Thank you to Reverend Bill Holland for this Easter Sunday Service
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Easter Sunday – 12/04/20
PRAISE: CH4 410 Jesus Christ is risen today
Prayer
PRAISE: CH4 411 Christ the Lord is risen today
READING: Luke 24:1-12
Address
PRAISE: CH4 421 Our Lord Christ hath risen
READING: John 20:11-18
Address
Prayer of Intercession
PRAISE: Oh! Star of Faith – Peter Smith
READING: John 20:19-23
Address
PRAISE: CH4 423 I know that my Redeemer lives
Prayer
PRAISE: CH4 419 Thine be the glory
Benediction. Go in peace,
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God
and Fellowship in the Holy Spirit, be with us all AMEN
CH4 786 May the God of peace go with us
as we travel from this place;
may the love of Jesus keep us
firm in hope and full of grace. Tune: Ae fond kiss
Easter Sunday – 12/04/20
CH4 410
1 Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!
our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
who did once, upon the cross, Alleluia!
suffer to redeem our loss, Alleluia!
2 Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!
unto Christ, our heavenly King, Alleluia!
who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia!
sinners to redeem and save, Alleluia!
3 But the anguish he endured, Alleluia!
our salvation have procured, Alleluia!
now in heavèn Christ is King, Alleluia!
where the angels ever sing, Alleluia!
4 Sing we to our God above, Alleluia!
praise eternal as his love, Alleluia!
praise him, all you heavenly host, Alleluia!
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, Alleluia!
Easter Sunday – 12/04/20
Thank you, God, for Easter.
For the certainties of our faith.
For the spirit surging into the Church and its people in their
creative lives lived out in Jesus.
Thank you, God, for Easter.
For the newness of Spring.
For all the exhilarating expectations of new life available to
those who are broken, defeated and overwhelmed by the
world.
Come to them, in the risen power of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thank you, God, for Easter.
The Great Festival of the Church.
The starting place of faith.
Let us be filled with the joy of it.
Let us sing out from the grace of it.
Let us sing out from the love of it.
Let us rejoice in the open hope of it.
Let your spirit dance through our souls.
Let your grace cover us like a mantle.
Let your purity shine within us.
Let your forgiveness lift our burdens.
Let your compassion soothe our wounds through it.
Let your mercy cover all men, women and children through
it. That they may know the joy of Christ the Saviour,
Risen and Exalted – bringing forth his Kingdom for all
mankind.
Easter Sunday – 12/04/20
We ask it through Jesus Christ our Lord, who taught us,
when we pray, to say:
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 debts,
as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil,
For Thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
For ever
AMEN
Easter Sunday – 12/04/20
CH4 411
1 ‘Christ the Lord is risen today’,
all on earth and angels say;
raise your joys and triumphs high;
sing, ye heavens, and earth, reply.
Love’s redeeming work is done,
fought the fight, the battle won;
lo! our Sun’s eclipse is o’er;
lo! he sets in blood no more.
2 Vain the stone, the watch, the seal;
Christ has burst the gates of hell:
death in vain forbids his rise;
Christ has opened Paradise.
Lives again our glorious King;
where, O Death, is now thy sting?
Once he died, our souls to save;
where thy victory, O grave?
3 Soar we now where Christ has led,
following our exalted Head;
made like him, like him we rise;
ours the cross, the grave, the skies.
Hail, the Lord of earth and heaven!
Praise to thee by both be given;
thee we greet triumphant now;
hail, the Resurrection thou!
Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
Easter Sunday – 12/04/20
Luke 24:1-12
The Resurrection
1 Very early on Sunday morning the women went to the
tomb, carrying the spices they had prepared. 2 They found
the stone rolled away from the entrance to the tomb, 3
so
they went in; but they did not find the body of the Lord
Jesus. 4 They stood there puzzled about this, when
suddenly two men in bright shining clothes stood by them. 5
Full of fear, the women bowed down to the ground, as the
men said to them, “Why are you looking among the dead
for one who is alive? 6 He is not here; he has been raised.
Remember what he said to you while he was in Galilee: 7
‘The Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, be
crucified, and three days later rise to life.’”
8 Then the women remembered his words, 9
returned from
the tomb, and told all these things to the eleven disciples
and all the rest. 10 The women were Mary Magdalene,
Joanna, and Mary the mother of James; they and the other
women with them told these things to the apostles. 11 But
the apostles thought that what the women said was
nonsense, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter got
up and ran to the tomb; he bent down and saw the linen
wrappings but nothing else. Then he went back home
amazed at what had happened.
Easter Sunday – 12/04/20
We have just read the story of Easter Sunday. The thing
we note is that it is the women who go first to the Tomb.
There are two reasons for this.
(1) They have a task still to do for Jesus, which they were
not able to complete when he was buried – because that
happened too near sunset and the start of the Sabbath on
Good Friday. As the final mark of respect, they had to
embalm his body with special spices they had prepared.
