April 12, 2020: An Feast for Easter Sunday Evening Page 1 of 8

An at Home: Keeping the Lord’s Day during the Outbreak

Did you know that the early began worshiping on Sundays in small groups in their homes, after the command of Jesus to “do this in memory of me?” The Greek word “agape” means compassionate love for others, and is the way early Christians described their love for one another.

We have suddenly been cast into that situation in order to protect the health of the most vulnerable people, and, indeed, that of our own. In faith and hope, we can look ahead to the time when all this is over and when we gather in our beloved parish church to celebrate the . But that may be some time.

We have developed some helpful resources for viewing online each day. Visit www.olih.org/daily-mass for a video of Mass at the click of a button. Visit www.olih.org/mass-at-olih, our usual Sunday Mass page, for enhanced resources for Sunday worship.

But we might still be missing the tangible and connected experience of worshiping together. It is, after all, what Jesus commanded. The short worship service that follows isn’t Mass, but it does help us to continue to ritualize a time for scripture and a simple meal together. It’s called an Agape (ah-GA-pay) Meal or “feast of love” that households can do any day of the week, but it is especially suited to the Lord’s Day—Sunday.

Many thanks to Abby and Randy Henderson for providing an outline for this service. Households of one can consider doing this over a video or even an audio call with someone else. You are free to modify this as suits your household’s needs. Depending on participation, this service typically lasts about 10 minutes.

Set-up  Invite everyone in advance to set aside time for the meal. Invite assistance in making preparations.  Clear the main or formal dining table.  Arrange a cross or crucifix, a lighted candle, and on the table.  Prepare a small plate with one slice of bread (store-bought or make your own) and a cup of juice or wine.  Begin standing around the table where each person will be seated.  Choose one or two people to lead the service. Perhaps a parent at first; at their discretion parents can share the leadership with each other and/or children.  Choose one or two people to read scripture.  Note: if you don’t have access to a printer and don’t want multiple screens at the table, one person can lead the whole service.

April 12, 2020: An Agape Feast for Easter Sunday Evening Page 2 of 8

Outline for April 12, 2020: Easter Sunday Keeping the Lord’s Day at Home

A suggested full text follows if you wish to use it, including the text of readings from the Children’s .

1. Invocation: All gather at the table and begin with the 2. Psalm: Someone reads Psalm 118 3. : Someone reads the Gospel: Luke 24:13-35 4. Reflect on the Word: A leader shares a few words about the readings; asking questions for children to help them understand. 5. Prayers for one another and the world: The leader invites each person, one-by- one, to offer a prayer or ask prayers for something. 6. The Lord’s Prayer: All join hands and say the Lord’s Prayer. 7. Agape Meal: The Leader breaks off a piece of bread and give it to another person, and may say, Jesus rose from the dead, just as he said he would. May his resurrection we celebrate scatter the darkness! 8. That person eats it and, taking the bread, in turn breaks a piece of bread and gives it to the next person. This continues until someone has given a piece to the leader. 9. Share the cup: The same is observed with the cup. The leader may say, We feast together in God’s love and compassion. 10. Commitment to reach out: Consider a making a commitment to our poor, lonely, or the work of the church. Some suggestions: write a card or letter to a loved one or neighbor who might especially be struggling, or make a donation (emergency food or health care relief, parish contribution, etc). Decide what to do as a household and agree upon a time to do it later that day or week. 11. Concluding blessing: The leader gives a Final Blessing, with all making the sign of the Cross: May the love of God, the peace of Christ, and the of the Holy Spirit be with us and remain with us forever. Amen.

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Outline for April 12, 2020: Easter Sunday Evening Keeping the Lord’s Day at Home

Suggested Full Text for those who wish (including readings from the Children’s Lectionary)

Sign of the Cross

Leader Stay with us, Lord, for it is evening. All And the darkness fills this hour.

Leader Let your light scatter the darkness. All And illumine your Church.

Pause for recollection. All make the sign of the cross as the leader says:

Leader In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

All Amen.

Leader Why do we gather at this table [this Sunday]?

All This is where we gather together [as a family] at home. It reminds us of the at church, the table where we gather as community, where we remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Leader God gave us each other and all that we have as gift. Now let us be seated to be nourished by God’s word.

All are seated.

Jesus appears at Emmaus (1973, Cameroon, Jesus MAFA Project)

JESUS MAFA is a response to the readings from the Lectionary by a Christian community in Cameroon, Africa. Each of the readings were selected and adapted to dramatic interpretation by the community members. Photographs of their interpretations were made, and these were then transcribed to paintings.

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Psalm 118 (use your Bible or use the children’s lectionary text below)

All This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.

Reader Tell the Lord how thankful you are, because he is kind and always merciful. Let Israel shout, “God is always merciful!”

All This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.

