Good afternoon, all! Blessed Sunday. April 26, 2020 – 3rd Sunday of Easter Call to Worship We need your presence on the long road, Lord. The road between fear and hope, the road between the place where all is lost and the place of resurrection. Like the disciples walking the road to Emmaus, we are in need of your company! Jesus, stand among us, in your risen power, let this time of worship, be a hallowed hour. Christ Is Alive (Brian Wren) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fD8pxDgTZZU Opening Prayer Meet us, Lord, on the road to Emmaus. Guide us on the path toward our destination, and renew our strength as we continue to walk and commune with you. Risen Christ, as you journeyed with the two who travelled the Emmaus Road, travel with us on our journey of faith. In our encounters on the way give us compassion to listen to the other’s story, patience to explain what may seem obvious to ourselves, and courage to make ourselves vulnerable, so that others may encounter you through us and we may rediscover you through them. Amen. Hallelujah to the Lamb (Don Moen) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3YKJG2sRNg Scripture Readings Acts 2:14a, 36-41 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, 36 Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.” 37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” 40 And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 1 I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications. 2 Because he inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on him as long as I live. 3 The snares of death encompassed me; the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me; I suffered distress and anguish. 4 Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I pray, save my life!” 12 What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me? 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord, 14 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people. 15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful ones. 16 O Lord, I am your servant; I am your servant, the child of your serving girl. You have loosed my bonds. 17 I will offer to you a thanksgiving sacrifice and call on the name of the Lord. 18 I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, 19 in the courts of the house of the Lord, in your midst, O Jerusalem. Praise the Lord! 1 Peter 1:17-23 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 17 If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. 18 You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. 20 He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. 21 Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God. 22 Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. 23 You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God. Luke 24:13-35 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 13 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, 16 but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” 19 He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. 22 Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, 23 and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” 25 Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! 26 Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” 27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. 28 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. 29 But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” 33 That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. 34 They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee (attr. to St. Bernard of Clairvaux, John Dykes) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wF1cFxJ2Yhw Let us pray: Christ is Risen! He is Risen Indeed! Risen Lord, hear our cry for help – for those surrounded by the shroud of death for those covered by the mantle of dying for those hemmed-in by illness, visible or veiled hear our cry for help… for those weighed down with worries for those carrying the burden of distress for those overwhelmed by isolation hear our cry for help… for those who are weary for those who are tattered and worn for those who collapse from exhaustion hear our cry for help… Risen Lord, hear our cry of thanksgiving – for the graciousness with which you hear for the patience with which you listen for the grace with which you care hear our cry of thanksgiving… for the ways you accompany us through deep valleys for the ways you lead us to still meadows for the ways you provide all we need hear our cry of thanksgiving… for transforming death in resurrection life for blessing and breaking ordinary bread for opening our eyes to recognize you hear our cry of thanksgiving… Risen Lord, hear our cry for communities of faith – that we retain memory of being together that we embrace unity in the reality of distance that we foresee a future side-by-side, hand-in-hand hear our cry for communities of faith… that we sense purpose beyond ourselves that we perceive the needs of creation that we stretch ourselves to respond hear our cry for communities of faith… that our ways be formed by Your Way that our lives be shaped by Your Life that our love be Your Love hear our cry for communities our faith… And hear us as we pray together, Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by 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 who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. Prayer of Confession O Jesus Christ, sometimes we are so busy talking with each other that we fail to find you beside us. We walk on, so focused on our questions that we do not create the silent spaces which would allow you to speak with us and enlighten our journeying. Silent reflection Stay with us, Jesus Christ. Reach out towards us and invite us to pause and meet with you, we pray. As we look at our lives and that of the world around us, we are sometimes too anxious to share our real questions or our doubts and fears. We keep them within us in troubled silence. Silent reflection Stay with us, Jesus Christ. Reach out towards us and invite us to pause and meet with you, we pray. We call your name, O Christ, and hope to discover you here in our community of vulnerable faith. Amen. Words of Assurance Whether we believe it, or not, Jesus Christ never leaves us nor forsakes us. Let us open our hearts to receive the grace which Christ brings to us in faithfulness. We are forgiven! Thanks be to God. The Risen Christ (Keith Getty, Phil Madeira) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joz0iOb9UCA Reflection Have you ever bumped into someone and struck up a conversation while thinking to yourself – “I know this person; who is this person; I should know this person”? I don’t know how many times I’ve chatted with former students, could tell you their whole story, and still not remember their name. That’s kind of what two of Jesus’ followers on their way to Emmaus must have been thinking as they walked along with this “stranger.” They thought they must have known him or had run into him somewhere; something about this stranger seemed too familiar to dismiss. As we read at the end of the story from Luke 24, they remarked to each other (after Jesus revealed himself), “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road?” They knew him, just as we know the people we meet, but they couldn’t place him – until their “eyes” were opened, their spiritual haze was lifted. Jesus’ action of breaking the bread for the meal opened them up to who this really was seated before them at the table. You see, when Jesus was crucified and buried, that was it. All that time he had spent with the disciples and followers meant very little anymore. Jesus was dead. All that talk of “rebuilding the temple” and “I’m going to prepare a place for you,” and don’t forget “I and the Father are one” – all that meant nothing – Jesus was dead! Dead, gone, buried. All the disciples and followers had fled, except for a few women, Joseph and Nicodemus. They hid out of fear of the Roman soldiers; they hid out of fear of the Jewish religious leaders. They had all seen Jesus die and their hopes and wishes had died with him. Just when you start putting your trust and hope in someone, they’re gone. Not only were they hiding in fear, but I can imagine the disciples and the other loyal followers were dismayed, discouraged, disillusioned, full of questions with no answers, perhaps even angry. How could Jesus do this? How could he just die and leave them there alone – after all he had promised? Physically – they were in mourning; their friend and teacher had died. Mentally – they were perplexed and bewildered; how could this happen? Spiritually – they were downcast, praying with the writer of Psalms 42 and 43, “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me?” Their hopes and dreams, their lives, their everything was in this great rabbi, spiritual leader, and friend. And now he was gone. So, now, these two followers of Jesus were on their way to Emmaus, about a couple hours walk to the west of Jerusalem. They were physically, mentally, and spiritually exhausted from what they had just witnessed in the days before. All these emotions were flooding their minds and souls and they were having a hard time making sense out of any of it, so much so that they sarcastically answer the stranger, “Are you the only one who doesn’t know that our friend and rabbi was just killed by the Romans and buried in such a hurry that we couldn’t even prepare his body properly or say goodbye?!?! What the heck, dude? Where have you been?” Although they had heard reports from the women about Jesus’ body not being in the tomb and how the gardener was really Jesus, these two travelers could not, were not, open to the possibility that Jesus was not dead. They hadn’t yet gotten to the point where Jesus’ teachings and what was currently happening overlapped and became one. As they walked, Jesus prepared them and helped them start linking all those things together. It wasn’t until the breaking of the bread that it all made sense – the “Aha!” moment; they were now ready and understood: Jesus was truly alive and was seated there before them! As we read the passages from Acts 2 and 1 Peter 1, we see that both writers are also talking about the revelation of Jesus, the moment we are able to see him. In Acts, Peter is speaking to the crowd that had gathered around the disciples at Pentecost, helping them to understand who this Jesus person was and is that was crucified a few weeks before. He traced Jesus’ story all the way back through the prophets and prophecies, sharing with them God’s mighty and wonderful acts, and describing the crucifixion of Jesus and what it meant. As Jesus prepared the two travelers, so Peter here was preparing the crowd: “Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified” (v. 36). The crowd, about 3000 people, experienced their “Aha” moment and immediately asked how to accept this crucified and risen Messiah; they were then baptized on the spot. In 1 Peter, the author is writing to believers who had, for various reasons, been spread around Asia Minor, the areas that make up modern-day Turkey. He reminds them of Jesus’ story, again tracing it back through the prophets and prophecies similar to the unfolding in Acts 2. Jesus’ identity or the timing of his arrival was not revealed to the prophets; they only knew he was coming. Now, however, Peter is asking them to look forward, to the time when Jesus will be revealed again at the end of time. “You know he’s coming, you believe even though you don’t see him, so live like it.” In the previous verses to our reading, Peter writes, “So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that’s coming when Jesus arrives. Don’t lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn’t know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God’s life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, ‘I am holy; you be holy’” (1 Pet. 1:13-16, The Message). Peter here is trying to help his readers be prepared for their “Aha” moment when Jesus does return, and in order to do that, they have to live lives that are holy and full of love, as we see in verse 22 – “love one another deeply from the heart.” When we meet “old friends,” sometimes it takes us a while before we have an “Aha” moment and realize who we were talking to. But do we have any “Aha” moments with Jesus? How many times do we go about our daily lives not really paying attention to what God is showing us – the beauty of nature, the love of our family and friends, those “coincidences” we take for granted. As we look around us today in our isolation, do we see Jesus? Or are our spiritual eyes unable and unwilling to be open to possibilities? The two travelers on the road to Emmaus were not able to see Jesus even though he was physically right there walking and talking with them. They were not prepared; they couldn’t connect the dots of everything they’d heard and experienced. What about us? Although Jesus isn’t physically walking with us, do we see and hear him in the store clerk, the fast-food worker, the nurse, the utility repairman, the news reporter, the child who has no idea what’s going on? Or do we have a spiritual haze that is blinding us and not allowing us to be open to what might be? For many of us, this last month has been one of dismay, discouragement, despair: we lament with the psalmist, “Why are you cast down, O my soul?” With all the things we see and hear on the news, in the papers, on the computer, we are stuck in fear and worry, unable to see Jesus beside us. As this time of isolation and social distancing continues, may we be reminded of the rest of that verse from Psalm 42 and 43: “Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God.” Jesus is here, walking and talking with us as we make our way through this uncertain time; are we prepared for “Aha” moments? I pray that as we go about our day-to-day lives, we will be open and focused on Jesus Christ and the hope that he brings. May we sing with the author of Psalm 116 (our reading), “I love the Lord, because he has heard my voice and my supplications…Praise the Lord!” Amen. Open Our Eyes/Turn Your Eyes upon Jesus/Open My Eyes, that I May See (medley) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7M5lcxDD3Y Blessing and Benediction Go now as those who have met with Christ in the morning of this day. Go now as those who hearts have burned within them, as the Scriptures were explained. Go now as those who have been touched by resurrection. And may the blessing of God be upon you, body, mind and spirit. Amen. Scriptures taken from biblegateway.com