(2) The men were staying together indoors. They were
afraid. The Jewish leaders had arranged for Jesus to be
crucified – even when he was very popular. The Disciples
were frightened that they might come looking for them – so
that there were no more trouble-makers left.
So, the women went to the Tomb – found it open and no
sign of the body of Jesus. What was even worse was
suddenly there were two white shiny figures there. They
gave the women a strange message. “Why are you looking
among the dead for one who is alive? He is not here; he
has been raised.” Then they went on to remind them of
what Jesus had said to them in Galilee, “The Son of Man
must be handed over to sinful men, be crucified, and three
days later rise to life.” The women were still upset and not
sure what to do, but they went back to the Disciples with
this strange news. Most of the Disciples didn’t seem to
want to believe them, but Peter got up, went out and ran to
the Tomb to see for himself.
Easter Sunday – 12/04/20
CH4 421
1 Our Lord Christ hath risen! The tempter is foiled;
his legions are scattered, his strongholds are spoiled.
Oh, sing hallelujah, oh, sing hallelujah,
oh, sing hallelujah! Be joyful and sing,
our great foe is baffled — Christ Jesus is King!
2 O death, we defy thee! A stronger than thou
hath entered thy palace; we fear thee not now!
Oh, sing hallelujah, oh, sing hallelujah,
oh, sing hallelujah! Be joyful and sing,
death cannot affright us — Christ Jesus is King!
3 O sin, thou art vanquished, thy long reign is o’er;
though still thou dost vex us, we dread thee no more.
Oh, sing hallelujah, oh, sing hallelujah,
oh, sing hallelujah! Be joyful and sing,
who now can condemn us? — Christ Jesus is King!
4 Our Lord Christ hath risen! Day breaketh at last;
the long night of weeping is now well-nigh past.
Oh, sing hallelujah, oh, sing hallelujah,
oh, sing hallelujah! Be joyful and sing,
our foes are all conquered — Christ Jesus is King!
William Conyngham Plunket (1828-1897)
Easter Sunday – 12/04/20
John 20:11-18
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 Mary stood crying outside the tomb. While she was still
crying, she bent over and looked in the tomb 12 and saw
two angels there dressed in white, sitting where the body of
Jesus had been, one at the head and the other at the feet.
13“Woman, why are you crying?” they asked her.
She answered, “They have taken my Lord away, and I do
not know where they have put him!”
14 Then she turned round and saw Jesus standing there; but
she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 “Woman, why are you
crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who is it that you are looking
for?”
She thought he was the gardener, so she said to him, “If
you took him away, sir, tell me where you have put him,
and I will go and get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned towards him and said in Hebrew, “Rabboni!”
(This means “Teacher”.)
17 “Do not hold on to me,” Jesus told her, “because I have
not yet gone back up to the Father. But go to my brothers
and tell them that I am returning to him who is my Father
and their Father, my God and their God.”
18 So Mary Magdalene went and told the disciples that she
had seen the Lord and related to them what he had told
her.
Easter Sunday – 12/04/20
In John’s Gospel we have a description of the encounter
between Jesus and Mary Magdalene. She stayed behind
and Jesus approached her – but, in her grief and trauma,
she didn’t recognise him.
She was angry and confused – because her first instinct was
that someone had taken his body away. It was only when
Jesus spoke her name that she recognised him. He told her
not to “hold on to him”. Our first thought is that he has
some kind of other, transitional, body – because he says, “I
have not yet gone back up to the Father.” Another reason
might be the more general, “Do not hold on to my physical
presence”. The disciples had been limited in what they
could do – because they relied so much on Jesus being
there. His main message to her was to tell her to go to the
Disciples and say, “Tell them that I am returning to him
who is my Father and their Father, my God and their God.”
That was to be their certainty of His Rising.
We know from the other Gospels that it took quite a while
for the importance of all this to sink in. The Disciples took a
while to understand what this meant for them in relation to
what Jesus had told them.
Easter Sunday – 12/04/20
We pray for the nations of the world. Bring to an end all
war and strife; break down the barriers of race and creed,
that all may live as members of one family of God. We pray
for all situations where there is hatred, distrust and discord;
and pray that your Spirit and strength will be available to all
those who take on the difficult task of reconciliation – of
working together for the common good. Bless them in all
their endeavours.
Loving God, we pray for all who are ill, at home or in
hospital – especially those affected by Covid-19;
ease their pain, calm their restlessness; give them such
trust in you that they may know they are always in your
care and keeping.
Bless all who care for them: give them such trust in you
that they may win new strength; and may their love and
tireless patience bring your grace and comfort to those who
suffer.
Shepherd of our souls be with us when we journey through
the dark valley and give your presence and love to all who
are close to dying. Be close to us and make yourself known
to us at times of partings. Comfort, with your presence, all
who grieve in loneliness or tears.