Reader The Lord is powerful! With his mighty arm the Lord wins victories! And so my life is safe, and I will live to tell what the Lord has done.

All This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.

Reader The stone that the builders tossed aside has now become the most important stone. The Lord has done this, and it is amazing to us.

All This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad.

Gospel Reading: Luke 24:13-35 Use your bible or use the Children’s Lectionary below. Use a shorter passage if that makes this more usable.

Reader ! A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke All Alleluia! Glory to you, O Lord.

Two of Jesus’ disciples were going to the village of Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. As they were talking and thinking about what had happened, Jesus came near and started walking along beside them. But they did not know who he was.

Jesus asked them, “What were you talking about as you walked along?” The two of them stood there looking sad and gloomy. Then the one named Cleopas asked Jesus, “Are you the only person from Jerusalem April 12, 2020: An Agape Feast for Easter Sunday Evening Page 5 of 8

who didn’t know what was happening there these last few days?” “What do you mean?” Jesus asked. They answered: “Those things that happened to Jesus from Nazareth. By what he did and said he showed that he was a powerful prophet, who pleased God and all the people. Then the chief priests and our leaders had him arrested and sentenced to die on a cross. We had hoped that he would be the one to set Israel free! “But it has already been three days since all this happened. Some women in our group surprised us. They had gone to the tomb early in the morning, but did not find the body of Jesus. They came back, saying that they had seen a vision of angels who told them that he is alive. Some men from our group went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said. But they didn’t see Jesus either.”

Then Jesus asked the two disciples, “Why can’t you understand? How can you be so slow to believe all that the prophets said? Didn’t you know that the Messiah would have to suffer before he was given his glory?” Jesus then explained everything written about himself in the Scriptures, beginning with the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets. When the two of them came near the village where they were going, Jesus seemed to be going farther. They begged him, “Stay with us! It’s already late, and the sun is going down.” So Jesus went into the house to stay with them. After Jesus sat down to eat, he took some bread. He blessed it and broke it. Then he gave it to them. At once they knew who he was, but he disappeared. They said to each other, “When he talked with us along the road and explained the Scriptures to us, didn’t it warm our hearts?” So they got right up and returned to Jerusalem. April 12, 2020: An Agape Feast for Easter Sunday Evening Page 6 of 8

The two disciples found the eleven apostles and the others gathered together. And they learned from the group that the Lord was really alive and had appeared to Peter.

Then the disciples from Emmaus told what happened on the road and how they knew he was the Lord when he broke the bread.

The Gospel of the Lord.

All Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Reflection The leader gives a brief explanation of the Gospel reading and the season of . With children, consider asking a question to help them understand.

Praying for One Another and the World Each person is invited, one by one, to offer a prayer or share a need that others can pray for. Our parish intercessions are here. After everyone who wishes has offered a prayer, the leader continues:

Leader Gathering our prayers into one, let us join hands and pray as Jesus taught us: All Our Father…

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Simple Agape Feast 1. Someone brings the plate and cup to the table. 2. The Leader breaks off a piece of bread and gives it to someone, saying,

Leader Though in this meal we do not share the body and in the Eucharist, we remember his love.

Jesus rose from the dead, just as he said he would. May his resurrection we celebrate scatter the darkness! 3. That person eats it and, taking the bread, in turn breaks a piece of bread and gives it to the next person in silence. This continues until someone has given a piece to the leader. 4. The same is observed with the cup. The leader says: Leader We feast together in God’s love and compassion.

Commitment to reach out Consider a making a commitment to our poor, lonely, or the work of the church. Some suggestions: write a card or letter to a loved one or neighbor who might especially be struggling, or make a donation (emergency food or health care relief, parish contribution, etc). Decide what to do as a household and agree upon a time to do it later that day or week. Concluding blessing The leader gives a Final Blessing, with all making the sign of the Cross: Leader May the love of God, the peace of Christ, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with us and remain with us forever. Amen.

We conclude in peace, remembering our poor brothers and sisters. All Thanks be to God. Someone extinguishes the candle. April 12, 2020: An Agape Feast for Easter Sunday Evening Page 8 of 8

A Simple Bread Recipe INGREDIENTS (may be halved for smaller households) (3/4)  1½ Cups White Flour  ½ Cup Wheat Flour  1 tsp. salt  1 tsp. baking soda  3 Tbsp. sugar  2 Tbsp. softened butter or Crisco  ¾ Cup water

DIRECTIONS 1. Mix first five ingredients together. 2. Cut in butter/Crisco. 3. Add ¾ cup water. Stir with fork to make a sticky dough. 4. Roll out on a board generously floured with whole wheat flour. 5. Cut into square pieces, or cut into rounds using the rim of a bowl or plate. Press a small cup or glass in the center. 6. Score several times so all will have a piece. 7. Place on a foil-lined cookie sheet. 8. Bake at 350 degrees for 11 minutes.