Liturgy for the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year A (Matthew)
Introduction
The Fifth Sunday of Easter gathers the church around a word of comfort and a bold claim. Jesus speaks to troubled hearts: do not let your hearts be troubled. He is the way, the truth, and the life. Stephen dies with his eyes fixed on the risen Christ. The readings for this day speak of a people being built into something new, of trust that holds under pressure, and of a Christ who opens the way to the Father. This liturgy follows the Revised Common Lectionary for the Fifth Sunday of Easter (Year A) and is shaped by themes of trust, identity, belonging, and Christ as the way.
The lectionary readings at a glance
Acts 7:55–60 — Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, sees the risen Christ standing at the right hand of God. As he is stoned, he entrusts his spirit to Jesus and prays for his killers. Resurrection faith holds even at the cost of life.
Psalm 31:1–5, 15–16 — A prayer of refuge and trust. The psalmist commits their spirit into God's hands and pleads for deliverance. My times are in your hands.
1 Peter 2:2–10 — Believers are called living stones, built into a spiritual house on the cornerstone of Christ. Once not a people, now God's people. Once without mercy, now recipients of it.
John 14:1–14 — Jesus comforts his disciples before his departure. He is the way, the truth, and the life. To know him is to know the Father. Those who believe will do the works he has done, and greater still.
Call to worship — Option 1
One: Do not let your hearts be troubled.
All: We trust in God; we trust also in Christ.
One: Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.
All: He opens the way to the Father and calls us to follow.
One: Come, let us worship the one who is our way and our home.
All: We come with trust, laying our hearts before him.
Call to worship — Option 2
One: In you, O Lord, we take refuge.
All: Into your hands we commit our spirit.
One: We are living stones, built together on the cornerstone of Christ.
All: Once we were not a people. Now we are God's people.
One: Let us worship the God who claims us and calls us by name.
All: We gather in gratitude, belonging to the one who made us his own.
Opening prayer
Lord Jesus, you speak peace to troubled hearts and open the way to the Father. As we gather, still our anxious minds and turn our eyes toward you. You are the way we walk, the truth we trust, and the life we have been given. Lead us deeper into that life today. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Prayer of confession
Merciful God, we confess that our hearts are often troubled and our trust is often small. We look for other ways and lose sight of you. We forget whose people we are and how far your mercy has reached to claim us. Forgive us. Settle our hearts in you and set our feet back on the way. Amen.
Assurance of pardon
Hear the good news: "Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy." (1 Peter 2:10)
In Jesus Christ, we are forgiven, claimed, and made new.
Thanks be to God!
Prayer for illumination
God of truth, as your Word is read and proclaimed, show us the way. Through Christ, who is the way, the truth, and the life. Amen.
Benediction
Go in the peace of the one who is the way. Your times are in his hands, your life is built on his foundation, and your heart need not be troubled. Follow where he leads.
For a full collection of benedictions and blessings, visit Benedictions and Blessings.
See also
Worship Resources
Calls to Worship
Opening Prayers
Prayers of Confession
Assurance of Pardon
Prayer of Illumination
Benedictions and Blessings
