Easter Sunday : 9th April 2023
What follows is a worship service which, I pray, you can participate in at a time(s) that are convenient to you. This 'service' will take about forty five (45) minutes.
I pray that you will feel called to ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE in this service.
The text that is in regular typeface (that is what you are reading at the moment) is to be read quietly, while the text that is in bold face (like you are reading right now) is meant to be read aloud.
Opening Hymn:
Let us continue by watching, and please do feel free to sing or read aloud the lyrics, as we commence our praise and thanksgiving.
When you are ready - click the "play" button on the video window, below:
Use your mouse to scroll through the contents of each window.
Clicking on the buttons across the tops of the windows below will allow you to zoom in\out,
search, switch to full screen, print, and download the contents to your computer.
The Pewsheet:
Call to Worship:
We meet in the name of God,
Creator of the universe,
source of true humanity,
mother and father of all. Amen.
We meet in the name of Jesus,
Word made flesh,
saviour of fallen humanity, lover of all. Amen.
We meet in the name of the Holy Spirit,
Lord and giver of life,
midwife of new humanity,
inspirer of all. Amen.
An Assurance of Forgiveness
(click the "play" button, below:)
The Sentence for the Day
Alleluia! The Lord is risen indeed. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever.
Alleluia!
The Prayer for the Day (Collect)
Let us pray together.
Alleluia, God Eternal; death cannot contain your glory, nor our minds confine this mystery. Give us faith’s insight, free us from all fear, and release in us the Risen Christ. Through Jesus Christ our Liberator, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
A reading from The Old Testament
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A reading from The New Testament
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Pause for a moment of silent reflection.
The Gradual Hymn
Let us continue by watching, and please do feel free to join in singing another wonderful hymn.
When you are ready - click the "play" button on the video window, below:
A reading from the Gospel according to Saint Matthew
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Listen to the sermon:
(click the "play" button below when you are ready to begin)
or, if you prefer, you can read to the sermon, below:
Sermon Easter Sunday, 9th April 2023
Take my lips O God and speak through them, take our minds O God and think through them, take our hearts O God and love through them this day. <Amen>
Easter Sunday is the day Jesus banished death and suffering
The Resurrection is a glorious announcement of the victory of Jesus.
The resurrection of Jesus tells us that we too can know resurrection victory!
Because Jesus is alive we can be justified.
And yet so often, even Christians feel like failures.
Many people, of all ages but especially the young, leave church because they feel they can’t live the Christian life and, In a sense, they are correct.
You can’t truly live for Jesus in your own strength any more than Lazarus could unbind himself and go free. Lazarus needed Christ, and so do we.
Because Jesus has life-giving power, we CAN be born again.
Because Jesus rose again we CAN now be raised from the deadness of our sin.
Because Jesus is alive, and here with us right now, we CAN have a relationship with Him.
The good news is, no matter what you have done, or how often you have fallen, Jesus wants you back.
And if you are a Christian today, it doesn’t matter what sins you have committed even since you were born again, you have a hope that goes beyond the grave.
The most important question you will ever ask is “did Jesus rise again?” because faith in his victory over the grave is what saves us.
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)
ALL Christians believe in the resurrection of Jesus and live in the light of the implications of that event.
If Jesus had not been raised, none of the following glorious things could be true of us:
United with him! Clothed in him!
Hidden in him! Interceded for by him!
Saved by him! Healed by him! Protected by him!
Welcomed home by him to a glorious eternity of no pain!
Our faith is all about hope of a better future that goes beyond the grave which is ours because Jesus rose again.
Life can still be very tough for Christians.
We experience every form of suffering that is common to other people.
We are not spared.
We feel pain.
We grieve, get sick, or lose our job.
But throughout all this God calls us to be a people of hope.
When facing the death of a loved one, knowing that we will one day meet them again makes all the difference.
What a day that will be !!
And I am sure that there will be many who get to heaven that WE will be surprised to see there.
Only God knows what transactions are done between Him and a dying soul.
It is this hope that makes us grieve in a different way to those who are not Christians.
Jesus offers not just about a glorious eternal future, but also a glorious present.
Hope is meant to be for the here and now as well as for heaven.
That is why we must remain connected to the pain and grief of Good Friday and the reality of suffering in this world, and why we must fix our eye on the Resurrection, and the glorious things it accomplished for us now, and in the World to come.
As I close this reflection, join me in thanking this Jesus, who has done so much for you and for me.
Jesus who lived for me, Jesus who died for me,
Jesus who rose again for me, Jesus who is coming back for me,
Jesus who has prepared an eternal home for me!
This is the gospel and it DEMANDS a response from us.
After he has done so much for us, how can we not live for him?
How can we not repent and believe? How can we not obey his commands?
Like the wonderful, old hymn boldly declares:
My richest gain I count but loss
And pour contempt on all my pride . . .
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.
I runga e te Ingoa o te Atua, te Matua, te Tama me te Wairua Tapu. <AMINE>
Pause and Reflect
Just take a moment now to pause. Bow your head, close your eyes.
Allow these words of Holy Scripture and this interpretation of them today speak to you.
An Affirmation of Our Faith
Let us affirm our faith by listening as "The Apostles Creed" is read to us.
(click the "play" button below when you are ready to listen)
... and now ... let us pray for the Church and for the World, giving thanks for God's goodness.
(click the "play" button below when you are ready to begin)
The Lord's Prayer
Remembering that we are confident to pray this day, and every day, because Jesus Christ has taught us:
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.
Let us conclude our prayers by praying together and aloud:
God of mercy,
you have given us grace to pray with one heart and one voice,
and have promised to hear the prayers
of two or three who agree in your name,
fulfil now, we pray,
the prayers and longings of your people
as may be best for us and for your kingdom.
Grant us in this world to know your truth,
and in the world to come to see your glory. Amen.
The Blessing
The blessing of Almighty God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
be with you and all of those whom you love,
on this day and forever more.
A Closing Hymn
Let us continue with our closing hymn and please do feel free to sing along with another great hymn of wonder, hope and joy.
When you are ready - click the "play" button on the video window, below:
Dismissal
Go now to love and serve The Lord,
Go in peace.
Amen, we go in the name of Christ.
