Weekly Bible Notes  Easter Sunday

Year C, Colour = White or Gold

Easter Sunday

Introduction

Easter is the greatest of all Christian feasts, and the happy season of Eastertide lasts 50 days from Easter Day until the Feast of Pentecost. St Gregory of Nazianzus said that Easter was ‘like the sun among the stars’ of the other festivals. It is the heart of the sacred calendar, around which all of the other festivals have meaning and purpose. Today is the summit of the Christian year, the fact that Christ is risen shows that God will never leave us, bringing good out of conflict, suffering and death. Easter tells us that just as Christ is risen. so too we can expect to be raised with him to eternal life. As we go into Easter Week we consider that death was only the beginning, Christ is with us forever.

 " Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out". Vaclav Havel

Opening Verse of Scripture    Psalm 118:28

You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
 

Collect Prayer for the Day—Before we read we pray

Lord of all life and power, who through the mighty resurrection of your Son overcame the old order of sin and death to make all things new in him: grant that we, being dead to sin and alive to you in Jesus Christ, may reign with him in glory; to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be praise and honour, glory and might, now and in all eternity. Common Worship

God of glory, by the raising of your Son you have broken the chains of death and hell: full your Church with faith and hope; for a new day has dawned and the way of life stands open in our Saviour Jesus Christ.  Common Worship Shorter Collect

Most glorious God, who on this day delivered us by the mighty resurrection of your Son, Jesus Christ, and made your whole creation new: grant that we who celebrate with joy his rising from the dead may be raised from the death of sin to the life of righteousness; through him who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.  Amen.   Methodist Worship

First Bible Reading   Isaiah Chapter 65:17-25

‘New Heavens and a New Earth’
"Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy. I will rejoice over Jerusalem and take delight in my people; the sound of weeping and of crying will be heard in it no more. "Never again will there be in it an infant who lives but a few days, or an old man who does not live out his years; he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth; he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed. They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit. No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat. For as the days of a tree, so will be the days of my people; my chosen ones will long enjoy the works of their hands. They will not toil in vain or bear children doomed to misfortune; for they will be a people blessed by the LORD , they and their descendants with them. Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear. The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain," says the LORD. (This is the word of the Lord -- Thanks be to God)

Second Reading 1 Corinthians Chapter 15:19-26

If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all. (This is the word of the Lord -- Thanks be to God)
 

Gospel Reading  Luke Chapter 24:1-12

(When the reading is announced ‘Glory to Christ our Saviour) The Resurrection
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. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 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? He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' " Then they remembered his words. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 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. (This is the Gospel of Christ -- Praise to Christ our Lord.)
 

Post Communion Prayer

God of Life, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection have delivered us from the power of our enemy: grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his risen life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

Commentary

Light at the end of the tunnel

Debate continues about the resurrection of Jesus. Did Jesus literally come back from the dead? Is the resurrection only a myth, or worse, a hoax? Did Jesus arise physically in his earthly body or did he rise as a spirit? While polemics may go on forever, they cannot eclipse the fundamental belief of Christians, God raised Jesus and he appeared to his disciples. We believe this, however it happened. The "physics" involved in the resurrection are immaterial. What is important for us is that the seemingly catastrophic passion and death of Jesus ended on a happy note. Out of despair came hope, out of darkness came light, out of defeat came glory, out of death came life.