Pictures from pinterest.com Call to Worship: by Carol Penner, http://carolpenner.typepad.com/ , as found on https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2013/03/call-to-worship-emmaus-road.html Opening Prayer: by Rev. Frank Schaefer, http://www.desperatepreacher.com/ , as found on https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2012/04/emmaus-road-prayer.html and Lindsey Sanderson, as found on https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2012/01/opening-prayer-luke-2413-32.html Prayer: Katherine Kussmaul, https://www.liturgylink.net/2020/04/22/prayers-of-the-people-risen-lord-hear-our-cry/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ liturgylink+%28LiturgyLink%29 , as found on https://re-worship.blogspot.com/search/label/Easter%203%20Year%20A Prayer of Confession and Words of Assurance: from Words for Worship, http://pilgrimwr.unitingchurch.org.au/ , as found on https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2012/03/prayer-of-confession-emmaus-road.html Blessing and Benediction: by Ann Siddall, http://www.stillpointsa.org.au/ , as found on https://re-worship.blogspot.com/search/label/Easter%203%20Year%20A Blessings and peace. Pastor Amy [email protected] 518-538-3697 Good evening, all. I just wanted to share with you a reading from one of my devotions this morning. It speaks to God's faithfulness, even though we cannot always see God at work or at those times when we are doubting God exists. It comes from the book, Streams in the Desert by LB Cowman, a compilation of scriptures, thoughts, messages from people who inspired Mrs. Cowman. May it be equaling inspiring to you, as well. Blessings. Pastor Amy [email protected] 518-538-3697 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. (Psalm 138:7, NIV) The Hebrew of this verse literally means to "go on in the center of trouble." What descriptive words! And once we have called on God during our time of trouble, pleaded His promise of deliverance but not received it, and continued to be oppressed by the Enemy until we are in the very thick of the battle - or the "center of trouble" - others may tell us, "Don't bother the teacher any more" (Luke 8:49). When Martha said, "Lord...if you had been here, my brother would not have died" (John 11:21), Jesus countered her lack of hope with His greater promise, "Your brother will rise again" (John 11:23). And when we walk "in the center of trouble" and are tempted to think, like Martha, that we are past the point of ever being delivered, our Lord also answers us with a promise from His Word: "Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life." Although His answer seems so long in coming and we continue to "walk in the midst of trouble," "the center of trouble" is the place where He preserves us, not the place where He fails us. The times we continue to walk in seemingly utter hopelessness are the very times He will "stretch out [His] hand against the anger of [our] foes" (Psalm 138:7). He will bring our trouble to completion, causing the Enemy's attack to cease and to fail. In light of this, what reason would there ever be for despair? (Aphna White) The Eye of the Storm Fear not that the whirlwind will carry you hence, Nor wait for its onslaught in breathless suspense, Nor drink from the blight of the terrible hail, But pass through the edge to the heart of the tale, For there is a shelter, sunlighted and warm, And Faith sees her God through the eye of the storm. The passionate tempest with rush and wild roar, And threatenings of evil may beat on the shore, The waves may be mountains, the fields battle plains, And the earth be immersed in a deluge of rains, Yet, the soul, stayed on God, may sing bravely its psalm, For the heart of the storm is the center of calm. Let hope be not quenched in the blackness of night, Though the cyclone awhile may have blotted the light, For behind the great darkness the stars ever shine, And the light of God's heavens, His love will make thine, Let no gloom dim your eyes, but uplift them on high To the face of your God and the blue of His sky. The storm is your shelter from danger and sin, And God Himself takes you for safety within, The tempest with Him passes into deep calm, And the roar of the winds is the sound of a psalm. Be glad and serene when the tempest clouds form; God smiles on His child in the eye of the storm. Will Your Anchor Hold? (Priscilla J. Owens)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYCl_Pt4W9E Holy Humor Sunday, April 19, 2020 What is Holy Humor Sunday? In the early church, the Sunday after Easter was observed by the faithful as a day of joy and laughter with parties and shenanigans to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. The custom of Bright Sunday, as it was called, came from the idea of some early church theologians that God played a joke on the devil by raising Jesus from the dead. Easter was God’s supreme joke played on death, hence the risus paschalis – “the Easter laugh.” So, on the Sunday after Easter, parishioners and pastors played practical jokes on each other, drenched each other with water, sang, and danced. It was a time for clergy and people to tell jokes and to have fun. “The assumption that a sense of humour and a Christian faith are incompatible is totally mistaken. In point of fact, the writers of the great classics of humour – Rebelais, Cervantes, Swift, Gogol – have all been deeply religious. Even comedians, like Bob Hope, tend to be believers rather than sceptics or cynics… Laughter is, indeed, God’s therapy. Let us then be thankful that, when the Gates of Heaven swing open, mixed with the celestial music there is the unmistakable sound of celestial laughter.” —Malcolm Muggeridge G.K. Chesterton once wrote: “Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly. Never forget that the devil fell by force of gravity. He who has the faith has the fun.” The Bible actually has many references to laughter and partying and having fun. Some examples: - “A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones” (Prov. 17:22 ESV). - “A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance” (Eccles. 3:4 ESV). - “A glad heart makes a cheerful face, but by sorrow of heart the spirit is crushed” (Prov. 15:13 ESV). - “Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh” (Luke 6:21 ESV). - “Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!” (Ps. 32:11 ESV). - “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice” (Phil. 4:4 ESV). - “Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation” (Hab. 3:18 ESV). - “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep” (Rom. 12:15 ESV). - “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps. 118:24 ESV). Abraham and Sarah have a good laugh when the men of God tell Sarah she is going to have a son at her age (see Gen 18+). “Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, ‘Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?’” (Gen. 17:17 ESV) “So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, ‘After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?’” (Gen. 18:12 ESV). “And Sarah said, ‘God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me’” (Gen. 21:6 ESV). Jesus’ parable about the prodigal son (Luke 15) ends with the father throwing a huge party for the son that has returned: “We are going to have a feast, a celebration,” the father declared, “because this son of mine was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:23-24). Some scholars believe that Jesus himself must have had the type of personality that draws people to him (how else can we explain crowds of 5000 and 4000 that forget to eat so Jesus feeds them); he was probably jovial and down-to-earth, especially when he was describing the religious leaders of the time. Those that followed him would have immediately known what he was talking about and started laughing. But Jesus would have also taken the time to go to parties and participate in what we would consider normal behavior. His first miracle (John 2), if you remember, took place at a wedding reception – a party! Over and over, scriptures tell us to rejoice, to praise, to laugh – all those emotions that have to do with enjoying our relationship with God. It’s too bad that many Christians walk around and live their lives as if being a Christian was a chore and they struggle under a hard task master. When I was growing up, once in awhile we would go to dinner (lunch) after Sunday service. We always went to Ponderosa because they were about the only thing open and it wasn’t going to cost my dad a lot of money. I remember one Sunday, as we were walking into the restaurant, an older lady walked past us and then stopped. She asked my dad, “Are you Christians?” When he said, “Yes,” she replied, “I knew it because you all had smiles on your faces!” I didn’t think that much of it at the time, but it struck me enough that I have always remembered that encounter – because we had smiles on our faces!! Even though the CoVID-19 situation has put many of us in not-so-good places emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually, this is the special season that we as Christians do rejoice because Jesus Christ has risen from the grave and has brought us back into a loving intimate relationship with God. We have a joyous hope, one that reaches beyond our current situations; we don’t ignore what’s happening around us, we don’t shoo it away or wish it wasn’t happening – we live into it. We may find ourselves crying and weeping at the news of the many deaths, or cheering on the doctors and nurses, police/fire/EMT personnel who work tirelessly. We stand firm in our faith because we know that Christ is right here beside us experiencing the same things we are; it is his strength, love, and peace that allows to keep going. And because we are standing firm on Jesus Christ, we can and do rejoice because we have that hope that only comes through Jesus Christ: “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness.” We can have “smiles on our faces” and enjoy life because we know that we will get through this with Jesus by our side. So, today, instead of following along with the lectionary scriptures for the second Sunday of Easter, have fun. Take the time to celebrate your relationship with our great God! Read down through the service and laugh, dance and sing along to the songs, tell each other jokes, enjoy the day. Most importantly – “Rejoice in the Lord, always; and again I say, rejoice.” Call to Worship for Holy Humor Sunday Joy is loose, In the wiggles of the children, The whispers of the youth, The smiles of the adults. We praise God for this glorious day, Let the praise break forth in the most unlikely places and in silly ways. Joy and praise fill our hearts and in our songs Let the laughter be deep, for we are God's people. Coffee, Coffee, Coffee (to the tune of Holy, Holy, Holy) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgBV7EdOp7I Opening Prayer for Holy Humor Sunday O Great Laughing God, we come into your presence with joy and longing to be surprised. We thank you that you have given to us the gift of laughter and delight. These things give hints as to the nature of your purpose for us and for all the earth. May we find that in giving up to laughter there is healing and hope and abundance and blessing. Tickle our souls with the brush of your Spirit to renew our worship and our living. Amen. Come On and Celebrate (Patricia Morgan and Dave Blankhead) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kog4QkDT4Ho "A Smiling Joyful You" by Linda Mainard Today I saw a picture of You with a smile upon Your face. My heart became so joyful, I felt filled with loving grace. So many times You've been remembered with expression full of pain. As if the thought of portraying You happy would somehow be a shame. Surely as a baby You giggled and filled Your Mother's heart with joy. And there must have been some mischief too as You grew to be a boy. I try to just imagine You at play or happily climbing up a tree. At twelve, when You amazed the teachers, it must have set Your heart to glee. When You became a man and others gathered in curious fascination, I picture Your handsome face filled with wit and absolute jubilation. That first miracle You performed, quietly at the wedding festivities, Records a time of merriment in Your amazing life's activities. Those very solemn images have been depicted a million times it's true. But I'm so glad I can now envision a smiling and joyful You. The Risen Christ by the Sea Scripture “Reading”: John 20:19-31 a la Dr. Seuss by Rev. Dr. Jim Moiso, Well, we had all gone hiding and we wondered what to do. Our lives, our dreams all broken and his God seemed absent too. Now saviors are not s'posed to die, but save us with God's power. Least that is what I used to think before that strange encounter. Absent was I the night he came, I don't remember what doing. We had not trusted Mary's word, "The Lord I've seen," proclaiming. Impossible. Preposterous. How could she believe such things? She's just a woman, that we knew. In grieving, to him she clings. And then he spoke, here's what he said, "Peace be with you, my friends." They must have looked all startled then 'cause "Peace" he said again. Amazed, remembered they his word the night before he died: God's peace he'd bring to us in life, our joy'd be multiplied. But then a strange thing happened. Why, Jesus appeared once more. He came right up before me, without even op'ning the door. No condemnation in his eyes, no judgment on his tongue. No halo, overwhelming light, just presence, wounds and love. My knees they shook, my eyes were blurred, a realist I always had been. In his presence I blurted out "My Lord and God," who'd risen. I’ve Got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy Down in My Heart (George William Cooke) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LylgwOEI7AY A small boy told a Sunday school teacher: "When you die, God takes care of you like your parents did when you were alive — only God doesn't yell at you all the time." — via Rev. Dennis R. Fakes Lodi, CA A woman invited some people to dinner. At the table, she turned to her six-year-old daughter and said, "Would you like to say the blessing?" "I wouldn't know what to say," the little girl replied. "Just say what you hear Mommy say," the mother said. The little girl bowed her head and said: "Dear Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?" — via Charles Laine Franklin, TN Message on the outside sign of Faith Temple Church, Sioux Falls, SD: "We welcome all denominations — $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100." — via Rev. Jeff Hayes Sunshine in My Soul Today (E.E. Hewitt) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvgHFJRlU1s Prayer for Holy Humor Sunday You smiled and the sun burst through the shadows of chaos; you chuckled, and the platypus splashed in creation's fountain; you laughed, and all that is good and beautiful was given shape by you, Imaginative God. Snickering at the feeble attempts of the evil one, you showed us how to resist temptation; giggling at sin's desperate