St. Paul's United Church Word April 1, 2018 Afternoon Handbell Ringers: Come, Christians, Join to Sing - Gathering Spanish Hymn, arr. F.T. Simpson Prelude: Overture to Te Deum - Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Scripture: Isaiah 25: 6-9 (Pew Bible p. 568) arr. M. Rondeau and L. Tuk, Leen Tuk – trumpet, Don Templeton – trombone, Andrew Smart – tuba, Musical Praise: We Will Rejoice – Roy Hopp Simon Woodside - timpani Greeting and Announcements Scripture: Mark 16: 1-8 (Pew Bible pp. 829-30) Lighting the Christ Candle Sermon: “The Ins and Outs of Faith in Jesus” Call to Worship: Prayers of God’s People Christ is risen. Christ is risen indeed! Communion God is alive... New birth is given. Hope is alive... A new age is dawning! Offertory/Communion Hymn: VU 352 I Danced in the Morning Joy is alive... Redemption is here! Love is alive... New life is within us! Prayer of Great Thanksgiving The church is alive.... Christ is Risen! God's spirit is within us! He is Risen Indeed! God of life, we worship you! We should give thanks! God of creation, we praise you Thanks and praise to the One who brings life! God of revelation, we learn from you! God of resurrection, we are here to celebrate you! We thought you were dead. We thought the cross was the end. We thought that when the stone rolled over the tomb, that was it. Hymn: VU 155 Jesus Christ is Risen Today But this is it: the dead are living; the cross is empty; the stone is rolled away, Prayer: When everything was dark and it seemed that the sun would and one word says it all: never shine again, your love broke through, God of life. Your love Alleluia! Jesus is risen! was too strong, too wide, too deep for death to hold. The sparks cast by your love, dance and spread, and burst forth with resurrection We thought you had said your final word. light. Gracious God, we gather this morning to praise and thank We thought those with the power had won. you for the light of new life made possible through Jesus, who We thought that when you cried out, that was it. taught his first disciples to pray: But this is it: the word breathes; the powers are defeated; the final cry was only the beginning, Lord’s Prayer (VU 959 sung) and one word says it all: Alleluia! Jesus is risen! Peace: “The peace of Christ” We thought the story was finished. We thought the hope had ended. Sunbeam Anthem: Christ Arose, Hallelujah - Natalie Sleeth We thought that when the tomb was sealed, that was it. And when the morning comes when we are united with all the saints But this is it: the story has just begun; gathered around heaven's Table, hope is newly born; the tomb is empty, we will lift our voices to you, God in Community, Holy in One, and one word says it all: forever and ever. Amen. Alleluia! Jesus is risen! Elements are Received We thought that when they crucified you, death had defeated life, and that was it. Prayer After Communion: We have shared bread and wine from your But this is it: Love is stronger than death. table and we have embraced the beginning of the new age. Grant, Therefore, we join our voices this morning O God, that we who have gathered together on this Day of with those who stood at the empty tomb, Resurrection, will move on as people of hope, people of life, people as well as those of every time and place, of the Kingdom. May the meal we have shared today revive us in singing our Easter joy to you: body and soul and energize us as we go out to share the Good News. Christ is Risen! Death is Defeated! Life Wins! Alleluia and Amen! Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, Sending Forth heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Hymn: VU 173 Thine is the Glory Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the highest. EASTER BLESSING The stone has been rolled away; Holy are you, God of every day, and blessed is Jesus Christ, our Bright Morning Star. the power of death is broken. Creator of all that is good, he entered the shadows of hell The stone has been rolled away; to lead us into hope's light; the ties of community have been restored. Beloved of your Heart, he embraced our sin so we could be forgiven; The stone has been rolled away; Glory beyond imagination, he welcomed death God’s love shines out triumphantly. so we could enter life eternal. The stone has been rolled away; Even as we believe what we may not understand, The Risen Christ fills us with Easter hope. we trust that mystery we call faith: Anthem: Hallelujah Chorus – G.F. Handel Christ has died. Christ is risen. Postlude : Toccata from Symphonie no. 5 – C.M. Widor Christ will come again. ********************************************************** It is here at this Table, Resurrecting God, that we are fed by your love. If Easter says anything to us today, it says this: You can put truth in a As you pour out your Spirit upon the Bread and the Cup, grave, but it won't stay there. You can nail it to a cross, wrap it in fill us with the spirit of Jesus, winding sheets and shut it up in a tomb, but it will rise! – Clarence W. Hall so we may go forth to be your people. ********************************************************** Feed us with the Bread of Heaven, so we can fill the hunger of the world. Touch our lips with salvation's cup, so we can proclaim the good news of The St. Paul’s UCW (United Church Women) this day to everyone we meet. wishes everyone Easter blessings today! Come to the Easter Party (Ann Weems) I think on Easter morning we should throw confetti in church! No??? What about a little fanfare? A deafening drum roll? A three minute standing ovation? What? Have we had the drums beaten out of us so we in this community can’t get excited about God’s aliveness? About God’s love given to us unconditionally? Have we given Easter to the lily bearers, the bunny rabbits, the patent leather shoes? Lets face it: We live as though we don’t believe in Easter. We’re the crowd – easily swayed, easily scared, easily calling for blood. We’re the good church people who can’t believe Jesus meant love one another – not all the one anothers, not drug addicts and criminal. We hate injustice when its injustice toward us; We love mercy when its mercy for us; We walk humbly with our God when its convenient. We are baby believers who resist the resurrection; we are Christmas Christians who are very good at celebrating Christ birth. We can cling to the baby. We’re even crucifixion Christians, agonizing, sympathizing, relating to the hero of the Cross. We can rock a baby; we can weep for a dead man; But what can we do with a 33-year-old who won’t let the story end? Easter scares us because we’re the people who can’t believe that God gives us abundant life; We think we have to earn it in our pull-yourself-up by the boot straps society. It’s hard to remember that God doesn’t buy the self-made man. So we in the church spend our lives showing God what good people we are, What achievers we are, how much we deserve God’s love. We want to pay our own way, but Easter says its already been paid! Easter says, no matter how prodigal, we can come home again! So come to the Easter party! Let’s celebrate that amazing grace that in Christ’s resurrection we are still loved, even at our most outrageous. The Lord has given us the music; All we need to do is dance it! Come to the Easter party! .