Memorial Service

A Service of Thanksgiving

For the Resurrection Life of

Edwin Johnson

July 17, 1928 ~ April 14, 2023

May 6, 2023
11:30 am

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Westborough, MA

PRELUDE
Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ BWV 639
J. S. Bach

Vater unser im Himmelreich BWV 636
J. S. Bach

Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, der den Tod überwand, BWV 626
J. S. Bach
Yeon Soh, organ

INTRODUCTION

Welcome in the name of Jesus, the Savior of the world. We are gathered to worship, to proclaim Christ crucified and risen, to remember before God our brother Edwin to give thanks for his life, to commend him to our merciful redeemer, and to comfort one another in our grief.

THANKSGIVING FOR BAPTISM

When we were baptized in Christ Jesus, we were baptized into his death. We were buried therefore with him by Baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.

Eternal God, maker of heaven and earth, who formed us from the dust of the earth, who by your breath gave us life, we glorify you.

We glorify you.

Jesus Christ, the resurrection, and the life, who suffered death for all humanity, who rose from the grave to open the way to eternal life, we praise you.

We praise you.

Holy Spirit, author and giver of life, the comforter of all who sorrow, our sure confidence and everlasting hope, we worship you.

We worship you.

To you, O blessed Trinity, be glory and honor, forever and ever. Amen.

GATHERING HYMN
Thy Holy Wings ELW 613

GREETING

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. And also with you.

PRAYER OF THE DAY

Let us pray. O God of grace and glory, we remember before you today our brother Edwin. We thank you for giving him to us to know and to love as a companion in our pilgrimage on earth. In your boundless compassion, console us who mourn. Give us your aid, so we may see in death the gate to eternal life, that we may continue our course on earth in confidence until, by your call, we are reunited with those who have gone before us; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

FIRST READING PSALM 23

A reading from Psalms.

¹The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want.

²He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;

³he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.

⁴Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff —
they comfort me.

⁵You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
my whole life long.

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

POEM The Dash Poem by Linda Ellis

SPECIAL MUSIC
You Raise Me Up
Graham/ Lovland
Kirby Stalley, soloist

SECOND READING

JOHN 3:1-17
Rev. Lisa Bruget-Cass

A reading from John.

¹Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. ²He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” ³Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” ⁴Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” ⁵Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. ⁶What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷Do not be astonished that I said to you, ‘You must be born from above.’ ⁸The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” ⁹Nicodemus said to him, “How can these things be?” ¹⁰Jesus answered him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
¹¹Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. ¹²If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? ¹³No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. ¹⁴And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
¹⁶For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
¹⁷Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION

GOSPEL
LUKE 19:1-10
The Rev. Jeffrey Goodrich

The Holy Gospel according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord.

¹Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through it. ²A man was there named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was rich. ³He was trying to see who Jesus was, but on account of the crowd he could not, because he was short in stature. ⁴So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to see him, because he was going to pass that way. ⁵When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” ⁶So he hurried down and was happy to welcome him. ⁷All who saw it began to grumble and said, “He has gone to be the guest of one who is a sinner.” ⁸Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” ⁹Then Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰For the Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost.”

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, O Christ.

SERMON
The Rev. Jeffrey Goodrich

HYMN OF THE DAY
Children of the Heavenly Father ELW 781

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE

Let us pray.

Almighty God, in holy baptism you have knit your chosen people together into one communion of saints in the body of Christ. Give to your whole church in heaven and on earth your light and your peace. God of mercy, hear our prayer.

Grant that all who have been baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection may die to sin and rise to share the new life in Christ. God of mercy, hear our prayer.

Give courage and faith to all who mourn, and a sure and certain hope in your loving care, that, casting all their sorrow on you, they may have strength for the days ahead. God of mercy, hear our prayer.

Grant to us who are still in our pilgrimage, and who walk as yet by faith, that, where this world groans in grief and pain, your Holy Spirit may lead us to bear witness to your light and life. God of mercy, hear our prayer.

Help us, in the midst of things we cannot understand, to believe and trust in the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, and the resurrection to life everlasting. God of mercy, hear our prayer.

The presiding minister concludes the prayers.

God of all grace, we give you thanks because by his death our Savior Jesus Christ destroyed the power of death and by his resurrection he opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. Make us certain that because he lives we shall live also, and that neither death nor life, nor things present nor things to come, will be able to separate us from your love in Christ Jesus our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

PEACE

The peace of the Lord be with you always. And also with you.