Lord, our God, we pray for our country and people, for the
Queen, the Royal Family – that they will be sustained in
their duties; for all who hold positions of responsibility –
that they will be guided by you to use their positions wisely
and for the good of all; for all of us – that we will take care
of what you have given to us and share its benefits with
others. We ask it in Jesus’ name. Amen
Easter Sunday – 12/04/20
A HYMN FOR EASTER
Tune: St Stephen (Abridge) CH4 44
1.Oh! Star of Faith shine o’er the earth
this newborn Easter day.
Unto the wavering give thy strength
to guide them on their way.
2.Oh! Star of Hope send down thy rays
on doubting souls to save.
Let them behold thy shining light
of life beyond the grave.
3.Oh! Star of Love forever shine
across this fear-torn world
That men will stand here hand in hand
’neath flags of peace unfurled.
4.We pray an end to wars and hate
remembering Him who died.
Faith, Hope and Love shall be our gain
The perfect Eastertide!
5.Faith, Hope and Love our daily thought
the Cross before our eyes.
We’ll sing our praise to the dear Lord
Who’s Word will never die.
Peter Smith,
New Abbey (1994)
Peter was Beadle at Southwick and then an elder at New Abbey.
Easter Sunday – 12/04/20
John 20:19-23
Jesus Appears to his Disciples
19 It was late that Sunday evening, and the disciples
were gathered together behind locked doors,
because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities.
Then Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be
with you,” he said. 20 After saying this, he showed
them his hands and his side. The disciples were
filled with joy at seeing the Lord. 21 Jesus said to
them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent
me, so I send you.” 22 Then he breathed on them
and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive
people’s sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive
them, they are not forgiven.”
Easter Sunday – 12/04/20
At first, the Disciples were scared and locked themselves in
the house in Jerusalem. Then Jesus came among them.
Once they began to realise that Jesus had risen as he said
he would, they began to remember the other promises that
he had made about God – how much God loved them and
how he would give them power over life and death.
Eventually they were able to go on and carry out the work
that Jesus had left them to do – even though it was with
faltering steps at first. They were eventually able to start
speaking publicly about Jesus to other people – so that they
also came to believe in him. In time their good news was
to spread to many more people in different countries.
Eventually the Good News came to our country and came
down to us – so that we know about Jesus and can also
believe in him and be his followers or disciples.
That is why we are happy and celebrate at Easter time.
Have a Happy and Blessed Easter. AMEN
Easter Sunday – 12/04/20
The Life of Jesus
Easter Sunday – 12/04/20
CH4 423
1 I know that my Redeemer lives,
glory, hallelujah!
What joy and peace this sentence gives,
glory, hallelujah!
Shout on, pray on, we’re gaining ground,
glory, hallelujah!
The dead’s alive and the lost is found,
glory, hallelujah!
2 He lives, to bless me with his love,
glory, hallelujah!
He lives, to plead for me above,
glory, hallelujah!
He lives, my hungry soul to feed,
glory, hallelujah!
He lives to help in time of need,
glory, hallelujah!
3 He lives, all glory to his name,
glory, hallelujah!
He lives, my Saviour, still the same,
glory, hallelujah!
What joy the blest assurance gives,
glory, hallelujah!
I know that my Redeemer lives,
glory, hallelujah!
Samuel Medley (1738-1799)
Easter Sunday – 12/04/20
Generous God, we give you thanks for the richness of life;
for the beauty and wonder of the world;
for the care of those who love us;
for strength and hope in the trials and difficulties of life:
for the gospel of the risen Lord,
and for his presence with us through the Holy Spirit.
We pray for your Church on earth. Enable Christian people
to walk with Jesus in their daily lives and to work for the
coming of his kingdom. Strengthen the witness of the
Church in this parish and in every place – so that the world
may learn to live your truth and seek your peace.
We remember with thanksgiving all those who have died in
the faith – especially those known and dear to us. Grant us
a living hope, and bring us, when our days on earth are
over, to share the joys of everlasting life; through Jesus
Christ our Lord.
We commend ourselves to your keeping. Grant that our
hearts may find their peace and rest in you; through Jesus
Christ our Lord, to whom with you and the Holy Spirit, be
glory, for ever and ever. Amen
Easter Sunday – 12/04/20
CH4 419
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son,
endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won;
angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,
kept the folded grave-clothes, where thy body lay.
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son,
Endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won.
Lo! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb;
lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom
let the Church with gladness hymns of triumph sing,
for her Lord now liveth; death hath lost its sting.
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son,
Endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won.
No more we doubt thee, glorious Prince of Life;
life is naught without thee: aid us in our strife;
make us more than conquerors, through thy deathless love:
bring us safe through Jordan to thy home above.
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son,
Endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won.
Edmund Budry (1854-1932)
translated Richard Birch Hoyle (1875-1939)
Benediction. Go in peace,
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God
and Fellowship in the Holy Spirit, be with us all AMEN
CH4 786 May the God of peace go with us
as we travel from this place;
may the love of Jesus keep us
firm in hope and full of grace. Tune: Ae fond kiss
how could i read all this?