desire to hold on to us, you released us by your love; howling with laughter at death's foolish belief that the tomb could hold you, you burst forth into the kingdom as the stars pealed with joy, Laughing Jesus. As you fill us with new life, may we delight in sharing it with others; as you tell us the good news which can never be taken from us, may we rejoice in offering it to the broken, the sad, the lonely; as you tickle us with grace, may we give it away with laughter on our lips and joy in our hearts, Spirit of Easter. God in Community, Holy in One, our hearts overflow with wonder. Knock, knock. Who's there? Lettuce. Lettuce who? Lettuce pray. Knock, knock. Who’s there? Phillip. Phillip who? Fill up the plate as it's passed to you. Knock, knock. Who’s there? Rita. Rita who? Read a Bible if you want to hear the good news. Knock, knock. Who’s there? Luke. Luke who? Look all around you at the smiles on your neighbors. Knock, knock. Who’s there? Gladys. Gladys who? Glad it's Sunday, aren't you? Knock, knock. Who’s there? Oliver. Oliver who? All of our joys come from the Lord. Affirmation of Faith for Holy Humor Sunday We believe in God, who made us in His image. We live, we love, we laugh, because we are like Him. We believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, our Lord and Savior. He had the last laugh on the devil when He rose from the dead. We believe in the Holy Spirit, coequal and coeternal with the Father and the Son. Our counselor, our guide, our motivator – He is our joy! “April Fool” by Pastor Doug Ridley The devil knew it was a trick, a trap, but couldn't help himself. He had to try to seize the opportunity to fry the Son of God. He knew that God could snap the trap at anytime, and change the map, so Jesus would go free. To crucify God's chosen one would mean he'd won; and give Almighty God a slap. Then Easter dawned: an empty tomb! Praise God! The devil lost again. He'd hoped he'd won, but, no, his evil scheme had come undone. Oh, what a trick God played on him - and called him 'April Fool!' Gee whiz - Oh, what an April Fool the devil was, and is. A pastor was speaking to a group of second graders about the resurrection of Jesus when one student asked, "What did Jesus say right after He came out of the grave?" The pastor explained that the Gospels do not tell us what He said. The hand of one little girl shot up. "I know what He said: He said, 'Tah-dah!'" — via Andy Fisher Denville, NJ Prayer of Intercession for Holy Humor Sunday Amid the laughter and celebration of this day, it’s good that we pause and remember that many carry burdens that need not be carried alone. God of grace, God of love and laughter, we thank you that we are so wondrously created and that we are made for relationship with you and with one another. We thank you for laughter with friends and loved ones. We thank you for the laughter of children, and the song it creates in our hearts. By your great unending love, you inspire in us a spirit of imagination and creativity. Help us to use that spirit to play more, to laugh more, and to create beauty in every way possible. Remind us to laugh out loud, for doing so will heal some of the wounds within us. Not all, but some. God, we pray for those who cannot find their laughter today. For those who are grieving, or suffering illness of body, mind or spirit...for those who are lonely and in need of someone to share their time and friendship... for those who have not yet moved into the season and spirit of Easter and find themselves stuck in the gloom of Good Friday. May these and the troubles of all your people be soothed, blessed, and comforted by your holy presence. May we each find the laughter within us that sets our spirits free, and in that freedom, may we take your love into every part of our lives. These and all the prayers of our hearts we offer now in the name of Jesus, who taught us to pray together saying, 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 who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee (Henry Van Dyke, Ludwig van Beethoven) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eMY3ivdNzwE Call to Reconciliation None of us likes to look foolish, but which is sillier? Chasing after the world and all its gaudy trinkets which flatter our souls, or being a 'fool for Christ', imitating him in service to others, offering ourselves in love and joy to the world? Let us admit to God the foolish choices we make each and every day, as we pray, saying, Prayer of Confession You know better than we do, Amused God, what important people we believe we are. Believing we have to be serious all the time, we miss out on the joy of your creation. Choosing to feast on the pain of the world, we skip the picnic offered in paradise. Clinging to the despair which is our best friend, we ignore Jesus. who can bring us home to your heart. Forgive us, Heart of Joy, and make us open to the startling, and upside-down, ways in which you work. Fill us with Easter's laughter; fill us with your healing joy; fill us with the love poured into us through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. (silent prayers may be offered) Assurance of Pardon The Gospels tell us over and over again of the joy which comes to us through Christ. When Jesus was around, lives were changed, the sick were healed, the sorrowful began to laugh with joy. The good news is that this joy is now given to us. Through the Holy Spirit, we are gifted with joy. We are sent forth to bring good news to the oppressed, to bring healing to the broken, to anoint everyone with the oil of gladness. Thanks be to God, we are forgiven. Amen. O Happy Day (Edwin Hawkins) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxAqIWNrfWA God, are you still here? By Peter Olson One Sunday in church after the service had ended and the congregation had paraded out toward the fellowship hall f It had been a beautiful worship service. The sermon was inspiring and the music had been grande. The congregation had paraded out of the sanctuary, shaking the pastor’s hand with thoughts of post-liturgical cookies and coffee on their mind. And as they gathered anew in the Fellowship Hall one could hear the scraping of chairs and the ruckus of laughter. And yet, not all were gathering for their small feast, for one small young boy had creeped out from his seat. The congregation paraded out of the sanctuary, shaking the pastor’s hand with thoughts of post-liturgical cookies and coffee on their mind. And as they gathered anew in the Fellowship Hall one could hear the scraping of chairs and the ruckus of laughter. And yet, not all were gathering for their after-paschal feast, for one small young boy had creeped out from his seat. Curiosity had struck the young lad as strong as pews were left empty and neat. He crawled beneath the rows, bumping his head while pushing forward with his toes. Finally, he revealed himself at the front of the church. He stood up, walked forward, and glanced all around. With quiet steps he moved up by the altar and then to the pulpit. The lights were all out, the darkness enveloped. A small tap let him know that the mic was still powered. He looked around with a questioning eye before leaning forward and starting to speak. A crackle of sound broke through the church—the laughing and scraping all stopped in the kitchen as the whole congregation paused to listen. The words rang clear… their message true… the question was real, “God, are you still here?” It’s a great question, really. Especially today—the first Sunday after Easter or, as I prefer to remember it—Holy Humor Sunday. When I first heard about Holy Humor Sunday, I thought it was just an attempt to bring some extra entertainment into the church. And while it can indeed bring a good deal of laughs, there is also a richness within the theology that I appreciate. The custom of Holy Humor Sunday was rooted in the musings of early church theologians like Augustine and Gregory of Nyssa. They expressed the idea that God played a practical joke on the devil by raising Jesus from the dead. "Risus paschalis - the Easter laugh," the early theologians called it. The Easter Laugh… isn’t that great? And part of the joy of it for me is that the Easter Laugh isn’t ignoring the suffering and death on the cross. It isn’t like the old TV comedy, Hogan’s Heroes. There’s an episode when Newkirk, a British POW in a German POW Camp tries to make the camp commander, Kommadant Colonel Klink, think that the war is over before it really is. Newkirk impersonates Adolf Hitler and puts out fake news on a radio message to the people of Germany telling everyone that if they hear false lies such as, “Berlin being in ruins or Hamburg being in shambles that… I order you not to believe these things.... even if they are true! And that no matter what happens we will all be together! In conclusion… I say, hide in your beds, work hard, fight dirty, and no matter what happens—keep smiling.” For Colonel Klink, he couldn’t imagine being able to ‘keep smiling’ if all those rumors were indeed true and he hoped that perhaps Hitler had just had a bad day in Berchtesgaden. The Easter Laugh isn’t that kind of fake, “Keep Smiling” mentality. The Easter Laugh doesn’t tell us to ignore the brokenness in the world. The Easter Laugh doesn’t tell us to ignore all the bad things in life and simply, “keep smiling.” Instead, the Easter Laugh is recognizing that just in the moment when defeat was a certainty that Christ pulls out the win. It’s as though we were in the middle of a great baseball game with death… we’re down by three in the bottom of the third inning and we have two outs already. Then God steps up to bat and hits a homerun with the bases loaded. In the last possible moment, God wins the game that matters most—the game between life and death. And that huge upset is what inspires the Easter Laugh! But there is a challenge with this Easter Laugh… and that challenge is what Thomas faced when he was reunited with the disciples after they had just experienced the risen Christ. It was as though the entire team witnessed the home run.... except for Thomas. In Verse 25, Thomas receives only what ends up being accessible to the next generation of disciples and what all of the generations to follow receive—only the word. You see, Thomas hears the good news… but unlike the other disciples he doesn’t get to SEE the good news. In verse 25, he’s like you and me. And, to be quite honest, there are times that I would feel a good deal more confident in my faith if I were able to have Jesus stand in front of me and I too could touch the wounds. But that is the very reason why this story is in scripture—to see the reality of what it is to believe.... and to have doubts. The writings about Christ’s journey on earth, both prior to his death and after his resurrection are so much more than just a collection of good stories to cheer us up—they express the reality of the world. They reveal the brokenness of the world around us… and the brokenness within ourselves. And yet… this is good news. God sees you for who you are. God sees the life you live, both the good and the bad. And God walks with you and even steps in as your pinch hitter. The pressure on you to win an impossible game is gone. Now, you can stand and celebrate. You can cheer and laugh and be filled with the Joy of Christ not because the game of life is without struggle, but because you know that God has the final say. And so that’s what I encourage you to do on this day and in the days to come. Whatever difficulties are up against you in life right now… whatever stress you are facing—remember who is next at bat. Do you recall that question, “God, are you still here?” The answer is that even when the joy and excitement of church is over. When you are home alone or in the car, that the answer is always a resounding yes. God is still here and God will not leave you. And so there are a few things I want you to remember. Remember that there is ALWAYS hope for the future. Remember that there is ALWAYS new life. Remember that question with certainty that God is indeed still here even when the pomp and celebration grows silent. And when you remember these things, that is indeed enough reason to keep smiling. Amen. Joyful, Joyful (version from Sister Act II) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaEH1e_DLm0 Closing Prayer for Holy Humor Sunday
Lord, grant me a joyful heart and a holy sense of humor. Please give me the gift of faith, to be renewed and shared with others each day. Teach me to live this moment only, looking neither to the past with regret, nor to the future with apprehension. Let love be my guide, and my life a prayer. Go in laughter; go in grace. Keep the Lord in your heart and a smile on your face. You Shall Go Out with Joy (The Trees of the Field) (Steffi Karen Rubin) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaEH1e_DLm0 Materials borrowed from: - https://www.joyfulnoiseletter.com/ - Bing.com search for Holy Humor Sunday - https://www.patheos.com/blogs/ecopreacher/2018/04/holy-humor-sunday-easter-laugh/ - https://www.openbible.info/topics/humor_and_laughter - biblegateway.com Call to Worship: posted on Trinity United Parish, http://www.trinityunitedparish.org/lukeswordpress/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/April-10.pdf, as found on https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2017/04/call-to-worship-holy-humor-sunday.html Opening Prayer: from the United Church of Canada’s Bay of Quinte Conference website, http://www.bayofquinteconference.ca/ as found on https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2013/04/opening-prayer-great-laughing-god.html Prayer for Holy Humor Sunday: Thom M. Shuman, as found on https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2011/04/opening-prayer-for-laughter-sunday.html Affirmation of Faith: posted on the website of the First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of Conroe, Texas, http://www.firstchristianchurchconroe.org/ as found on https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2014/04/holy-humor-affirmation-of-faith.html Prayer of Intercession: posted by Sue as found on https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2012/03/prayers-of-people-holy-humor-sunday.html Call to Reconciliation, Prayer of Confession, and Assurance of Pardon: written by Thom Shumanhttp://lectionaryliturgies.blogspot.com/ as found on https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2012/03/confession-for-holy-humor-sunday.html “God, are you still here?” by Peter Olson, as found on https://sermons.faithlife.com/sermons/177824-holy-humor-sunday-2017 Closing Prayer: from Holy Humor Sunday celebrations at Roscoe United Methodist Church, Illinios, as found on https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2011/04/worship-resources-for-laughter-holy.html Good morning, church!