Psychologists note that people can bear almost anything as long as there is some meaning attached to it. We can put up with any "what" as long as we have a "why." Psychologists also observe that people can get through their problems and sufferings much more easily and productively if they believe there is light at the end of the tunnel. And this is precisely the good news that Easter gives us today. The dramatic lesson about Easter is not only that Jesus was raised from the dead, but that the resurrection of Jesus is our resurrection. A divine revelation is given that no matter what we suffer, no matter how badly we have it, no matter what tragedies we face-even death itself- we will be raised up as well. There is always light for us at the end of the tunnel. This light is often difficult to see, even imagine, especially when we are in the grip of an affliction or depression. When there seems to be no end to our struggles, when every road we take comes to a dead end, when suffering continues unabated, our inclination is not to believe in the light, but to curse the darkness. But it is expressly then, Easter promises, in the darkest night of the soul, that our resurrection is closest at hand. It may take courage but Easter beckons us to raise our eyes in hope and wait with trust for our redemption. No matter what we endure, God will raise us up. This is the glory of Christianity, the absolute promise of deliverance. Wisdom tells us there is a silver lining in every cloud, a reason for every problem we face, and an important lesson we learn in every suffering we endure. We are told "God never closes a door without opening up another." This isn't wishful thinking but a fact well-supported by experience. Some of the most important steps in our growth have taken place through suffering, which at the time perhaps seemed meaningless. There is never a Good Friday, however, without its Easter. Easter affirms that we will never be abandoned, that nothing is ever hopeless. Our strength, therefore, in facing our afflictions is not rigid stoicism or anger at life, or "why me?", or resignation to fate, but a patient, peaceful, confident Easter belief that it will be OK. There is light at the end of the tunnel.
 

Meditation

Today we light the Paschal Candle for Easter 2004, it takes its name from the Hebrew word ‘Pesach’ meaning Passover. Passover was that time when the Israelites celebrated their exodus from slavery in Egypt. It was the feast celebrated by Jesus with the disciples (Maundy Thursday) on the night before he died. The Paschal Candle is then lit for every service in our church during the full 50 days of Eastertide. After the solemn weeks with purple colours of Lent we wear the white of Easter and the brightness of the candle symbolises the joy of the resurrection.
The sight of a living creature emerging from an egg has long been cherished as a graphic example of the wonderful new life which is proclaimed at Easter. The enclosed shell of an egg came to remind people of the sealed tomb from which the risen Christ emerged victorious over death.

Hymns

1. Christ the Lord 76

2. This is the Day 691

3. Led like a lamb 402 (For this hymn will the men please sing ‘Mary’ and the women please respond by singing ‘Master’

4. Thine be the glory 689

Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead

"Prayer is a plant, the seed of which is sown in the heart of every Christian.

If it is well cultivated and nourished it will produce fruit, but if it is neglected, it will wither and die."
 

Risen Lord Jesus, as Mary Magdalene met you in the garden

on the morning of your resurrection,

so may we meet you today and every day:

speak to us as you spoke to her; reveal yourself as the living Lord;

renew our hope and kindle our joy;

and send us to share the good news with others.  Amen.

 

God our Father, we come today to worship you and confess that devotion to you is often far from our minds. This morning may we refocus our attention upon our love for you and how we show that love. Help us Lord to be more willing to pour out our lives as fragrant offerings of love. We lay our lives before you and ask that we might know that love which does not count the cost.

Lord God, as we wait upon you now, as we listen for your voice in the silence of hearts and as we offer our prayers to you we think of those people in our lives who have loved us with a generous love we think of those who like Mary have not counted the cost of what they have given us; of those who given all of themselves to us as Christ gave himself for the world; and we thank you for them - and ask you to bless them and for you to make us like them.

As we go into this week, O God, help us to have a focus, a purpose that is beyond that of just getting by; beyond that of just trying to make it through another week; show us we pray what you would have us do; reveal to us our own personal and unique ministry—and help us to do it.

Bless O God those in our midst and those around the world whom we name in our hearts before you at this time; we especially ask for those who are poor in the basic needs of daily living; and for those who are poor in love; hear too the prayers we ask for those who need healing or hope in their lives, those who need justice, and those who require mercy.

Additional Resources

Liturgy for the lighting of the Paschal Candle
at the beginning of our service.

Minister: Jesus Christ yesterday and today
the beginning and the end
Alpha and Omega
all time belongs to him
and all ages;
to him be glory and power
through every age and for ever. Amen.

All: By his holy and glorious wounds
may Christ our Lord guard and keep us. Amen.

The candle is lit as the Minister says the following words

May the light of Christ, rising in glory
banish all darkness from our hearts and minds

Minister: The light of Christ
All: Thanks be to God

Minister: Alleluia! Christ is risen.
All: He is risen indeed, Alleluia!
 

