Three-Year Lectionary
Study the appointed readings, prayers and resources for Series A, Series B and Series C through the Church Year.
March 28, 2027
See TodayEaster Day
Three-Year Lectionary · Series B
- First Reading
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Isaiah 25:6–9 (read in KJV on Bible Gateway, opens in a new tab)
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6 And in this mountain shall the LORD of hosts make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. 7 And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations. 8 He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it.
9 And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
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- Psalm
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Psalm 16 (read in KJV on Bible Gateway, opens in a new tab)
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Michtam of David.
1 Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.
2 O my soul, thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou art my Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee;
3 But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent, in whom is all my delight.
4 Their sorrows shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.
5 The LORD is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.
6 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.
7 I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.
8 I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
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- Epistle
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1 Cor. 15:1–11 (read in KJV on Bible Gateway, opens in a new tab)
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1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; 2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. 3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: 5 And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: 6 After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. 7 After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. 8 And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11 Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.
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- Gospel
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Mark 16:1–8 (read in KJV on Bible Gateway, opens in a new tab)
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1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. 2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun. 3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre? 4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great. 5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. 6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. 7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you. 8 And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.
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Easter Day
Three-Year Lectionary · Series B
About this service
The Risen Christ Has Swallowed Up Death Forever!
The entire fallen world is veiled in a funeral shroud “that is spread over all nations” and “cast over all peoples” (Is. 25:7). But the Lord of hosts, in the Person of the incarnate Son, Jesus Christ, has removed that terrible pall and swallowed up death forever. By submitting Himself to death, He burst it apart from the inside out. Now He wipes away all tears from our faces, and He invites us to “be glad and rejoice in his salvation” (Is. 25:9). His body and His blood, crucified and risen, are given and poured out for us as a feast “of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined” (Is. 25:6). We enter that feast through Holy Baptism, whereby our old man is buried with Jesus Christ, and we are raised up in Him, “dressed in a white robe” of His perfect righteousness (Mark 16:5). What St. Paul and the other apostles received “by the grace of God” is also “delivered to you” by the preaching of Christ, “in which you stand, and by which you are being saved” (1 Cor. 15:1–11).
Source: LCMS Worship, Lectionary Summaries — Three-Year Lectionary Series B (opens in a new tab). Used by permission. These pages may be reproduced for congregational use only. Commercial reproduction, or reproduction for sale of this work or any portion of this work, without the written permission of the copyright holder, is prohibited. © The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod. Scripture quoted in the summary is from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Introit, Gradual and Verse
Source: LCMS Three-Year Series (B) Propers Chart (opens in a new tab). Citations only; no liturgical or Scripture text is reproduced.
Prayers of the Church
Prayers of the Church for March 31, 2024 — Responsive Form
Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.
Almighty God, You kept Your promise and delivered up Your own Son to be our Savior. By His sacrificial death, our sins are forgiven, and by His rising again, we have the hope of everlasting life. Keep us in this holy joy throughout the Easter season and all our daily lives, that we may not fear our enemies nor give in to the temptation of despair in our days of trouble. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Be with Matthew, our Synod president; _____________, our district president; and all our pastors. Keep them faithful to deliver to Your people the apostolic Gospel of Your Son’s death, burial and resurrection. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Let us hold fast to the Word preached to us, that receiving it with joy we may take our stand in it and be saved by it. Hinder all who would sow doubt into our hearts, and grant us courage to confess its truth in our life and conversation. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Bless Joseph, our president, and all who make and administer our laws. Frustrate the forces of evil, and do not let our leaders cooperate with them or further their goals. Guard our armed forces as they stand watch for us at home and abroad. Let them serve with honor and integrity. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Have mercy on the sick and those in any need [especially _____________]. Let the dawning light of the new creation in Christ sustain them in faith. In accord with Your will, grant them renewed health — a foretaste of their eternal healing in Him. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Give us joy in Your Son’s great victory feast as He shares it with us from this altar. In the eating of His true body and the drinking of His precious blood in faith, overcome our sin by His forgiveness and swallow up our death in His life, that we may be glad and rejoice in His salvation. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
We praise Your holy name, O Lord, for all Your servants who have departed this life in faith. We pray that You will not abandon us to Sheol but that, when we awake in the resurrection of all flesh, Your presence will give us joy. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
We join today in singing eternal alleluias with innumerable angels in festal gathering, with the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven and with the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and we bring these petitions before You, dear Father, trusting in Your mercy; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Source: LCMS Worship, Prayers of the Church — Series B 2023–2024 (opens in a new tab). Prepared by LCMS Worship for congregational use. Used by permission. © The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.
Prayers of the Church for March 31, 2024 — Ektene Form
In peace, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
In thanksgiving for our risen and glorious Lord, whose sacrificial death has given us forgiveness of sins, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For Matthew, our Synod president; _____________, our district president; and all our pastors, that God would keep them faithful to deliver to His people the apostolic Gospel of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For the Church, that by God’s Spirit we would hold fast to the Word preached to us and, receiving it with joy, take our stand in it and be saved by it; and that God would hinder all who would sow doubt into our hearts, granting us courage to confess its truth in our life and conversation, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For Joseph, our president, and all who make and administer our laws, that God would frustrate the forces of evil and not let our leaders cooperate with them or further their goals; and for our armed forces as they stand watch for us at home and abroad, that they would serve with honor and integrity, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For the sick and those in any need, [especially _____________,] that the dawning light of the new creation in Christ would sustain them in faith, and that, according to God’s will, they would be granted renewed health as a foretaste of their eternal healing in Him, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For joy in Christ’s great victory feast as He shares it with us from this altar, and that He would overcome our sin by His forgiveness and swallow up our death in His life through the eating and drinking of His true body and blood in faith, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
For all the faithful, that at the resurrection of all flesh we might awaken in joy to the Lord’s presence, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy.
We join today in singing eternal alleluias with innumerable angels in festal gathering, with the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven and with the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and we bring these petitions before You, dear Father, trusting in Your mercy; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Source: LCMS Worship, Prayers of the Church — Series B 2023–2024 (opens in a new tab). Prepared by LCMS Worship for congregational use. Used by permission. © The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.
Hymn of the Day
LSB 458 Christ Jesus Lay in Death’s Strong Bands
The LCMS Hymn of the Day list appoints this hymn as the Hymn of the Day for The Resurrection of Our Lord (Day) (One-Year) and Easter Day (Series A, B and C).
Source: LCMS Worship, Hymn of the Day — Arranged by Church Year, p. 168 (opens in a new tab). Appointment identity only. Lutheran Service Book text and LCMS study content are not reproduced.
Suggested hymns
- Entrance LSB 457 Jesus Christ Is Risen Today
- Distribution LSB 633 At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing
- Distribution LSB 461 I Know That My Redeemer Lives
- Distribution LSB 480 He’s Risen, He’s Risen
- Closing LSB 467 Awake, My Heart, with Gladness
Source: LCMS Worship, Hymn Suggestions — Three-Year Lectionary Series B 2023–24 (opens in a new tab). Hymn numbers and titles only; hymn texts are not reproduced. Reproduction for individual, church or school use does not require permission. © The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod.