Resurrection of the Lord, Easter Day East Oldham

CALL TO WORSHIP

Come, let us rejoice, because Jesus who was dead is alive again. Let us rejoice because he lives for evermore! Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Alleluia

Way Maker

A GATHERING PRAYER

Living Lord, as we listen to today’s message of hope, help us to put aside our doubts and fears. Fill us with hope and joy and give us a glimpse of the risen Jesus in our midst. Amen.

A PRAYER OF ADORATION

Risen Lord, on this Easter Day, we bask in the knowledge of the amazing love you have for us. Today is special. We know it in the core of our beings, in the depths of our souls. The spirit witnesses within us; our salvation is assured; your love conquers all fear. Mighty risen Lord, we fall at your feet in wonder. We worship and adore you for all time. Amen.

A PRAYER OF CONFESSION

Among all the emotion and celebration, we come before you now, quietly trusting our lives to you. When we don’t fully understand what is happening, when we hesitate to act: lighten our darkness, Lord, we pray. Bless us with your forgiveness.

When we don’t trust you, O God, when fear overtakes us. When we take refuge in the tomb, and don’t want to come out. Lighten our darkness, Lord, we pray. Bless us with your forgiveness.

When we don’t take in the true importance of your resurrection. When we don’t live as an Easter people, remembering that we have a faith to proclaim. Lighten our darkness, Lord, we pray. Bless us with your forgiveness. Amen.

ASSURANCE OF FORGIVENESS

He has risen from the dead, and is going ahead into Galilee. There we will see him; no cause to be afraid. Today marks the day when death was vanquished. If God could do that, how much more is he able to free us from our sins. We bless you, Lord God. Amen.

What a beautiful Name

Lenten Cross (15-20 Minutes)

· Removal of items from the cross with spoken words

· Decoration of the Cross (song as this happens)

· Prayers for the children and leaders as they leave

READING

Matthew 28:1-10

Colossians 3: 1-4

Open our Eyes Lord

SERMON

All around the country today children will be receiving Easter eggs, the delicious chocolate treat, for many they will not really associate this with the resurrection of Jesus, and although this tradition was given over to Christianity in medieval times the idea of a gift at the beginning of spring goes back much further.

When I was a child, I remember Easter Morning I would have eggs given from my relatives, and I always remember my aunt and uncle urging me to smash one open, just so they could have some! My brother was older and wiser than me he would hide his away to be consumed in secret.

And for me I was like a lot of kids today I didn’t really relate this to Jesus, it took many years of soul searching to find there was more to life which led to faith in Christ. And I guess the search goes on as one grows deeper.

Occasionally I go back to Heywood where I was brough up and one time I had an extra hour or two, so I decided to take a sentimental journey back to the house I grew up in. Right away I noticed so many things that had changed. Our old house had been updated. The front garden seemed to have shrunk. I thought of The time I spent digging it over to help my Mum and Dad it took all day, but now as an adult it seemed so small. and even the streets, my friends and I played on were tiny. And I though or wondered how many families had lived there since we left, I spoke to a friend of mine who said about the house he owns and said some profound words “We may have paid for this house, but we are only tenants, someday someone else will own it.”

The memories were fun, but thirty minutes was enough. I was ready to leave. When we look at it, it’s true what they say you can’t turn back the clock.

A woman named Mary Madgalene learned that lesson early on the first Easter morning. She wanted nothing more than to go back to the good old days, to pretend that the terrible crucifixion had never happened.

When the risen Christ confronted her, she fell to her knees and clutched his feet, almost pleading with him to stop this chain of events. She thought perhaps the past few days were all a nightmare.

Can we wake up now and go back to the good old days when Jesus taught by the Sea of Galilee, performed healing miracles, and fellowshipped with his friends over supper? Can’t we turn back the clock?

You and I should be able to empathise with Mary. We have lots of schemes designed to slow down or reverse the clock. We are part of a youth-glorifying, death-denying culture. After about the age of 40, we try not to get any older, or at least not to look like it. Rather than looking forward to the future, we try to fend it off.

I heard about a mother who had just turned 40 and was having a little problem with it. She decided to shape up. So, she joined a fitness club, started exercising, and went on a strict diet. Then she went out and bought a pair of electric blue shorts. She was afraid to wear them out in public, but she enjoyed donning them around the house. One day as she worked in the kitchen in her shorts, her 15- year old son came in to raid fridge long enough to say, “Mom, when you bought those shorts, did you realise that the colour exactly matches the veins in your legs?” What a let-down!

Not only do we fight aging; we evade the subject of death in every way possible. Even television avoids the word, preferring to say that someone “passed away.” Why are we so threatened by death and the passing of time? Because we love the set-up we have on earth. It must hard for these businessmen to leave behind a fortune and pass into eternity without even a credit card.

