He Is Not Here

WESTPORT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH WORSHIP SERVICE
EASTER SUNDAY – CELEBRATION OF HOLY COMMUNION
April 5, 2026

CHILDREN’S INTROIT: Easter Affirmation Harriet Willoughby
CALL TO WORSHIP:

One: Christ is risen!
All: Alleluia! Christ is risen indeed!
One: Rejoice and be glad:
All: This is the day the Lord has made!
One: Rejoice and be glad:
All: God has turned our faces toward the future in hope!
One: Rejoice and be glad:
All: Christ is risen! Alleluia!

OPENING HYMN:  #232 Glory to God Jesus Christ Is Risen Today
UNISON CONFESSION OF OUR NEED OF GOD:

All: God of fresh paths and lover of surprises,
God of fortunes reversed and plots untwisted,
deliver us from cul-de-sacs of despair.
Bear with us as our eyes adjust to the new light of Easter joy.
Be near us when we shrink from the possibilities
that quiver at the edge of our experience.
Bless us with courage when we pretend to want newness
but default into seeking permission to stay the same.
Roll the stone away from our hearts.
Raise us from the dead and send us back into our lives –
delirious, baffled, and laughing.

ASSURANCE OF GOD’S GRACE:

One: God has raised the crucified Jesus from the dead.
And now the risen Christ is among us
as the fresh energy of joy, kindness, and hope.
Friends, welcome this wild joy into your hearts!
All: In Jesus Christ we are forgiven and loved.
Thanks be to God! Alleluia!

SUNG RESPONSE: #243 Glory to God Be Not Afraid (Sing Twice)
[Time with Young Disciples]
SHARING THE PEACE OF CHRIST:

One: The peace of Christ be with you.
All: And also with you.
One: Let’s share the peace of Christ with one another.

PRAYER FOR ILLUMINATION:

One: Come, ageless and alive One, and prepare us to be surprised once more by the unsettling, life-altering news that even emptiness might be full of love and light.
All: Amen.

SCRIPTURE READING: Matthew 28:1-10
CHORAL ANTHEM: He Arose Larson
MESSAGE: He Is Not Here
AFFIRMATION OF FAITH: (from the Book of Order)

All: We believe there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus; for we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to God’s purpose. We are convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

SUNG PREPARATION FOR PRAYER:  #231 Glory to God Christ Has Risen While Earth Slumbers (verse 1)
PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE AND THE LORD’S PRAYER:

All: Our Mother and 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.

CELEBRATION OF HOLY COMMUNION:
THE OFFERING OF OURSELVES/INVITATION TO GIVE:

One: With glad and generous hearts, let us give from what we have received.

OFFERTORY:  The White Family
PRAYER OF DEDICATION:

One: God, you meet our needs and transform us for service. Accept these gifts as tokens of our gratitude and bless the world through these offerings.
All: Amen.

INVITATION TO THE TABLE
GREAT THANKSGIVING
BREAKING OF THE BREAD
COMMUNION
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION:

One: God incarnate, in these ordinary elements you have fed us with the body of the living Christ, that we might become the body of the living Christ. Increase in us faith, hope, and love, that we might be your friends, co-creators of a new world.
All: Amen.

WELCOME: News In, Around, and Beyond the Community
CLOSING HYMN:  #238 Glory to God Thine Is the Glory
CHARGE AND BLESSING:

One: Christ is risen!
All: Christ is risen, indeed!
One: May the grace, hope, peace and love of God our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer be with you now and always. Amen.

POSTLUDE The White Family

 

EASTER LILY DEDICATIONS 

• Deanna Capps
  In memory of Denise Rumsey
• Charles & Nancy Gay
  In memory of our parents & siblings
  Cary & Louise Hinchman, Charles & Macie Gay, Sally Hinchman, Darlene Hatten & Carol Seibert
• Bob Russell
  In memory of Robert & Leona Kenison
  & Nancy K. Russell
• Harlan & Linda Smith
  In memory of Lillian Brunk
  Luretta Turnbull
  & Retta Kemerling
• Josh Stark
  In memory of Patricia Stark
• Bobbie Testa
  In memory of Parents & Grandparents
• The White Family
  In memory of Dorothy Hawkins
  & Bill Hawkins
• Jared Witt
  In memory of Bob Batchelor & Sherise Witt

A WESTPORT WARM WELCOMING!

