Holy Communion – Live streamed – Easter Day, 17 April 2022
A separate video feed of the choir is available here.
Preacher:
Revd Geoffrey Clark Moderator: East Midlands Synod of URC
Ministers:
Revd George Mwaura
Revd Ernesto Lozada-Uzuriaga
Gathering music
Welcome
Come! Why so sad? Wipe away your tears.
He is risen!
Let us celebrate!
Hallelujah!
Christ the Lord is risen today!
He is risen,
the dance of faith,
the song of joy indeed, Hallelujah!
Risen Lord
in the stillness and wonder of this moment,
we hardly dare to believe that you are indeed alive!
Yet our hearts are filling with faith, hope and love,
and our souls are beginning to believe!
Wonderful Lord, we fall on our knees with thanksgiving.
Amen
Hymn: Jesus Christ is risen today
Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia,
our triumphant holy day, Alleluia,
who did once, upon the cross, Alleluia,
suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia.
Hymns of praise the let us sing, Alleluia,
unto Christ, our heavenly king, Alleluia,
who endured the cross and grave, Alleluia,
sinners to redeem and save. Alleluia.
But the pains that he endured Alleluia,
our salvation have procured; Alleluia,
now above the sky he’s King, Alleluia,
where the angels ever sing Alleluia.
Lyra Davidica (1708) and others
CCL31580
Confession
We are sorry, Lord, for the times when we stay in the tomb of our lack of belief and fill it with our fear.
Forgive us, and release us to be your witnesses in your world today.
We are sorry for the times we are sceptical
when others share the power of the Resurrection in their lives.
Forgive us, and release us to be your witnesses in your world today.
We are sorry for the times when we live as if there were no Easter.
Forgive us, and release us to be your witnesses in your world today.
Amen
[Silence]Jesus is alive!
Jesus is alive!
Death is overcome:
Jesus is alive!
He is your one true Son:
Jesus is alive!
We are freed from sin:
Jesus is alive!
Our new lives can begin:
Jesus is alive!
On this joyful Easter Day:
Jesus is alive!
So let us sing and dance and rejoice.
Jesus is alive!
Amen
Prayer of the Week
Amazing God, we praise you that from the silence of an empty tomb,
a message of joy has spread around the world.
From the brutality of a death on the cross, healing love has touched the earth.
We pray earnestly for this healing love to touch Ukraine.
From the initial uncertainty of the first disciples,
your church has grown and reached out in faith to all.
Thank you for Easter, thank you for life, thank you for your underserved Grace.
Amen
Ministry of the Word
1 Corinthians 15: 19–26
Read by Bob Collard
19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
NIV®
This is the word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Hymn: The day of resurrection!
The day of resurrection!
Earth, tell it out abroad;
the Passover of gladness,
the Passover of God;
from death to life eternal,
from earth unto the sky,
our God has brought us over
with hymns of victory.
Our hearts be pure from evil,
that we may see aright
the Lord in rays eternal
of resurrection-light;
and, listening to his accents,
may hear so calm and plain
his own ‘All hail’, and, hearing,
may raise the victor strain.
Now let the heavens be joyful,
and earth her song begin,
the round world keep high triumph,
and all that is therein;
let all things seen and unseen
their notes of gladness blend,
for Christ the Lord is risen,
our joy that hath no end.
St John of Damascus (d. c. 754)
tr. J.M.Neale (1818–1866)
CCL31580
Luke 24: 1–12
Read by Brian Halstead
Jesus has Risen
1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 “The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.” ’ 8 Then they remembered his words.
9When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
NIV®
This is the Gospel of Christ.
Praise to Christ our light.
Easter Meditation
By Revd Geoffrey Clarke, Moderator, URC East Midlands Synod
Choral Response
An Affirmation of Faith
Let us declare our faith.
We believe in God the Father,
from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.
We believe in God the Son,
who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love.
We believe in God the Holy Spirit,
who strengthens us with power from on high.
We believe in one God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Amen
Intercessions
Led by Rosemary Kearsey
The Peace
The Peace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
And also with you.
Let us offer one another a sign of peace,.
Hymn: Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord
Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord,
Alleluia, alleluia, give praise to His name.
Jesus is Lord of all the earth.
He is the King of creation.
Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord,
Alleluia, alleluia, give praise to His name.
Spread the good news o’er all the earth.
Jesus has died and has risen.
Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord,
Alleluia, alleluia, give praise to His name.
We have been crucified with Christ.
Now we shall live for ever.
Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord,
Alleluia, alleluia, give praise to His name.
God has proclaimed the just reward:
Life for all men, alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord,
Alleluia, alleluia, give praise to His name.
Come, let us praise the living God,
Joyfully sing to our Saviour.
Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord,
Alleluia, alleluia, give praise to His name.
Donald Fishel (b. 1950)
CCL31580
Holy Communion
The Thanksgiving
Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation.
Through your goodness we have this bread to offer,
which earth has given and human hands have made.
It will become for us the bread of life.
Blessed be God for ever.
Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation.
Through your goodness we have this wine to offer,
fruit of the vine and work of human hands.