DIALOGUE

The Lord be with you. And also with you.

Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right to give our thanks and praise.

PREFACE

It is indeed right, our duty and our joy, that we should at all times and in all places give thanks and praise to you, almighty and merciful God, through our Savior Jesus Christ; who on this day overcame death and the grave, and by his glorious resurrection opened to us the way of everlasting life. And so, with all the choirs of angels, with the church on earth and the hosts of heaven, we praise your name and join their unending hymn:

SANCTUS

THANKSGIVING AT THE TABLE

Holy, mighty, and merciful Lord, heaven and earth are full of your glory.

In great love you sent to us Jesus, your Son,

who reached out to heal the sick and suffering,

who preached good news to the poor,

and who, on the cross, opened his arms to all.

In the night in which he was betrayed,

our Lord Jesus took bread, and gave thanks;

broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:

Take and eat; this is my body, given for you.

Do this for the remembrance of me.

Again, after supper, he took the cup, gave thanks,

and gave it for all to drink, saying:

This cup is the new covenant in my blood,

shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sin.

Do this for the remembrance of me.

Remembering, therefore, his death, resurrection, and ascension,

we await his coming in glory.

Pour out upon us the Spirit of your love, O Lord,

and unite the wills of all who share this heavenly food,

the body and blood of Jesus Christ, our Lord;

to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit,

be all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.

LORD’S PRAYER

Let us pray as Jesus taught us, each in the words or language of our choice.

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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

OR

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 forever. Amen.

INVITATION TO COMMUNION

Communion

At this table, Christ is both host and meal, and offers himself to all who hunger and thirst for his presence.

We believe that he is truly present in this sacrament.

Ushers direct you to the rail, where bread is placed in your hand (you can request a gluten-free wafer), and where you receive wine by taking a cup from the tray
(the cups in the center contain white grape juice). Empty cups go into the trays by the windows.

If you do not wish to commune, you are welcome to come forward and receive a blessing.

If you need to receive communion in your pew, simply notify an usher.

No one is too young to receive this sacrament, though some families wish to give their children some instruction before they take their first communion. If a young child accompanies you to the rail, please indicate to the pastor whether they should receive bread or a blessing.

AGNUS DEI

COMMUNION MUSIC
Arioso
J.S. Bach
Christine Tsen, cello

COMMUNION HYMNS
Amazing Grace ELW 779
verses 1-3

On Eagle’s Wings ELW 787

TABLE BLESSING

The body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen you and keep you in God’s grace. Amen.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

Let us pray. God of abundance, with this bread of life and cup of salvation you have united us with Christ, making us one with all your people. Now send us forth in the power of your Spirit, that we may proclaim your redeeming love to the world and continue forever in the risen life of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING

1 CORINTHIANS 13:1-13
Rebecca Shields

A reading from Corinthians.
¹If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ²And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

⁴Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant ⁵or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; ⁶it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. ⁷It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

⁸Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. ⁹For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; ¹⁰but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. ¹¹When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. ¹²For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. ¹³And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

PRAYER OF COMMENDATION

Let us commend Edwin to the mercy of God, our maker and redeemer.

Into your hands, O merciful Savior, we commend your servant, Edwin. Acknowledge, we humbly beseech you, a sheep of your own fold, a lamb of your own flock, a sinner of your own redeeming. Receive him into the arms of your mercy, into the blessed rest of everlasting peace, and into the glorious company of the saints in light. Amen.

SENDING HYMN
How Great Thou Art ELW 856

DISMISSAL

Let us go forth in peace. In the name of Christ. Amen

POSTLUDE
Christ lag in Todesbanden BWV 625
J. S. Bach
Yeon Soh, organ

Memorial gifts in Ed’s memory may be made to
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

 

PARTICIPANTS

Celebrant/Preacher: Rev. Jeffrey Goodrich

Worship Assistant: Karen English

Lectors: Rev. Lisa Bruget-Cass & Rebecca Shields

Director of Music & Soloist: Kirby Stalley

Cellist: Christine Tsen

Organist: Yeon Soh

Ushers: Carl Miett & Josh Steinbrecher

From Sundays and Seasons.com. Copyright 2022 Augsburg Fortress. All rights reserved.

Reprinted by permission under Augsburg Fortress Liturgies Annual License #27028.

New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

https://goodshepherdcares.sharepoint.com/sites/gslcstaff971/shared documents/worship planning/2022/funerals/soderlund/m soderlund 080422.docx

 

 

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