• WELCOME! MEMBERS! NEWCOMERS! FRIENDS! We are so glad you could join us for worship today! VISITORS, please take a moment to let us know you were here by picking up an attendance card (in the pews) and filling out whatever information you would like to share with us.
• WELCOME FAMILIES! NURSERY care is available in the upstairs children’s space. Parents are asked to fill out a brief registration form before church begins. (This form only needs to be filled out once). Children’s Sunday School usually meets during the second half of worship in the in the 2nd floor Children’s Space, but is on break. Children are invited to remain in the service until the “Time for Young Disciples” and then they can go play in the upstairs children’s room.
• HEARING ASSISTANCE DEVICES available upon request. Talk to Deanna up in the front of the sanctuary at the livestream table if you would like to use one.
• 2026 PER CAPITA is $45.91 per church member. This money helps support our denomination on the regional and national levels. The breakdown is: $11.26 to General Assembly, $3.15 to Synod of Mid-America, and $31.50 to Heartland Presbytery. If you would like to help out the church by paying your own Per Capita, make your check out to Westport Presbyterian Church or place money in a pew envelope and include “per Capita” on the memo line. Thank You!
• CHILDREN’S CHOIR PRACTICE: Kids that want to sing with the choir are invited to join Renee in the front of the sanctuary on Sunday mornings from 10:00-10:25 a.m.

MISSION & OUTREACH OPPORTUNITIES:

• WESTPORT SHOWERS happens on Sunday mornings & Thursday nights. Items Needed for our CLOTHING CLOSET include: Sneakers, T-shirts, Underwear (Men’s Boxer Briefs), Socks, Women’s pants/shorts size 0-8, Men’s pants/shorts size 28-40, Bandaids, Sweatpants, Leggings, Belts, Backpacks, Body wash, Sports bras, & Washcloths.
• WESTPORT SHOWERS is looking for additional volunteers to help with Sunday mornings. With the increase in guests, we would like to have teams of 2 volunteers upstairs working together at the door and 2 downstairs working in the shower/laundry room each Sunday. You would be working with experienced volunteers who can train you in what is needed. If you would like to help, and are willing to volunteer 1 Sunday morning a month, reach out to Drew Irwin or Allison Rozga for more information.
• We are giving out lunches on Fridays in the RESOURCE CENTER and Sundays as part of WESTPORT SHOWERS. Food donations of fruit cups, meat, cheese, peanut butter are always needed.
• BOARD MEMBERS NEEDED & PAID PART-TIME POSTITIONS AVAILABLE: Westport Center for the Arts, an non-profit organization founded by our church that has dedicated itself to bringing free art exhibits, concerts, dance performances, etc. to the neighborhood, has several positions that need filling. They need a board president to set a meeting agenda and keep track of who is doing what, and they are looking to fill a few paid positions: Grant Writer, Visual Arts Program Director. If interested, email [email protected] or speak with Josh Stark or Deanna Capps.
• CONNECTION HOUR SMALL GROUP:
  Sunday Mornings
  10:00 a.m. Book Discussion Group readings related to various topics including faith, art, culture, politics, earth care. Currently reading Search: A Novel, by Michelle Huneven.

INREACH & OUTREACH IN THE COMING WEEK: (All Events are at the Church, 201 Westport Rd – unless noted)