It will become our spiritual drink.
Blessed be God for ever.
The Lord is here.
His Spirit is with us.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give thanks and praise.
Almighty God, good Father to us all, your face is turned towards your world.
In love you gave us Jesus your Son to rescue us from sin and death.
Your Word goes out to call us home to the city where angels sing your praise.
We join with them in heaven’s song:
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
We bless the name of Jesus, bone of our bone, flesh of our flesh,
whose brokenness and suffering makes love real,
who on the night in which he was betrayed took bread,
gave thanks, broke it and gave it to his disciples saying,
Take, eat. This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.
After supper he took the cup saying,
Drink from this, all of you, this is my blood given for you.
Do this whenever you drink it in remembrance of me.
This is the mystery of our faith.
Christ has died:
Christ is risen:
Christ will come again.
Therefore, as we eat this bread and drink this cup,
we acknowledge brokenness as a path to truth.
We long for the bread of tomorrow: eternally broken and so able to nourish.
We long for the new wine of the kingdom: continuously poured out that thirst may be quenched.
Send your Spirit on us now,
that by these gifts we may feed on Christ with opened eyes and hearts on fire.
May we and all who share this food offer ourselves to live for you
and be welcomed at your feast in heaven, where all creation worships you,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
Blessing and honour and glory and power
be yours forever and ever.
Amen
The Lord’s Prayer
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.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Amen
The Communion
We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.
Though we are many, we are one body,
because we all share in one bread.
Amen
Post Communion Prayer
Dear Father in heaven, you have been our host at the table of your Son may his life, his death and his resurrection strengthen us now in our lives.
Your Word is greater than our anxieties,
your hope is stronger than our despondency,
your presence is more certain than our doubts.
Lead us that we may become the image of your creation which waits for you.
Amen
Notices
Cornerstone meetings this week
Ministerial Leadership Team: 10.30 am Tuesday, 19 April 2022 by Zoom
Finance & Resources Committee: 6.45 pm Thursday, 21 April 2022 by Zoom
Revd George Mwaura Sabbatical Leave July–October 2022
The purpose of a sabbatical in a minister’s ministry, or indeed an academic’s is not to go and rest under a palm tree drinking coconut wine while contemplating the universe! On the contrary, the leave is an opportunity to step away from the normal duties and engage in an exercise that will bring enrichment as well as enhance personal and professional development. The knowledge gained from a sabbatical time is then utilised in the person’s work or ministry context. In my case, I intend to look at the issue of the missing generation in our churches – the youth. The churches of the global south seem to understand the mindset of the youth and have them in hundreds, while the youth have almost disappeared completely in the western-hemisphere churches.
In conversation with my moderator and sabbatical supervisor, we have agreed that my intention is to spend time in a local Presbyterian church in rural Kenya that has a very active youth group – more than two hundred, and is especially active during school holidays. I have had conversations with their moderator and parish minister and received consent from the Nyeri synod in central Kenya to spend time in this church preaching for five Sundays (scattered from late July to mid-September)
The church has also included me in their August youth program and I will be a guest speaker in their gathering as well as leading Bible studies. I will also accompany the elders as they do their pastoral visits and learn something of how they minister to the very poor in their own poverty! My primary focus however will be to try to understand (as well as learn) the model the church is using to retain such a large number of youth groups ranging from Sunday school to university students. I hope that I can gain some useful insight to bring back to my local context.
Revd George
Offering Prayer
Let us pray.
God of all grace, we thank you for the gifts you have given us: our lives, our talents, our goods. We offer our gifts in return so that you may use them and us for your purpose in this world.
Amen
Final Prayer
From this Easter festival, we go forth to live resurrection:
In the name of the God who makes us,
in the name of the Christ who makes us free,
in the name of the Spirit who makes us one.
Christ is risen!
Christ is risen indeed!
Like the woman who ran to share the Good News of the empty tomb,
let us go forth with joy.
Like the travellers walking on the Emmaus Road,
let us go forth with opened eyes.
Like the disciples receiving the Holy Spirit,
let us go forth with peace.
Like Thomas, filled with doubt,
let us go forth with faith.
Like fishers pulling heavy nets,
let us go forth with abundant life.
Amen
Hymn: Thine be the glory
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son,
endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won;
angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,
kept the folded grave-clothes where thy body lay:
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son,
endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won.
Lo, Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb;
lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom;
let the church with gladness hymns of triumph sing,
for her Lord now liveth, death hath lost its sting:
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son,
endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won.
No more we doubt thee, glorious Prince of Life;
life is naught without thee: aid us in our strife;
make us more than conquerors through thy deathless love;
bring us safe through Jordan to thy home above:
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son,
endless is the victory thou o’er death hast won.
French, 19th centuty, Edmond Budry (1854–1932}
tr. Richard Hoyle (1875–1939)
CCL31580
Blessing
Risen with Christ, may we accept the challenge to work in God’s way.
Risen with Christ, may we be living proof that God’s love will never die.
Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Hallelujah!
And the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be with you and remain with you always
Amen
The Dismissal
Abide in Christ’s Peace, loving and serving God!
In the name of Christ.
Amen