Have you ever sat and let your mind wander a bit? Things like, "Why is the sky blue and the grass green?" "Why does a round pizza come in a square box?" "Why are there black flies and gnats?" "Why does Governor Cuomo's facial expression never change even when he's talking about good things?" "Why are beer companies making hard seltzer?" "Why are Biblical names so hard to pronounce?" Sometimes our minds come up with interesting and off-the-wall questions and comments, don't they? But if we're not careful, our minds will start wandering down deeper, darker passageways - "God, why am I here?" "What am I supposed to be doing?" "Did my sermon offend someone without me knowing it?" "Were my actions and words misinterpreted or misunderstood?" "Oh no, does someone think that I don't care?" "Did I not do or say something that I could have?" On and on we spiral downward in our thoughts and questions, and we get stuck in dark dungeons we have created and can't seem to find our way out. I think it's safe to say that most of us have been there at least once in our lives. For various reasons we have found ourselves questioning our every move, our every thought, our every action and word spoken. "Why, God, why? Why are you making me go through this? What did I do to deserve this?" We sit alongside Job, who had lost everything he had, and lash out at God; we curse, we cry, we get mad. We're frustrated and just want things to end one way or another. During this time of isolation and lockdown, things are looking like they'll never end and the temptation to fall into that downward spiral gets more and more intense. Things happen that you didn't plan on or even think about and you find yourself fighting a hard battle. I get it; I've recently been there myself. It's not a good place to be. But then God nudges your heart - through a letter from a loved one, a friend waving "hi" through the window, a bird singing in the tree, an unexpected email, a Facebook post. The key is to be open to God moving in your heart, and to remember who and whose you are. God loves us so much, beyond our full understanding, and never leaves us alone. When we go through tough times, our situations aren't necessarily going to right themselves miraculously before our eyes, but God is here to provide strength and the shoulder to lean on as we go. If you do find yourself in that spiral or close to it, focus on God's love for you. Over and over again throughout the scriptures, God declares God's love for us: "I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you" (Jer. 31:3); "I will never leave you or forsake you" (Heb. 13:5); "And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20). There is nothing we do, nothing we think, nowhere we can go, no emotional battles we face that God isn't right beside us. We all love to sing that children's classic, "Jesus Loves Me," but do we really think about the words? Jesus loves me. Jesus loves me. Yes, Jesus loves me! Please also know that I love and care for each and every one of you, and am concerned for your spiritual and mental health as much as your physical. God has blessed me with two incredible congregations to serve; I am here for you. If there is anything you need, anyone you want to lift up in prayer, anything you need to vent about, or ask questions about, please don't hesitate to contact me - phone, email, text, USPS mail. Remember - God loves you, and so do I. We will get through this together, leaning on God's strength the whole way. Blessings. Pastor Amy [email protected] 518-538-3697 PS - As a gentle reminder, on behalf of both finance committees and treasurers, please don't forget to send in your offerings and tithes. Even though we are not gathering, the bills still keep coming. MRUMC, please send yours to 32 Midline Road, Ballston Lake, NY 12019. RLUMC, please send yours to PO Box 485, Round Lake, NY 12151. Thank you. I just wanted to let you all see the beauty that is Easter. Thank you to Jean, Kathy, Cheryl, and anybody else that helped to remind us of the glory and beauty that Jesus' resurrection brings.
Good morning and Happy Easter!! Even though we are not gathering together this morning for Easter celebrations, may you be reminded of God's love and mercy this day and always. There are many opportunities to participate in Easter "services." Below, there are readings, songs, and a short "reflection" for you to use. You may also find many churches live-streaming or taping services and putting them on Facebook or their websites. Arlene Schmidt from Malta Ridge will be holding a Zoom Easter service for her family and has invited you to join her; you should have received her invitation last night ([email protected]). Please feel free to do so. However you choose to celebrate this glorious day, do so remembering why. We celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, who by rising again, has set us free from spiritual death and sin and brings us into the awesome presence of God Almighty! Christ is risen! Alleluia! Happy Easter!! Pastor Amy Easter Sunday Rejoice! The stone is rolled away, grave clothes neatly folded, no more the smell of death, behold the empty tomb! Hallelujah! (He is risen!) Rejoice! Scripture has been fulfilled, the sting of death is gone, the victory has been won, behold the risen Christ! Hallelujah! (He is risen!) Rejoice! The curtain’s torn in two, our God invites us in, Christ’s sacrifice enough to wash away our sins! Hallelujah! (He is risen!) Christ the Lord Is Risen Today (Charles Wesley) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djU28gx40dU Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 1 O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his steadfast love endures forever! 2 Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” 14 The Lord is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. 15 There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord does valiantly; 16 the right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord does valiantly.” 17 I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord. 18 The Lord has punished me severely, but he did not give me over to death. 19 Open to me the gates of righteousness, that I may enter through them and give thanks to the Lord. 20 This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it. 21 I thank you that you have answered me and have become my salvation. 22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. 23 This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. 24 This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. He Lives (Alfred Ackley, sung by Alan Jackson) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBTluxqFu_A Matthew 28:1-10 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 28 After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” 8 So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” Up from the Grave He Arose (Robert Lowry) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oN77HjfAc8k John 20:1-18 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 20 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. 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.” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples returned to their homes. 11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 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. 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.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 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.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 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.’” 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. In the Garden (C. Austin Miles) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WwpGp2dv0g Acts 10:34-43 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 34 Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. 37 That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; 40 but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” Who Will Call Him King of Kings (Greg Nelson, Bob Farrell, and Sandi Patty) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY9idOZBYBU In cold despair They'd laid Him in the tomb The body of their Master fair Third morning came As they returned to pray Light was shining everywhere But Jesus' body was not there And as they gazed at an empty grave The earth around began to shake And they were so afraid But voices of angels filled the air Their shouts proclaimed "He is not here" And you could hear them say Who will call Him King of Kings And who will call Him Lord of Lords Who will call Him Prince of Peace Such a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God Who will call Him King Their spirits soared As fear was turned to joy Standing there before their eyes Jesus clothed in radiant white And with a voice they'd heard before He told them "Go and tell the world that I'm alive" They ran as fast as feet could fly "The Lord is risen" was their cry And you could hear them say We will call Him King of Kings We Will call Him Lord of Lords We will call Him Prince of Peace Such a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God We will call Him King of Kings And we Will call Him Lord of Lords We will call Him Prince of Peace Such a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God Just like He said He is risen from the dead And the people say We will call Him King of Kings We Will call Him Lord of Lords We will call Him Prince of Peace Such a Wonderful Counselor! I will call Him King of Kings And I will call Him Lord of Lords I will call Him Prince of Peace Such a Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God I will call Him King (We will call Him King) I will call Him King (We will call Him King) I will call Him King! So, the day has finally arrived!!! No, not the one where you win the mega-millions. And, sorry, not the one where everything opens up again – but that one will be coming. Today we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! We worshiped at the manger of a newborn king, we’ve watched as this child grew into a man, was baptized with him by John the Baptist, and walked with him among the peoples of Judea. Then we watched in horror as he was betrayed by one of his very own disciples; the guards arrested him and brought him to Pilate. Pilate didn’t know what to do with him, he just wanted to let him go. But the crowds, stirred up by those who hated Jesus’ teachings, shouted, “Crucify! Crucify him!” So, Pilate relented. This man was taken away, beaten and whipped, nailed to a cross and left to die. We cried and wept with Mary and the other women as some men took Jesus’ lifeless body down off the cross and buried it in a tomb. Then we stood, in silence and disbelief. Here was our friend, the great teacher and healer, the one who stood beside the outcast; here was the one who said he was the son of God. Some of us believed him, but here we stood at the tomb as the soldiers rolled a large stone over the doorway. Jesus was dead. Jesus was dead! JESUS WAS DEAD! And there was nothing we could do but hide in fear. If the crowds and other leaders wanted Jesus dead, they would soon come for us and haul us out to die on crosses, as well. The day of Sabbath was a quiet day, nobody really said much. We kind of just sat around, still thinking about what had happened the day before, stunned and silent, weeping and questioning God – why? Some of the women went out to the tomb come the first day of the week. You see, Jesus was buried in such a hurry that we really didn’t have time to properly prepare his body for burial. Burial!?! Oh, my! Who would think we’d be talking like this about Rabbi Jesus? Anyway…the women went out with spices and everything they needed, but when they got there, they thought they were in the wrong place. The stone, that huge boulder the soldiers had put in front of the door, was not there anymore. Surely, this was the right place, but they looked around and no one – no guards, nobody nosing around, and no body. No body! Where was Jesus body?!?! Someone took him, someone moved him; they must have put him in another tomb somewhere else. Then the ladies saw an angel telling them that Jesus wasn’t there. Well, yeah, we can see that! But then the angel said something weird – Jesus isn’t here because he’s risen. Risen?? What in the world does that mean?? A dead body can’t come back to life – it’s dead!! What was that angel talking about??? The women ran back to us to share with us what they’d just seen and experienced. Of course, none of us believed them. I mean, really, they saw an angel? And Mary even said she saw Jesus himself disguised as a gardener. Seriously?!?! An angel and Jesus the gardener! What?!?!... I don’t know what happened on the way to the tomb, but I think these women had too much of that leftover Passover wine!! Now Peter and John were skeptical, but they decided they might as well go and check it out, to see if the women were telling a fish-tale, like we all used to do before we started following Jesus. They ran down to the tomb and found nothing – no guards, no angel, no gardener. No nothing! That wasn’t helping the women’s story any, let me tell you. No evidence of anything they told us. But then Peter went into the tomb – he actually stepped foot into the tomb, eww! What he saw, though, was something beyond explainable; it was extraordinary. Instead of Jesus’ body laying there, the only thing he saw was the burial cloths they had wrapped him in. That’s it! Nothing else – just the cloths! Weird – huh?!? When Peter and John came back and told us what they had seen – how it kind of matched up with what the women had seen – we were dumbfounded! How do you explain that – no body, just cloths? Then we remembered what the women had, about how the angel said Jesus had risen from the dead, and we started putting it together with all the other hints that Jesus had given us while we followed him around the countryside. He said things like, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up;” “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised;” “I am going to be betrayed and killed and three days later will return to life again.” Jesus told us these things a few times, but I don’t think anyone really understood what he was saying, let alone believe him - - until now. Now everything was beginning to make sense; it was all coming together. Jesus sayings, the women and Peter and John, and the angel and the gardener. Oh, and then these two guys – Cleopas and one of his friends – were walking down to Emmaus; they ran back as fast as they could to tell us that Jesus has appeared to them and was walking with them talking about everything that had just happened. They were beside themselves, believing but not believing – but it just fit right in. The cloths were just laying there in the empty tomb because Jesus was not dead; he had arisen just as he said! WOW!!! We still couldn’t believe it; we didn’t dare. We didn’t want to get too excited; what if these were just some hallucinations or visions or something else? Jesus couldn’t be alive, could he? As if on cue – Jesus entered the room, even though it was locked, and stood there among us. Our mouths open-wide and our eyes full of tears, we stood in awe, stunned; we were paralyzed! “Peace be with you,” he said as he showed us his wounds. Then we knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt. All those prophecies in the Torah, all those hints that Jesus gave us as we traveled, the witness of the women and the experience of Peter, John, and Cleopas – all these things had come true!! Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah had been crucified and died but now he stood in front of us alive. Jesus is alive! Jesus is ALIVE! JESUS IS ALIVE!!!!!!! Now, obviously, the story doesn’t end there; there were lots of other times Jesus appeared to us over the course of forty days. Then he ascended – we watched him – back to Yahweh God. And us…well, we have retold this story – the whole story – many times over to many, many peoples far and wide. You see, that’s what Jesus told us to do as he ascended – “Go to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples.” So we went – all over. Some stayed here in Jerusalem, some went out to some of the same places we visited with Jesus, some went to Samaria and then up into Damascus and Corinth and Philippi; some even when down toward Egypt. We spread out all over the place, sharing Jesus’ story. And so, still today, we spread out all over this world, sharing and showing Jesus’ story: out of great love, God in Jesus came as one of us, a tiny human baby; he walked among us, taught us, healed us, showed us how to live, and how to love. Then he was arrested and condemned to die a horrible death hanging on a cross. When he died, he was buried in a borrowed tomb. But, as he said, Jesus didn’t stay dead; he rose again from the grave and ascended back unto Yahweh God. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus has destroyed the hold that spiritual death and evil have over us, has reconciled us back to God Almighty and offers us life for all eternity in God’s glorious presence. All we have to do is to truly believe – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” They Could Not (Ron Harris and Claire Cloninger) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jx6RP2P25DI Benediction: When others dismiss your story as an idle tale, who will you be? Resurrection people with Easter in our hearts. When the world seems to be crumbling around you, remember who you are: Resurrection people with Easter in our hearts. When despair would seem to squelch all hope, believe in who you have become: Resurrection people with Easter in our hearts. When it is hard to persevere against all odds, trust in God who names you: Resurrection people with Easter in our hearts. As we follow Christ into the world, may God help us remember who we are . . . resurrection people with Easter in our hearts. Happy Easter!!
May you feel God's blessings surrounding you this day and always. Rejoice! by John Birch, http://www.faithandworship.com/ as found on https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2017/04/easter-call-to-worship-rejoice.html Scriptures from biblegateway.com Empty tomb picture from Pinterest Benediction by Sharlande Sledge, as found on https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2011/04/easter-sending-benediction.html Holy Week continues on this day of silence, the day in-between crucifixion and resurrection. Holy Saturday Let us pray: Almighty God, your name is glorified even in the anguish of your Son’s death. Grant us the courage to receive your anointed servant who embodies a wisdom and love that is foolishness to the world. Empower us in witness so that all the world may recognize in the scandal of the cross the mystery of reconciliation. Amen. where once feet that danced through the streets of Jerusalem welcoming the Messiah now softly pad the back alleys in search of shadows; hearts that leapt with joy at the sight of David's true son are thrown out with Golgotha's garbage; hands that wrapped a new born son in bright bands of cloth now shroud his broken body and lay him gently, tenderly, softly in death's manger. where glad hosannas rang out there is now only the silent weeping heart of God. There is generally no music or large services to observe Holy Saturday. It is a day of silence, a day of between; it is a time to sit and meditate on what Jesus’ death, and death in general, means – for the disciples then and for us now. As you read each of the scripture passages, however, feel free to lyrically chant along with Jesus, Remember Me, from the Taize (France) community. Lamentations 3:1-9, 19-24 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 3 I am one who has seen affliction under the rod of God’s wrath; 2 he has driven and brought me into darkness without any light; 3 against me alone he turns his hand, again and again, all day long. 4 He has made my flesh and my skin waste away, and broken my bones; 5 he has besieged and enveloped me with bitterness and tribulation; 6 he has made me sit in darkness like the dead of long ago. 7 He has walled me about so that I cannot escape; he has put heavy chains on me; 8 though I call and cry for help, he shuts out my prayer; 9 he has blocked my ways with hewn stones, he has made my paths crooked. 19 The thought of my affliction and my homelessness is wormwood and gall! 20 My soul continually thinks of it and is bowed down within me. 21 But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: 22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. 24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” Jesus, Remember Me (Jacques Berthier and community of Taize) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUOYdsfsu8Q The Burial of Jesus’ Body from Each of the Four Gospels Matthew 27:57-66 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. 62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception would be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone. Jesus, Remember Me (Jacques Berthier and community of Taize) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUOYdsfsu8Q Mark 15:42-47 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 42 When evening had come, and since it was the day of Preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath, 43 Joseph of Arimathea, a respected member of the council, who was also himself waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 44 Then Pilate wondered if he were already dead; and summoning the centurion, he asked him whether he had been dead for some time. 45 When he learned from the centurion that he was dead, he granted the body to Joseph. 46 Then Joseph bought a linen cloth, and taking down the body, wrapped it in the linen cloth, and laid it in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a stone against the door of the tomb. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where the body was laid. Jesus, Remember Me (Jacques Berthier and community of Taize) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUOYdsfsu8Q Luke 23:50-56 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 50 Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph, who, though a member of the council, 51 had not agreed to their plan and action. He came from the Jewish town of Arimathea, and he was waiting expectantly for the kingdom of God. 52 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a rock-hewn tomb where no one had ever been laid. 54 It was the day of Preparation, and the sabbath was beginning. 55 The women who had come with him from Galilee followed, and they saw the tomb and how his body was laid. 56 Then they returned, and prepared spices and ointments. On the sabbath they rested according to the commandment. Jesus, Remember Me (Jacques Berthier and community of Taize) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUOYdsfsu8Q John 19:38-42 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 38 After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. 39 Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. 40 They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. 42 And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. Jesus, Remember Me (Jacques Berthier and community of Taize) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUOYdsfsu8Q Litany (inspired by John 3: 16) God loved the world so much that God sent Jesus the son so that all who believed in him would have eternal life God loved the world so much love gave everything it had that anyone who grasped the story of love would be grasped by love’s story and find what is eternal God loved the world so much heaven opened up itself completely so that whoever welcomed the kingdom in through works of love and justice would find the lasting wholeness of life God loved the world so much Jesus put on flesh and lived among us so that the face of God would be clear to humanity and the word of God would be clearly heard that no life is cheap enough to destroy God loved the world so much God went there Gods-self so that anyone who banked on love would discover life’s ultimate value and in so doing live in its fullness God loved the world so much God let Jesus gamble everything on love through to crucifixion and death so that all who ventured to love in that way would know what had been distilled in eternity God loved the world so much that God sent Jesus the son so that all who believed in him would have eternal life Let us pray: My Lord, today all is silent. You have given your precious life for the salvation of the world. You died a horrific death, poured out all mercy from your wounded heart, and now you rest in peace in the tomb as the soldiers keep vigil. Lord, may I also keep vigil with you as you sleep. I know that this day ends with your glorious triumph, your victory over sin and death. But for now I sit quietly mourning your death. Help me, dear Lord, to enter into the sorrow and the silence of this Holy Saturday. Today no Sacraments are celebrated. Today the world waits in mourning in anticipation of the glory of new life! As I keep vigil, awaiting the celebration of your Resurrection, fill me with hope. Help me to look forward to the celebration of your Resurrection, but also to look forward to the hope of my own share in the new life you won for the world. I entrust my whole being to you, dear Lord, as you lay lifeless and still. May your rest transform the brokenness of my own soul, my weaknesses, my sin and my frailty. You are glorious and you bring the greatest good out of your apparent defeat. I trust in your power to do all things and I entrust my life to you. Jesus, I trust in you. Amen. Our siblings in the Roman Catholic Church observe an Easter Vigil between sunset Saturday and sunrise Sunday. Although most Protestants don’t usually participate in this type of observance, it may bring a sense of deeper intimacy with Jesus. If you choose to participate, the litany and prayers for the Vigil are provided for you following a brief reflection from Father Andy Alexander, SJ, of Creighton University's Collaborative Ministry Office. Reflection from Father Alexander: On Holy Saturday we enter into the mystery. Today we contemplate Jesus, there in the tomb, dead. In that tomb, he is dead, exactly the way each of us will be dead. We don't easily contemplate dying, but we rarely contemplate being dead. I have had the blessed experience of being with a number of people who have died, of arriving at a hospital shortly after someone has died, of attending an autopsy, and of praying with health sciences students over donated bodies in gross anatomy class. These were powerful experiences because they all brought me face-to-face with the mystery of death itself. With death, life ends. Breathing stops, and in an instant, the life of this person has ended. And, in a matter of hours, the body becomes quite cold and life-less -- dramatic evidence, to our senses, that this person no longer exists. All that is left is this decaying shell that once held his or her life. Death is our ultimate fear. Everything else we fear, every struggle we have, is some taste of, some chilling approach to, the experience of losing our life. This fear is responsible for so much of our lust and greed, so much of our denial and arrogance, so much of our silly clinging to power, so much of our hectic and anxiety-driven activity. It is the one, inevitable reality we all will face. There is not enough time, money, joy, fulfillment, success. Our physical beauty and strength, our mental competency and agility, all that we have and use to define ourselves, slip away from us with time. Our lives are limited. Our existence, in every way we can comprehend it, comes to an end. We will all die. In a matter of time, all that will be left of any of us is a decomposing body. Today is a day to soberly put aside the blinders we have about the mystery of death and our fear of it. Death is very real and its approach holds great power