 The Lord is risen.
He is risen indeed! Alleluia Notices:
Jesus was dead, laid in a tomb. But the stone is rolled away. Hallelujah Morning has broken, the tomb now empty. Hallelujah! Christ is risen! A new day has come, life not undone Hallelujah! Christ is risen! Come and worship, the Lord is here! Hymn 404 – I danced in the morning Prayers of Adoration and Confession Risen Lord, we are the Easter people, and Alleluia is our song. We are the Easter people come to worship, released from tombs of pain and doubt and fear and death into the freedom of this new day, and its promise of hope fulfilled. We are the Easter people, Emerging into the brightness of faith, Blinking, questioning, wondering, hoping. Come to us, into the garden of our lives, and touch all that is barren, and wasted and dried with Your healing hand. Forgive our half-lived lives, our broken promises, and our failed kindness. Call to us by our name, that we might turn from all that limits and burdens us, and lift us up into forgiveness and freedom. Open the gateways of our hearts and minds, and call us out into Your world to be embraced by Your unfailing and renewing mercy. Today, in silence, prayer and song, may we encounter Jesus and His grace. For we are the Easter people, and Alleluia is our song. Lord’s Prayer Readings – Acts 10:34–43 John 20:1–18 Hymn SGP 3 – Alleluia, alleluia Weekly Prayer Faithful God, we think of your church today celebrating the Resurrection all over the world. Language, race and nationalities may be different but our worship and our joy on the Day Of Resurrection make us one in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Help us to capture the excitement of those who first saw The Lord on that glorious resurrection day. Amen Reflection To every human tyrant and dictator, to every warmonger and oppressor, today is a fearful day. To every extremist or bigot, today is a fearful day. For today we celebrate the triumph of love over hate, the triumph of life over death; the triumph of good over evil. For today the power of fear and despair is defeated; the power of death is vanquished. And today we can dare to hope, for Jesus who was killed on the cross is risen. Jesus who was laid in the tomb is alive. We are an Easter people, filled with hope. And yet when Mary went to the tomb that first Easter morning, her eyes were blinded by tears. She was distraught, in grief. Confused by all that had happened. It was all made worse by the sight of the stone which covered the tomb had been rolled away, and the tomb empty. Someone had stolen the body. She even accused a stranger, whom she assumed tended the garden. Tears had maybe blinded her eyes. But they hadn’t blocked her ears. And it was when he spoke her name, she knew it was her Lord. There is an intense, rapturous reunion as she turns to embrace him and responds with an answering cry, Rabboni, my teacher. Maybe the clock could be turned back; maybe it could be like it was before. Yet this isn’t the end of the story, like some final scene in a Hollywood movie where the two embrace. There’s further to go and yet another twist in the psychological drama. At the very moment of reunion, Christ rejects her touch. ‘Do not cling to me,’ he says to her. ‘Do not hold on to me.’ At the heart of resurrection is rupture and refusal, rather than reunion. There is no return to the way things were before for Mary – or indeed for us. Resurrection is not return, nor the restoration of an old state of affairs, but a total reorientation to a radically new reality. ‘Do not hold on to me … but go to my brothers and sisters …’ How traumatic was it for Mary to hear these words and act on them? Yet this is what Resurrection demanded of her – and of us. Christ commands us to go, to leave the safe garden and to risk the loss of all we have known. Yet, as Mary obeys the Lord’s command, she discovers the deeper miracle and truth of the resurrection which, until now, she could not know. She finds that Christ is there, wherever she goes, the living one present with her, within her, beside her and before her, not simply in the particular space and time of the garden encounter, but released in the world everywhere … Hymn 417 – Now the green blade riseth Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession God of Resurrecting Hope, we thank you with grateful hearts, recognizing how much you have given us in Christ, and what his gift has cost. Bless the gifts we bring so they may help spread the hope and joy we feel today in the world you love so dearly. God of new beginnings, Break into your church with resurrecting power. Where congregations have drifted apart through these months of Pandemic, re-energize the connections and commitment needed for ministry. Bless the Church throughout the world this Easter Day, and especially where your people are persecuted. Resurrect, renew and revive your people, O God. Hear our prayer. God of new possibilities, Break into our relationships with resurrecting power. Where they are vibrant and life-giving, nurture and sustain them. Where they are marked by memories of hurt or current misunderstanding, refresh them with forgiveness and reconciliation. Where they are neglected or taken for granted, open eyes to the great gift we offer each other. Resurrect, renew and revive your people, O God. Hear our prayer. God of new opportunity, Break into the governance of your world with resurrecting power. Stir the minds and hearts of leaders to work for justice, understanding and the equitable sharing of resources. We continue to pray for the Ukraine and Russia and all caught up in the war, where Christian fights against Christian and where terrible acts have shocked us. Resurrect, renew and revive your people, O God. Hear our prayer. God of new life, Break into situations of illness, pain, grief and loss with resurrecting power. Where there is sickness of body, mind, or spirit, bring healing and hope. Where people mourn the loss of relationships or dreams, bring comfort and courage to go on. Where those who serve and care and maintain our common life are exhausted, bring rest and renewal. Resurrect, renew and revive your people, O God. Hear our prayer. God of Easter Day, In silence we bring before you the prayers of our hearts. Silence Resurrect, renew and revive our spirits. Hear our prayer. Amen Hymn 419 – Thine be the glory Benediction God of new possibilities, new beginnings, new hope, Bless us now with your resurrection life! Jesus calling us each by name Bless us now with your resurrection life! Spirit equipping and energizing us, sending us out Bless us now with your resurrection life! And may the blessing of God, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer, be with you and with those whom you love, wherever they may be, now and always. Amen
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