• Monday, Apr. 6 5:30 p.m. MO Workers Center Meeting (Fellowship Room)
  6:30 p.m. Men’s AA Meeting (Storefront)
  7:30 p.m. Boy Scout Troop 60 (Westport Rising Room)
• Tuesday, Apr. 7 ELECTION DAY
  6:00 a.m.- Polls Open for School & Special Election
  7:00 p.m. (Fellowship Room)
  4:30 p.m. Centering Prayer and Silence – 20 min (Chapel)
• Thursday, Apr. 9 5:30 p.m. Westport Showers – For Women, Trans, & Gender Non- conforming people (Basement)
• Friday, Apr. 10 11:00 a.m-3:00 p.m. Resource Center Open & Sack Lunches Distributed (Storefront)
  11:30 a.m. Children’s Mercy TIES Group (Fellowship Room)
• Saturday, Apr. 11 8:30 a.m. Private Rental – Meeting (Storefront)
  10:00 a.m. Cub Scouts (Westport Rising Room)
• Sunday, Apr. 12 THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT
  8-9:30 a.m. Westport Showers (Fellowship Room & Basement)
  Connection Hour Small Group:
  10:00 a.m. Book Discussion Group
  10:00 a.m. Children’s Choir Rehearsal (Sanctuary)
  11:00 a.m. Service of the Lord’s Day (Sanctuary)
  Nursery Care (Upstairs Children’s Room)
  12:15 p.m. Choir Rehearsal (Sanctuary)

LOOKING AHEAD:

• Tuesday, Apr. 14 5:15 p.m. Session Meeting (Fellowship Room)
• Friday, Apr. 17 12:00 p.m. WCA Brown Bag Concert Series: New Red Onion Jazz Babies, 7-piece Dixieland band (Sanctuary)
• Saturday, Apr. 18 1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Westport Historical Society: “Sharing the Love of Gardening”  Westport Garden Club Book Signing (Fellowship Room)
• MISSOURI LEGISLATIVE UPDATE:  from Riva and the League of Women Voters

5 Things to Watch as Missouri Legislator Goes Into the Home Stretch

1. The budget squeeze is about to shape everything else: In the final weeks, the question will not be what lawmakers want to fund. It will be what survives.
2. Safety-net fights are no longer just budget line items: test of how far lawmakers are willing to go in reshaping the safety net.
3. Tax cuts move into a more difficult phase: Missouri Republicans remain deeply committed to tax cuts. The harder part is explaining how all the numbers are supposed to work.
4. Lawmakers may finally have to decide what to do about gray-market slot machines: Lawmakers can bring the machines into a regulated system and capture revenue, or they can stop managing the gray area and start shutting it down.
5. Senate dysfunction could still scramble the whole ending: outcome may depend not just on the votes, but on whether the chamber can function well enough to get to them.

GOOD NEWS!

• Missouri lawmakers’ latest attempt to bar state and local officials from helping enforce certain federal gun laws collapsed Wednesday in a House committee, defeated not only by Democrats but by Republicans.
• A Missouri Senate committee on Monday gave a warm reception to a bill intended to bar candidates from raising money with automatically recurring donations. The bill would require campaigns to make donations a one-time event unless the donor agrees to make them recurring contributions; would end all recurring contributions when an election is over; would require all solicitations to state the candidate or PAC that will receive the money and if a donation processing service is taking a share of the funds. (Former State Senator used this practice during his campaign).

No Excuse – Absentee Voting Locations
Kansas City Election Board Weekdays Mar 24-Apr 3 8am-6pm (KCEB only hours)
4405 E. 50th Terrace Saturday Apr 4 8am-12pm
Kansas City, MO 64130 Monday April 6 8am-5pm

Fellowship Right Baptist Church Garrison Community Center (NOT open April 4)
4700 Pittman Rd 1124 E. 5th
Kansas City, MO 64133 Kansas City, MO 64106

Mount Christian Worship Center Palestine Senior Center
1800 E. 79th St. (Corner of 79th and Paseo) 3325 Prospect Ave
Kansas City, MO 64132 Kansas City, MO 62128

Second Presbyterian Church United Believers Community Church
318 E. 55th St 5600 E. 112 Ter
Kansas City, MO 64113 Kansas City, MO 64134

Hours for all locations, except KCEB
Weekdays, March 24 – April 3 10am – 6pm Saturday, April 4 8am – 12pm

CHECK YOUR VOTER REGISTRATION! Live in KC? Go to KCEB.org. Live in Jackson County outside of KC? Go to JCEB.org. Outside of these counties, go to Secretary of State’s office sos.mo.gov. Go to VOTE411.org to check registration and polling place and what will be on your ballot.