in our lives. The "good news" we are about to celebrate has no real power in our lives unless we have faced the reality of death. To contemplate Jesus' body, there in that tomb, is to look our death in the face, and it is preparation for hearing the Gospel with incredible joy. That we are saved from the ultimate power of sin and of death itself comes to us as a great relief, as a tremendous liberation. If Jesus lives, you and I will live! The mystery of death, which we contemplate today, will be overcome - we will live forever! Today's reflection will lead us to the vigil of Easter. This night, communities from all over the world will gather in darkness, a darkness that represents all that we have been reflecting upon today. The God who created us, who led a chosen people out of slavery, raised Jesus from death. We can rejoice that death has no final victory over us. Then we celebrate the Easter Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. Tonight we celebrate our faith -- that we have been baptized into the death of Jesus, so that we might have everlasting life with him. As we behold the body of Jesus in the tomb today, and as we contemplate the mystery of our death, we prepare our hearts to receive the Good News of life. We know that tomb will be empty and remain empty forever as a sign that our lives will not really end, but only be transformed. One day, we will all rest in the embrace of Jesus, who knows our death, and who prepares a place for us in everlasting life. Our reflection on this holy Saturday, and our anticipation of celebrating the gift of life tonight and tomorrow, can bring immense peace and joy, powerful freedom and vitality to our lives. For if we truly believe that death holds no true power over us, we can walk each day with courage and freedom, in the grace being offered us - to give our lives away in love. Brothers and sisters: Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness of life. For if we have grown into union with him through a death like his, we shall also be united with him in the resurrection. Rom 6:3-11 Easter Vigil Readings and Prayers: I Genesis 1:1-2:2 The Story of Creation In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was barren, with no form of life; it was under a roaring ocean covered with darkness. But the Spirit of God was moving over the water. The First Day God said, "I command light to shine!" And light started shining. God looked at the light and saw that it was good. He separated light from darkness and named the light "Day" and the darkness "Night." Evening came and then morning - that was the first day. The Second Day God said, "I command a dome to separate the water above it from the water below it." And that's what happened. God made the dome and named it "Sky." Evening came and then morning - that was the second day. The Third Day God said, "I command the water under the sky to come together in one place, so there will be dry ground." And that's what happened. God named the dry ground "Land," and he named the water "Ocean." God looked at what he had done and saw that it was good. God said, "I command the earth to produce all kinds of plants, including fruit trees and grain." And that's what happened. The earth produced all kinds of vegetation. God looked at what he had done, and it was good. Evening came and then morning - that was the third day. The Fourth Day God said, "I command lights to appear in the sky and to separate day from night and to show the time for seasons, special days, and years. I command them to shine on the earth." And that's what happened. God made two powerful lights, the brighter one to rule the day and the other to rule the night. He also made the stars. Then God put these lights in the sky to shine on the earth, to rule day and night, and to separate light from darkness. God looked at what he had done, and it was good. Evening came and then morning that was the fourth day. The Fifth Day God said, "I command the ocean to be full of living creatures, and I command birds to fly above the earth." So God made the giant sea monsters and all the living creatures that swim in the ocean. He also made every kind of bird. God looked at what he had done, and it was good. Then he gave the living creatures his blessing -- he told the ocean creatures to live everywhere in the ocean and the birds to live everywhere on earth. Evening came and then morning that was the fifth day. The Sixth Day God said, "I command the earth to give life to all kinds of tame animals, wild animals, and reptiles." And that's what happened. God made every one of them. Then he looked at what he had done, and it was good. God said, "Now we will make humans, and they will be like us. We will let them rule the fish, the birds, and all other living creatures." So God created humans to be like himself; he made men and women. God gave them his blessing and said: Have a lot of children! Fill the earth with people and bring it under your control. Rule over the fish in the ocean, the birds in the sky, and every animal on the earth. I have provided all kinds of fruit and grain for you to eat. And I have given the green plants as food for everything else that breathes. These will be food for animals, both wild and tame, and for birds. God looked at what he had done. All of it was very good! Evening came and then morning - that was the sixth day. So the heavens and the earth and everything else were created. The Seventh Day By the seventh day God had finished his work, and so he rested. Let us pray: Almighty ever-living God, who are wonderful in the ordering of all your works, may those you have redeemed understand that there exists nothing more marvelous than the world’s creation in the beginning except that, at the end of the ages, Christ our Passover has been sacrificed. Who live and reigns for ever and ever. II Genesis 22:1-18 The LORD Tells Abraham To Offer Isaac as a Sacrifice Some years later God decided to test Abraham, so he spoke to him. Abraham answered, "Here I am, LORD." The LORD said, "Go get Isaac, your only son, the one you dearly love! Take him to the land of Moriah, and I will show you a mountain where you must sacrifice him to me on the fires of an altar." So Abraham got up early the next morning and chopped wood for the fire. He put a saddle on his donkey and left with Isaac and two servants for the place where God had told him to go. Three days later Abraham looked off in the distance and saw the place. He told his servants, "Stay here with the donkey, while my son and I go over there to worship. We will come back." Abraham put the wood on Isaac's shoulder, but he carried the hot coals and the knife. As the two of them walked along, Isaac said, "Father, we have the coals and the wood, but where is the lamb for the sacrifice?" "My son," Abraham answered, "God will provide the lamb." The two of them walked on, and when they reached the place that God had told him about, Abraham built an altar and placed the wood on it. Next, he tied up his son and put him on the wood. He then took the knife and got ready to kill his son. But the LORD'S angel shouted from heaven, "Abraham! Abraham!" "Here I am!" he answered. "Don't hurt the boy or harm him in any way!" the angel said. "Now I know that you truly obey God, because you were willing to offer him your only son." Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in the bushes. So he took the ram and sacrificed it in place of his son. Abraham named that place "The LORD Will Provide." And even now people say, "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided." The LORD'S angel called out from heaven a second time: You were willing to offer the LORD your only son, and so he makes you this solemn promise, "I will bless you and give you such a large family, that someday your descendants will be more numerous than the stars in the sky or the grains of sand along the beach. They will defeat their enemies and take over the cities where their enemies live. You have obeyed me, and so you and your descendants will be a blessing to all nations on earth." Let us pray: O God, supreme Father of the faithful, who increase the children of your promise by pouring out the grace of adoption throughout the whole world and who through the Paschal Mystery make your servant Abraham father of nations, as once you swore, grant, we pray, that your peoples may enter worthily into the grace to which you call them. Through Christ our Lord. III Exodus 14:15-15:1 The Israelites Cross the Red Sea At Etham the LORD said to Moses: Tell the people of Israel to turn back and camp across from Pi-Hahiroth near Baal-Zephon, between Migdol and the Red Sea. The king will think they were afraid to cross the desert and that they are wandering around, trying to find another way to leave the country. I will make the king stubborn again, and he will try to catch you. Then I will destroy him and his army. People everywhere will praise me for my victory, and the Egyptians will know that I really am the LORD. The Israelites obeyed the LORD and camped where he told them. When the king of Egypt heard that the Israelites had finally left, he and his officials changed their minds and said, "Look what we have done! We let them get away, and they will no longer be our slaves." The king got his war chariot and army ready. He commanded his officers in charge of his six hundred best chariots and all his other chariots to start after the Israelites. The LORD made the king so stubborn that he went after them, even though the Israelites proudly went on their way. But the king's horses and chariots and soldiers caught up with them while they were camping by the Red Sea near Pi-Hahiroth and Baal-Zephon. When the Israelites saw the king coming with his army, they were frightened and begged the LORD for help. They also complained to Moses, "Wasn't there enough room in Egypt to bury us? Is that why you brought us out here to die in the desert? Why did you bring us out of Egypt anyway? While we were there, didn't we tell you to leave us alone? We had rather be slaves in Egypt than die in this desert!" But Moses answered, "Don't be afraid! Be brave, and you will see the LORD save you today. These Egyptians will never bother you again. The LORD will fight for you, and you won't have to do a thing." The LORD said to Moses, "Why do you keep calling out to me for help? Tell the Israelites to move forward. Then hold your walking stick over the sea. The water will open up and make a road where they can walk through on dry ground. I will make the Egyptians so stubborn that they will go after you. Then I will be praised because of what happens to the king and his chariots and cavalry. The Egyptians will know for sure that I am the LORD." All this time God's angel had gone ahead of Israel's army, but now he moved behind them. A large cloud had also gone ahead of them, but now it moved between the Egyptians and the Israelites. The cloud gave light to the Israelites, but made it dark for the Egyptians, and during the night they could not come any closer. Moses stretched his arm over the sea, and the LORD sent a strong east wind that blew all night until there was dry land where the water had been. The sea opened up, and the Israelites walked through on dry land with a wall of water on each side. The Egyptian chariots and cavalry went after them. But before daylight the LORD looked down at the Egyptian army from the fiery cloud and made them panic. Their chariot wheels got stuck, and it was hard for them to move. So the Egyptians said to one another, "Let's leave these people alone! The LORD is on their side and is fighting against us." The LORD told Moses, "Stretch your arm toward the sea; the water will cover the Egyptians and their cavalry and chariots." Moses stretched out his arm, and at daybreak the water rushed toward the Egyptians. They tried to run away, but the LORD drowned them in the sea. The water came and covered the chariots, the cavalry, and the whole Egyptian army that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them was left alive. But the sea had made a wall of water on each side of the Israelites; so they walked through on dry land. On that day, when the Israelites saw the bodies of the Egyptians washed up on the shore, they knew that the LORD had saved them. Because of the mighty power he had used against the Egyptians, the Israelites worshiped him and trusted him and his servant Moses. The Song of Moses Moses and the Israelites sang this song in praise of the LORD: I sing praises to the LORD for his great victory! He has thrown the horses and their riders into the sea. Let us pray: O God, who by the light of the New Testament have unlocked the meaning of wonders worked in former times, so that the Red Sea prefigures the sacred font and the nation delivered from slavery foreshadows the Christian people, grant, we pray, that all nations, obtaining the privilege of Israel by merit of faith, may be reborn by partaking of your Spirit. Through Christ our Lord. IV Isaiah 54:5-14 The LORD All-Powerful, the Holy God of Israel, rules all the earth. He is your Creator and husband, and he will rescue you. You were like a young wife, brokenhearted and crying because her husband had divorced her. But the LORD your God says, "I am taking you back! I rejected you for a while, but with love and tenderness I will embrace you again. For a while, I turned away in furious anger. Now I will have mercy and love you forever! I, your protector and LORD, make this promise." The LORD Promises Lasting Peace I once promised Noah that I would never again destroy the earth by a flood. Now I have promised that I will never again get angry and punish you. Every mountain and hill may disappear. But I will always be kind and merciful to you; I won't break my agreement to give your nation peace. The New Jerusalem Jerusalem, you are sad and discouraged, tossed around in a storm. But I, the LORD, will rebuild your city with precious stones; for your foundation I will use blue sapphires. Your fortresses will be built of rubies, your gates of jewels, and your walls of gems. I will teach your children and make them successful. You will be built on fairness with no fears of injustice; every one of your worries will be taken far from you. Let us pray: Almighty ever-living God, surpass, for the honor of your name, what you pledged to the Patriarchs by reason of their faith, and through sacred adoption increase the children of your promise, so that what the Saints of old never doubted would come to pass your Church may now see in great part fulfilled. Through Christ our Lord. V Isaiah 55:1-11 The LORD'S Invitation If you are thirsty, come and drink water! If you don't have any money, come, eat what you want! Drink wine and milk without paying a cent. Why waste your money on what really isn't food? Why work hard for something that doesn't satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and you will enjoy the very best foods. Pay close attention! Come to me and live. I will promise you the eternal love and loyalty that I promised David. I made him the leader and ruler of the nations; he was my witness to them. You will call out to nations you have never known. And they have never known you, but they will come running because I am the LORD, the holy God of Israel, and I have honored you. Turn to the LORD! He can still be found. Call out to God! He is near. Give up your crooked ways and your evil thoughts. Return to the LORD our God. He will be merciful and forgive your sins. The LORD says: "My thoughts and my ways are not like yours. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, my thoughts and my ways are higher than yours. "Rain and snow fall from the sky. But they don't return without watering the earth that produces seeds to plant and grain to eat. That's how it is with my words. They don't return to me without doing everything I send them to do." Let us pray: Almighty ever-living God, sole hope of the world, who by the preaching of your Prophets unveiled the mysteries of this present age. graciously increase the longing of your people, for only at the prompting of your grace do the faithful progress in any kind of virtue. Through Christ our Lord. VI Baruch 3:9-15, 32-4:4 [Baruch is not in Protestant Bibles] Wisdom Comes from God Listen carefully, people of Israel, so you can learn about wisdom and the commands that lead to life. You have lived in this enemy land so long that you are now much older. You are unfit to worship the Lord and are unclean, like a dead body. In fact, you are almost dead yourselves! Don't you know why these things are happening to you? It's because you have turned away from the only source of wisdom. If you had followed the ways of God, you would have lived in peace forever. Learn where wisdom, strength, and knowledge come from. Then you will know how to have a long and peaceful life, and you will find light to guide you. God alone knows Wisdom, because he knows everything. In fact, he discovered Wisdom with his own knowledge. God created the earth to last forever, and then filled it with all kinds of animals. When he commanded light to shine, it trembled and obeyed, and now goes wherever he sends it. Wisdom is found in the book of God's laws and teachings, and they will last forever. Everyone who follows Wisdom will live, but those who ignore her will die. People of Israel, you must turn to Wisdom and keep her with you always. Her light shines brightly, so walk toward it. Don't give away to any other nation the glorious Wisdom that rightfully belongs to you. We should celebrate, because we are the people of Israel, the only ones who know what pleases God. Let us pray: O God, who constantly increase your Church by your call to the nations, graciously grant to those you wash clean in the waters of Baptism the assurance of your unfailing protection. Through Christ our Lord. VII Ezekiel 36:16-28 The LORD Will Be Honored The LORD said: Ezekiel, son of man, when the people of Israel were living in their own country, they made the land unclean by the way they behaved, just as a woman's monthly period makes her unclean. They committed murders and worshiped idols, which made the land even worse. So in my anger, I punished my people and scattered them throughout the nations, just as they deserved. Wherever they went, my name was disgraced, because foreigners insulted my people by saying I had forced them out of their own land. I care what those foreigners think of me, so tell the Israelites that I am saying: You have disgraced my holy name among the nations where you now live. So you don't deserve what I'm going to do for you. I will lead you home to bring honor to my name and to show foreign nations that I am holy. Then they will know that I am the LORD God. I have spoken. I will gather you from the foreign nations and bring you home. I will sprinkle you with clean water, and you will be clean and acceptable to me. I will wash away everything that makes you unclean, and I will remove your disgusting idols. I will take away your stubborn heart and give you a new heart and a desire to be faithful. You will have only pure thoughts, because I will put my Spirit in you and make you eager to obey my laws and teachings. You will once again live in the land I gave your ancestors; you will be my people, and I will be your God. Let us pray: O God of unchanging power and eternal light, look with favor on the wondrous mystery of the whole Church and serenely accomplish the work of human salvation, which you planned from all eternity; may the whole world know and see that what was cast down is raised up, what had become old is made new, and all things are restored to integrity through Christ, just as by him they came into being. Who lives and reigns for ever and ever. VIII The Gloria Glory to God in the highest. And on earth peace to men of good will. We praise You. We bless You. We adore you. We glorify You. We give You thanks for Your great glory. O Lord God, heavenly King, God the Father almighty. O Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-begotten Son. O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father: you Who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us. You Who take away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. You Who sit at the right hand of the Father, have mercy on us. For you alone are holy. You alone are the Lord. You alone, O Jesus Christ, are most high. Together with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father. Amen. Let us pray: O God, who make this most sacred night radiant with the glory of the Lord’s Resurrection, stir up in your Church a spirit of adoption, so that, renewed in body and mind, we may render you undivided service. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Epistle Romans 6:3-11 Don't you know that all who share in Christ Jesus by being baptized also share in his death? When we were baptized, we died and were buried with Christ. We were baptized, so that we would live a new life, as Christ was raised to life by the glory of God the Father. If we shared in Jesus' death by being baptized, we will be raised to life with him. We know that the persons we used to be were nailed to the cross with Jesus. This was done, so that our sinful bodies would no longer be the slaves of sin. We know that sin doesn't have power over dead people. As surely as we died with Christ, we believe we will also live with him. We know that death no longer has any power over Christ. He died and was raised to life, never again to die. When Christ died, he died for sin once and for all. But now he is alive, and he lives only for God. In the same way, you must think of yourselves as dead to the power of sin. But Christ Jesus has given life to you, and you live for God. Gospel Year A Matthew 28:1-10 Jesus Is Alive After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, approached, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. His appearance was like lightning and his clothing was white as snow. The guards were shaken with fear of him and became like dead men. Then the angel said to the women in reply, "Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead, and he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.' Behold, I have told you." Then they went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce this to his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me." An empty grave!! Opening prayer from https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/prayers.php?id=36
Opening picture from My Catholic Life! found at https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/triduum-and-easter-prayers/prayer-meditation-for-holy-saturday/ Scripture passages from biblegateway.com Prayer from My Catholic Life! found at https://mycatholic.life/catholic-prayers/triduum-and-easter-prayers/prayer-meditation-for-holy-saturday/ Where Once by Thom M. Shuman, http://prayersfortoday.blogspot.ca/ (as found on https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2013/02/gospel-reflection-heart-of-god.html) Litany by Roddy Hamilton, http://www.nkchurch.org.uk/index.php/mucky-paws (as found on https://re-worship.blogspot.com/2014/02/litany-god-loved-world-so-much.html) Father Alexander’s reflection found on https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Holy-Saturday-AM.html Easter Vigil litany found on https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Lent/e-vigil-readings.html#III Easter Vigil prayers found on https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Lent/v-prayers.html#I The Gloria found on https://www.catholic.org/prayers/prayer.php?p=139 Picture of empty tomb from personal collection of Pastor Amy Winnie; possible burial tomb of Jesus in Jerusalem How the Virus Stole Easter
By Kristi Bothur With a nod to Dr. Seuss Twas late in ‘19 when the virus began Bringing chaos and fear to all people, each land. People were sick, hospitals full, Doctors overwhelmed, no one in school. As winter gave way to the promise of spring, The virus raged on, touching peasant and king. People hid in their homes from the enemy unseen. They YouTubed and Zoomed, social-distanced, and cleaned. April approached and churches were closed. “There won’t be an Easter,” the world supposed. “There won’t be church services, and egg hunts are out. No reason for new dresses when we can’t go about.” Holy Week started, as bleak as the rest. The world was focused on masks and on tests. “Easter can’t happen this year,” it proclaimed. “Online and at home, it just won’t be the same.” Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, the days came and went. The virus pressed on; it just would not relent. The world woke Sunday and nothing had changed. The virus still menaced, the people, estranged. “Pooh pooh to the saints,” the world was grumbling. “They’re finding out now that no Easter is coming. “They’re just waking up! We know just what they’ll do! Their mouths will hang open a minute or two, And then all the saints will all cry boo-hoo. “That noise,” said the world, “will be something to hear.” So it paused and the world put a hand to its ear. And it did hear a sound coming through all the skies. It started down low, then it started to rise. But the sound wasn’t depressed. Why, this sound was triumphant! It couldn’t be so! But it grew with abundance! The world stared around, popping its eyes. Then it shook! What it saw was a shocking surprise! Every saint in every nation, the tall and the small, Was celebrating Jesus in spite of it all! It hadn’t stopped Easter from coming! It came! Somehow or other, it came just the same! And the world with its life quite stuck in quarantine Stood puzzling and puzzling. “Just how can it be?” “It came without bonnets, it came without bunnies, It came without egg hunts, cantatas, or money.” Then the world thought of something it hadn’t before. “Maybe Easter,” it thought, “doesn’t come from a store. Maybe Easter, perhaps, means a little bit more.” And what happened then? Well....the story’s not done. What will YOU do? Will you share with that one Or two or more people needing hope in this night? Will you share the source of your life in this fight? The churches are empty - but so is the tomb, And Jesus is victor over death, doom, and gloom. So this year at Easter, let this be our prayer, As the virus still rages all around, everywhere. May the world see hope when it looks at God’s people. May the world see the church is not a building or steeple. May the world find Faith in Jesus’ death and resurrection, May the world find Joy in a time of dejection. May 2020 be known as the year of survival, But not only that - Let it start a revival. Hi Everyone, Happy Easter! Below you will find Easter Lessons that Aimee has put together. Parents please preview the videos before sharing them with your children. Our prayers go to all of you to stay well and safe. Aimee and Carol Story of Easter younger kids https://youtu.be/xdawUZCEkkU Easter video older kids https://youtu.be/cZ4gQniUVO8 Last Supper https://youtu.be/KywnAfLnOxw Jesus has Risen https://youtu.be/V1kK7tmtFU Easter Printables https://teachsundayschool.s3.amazonaws.com/EasterSundayMightyMessage- Easter DIY BOOKS for younger and older students Story of Easter younger kids https://youtu.be/xdawUZCEkkU Easter video older kids https://youtu.be/cZ4gQniUVO8 Last Supper https://youtu.be/KywnAfLnOxw Jesus has Risen https://youtu.be/V1kK7tmtFUY Easter Printables https://teachsundayschool.s3.amazonaws.com/EasterSundayMightyMessage- Easter DIY BOOKS for younger and older students
