Call to worship
Praise the Lord!
Praise God in the centre of God’s
glorious creation.
Praise God here in this moment.
Praise God with every breath. Praise
God in every life.
Hymn TIS 392 “At the dawning of
salvation” It is Jesus, alive within us, that makes anything of
this world count for nothing.
Prayers of Praise and Thanksgiving Jan
thanked God for his love which never ends despite our doubts and confusion. She
acknowledged how we have been too frightened to make a stand for our beliefs
and gave thanks that we are given strength to speak out.
Prayer of Confession Jan
asked for God's mercy for the many times we fail Him and cause others to fail
Him.
Words of Assurance Hear
then Christ's words of grace: our sins are forgiven.
Thanks be to God.
Offering There
isn't any possibility of us returning to God anything like the blessings we
have been given but it does our souls good to do a little, at least.
Hymn TIS 538 “Feed us now, bread
of life”. As this bread and wine becomes part of our body may
God's spirit infuse us with His love for others.
Holy Communion – Iona
liturgy This is a wonderful
liturgy which welcomes all who seek to belong, to share at the table. I have
been thinking about sacraments in recent days and their ability to do something
at an inner level through our participation in an experience that speaks to our
senses.
As Jan held up the bread we were directed to think about how Jesus was
prepared to walk to his death rather than deny his story of redemption for us
all. And that is one part of a much bigger liturgy. We can leave so enriched if
we fully accept the invitation of this service.
Hymn TIS 382 “Now the green blade
rises” When our souls feel a deadening within, may God's
spirit raise us up to new life.
Bible Readings Kaye read
to us: Acts 5:27-32. Those of us who
have doubts about the facts of the Easter story are left to think deeply about
events such as these. We know the story of Jesus and his crucifixion because
the disciples came out of hiding and proclaimed it, despite the danger to
themselves. Would they have left themselves open to terrible deaths for
anything less than to truth? On the other hand, are we reading these stories in
the spirit they were written?
John 20:19-31 Again,
there are people who find these stories difficult but whatever happened,
changed the lives of these people irrevocably. It does it today too.
Sermon ‘Close
encounters with Jesus’,
transform us with joy and power. Jan led us into her reflection with
a reference to the "Life be in it." campaign and its star, Norm. It
was a call to look at our lives and think about how we should change them. Jan
then suggested that Easter is a time to reflect on our lives and what really
matters to us. Are we attending to the spiritual dimension of our lives?
Jan then exhorted us: Eternal life - be in
it - now! Be loved and cared for by our creator! Have purpose and fulfillment,
living life to the full through service to others in God's name. So you don't
feel capable? Look at the people Jesus chose.
They couldn't be more ordinary.
The new life we are offered has many aspects
to it. The line of the hymn that comes to my mind every time because it is the
line that pulled me up in my tracks. "Ransomed, healed restored, forgiven.
If we are all of those, who cares about our car or boat or our clothes or our
ability to travel the world! Life, be in it!
Musical interlude before prayers While
we're given time for private concerns.
Prayers of Intercession – Laurel prayed,
being mindful of our blessings especially those of the Spirit. She prayed for
others in the world, about who we know so much more because of modern
technology. We cannot ignore the plight of other people whose lives are brought
to us in such reality and we ask that we be made aware of how we can relieve
their burdens. She prayed for our leadership and went onto raise up those caught
up in violence and so, those who work to care for them. Laurel prayed for
families and for those who are unemployed as well as those who are facing
medical treatment.
Hymn TIS 376 ‘I know that my
redeemer lives’ Without looking at these words, I know that
my redeemer lives because I experience His living Spirit within, enlivening my
spirit.
Blessing
May the blessing of the Father, Son and Holy
Spirit be amongst you and remain with you.
Blessing Song - ‘For you,
Deep Stillness’
For you, deep stillness of the silent inland
For you, deep blue of the desert skies
For you, flame red of the rocks and stones
For you, sweet water from hidden springs.
From the edges seek the heartlands and when
you're burnt by the journey
may the cool winds of the hovering Spirit soothe
and replenish you.
In the name of Christ. In the name of
Christ.
1997 Robin Mann. Words: Julie Perrin.
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