Resurrection of the Lord, Easter Day (4)

Resurrection

CALL TO WORSHIP

Christ is risen! Alleluia! He is risen indeed. Alleluia! Let us celebrate with Easter joy! Not out of habit. Not thinking only about chocolate and fun, but with a brand-new awareness of Christ’s presence with us as our loving and risen Lord! Lord of the Church, Lord of our lives, and Lord of the world: Christ is risen! Alleluia! He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

HYMN

IN CHRIST ALONE

GATHERING PRAYER

Living Lord Jesus, we come to worship in gratitude and joy. Come to us, dwell with us. Be with us as we explore the joy that the story of your risen life brings. Amen.

Adoration is on our lips and in our hearts as we worship on this very special day. Adoration of our God, our risen Lord, our King and our redeemer is in our hearts. Adoration of the risen Christ shines from within us and fills our worship – adoration that God is in our midst, always and everywhere, now and forever. Almighty God, Risen Christ, we adore you. Amen.

PRAYER OF CONFESSION AND ABSOLUTION

We shout our alleluias; yet, within us, there are burdens of guilt and regret; there are words spoken and deeds done that ought not to have been; there are tasks of discipleship left undone; there is love not given, a smile not offered; there is rejection, denial, betrayal. On this Easter Day, we confess our failings and in resurrection life and light seek forgiveness. Risen Lord, hear our prayer. Amen.

Assurance of forgiveness

Risen Christ, wipe away our fears and our tears. Cleanse us, renew us, refresh us, release us from all that we have confessed and let us walk with you our resurrection God, knowing that our sins are forgiven. Amen.

THE LORD’S PRAYER

Our Father who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name,

Thy kingdom come,

Thy will be done.

On earth as it is in heaven,

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses,

As we forgive those that trespass against us,

And lead us not into temptation,

But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory,

Forever and ever Amen.

HYMN

ALL GLORY LAUD AND HONOUR

READINGS

PSALM 118: 1-2, 14-24

1 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

2 Let Israel say: 14 “His love endures forever.”

The Lord is my strength and my defence [ he has become my salvation.

15 Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: “The Lord’s right hand has done mighty things! 16 The Lord’s right hand is lifted high; the Lord’s right hand has done mighty things!” 17 I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the Lord has done. 18 The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death. 19 Open for me the gates of the righteous; I will enter and give thanks to the Lord. 20 This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. 21 I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation.

22 The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 23 the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes. 24 The Lord has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad.

1 CORNITHIANS 15: 1-11

15 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance[a]: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas,[b] and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

9 For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve 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 to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.

MARK 16: 1-8

16 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.[a]

HYMN

BLESSED ASSURANCE

SERMON

In today’s Psalm we can’t but help find it points to Jesus, the fulfilment of God’s promise.

The line that stands out to me is.

18 The Lord has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death.

This is the promise we should all hold onto; how can the Lord chastise or correct us if we don’t know him or listen to him. There is great joy from this verse it is a promise given to all who seek God we all fail in life, but he will not give us over to death.

Today it marks the end of Jesus’ activity as Messiah, the fulfilment of the new covenant, the celebration of what God has done, a knowing God’s steadfast love that makes all this possible.

When we look at Mark’s writing it is by far the shortest Gospel it was designed to be read in one sitting the chapters and verses where a later addition.

It’s commonly known as the “And Then Gospel” if you read it, you will see what I mean.

There are no childhood story’s, no preamble it begins “In the beginning the good news of Jesus Christ, the son of God.”

It starts with John the Baptist and in verse 9 Jesus comes to be baptised.

And by the time we reach chapter 16 Jesus is resurrected!

So firstly, what is resurrection?

Jesus has brough people back to life before hasn’t he there is Jairus’s daughter was dead and Jesus brough her back to like. (Mark 5:21)

What about the widow in Nain her only son had died, in effect the raising of the son gave life to both life as the widow would have been destitute, (Luke 7: 11)

And what of Lazarus In John’s Gospel? (John: 11)

These cases are more like resuscitation, they are brough back to life, but would eventually die, in the case of Lazarus the chief priest lay plans to kill Lazarus because of all the attention that his coming back to life had caused.

No, the resurrection of Jesus was a completely different thing.

Mark’s Gospel account moves straight from the burial of Jesus to this account of the discovery of the empty tomb.

For the women who discover the tomb, two nights have passed, with a whole day in between, living with the absence of Jesus after witnessing his death. The events of this week’s reading are experienced in the context of having lived through that ‘holy’ Saturday.

Mark’s account is brief, and (except in the longer ending in some versions) it is without the resurrection appearances recounted in the other Gospels.

The resurrection is told to the women by a man in white assumed to be an angel, but they don’t meet Jesus, and so readers are left to draw their own conclusions.

However, the missing body suggests that if a resurrection has taken place, then it is a physical one: the same body that died has been raised.

It’s obvious this account is not the end of the story, the women, keep silent through fear, but they must have at some point, have spoken out.

Their role in this, however, adds authenticity to the account, given that in that at this time and women were not seen as reliable witnesses so wouldn’t have given any credibility to the story.

