, call us anew to be salt for the earth.

Give us to drink the wine of compassion, give us to eat the

bread that is you. Nourish us well, and teach us to fashion

lives that are holy and hearts that are true.

4. Not in the dark of buildings confining, not in some heaven, light years a-way:  here in this place, the new light is shining;

now is the Kingdom, and now is the day.

Gather us in – and hold us forever, gather us in – and

 make us your own. Gather us in – all peoples together,

fire of love in our flesh and our bone.

WORDS OF WELCOME           

PRELUDE”     Crown Him With Many Crowns” 

arr. Anna Laura Page JCPC Handbell Choir

ADORATION

CALL TO WORSHIP John 20:19, 21

ONE: Peace be with you. Jesus stands among us.

MANY: Peace be with you. The risen Lord is here.                                                 

PRAYER OF THE DAY 

God of resurrection, Your son, Jesus, awed his followers by appearing among them. With awe we also celebrate his resurrection and rejoice in eternal life. Amen.

*HYMN     “Sing a New Song unto the Lord”     SING A NEW SONG

Sing a new song unto the Lord; 

let your song be sung from mountains high.

Sing a new song unto the Lord, singing hallelujah!

1. Shout with gladness! Dance for joy! 

O come before the Lord. 

And play for God on glad tambourines, 

and let your trumpet sound.

2. Rise, O children, from your sleep;

your Savior now has come. 

He has turned your sorrow into joy, 

and filled your soul with song.

3. 3. Glad my soul for I have seen the glory of the Lord.

The trumpet sounds; the dead shall be raised.

I know my Savior lives.      

MESSAGE FOR THE CHILDREN              

CONFESSION 

CALL TO CONFESSION                                                                  

SILENT CONFESSION

PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Almighty God, in raising Jesus from the grave, you shattered the power of sin and death. We confess that we remain captive to doubt and fear, bound by the ways that lead to death. We overlook the poor and the hungry, and pass by those who mourn; we are deaf to the cries of the oppressed, and indifferent to calls for peace; we despise the weak, and abuse the earth you made. 

Forgive us, God of mercy. Help us to trust your power to change our lives and make us new, that we may know the joy of life abundant given in Jesus Christ, the risen Lord. Amen. 

DECLARATION of FORGIVENESS                    

PROCLAMATION

FIRST LESSON                                            Rev. 1: 1-8 

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place; he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw.

Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near.

John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Look! He is coming with the clouds;

   every eye will see him,

even those who pierced him;

   and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.

So it is to be. Amen.

‘I am the Alpha and the Omega’, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

ANTHEM The Glories of Christ Tom Fettke and Thomas Grassi    

SECOND LESSON                                    John 20:19-31

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‘We have seen the Lord.’ But he said to them, ‘Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.’

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then he said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.’ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.’

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

ONE: The Word of the Lord

MANY: Thanks be to God

SERMON                             

RESPONSE     

*AFFIRMATION OF FAITH Nicene Creed: BOC 1.1-3

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. 

RECEIVING OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS

OFFERTORY           

*OFFERTORY RESPONSE 

Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary, 

pure and holy, tried and true.

With thanksgiving, I’ll be a living sanctuary for you.

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER 

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 debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

*HYMN Blue # 151      Crown Him With Many Crowns

1 Crown Him with many crowns, The Lamb upon His throne;

Hark, how the heavenly anthem drowns All music but its own!

Awake, my soul, and sing Of Him who died for thee,

And hail Him as thy matchless King Through all eternity.

2 Crown Him the Lord of love; Behold His hands and side,

Rich wounds, yet visible above, In beauty glorified:

No angel in the sky Can fully bear that sight,

But downward bends his burning eye At mysteries so bright.

3 Crown Him the Lord of peace; Whose power a scepter sways

From pole to pole, that wars may cease, Absorbed in prayer and praise:

His reign shall know no end; And round His piercèd feet

Fair flowers of paradise extend Their fragrance ever sweet.

4 Crown Him the Lord of years, The Potentate of time;

Creator of the rolling spheres, Ineffably sublime.

All hail, Redeemer, hail! For Thou hast died for me;

Thy praise shall never, never fail Throughout eternity. 

*PARTING PRAYER

Glory to you, O God: you have won victory over death, raising Jesus from the grave and giving us eternal life. Glory to you, O Christ: for us and for our salvation you have overcome death and opened the gate to everlasting life. Glory to you, O Holy Spirit: you lead us into the truth. Glory to you, O Blessed Trinity, now and forever. Amen. 

CHARGE AND BENEDICTION

*RESPONSE                      “Alleluia!”                    CELTIC ALLELUIA

Al-le-lu-ia! Al-le-lu-ia! Al-le-lu-ia! Al-le-lu-ie!

POSTLUDE                    A Festal Tune Weber             

Participating in today’s service are Rev. Aaron Ochart, Pastor; Louise Ochart, CE Leader; Sam Garnett, Music Director; and Kelly Cuppett, Asst. Music Director. Appreciation to Dennis Lauland. Mike Fortin, and David Garland for the video production of today’s service. 

The Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved.  

STAFF

Church Office. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504.888.1375

Playschool Office. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .504.888.1378

The Reverend Aaron Ochart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Head of Staff

Louise Ochart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Christian Education Leader

Sam Garnett. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Music Director

Kelly Cuppett. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Assistant Music Director

Lauren Oufnac. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Playschool Director

Stephanie Galliano. . . . . Playschool Administrative Assistant

For more information, visit our website at www.JohnCalvinChurch.org

 or find us @JohnCalvinMetairie on

The Flowers in the Sanctuary were donated by Mike and Sharon Fortin in celebration of their 40th wedding anniversary.

JCPC Prayer Team You may write your prayer request on one of the forms, located in the pew rack in front of you, and place it in the offering plate. You may also enter prayer requests on-line at www.johncalvinchurch.org, just click  “Prayer Request.”

Game Day: Join us on April 28th in the Library for game day at 10:00 AM. 

Laser Tag Fundraiser: We will be doing a youth Fundraiser at Adventure Quest Laser Tag on May 12th. The Event Starts at 4:00 PM. It’s $20 for unlimited laser Tag, Bumper Cars, and Cosmic Golf. There is no charge for adults who don’t plan on playing. But I bet some Dads out there would enjoy a game or two of laser tag. This is open to everyone so please help get the word out and invite all your friends!! We will have information you can share on your Social Media and a link to pre-buy your wristband on our Facebook Page next week and on the website.

Youth Group: The Next Youth Group meeting will be May 1st. 

Grace Circle: Grace Circle will meet on Tuesday the 19th at 10:00 am. Please join the women of the Church as they continue their study, What My Grandmothers Taught Me. 

Mothers Day Service Rehearsals: We will have rehearsals for the Mothers Day Service Sunday April 1st at 9:30 AM, Saturday April 7th at 10:30 AM – Noon and Sunday April 8th at 9:30 AM. Please see Louise for More information. 

• Family and friends of Stephen Frey, 
• Pam, Bill’s friend, was in the hospital over the weekend. 

April 10

• Family and Friends of John Savage, a friend of Bill’s. 
• For innocent people hurt in senseless crimes.

April 3rd

• Michael Larson, a former co-worker of Bill Bottomley, who is in the hospital, after suffering a heart attack. Pray also for his wife, Shonda.

• Nick Jenco, having shoulder replacement surgery.