Easter Day in the year of Matthew
Gathering God’s
People
A LARGE LIT CANDLE IS PROCESSED IN:
The candle is placed
on the table with these words:
Alleluia!
Christ is risen!
Christ is risen indeed!
This is the day that the
Lord has made
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Call to Worship - (Abingdon 2013)
Praise the Lord! God
has defeated death.
Praise the Lord! Sing
the Easter song.
It is the first day
of the week. God Almighty is with us.
Peace be with us.
It is the first day
of the week. Jesus is here.
Peace be with us.
It is the first day
of the week. The Holy Spirit is upon us.
Peace be with us.
Praise God in this
sanctuary. Praise God for salvation in days gone by.
Praise God for
salvation here today. Praise God’s surpassing greatness with music.
Bless God’s holy name
with life and breath.
Hymn TIS 362: “Jesus Christ is
risen today”
Having made these
declarations, sung this hymn and shouted in exultation, the theme for today's
service was established and we entered into a very special time together.
Opening prayer
Our Lord and our God,
like doubting Thomas so long ago,
it is sometimes
difficult for us to believe in new life and
Resurrection. We ask
you to turn our doubts into vibrant
faith. We have not
seen, but help us believe. Amen.
For those of us who
know the hand of God upon us, the difficulty isn't in
believing in new life
but in the details of the story. We know Jesus lives. We do not doubt that for
a second.
A Prayer of
Confession
God of life and love,
we rejoice in our own salvation, but find it hard to forgive those who have
hurt us.
You call us to seek
the paths of peace and blessing, to be your face to everyone we meet, but it is
easier sticking to well-travelled streets of anger and resentment. We yearn to
live in ease in heaven, but too often make life hard for people around us.
You call us to spread
your word of resurrection, to witness to your love and grace for the world, but
our lips remain silent.
Forgive us, Holy One,
when we hold on to what we have, rather than share your gifts with the world.
Declaration of
Forgiveness
The One whom the
prophets foretold, and of whom the Gospels testify, lives among us today. In
the love of the Creator; in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ; and in
the power of the Holy Spirit, we are forgiven. Alleluia! Amen.
Thanks, be to God!
There is so much
anger in the world. It is present between countries,
between organizations
and between and in families. And it's so hard to let go of the anger and seek justice
at the same time.
The Peace
Rejoicing in Christ’s
life among us, let us share signs of peace.
The peace of Christ
be with you.
The peace of Christ
be with you always.
In stretching out our
hands to each other, the tension eases and we allow humility to kick in,
soothing troubled soul
Offering
Prayer
God of love and
grace, for the love and life that you give us in Christ, we offer you these
signs of our gratitude; for the compassion and mercy that you give us in the
Holy Spirit, we offer you our thankfulness and praise. Receive these gifts in
your holy name. Amen.
So often we look to
what is happening "outside": our gifts of time and energy and goods.
But if we offered our inner life to God and through him to others, that inner
humility and love, even without words, would make its mark.
Hymn TIS 390: "Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks …"
The Service of the
Word
The Readings: Acts 10:
34-43. Colossians 3: 1-4. Matthew 28:1-10.
These readings all
focussed on the risen Jesus but the theme that was touching me from the very
start was best expressed in Colossians: So if you have been raised with Christ,
seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.2 Set
your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, 3 for
you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When
Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in
glory.
Preaching of the Word
There are many truths
of which the full meaning cannot be realized until personal experience has
brought it home. John Stuart Mill
True. I just couldn't
believe my friend really knew there was a living God until the day he
confronted me. John described many occasions "when you just had to be
there" but there's one I share with a few of my friends: the thrill of an
elegant solution to an algebra problem. You may wonder what I'm talking about
but those of us who have known the experience have been enriched by it.
John explained to us:
It's not too hard to
visualize some doubt on the part of a modern-day people. Some things just need
to be experienced to be believed. Perhaps it wasn't that Thomas doubted his
friends' honesty, or doubted the power that Jesus had. Several Disciples just
weren't there. What a tragedy that absence was. A life-shaping moment happened,
and some weren’t there to experience it with the tightly-knit band of which he
was a part.
In his book A
Community of Character, Stanley Hauerwas uses an example of the power of
shared experience. He points to the development of a community of rabbits in
Richard Adams' popular book, Watership Down. Hauerwas says that,
"what we seek is not power, or security, or equality, or even dignity, but
a sense of worth gained from participation and contribution to a common sense
of adventure." He continues, "Indeed, our dignity derives exactly
from our sense of having played a part in such a story."...
In the story of Watership
Down, it is the shared adventures of the rabbits which create the bond of
community. In the Christian story, it is the experience of being with Jesus
that draws his followers together...
If we expect others to believe us, to eagerly
join us on this adventure, we've got to find a way to help them experience the
presence of God in our midst. Our worship and our fellowship need to be open in
order to experience the full power of God-in-community.
Hymn TIS 380: "Yours be the glory"
Music to lead us to
prayer while we contemplate our inner life.
Intercessory Prayers
John prayed for the
church world wide, in Australia and here at Marsden Road. He prayed for all
those suffering in any way but particularly those needing new life that they
will see it when it is offered to them. After this we joined in The
Lord's Prayer
Hymn TIS 755: “You shall go out with joy” With our spirits raised.
Benediction
With Mary and the
disciples and all those who live in Christ, let us rejoice that we have seen
our Saviour, who is not dead, but lives. In the love of the Creator; in the
life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ; and the power of the Holy
Spirit, let us go forth to love and serve the world.
Alleluia! Christ is
risen!
Christ is risen indeed!
This is the day that
that the Lord has made
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Hymn 778: “Shalom to you”
To you my friend,
every good thing.
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