It must be hard for any wealthy influential person to contemplate leaving it all behind. And the same is true to a lesser degree for most of us. We’ve got a pretty good life going on right here compared to some parts of the world. The Bible teacher, R. C. Sproul, says “Modern man is betting his life that this world is all there is, and that there is no judgment and no eternity.”

So, I guess my purpose this morning is to fill us with the Easter Good News that we will embrace the future rather than running from it. Easter proclaims that the future is good because the risen Christ owns it and guides his followers through it. God awaits us not only in heaven, but also around the next bend in the road. So, we don’t need to fear the future.

as we heard from Matthew’s resurrection story as found in Chapter 28. At dawn on Easter morning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to Jesus’ tomb.

When the women approached the area of the tomb, there was a violent earthquake. An angel rolled away the heavy stone that blocked the tomb’s entrance and sat on it. The guards who had been posted there by Pontius Pilate shook with fear and were immobilised. The angel said to the women, “Jesus is not here; he has risen, just as he said.” That’s the glorious news of Easter – the tomb is empty! We serve a risen Lord!

As the women ran from the area, they met Jesus, face to face. They fell down in front of him, grabbing his feet, and worshipped him.

It’s important for those who say the Jesus they met was a spirit because, spirits don’t have feet that you can grab; but a resurrected person does.

In recent years, the New Testament has been attacked saying that all the miracles, especially the Resurrection, as “mythical metaphors developed by the Early Church.” Some have concluded that Jesus arose only in the sense that his spirit goes marching on.

They miss the point, without the resurrection there is no future, Jesus would be just a good man. The resurrection is the corner stone of all Christian faith.

and the facts that numerous disciples were executed because they would not deny the Resurrection. Let’s face it no sane person would die for a mythical metaphor.

Jesus and the angel gave Good News to the women at the tomb. On this Easter morning, I declare that same two-part message to you.

First, Don’t Be Afraid.

That’s a hard for us anxious people to receive. Countless things make us anxious.

Jesus told the two Marys on the first Easter morning not to be afraid. The same statement is listed 365 separate times in the Bible, one for each day.

There is good reason for us to take courage. The risen Christ has defeated the Evil One. The final enemy, death, has been vanquished. The final victory of Christ in this world is no longer in doubt. The resurrection gives us a glimpse of the final scene on the world’s history. We have a sneak preview of the last act of the human drama: every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Just imagine that you were in Czechoslovakia in July 1944. Your country is under the harsh heel of Nazi occupation. But let’s suppose that on your illegal radio you could pick up the B. B. C., you receive the news that the Russian Army is moving forward on all fronts in the east; and the Allies have made a successful landing at Normandy. You could safely conclude from this information that the winner of World War II is no longer in doubt. The next morning, things might look just the same on the streets of Prague. The German troops would still be goose-stepping. But you would know…that the end is no longer in doubt. The victory is just a matter of time.

the second thing Jesus told Mary to do was to “go and tell the disciples “ we are also told to do this to all that we meet.

The Resurrection message is that the final victory belongs to Christ and His people. Our Lord Jesus and the devil have met in mortal combat at the cross and in the tomb. For three days, we were unsure of the outcome. But on Easter morning Jesus emerged as the undisputed Victor!

Don’t be afraid of tomorrow! The Lamb has won!

OFFERING DURING HYMN

Broken Vessels

PRAYERS OF THANKSGIVING AND INTERCESSION

Lord God, we thank you for today’s experience of your amazing resurrection. We want to take our response into our everyday. We have to get out there, and live. In the fear, in the joy, in the rollercoaster moments, as well as when the path runs smoothly – wherever you call us, whatever you ask us to do, we trust you, Lord. You are always with us – thanks be to God. Amen.

God of grace, we bring before you those who have no joy and no hope, those who see no future, no light at the end of the tunnel, those scarred by pain and sadness, those who grieve. God of grace and resurrection power, bring your joy and healing today.

We pray for those yet to hear your good news, whether that is because they live in far-flung places, or because they are closed to the message and the possibility of ‘What if?’ May we be Easter people, willing always to share the good news of hope, restoration and freedom to all those we meet – neighbours, friends and strangers alike. God of grace

We pray for those recovering from natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes, famine, flood and poverty, for all whose darkness is very real. God of grace…

May all share in the joy of your resurrection. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Shine Jesus Shine

BLESSING

Father God, we have come with the women to your tomb and we have felt their reactions. We have shared their dawning realisation that Jesus is alive. We have experienced their joy at your living presence. Send us out, with your love in our hearts, and your praise on our lips that those we meet might share our joy too. In the name of Jesus, who lives for evermore. Amen.