The inclusion of the women, along with the singling out of Peter who had so recently denied Jesus, demonstrates the message of this story, it is totally in keeping with what we know about Jesus, but not in a way his followers expected from the longed-for Messiah.

There’s a lack of detail and explanation in this account of the empty tomb: the identity of the young man, how the stone was moved, the whereabouts of Jesus, how the message was finally shared.

This morning’s Gospel tells us that Easter joy was not immediate for the disciples. What does this mean for us? How can it help us to deal with the continuing pain of living in a suffering world? How can it help us live as Easter people?

In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians,

There is mixed religions and cultures in the city of Corinth.

This leads to Paul writing a letter that tries to correct its readers in relation to beliefs and practices. Here, Paul challenges the perception that Jesus was not raised from the dead.

Here, he focuses on evidence, listing a range of Jesus’ resurrection appearances before pointing out that Jesus appeared, also, to Paul himself. there is evidence here of the transformative power of the resurrection.

Paul’s encounter with the risen Jesus has transformed him from being a persecutor of the Church to being its greatest advocate. Living the resurrection, we to are being changed, dramatically! Paul’s question is: What has happened to the Corinthian Christians that some of them to lose sight of this?

He asks us the same question have we lost sight of the sacrifice of Jesus?

Do we take for granted this time of year filled with chocolate eggs and distractions.

Are we blind to the amazing grace that has been offered to us?

We only need ask.

Jesus, we pray to you for forgiveness.

That you will help us to seek you.

With gratitude and thanks for your sacrifice.

Amen

HYMN

I SURRENDER ALL

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION

PRAYERS PRAISE OF INTERCESSION

Lent and Holy Week is gone, that journey over. Maundy Thursday called us to service and devotion. Good Friday pained us and stained us and drained us. Saturday stopped us in our tracks, reflecting. Easter Day brings us resurrection that never will be over. Christ is risen for us and within us. Beyond the fluffy chicks and Easter eggs there is life in all its fullness. In the midst of our joys and delight: In the midst of suffering and pain: God is with us, God within us. Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks to our risen Lord. Amen.

Today we remember again that Jesus came to bring peace and hope.

We remember Jesus as he walked the lands and territories of the Middle East, and we think of those lands now. We think of the conflict still raging in Gaza, and the untold lives lost. We think of the people in despair and desperation, who have no hope and no direction. We think of the leaders who refuse to negotiate or who put barriers in the way of peace.

God of all, we ask for peace to be found, for access to be given so that the most needy may be helped and food and shelter provided. We pray that you would bring positive change in that region, and that the peace and hope of Jesus would be known.

Today we remember again that Jesus came to bring peace and hope.

We remember the Jesus who spoke truth and worked for good. We think of the nations, businesses, systems, and individuals that are threatened and undermined by cyber-attacks, false rumours, negative social media, and fake news. We think of our own nation as we approach elections in a few weeks that we hope will be fair and democratic. We think of those who are easily influenced by people who would do them harm through conspiracy theories, lies and bullying on social media.

God of all, we ask for wisdom in nations and institutions so that democracy and freedom can continue free from harm by those who would cause damage and disruption. We pray that you would protect and heal all children, young people and adults who are negatively influenced by social media, and those affected would find peace and hope.

Today we remember again that Jesus came to bring peace and hope.

We remember Jesus as he shared his guidance, spoke up for the weakest and made lives better. We think of those who live in our communities who face challenge, pain and hardship. We think of those who have no home or security, who face financial despair and who have no one to turn to. We think of those who have been led into addiction and can find no way out. We think of our friends and neighbours who face illness and fear, who have lost those close to them, and who feel darkness in their lives.

God of all, we ask that you would, show your love and compassion for all whose lives are in trouble today and who find little to celebrate this Easter. We pray that all in need would feel your presence with them and that you would show us what we can do to work for you in changing lives and helping those around us. We pray that your peace and hope would be real to those whose lives are tough.

Today we remember again that Jesus came to bring peace and hope.

We remember Jesus as he led his disciples and taught them by example and challenge. We think of leaders of our nation, our area, and our church. We think of those whose lives are under close, scrutiny such as the royal family, those who make big decisions that change the lives of others and those with responsibility to lead people in living safely or worshipping well. We think of ourselves as Easter people, called to live our lives knowing that Jesus is with us and following his example of life and service.

God of all, we ask that you would, bless all those who have leadership roles with your grace, generosity, compassion, and the strength to do their work well. We pray for our government, our local councils, and our church leadership, that all may seek wisdom and understanding from you. We pray for ourselves, that we would be your servants in all we do. We ask that the new life of the season would be seen in us at home, school, work, and in our community. May we both know and share the peace and hope of Jesus.

Today we remember again that Jesus came to bring peace and hope. Amen.

HYMN

BE THOU MY VISION

BLESSING

Easter joy is to be shared, to be grown, to be treasured. As we go out into the world and a new week, may that joy be our strength, our inspiration, and our refuge in trouble. Amen.