Holy Week continues with perhaps the holiest of the entire, what we call Good Friday, the crucifixion and burial of Jesus Christ. Please take some quiet time to read, meditate and listen/sing. Good Friday Christ himself bore our sins in his body on the tree. That we might die to sin and live to righteousness. Let us pray: Almighty God, your Son Jesus Christ was lifted high upon the cross so that he might draw the whole world to himself. Grant that we, who glory in this death for our salvation, may also glory in his call to take up our cross and follow him; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Lamb of God (Twila Paris) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPClih1HLPg Isaiah 52:13-53:12 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 13 See, my servant shall prosper; he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high. 14 Just as there were many who were astonished at him —so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of mortals— 15 so he shall startle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which had not been told them they shall see, and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate. 53 Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by others; a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity; and as one from whom others hide their faces he was despised, and we held him of no account. 4 Surely he has borne our infirmities and carried our diseases; yet we accounted him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By a perversion of justice he was taken away. Who could have imagined his future? For he was cut off from the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people. 9 They made his grave with the wicked and his tomb with the rich, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain. When you make his life an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days; through him the will of the Lord shall prosper. 11 Out of his anguish he shall see light; he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge. The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out himself to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. O Sacred Head, Now Wounded (anonymous; trans. by Paul Gerhardt/James Alexander; music by Hans L. Hassler) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5hjdz4xZF4 Psalm 22 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) To the leader: according to The Deer of the Dawn. A Psalm of David. 1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, from the words of my groaning? 2 O my God, I cry by day, but you do not answer; and by night, but find no rest. 3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel. 4 In you our ancestors trusted; they trusted, and you delivered them. 5 To you they cried, and were saved; in you they trusted, and were not put to shame. 6 But I am a worm, and not human; scorned by others, and despised by the people. 7 All who see me mock at me; they make mouths at me, they shake their heads; 8 “Commit your cause to the Lord; let him deliver— let him rescue the one in whom he delights!” 9 Yet it was you who took me from the womb; you kept me safe on my mother’s breast. 10 On you I was cast from my birth, and since my mother bore me you have been my God. 11 Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. 12 Many bulls encircle me, strong bulls of Bashan surround me; 13 they open wide their mouths at me, like a ravening and roaring lion. 14 I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint; my heart is like wax; it is melted within my breast; 15 my mouth is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to my jaws; you lay me in the dust of death. 16 For dogs are all around me; a company of evildoers encircles me. My hands and feet have shriveled; 17 I can count all my bones. They stare and gloat over me; 18 they divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots. 19 But you, O Lord, do not be far away! O my help, come quickly to my aid! 20 Deliver my soul from the sword, my life from the power of the dog! 21 Save me from the mouth of the lion! From the horns of the wild oxen you have rescued me. 22 I will tell of your name to my brothers and sisters; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you: 23 You who fear the Lord, praise him! All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him; stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel! 24 For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me, but heard when I cried to him. 25 From you comes my praise in the great congregation; my vows I will pay before those who fear him. 26 The poor shall eat and be satisfied; those who seek him shall praise the Lord. May your hearts live forever! 27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord; and all the families of the nations shall worship before him. 28 For dominion belongs to the Lord, and he rules over the nations. 29 To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him. 30 Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord, 31 and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn, saying that he has done it. Ah, Holy Jesus (Johann Heermann/Robert Bridgesl Johann Cruger) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4MKOP-vhQ0 John 18:1-19:42 New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) 18 After Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. 2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. 4 Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” 5 They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus replied, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they stepped back and fell to the ground. 7 Again he asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.” 9 This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, “I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.” 10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. 11 Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?” 12 So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. 13 First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people. 15 Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, 16 but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. 17 The woman said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” 18 Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself. 19 Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. 20 Jesus answered, “I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21 Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.” 22 When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” 23 Jesus answered, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” 24 Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. 25 Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, “You are not also one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” 26 One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” 27 Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed. 28 Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. 29 So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” 30 They answered, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” 31 Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.” The Jews replied, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.” 32 (This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.) 33 Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 34 Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” 35 Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” 37 Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” 38 Pilate asked him, “What is truth?” After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no case against him. 39 But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” 40 They shouted in reply, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a bandit. 19 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. 3 They kept coming up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face. 4 Pilate went out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” 6 When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.” 7 The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.” 8 Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. 9 He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. 10 Pilate therefore said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?” 11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” 12 From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.” 13 When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, “Here is your King!” 15 They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but the emperor.” 16 Then he handed him over to them to be crucified. So they took Jesus; 17 and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. Via Dolorosa (Billy Sprague and Niles Borop; sung by Sandi Patti) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGxlQS1irns 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. 19 Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” 20 Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. 21 Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” 23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. 24 So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says, “They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.” 25 And that is what the soldiers did. Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home. 28 After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. 31 Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. 35 (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) 36 These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of his bones shall be broken.” 37 And again another passage of scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.” 38 After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. 39 Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. 40 They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. 41 Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. 42 And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there. Were You There (African-American spiritual) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJUX733ovGI THE REPROACHES:
CHRIST'S LAMENT AGAINST HIS FAITHLESS CHURCH 1) O my people, O my Church, what have I done to you, or in what have I offended you? I led you forth from the land of Egypt and delivered you by the waters of baptism, but you have prepared a cross for your Savior. Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal One, have mercy upon us. 2) I led you through the desert forty years and fed you with manna; I brought you through times of persecution and of renewal and gave you my body, the bread of heaven; but you have prepared a cross for your Savior. Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal One, have mercy upon us. 3) I made you branches of my vineyard and gave you the water of salvation, but when I was thirsty you gave me vinegar and gall and pierced with a spear the side of your Savior. Jesus, Remember Me (Jacques Berthier and community of Taize) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUOYdsfsu8Q 4) I went before you in a pillar of cloud, but you have led me to the judgment hall of Pilate. I brought you to a land of freedom and prosperity, but you have scourged, mocked, and beaten me. Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal One, have mercy upon us. 5) I gave you a royal scepter, and bestowed the keys to the kingdom, but you have given me a crown of thorns. I raised you on high with great power, but you have hanged me on the cross. Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal One, have mercy upon us. 6) My peace I gave, which the world cannot give, and washed your feet as a servant, but you draw the sword to strike in my name and seek high places in my kingdom. Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal One, have mercy upon us. 7) I accepted the cup of suffering and death for your sakes, but you scatter and deny and abandon me. I sent the Spirit of truth to lead you, but you close your hearts to guidance. Jesus, Remember Me (Jacques Berthier and community of Taize) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUOYdsfsu8Q 8) I called you to go and bring forth fruit, but you cast lots for my clothing. I prayed that you all may be one, but you continue to quarrel and divide. Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal One, have mercy upon us. 9) I grafted you into the tree of my chosen people Israel, but you turned on them with persecution and mass murder. I made you joint heirs with them of my covenants, but you made them scapegoats for your own guilt. Holy God, holy and mighty, holy and immortal One, have mercy upon us. 10) I came to you as the least of your brothers and sisters. I was hungry but you gave me no food, thirsty but you gave me no drink. I was a stranger but you did not welcome me, naked but you did not clothe me, sick and in prison but you did not visit me. Jesus, Remember Me (Jacques Berthier and community of Taize) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUOYdsfsu8Q A brief silence Let us pray: 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 who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen. Text of service: Copyright: “A Service for Good Friday” and “Acts of Worship for Good Friday,” including Dismissal by Don Saliers, Copyright © 1979, 1986 by Abingdon Press; Copyright © 1992 UMPH. Prayer for Holy Saturday alt. from The Book of Common Prayer (The Episcopal Church, 1979), p. 283, Public Domain, as found on https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/a-service-for-good-friday
Scripture from biblegateway.com Pictures from Pinterest |
ZOOM WORSHIP SERVICE
SUNDAY @ 11 AM To join by phone, dial (929) 205-6099 and enter the meeting ID and password below: Meeting ID: 876 1875 9099 Password 333 PrayerGracious Loving Lord, please keep all of your children safe in these trying times. Guide us. Open our ears to hear, our eyes to see, our minds to understand and our hearts to know and be your love to others. We pray this in Jesus' name, Amen. Want to support RLUMC and our missions? Donate Today
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For those wishing to activate our Church Prayer Chain, contact Barbara Hurley 518-307-8238 If you want the concern to remain confidential among prayer chain members only please feel free to make that request when calling. Archives
September 2023
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