NOTES:We have one service today at 10:40am. The order will reflect changes.
SCRIPTURE: John 20:1-18
20:1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb.
20:2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him."
20:3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb.
20:4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.
20:5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in.
20:6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there,
20:7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself.
20:8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed;
20:9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.
20:10 Then the disciples returned to their homes.
20:11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb;
20:12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet.
20:13 They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him."
20:14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.
20:15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away."
20:16 Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher).
20:17 Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"
20:18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
10:40AM Service
Welcome
Prelude
Dramatic Introduction
Prelude
Dramatic Introduction
"A
Story that Changes the World"
We are not
eye-witnesses to an event,
as were Mary and the
disciples;
we have not journeyed
through a dangerous
city
to seek answers or
consolation;
we have not seen
angels
gathering at the rim
of this day,
or wept in the garden
this morning
because we could not
find Him.
But we are here to
attest to a story
that has not lost its
power
during twenty
centuries
of change and
conflict.
We are here because
those before us
carried this story
as if it were
precious gold;
cherished it as if it
were
the key to a hidden
wisdom.
Sisters and brothers
in Christ,
take your places here
today
in celebration and in
awe.
What you are about to
hear again,
has the capacity to
change the world.
Your very presence
attests
to the rising up of
life
from the tomb of
despair,
and to the
uncontrollable power of God.
It is Easter morning
again:
and we will
celebrate.
~
written by Ann Siddall, and posted on
the website of the Stillpoint Spirituality Centre. http://www.stillpointsa.org.au/
We Gather in the Light of Christ
Call to Worship
Leader: Friends, the tomb is empty!
And the stone has been rolled away!
People: Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!
Leader: For three days Jesus lay in that cold and lonely place.
But God’s love cannot be contained by death!
People: Death has been swallowed up in victory!
Leader: Where, O death, is your victory?
People: Where, O death, is your sting?
Leader: Come, let us worship God who gives us the victory!
People: Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!
Leader: For three days Jesus lay in that cold and lonely place.
But God’s love cannot be contained by death!
People: Death has been swallowed up in victory!
Leader: Where, O death, is your victory?
People: Where, O death, is your sting?
Leader: Come, let us worship God who gives us the victory!
~ adapted from a piece written by Stephen
Fearing, and posted on Liturgy
& Hymns by Stephen M. Fearing. http://www.stephenmfearing.com/
Hymn of Praise: CH#216 "Christ the Lord is Risen Today" Sts. 1, 2 & 4
Invocation (UNISON)
Creator
of Life,
in
raising Christ Jesus
through and beyond
the
chains of death,
You
opened for us the way
to
eternal and abundant life.
May
our Alleluias on this day
float
high above the ceiling
of
what we think we know
and
transcend to the heaven of
what
we believe—
and
thus live.
Through
Jesus Christ our Living Savior,
Amen.
~
written by Karen Turner, and posted on the Lifeway
website. http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/files/lwcF_PDF_LW_MaundyThursday.pdf
Procession of Flowers
I got me flowers to straw thy way;
I got me boughs off many a tree:
But thou wast up by break of day,
And brought’st thy sweets along with thee.
The Sunne arising in the East,
Though he give light, & th’ East perfume;
If they should offer to contest
With thy arising, they presume.
Can there be any day but this,
Though many sunnes to shine endeavour?
We count three hundred, but we misse:
There is but one, and that one ever.
I got me boughs off many a tree:
But thou wast up by break of day,
And brought’st thy sweets along with thee.
The Sunne arising in the East,
Though he give light, & th’ East perfume;
If they should offer to contest
With thy arising, they presume.
Can there be any day but this,
Though many sunnes to shine endeavour?
We count three hundred, but we misse:
There is but one, and that one ever.
George Herbert (1593-1533): I got me flowers, from The Temple, 1633
Bring your flowers and place them in the cross frame.
Passing of the Peace
We return to our seats as the piano music begins.
Hymn of Faith: CH#548 "The Old Rugged Cross" Sts. 1, 3 & 4
We Contemplate God’s Word
Scripture
Anthem
Children’s Sermon
Sermon
We Prayer Together
We Share Our Joys &
Concerns
Prayer Hymn: CH#562 "Because He Lives" Sts. 1 & 3
Praying Together
Risen Lord Jesus,
as the rising sun scatters the darkness,
let fear and the memory of failure
as the rising sun scatters the darkness,
let fear and the memory of failure
be scattered from our
souls
that we may live in the glorious freedom
that we may live in the glorious freedom
of the children of
God
We raise up into your
resurrection light
all who are excluded
from fullness of life
by poverty, unemployment or stigma,
by injustice, criminality or neglect,
by homelessness, landlessness or war,
remembering in particular the peoples of
by poverty, unemployment or stigma,
by injustice, criminality or neglect,
by homelessness, landlessness or war,
remembering in particular the peoples of
Risen Lord Jesus,
let us be baptized by your resurrection light.
May we trust in you above all else,
hope in you above all else,
seek you in all things,
find you in every place,
meet you among all people,
know you through everything,
and love you
beyond, beyond, beyond all telling.
let us be baptized by your resurrection light.
May we trust in you above all else,
hope in you above all else,
seek you in all things,
find you in every place,
meet you among all people,
know you through everything,
and love you
beyond, beyond, beyond all telling.
We pray in your name,
living Lord. Amen.
~ posted on the Monthly Prayers page of the Christian Aid website. http://www.christianaid.org.uk/
We Gather at The Lord’s Table
Invitation to the Table
Communion Hymn: CH# 227 "In the Garden" ALL
Communion Hymn: CH# 227 "In the Garden" ALL
The Elder’s Prayer of
Communion
Words of Institution
The Lord’s Supper
All are welcome to share at the
Table. Come forward using the center
aisle. As you partake of the bread and
the cup you are welcome to place an offering in the wooden bowl in front of the
table. The offering you share supports
the ministries and life of Christ’s church.
The Lord’s Prayer
We Go Forth into the World
Challenge for Discipleship
Discipleship Hymn: CH# 226 "He Lives" ALL
Discipleship Hymn: CH# 226 "He Lives" ALL
Acolytes come forward.
Blessing
Leader: We go in peace!
People: Amen!
Parting Song: Maranatha #126 "He Is Lord" Sing Once
Acolytes extinguish the candles as we share the responsive reading.
Leader: The light that was in one place at one time, is now in all places and all times,
People: For God has placed the light in us!Leader: We go in peace!
People: Amen!