The Easter Blessing used at the end of our Easter Service

The God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the eternal covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight; and the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always.
All: Amen.

Commentary

Lesslie Newbigin warned about the misunderstanding created by the medieval crucifix, which shows Jesus as a drooping, defeated, pain-drenched figure - a symbol of abject submission and defeat. This picture of the cross as the defeat of goodness by the powers of evil has been enormously influential in Spanish Christianity and is part of the background of Latin American liberation theology. In English, when we want to express our pity for a helpless victim of circumstances, we are inclined to exclaim: 'Poor devil.' The Spanish equivalent of this expression is 'Poor Christ!'

But the earliest representations of the crucifixion do not portray it like this. They depict Christ with head erect, the warrior beating down the powers of death and hell, the victorious challenger of all the powers of evil. This is the > understanding of the cross as the New Testament teaches us. The cross is not abject submission to the power of evil; it is the price that paid for a victorious challenge to the powers of evil.

And so the final act of this triumph on the cross is celebrated today in the events of the resurrection. The battle has already been won but the disciples do not yet know it. The resurrection is nothing more than conformation of something that Jesus had shouted from the cross was 'finished'. In a sense the resurrection is therefore not a miracle at all, it is the natural consequence of the defeat of death which Jesus secured-on the cross. That was the turning point -'crux'- this is now the proof. Praise God.

Commentary
On the first Easter Day, it is women who, going to the tomb to perform the ritual washing and cleansing of the body of Jesus, who first hear the report that Jesus is risen from the dead. Quite how they would have been able to roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb, we are not told. Luke navigates his way around this problem by having the stone already moved, presumably by Jesus from within the tomb, but this is mere speculation and not of great importance. What is significant is that the women hear the message of the resurrection from “two men in clothes that gleamed like lightening”. Such a description suggests that they were angels sent from God to perform such a duty.

These two angels ask the women why they are looking for the living among the dead. It seems obvious to us that Jesus will not be found here, but to the women it must have come as rather a shock, to be told that the man they had seen crucified and dead and buried on the Friday, was now alive. The women go to the eleven disciples and retell what they have seen and heard. Typically, the disciples do not believe the women. Then Peter, always Peter, gets up and races to the tomb, where all he sees are the strips of linen. He walks away wondering about what he has seen and what it all must mean. Can this really be true that Jesus is alive?

Of course faith does not depend upon an empty tomb. There have been countless debates, rehearsed numerous times about the Resurrection of Christ, whether it was a spiritual or physical resurrection, whether the tomb really was empty or not and speculation as to what must have happened to the body of Jesus. But to become involved in this endless speculation and theological debate, interesting and crucial as it may be, to some, is really to miss the point that is being made here. The women may not be wholly trusted by the disciples, Peter’s visit to the tomb may be inconclusive, but the messengers of the Resurrection of Christ are clearly meant to be believed. They are sent by God, they represent God, they proclaim God’s message: that Jesus is alive. It is a message we can trust. Human judgement is removed from the equation.

For us today, the proclamation of the message of the Resurrection of Jesus, needs to be done with love and consideration of the context within which we live. It is very different from the context of First Century Palestine. We live in an age where everything is questioned and doubted, where every belief and absolute is open to reinterpretation. We live in an age of postmodernism and of rapid change. The message is the same, but perhaps the presentation needs to be rather different. Old fashioned door-knocking evangelism is long dead. The question now posed is what is authentic and effective evangelism? My suggestion is that we need to love people into a relationship with God, through the living of our lives and the example of our faith.
So this Easter, may we know the renewing power of Christ within us as we attempt to share the good news with those around us. Neil Bramble-Chapman

Meditation

John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress includes this famous incident:

"Up this way, therefore, did burdened Christian run, but not without great difficulty, because of the load on his back. He ran thus till he came to a place somewhat ascending; and upon that place stood a Cross, and a little below, in the bottom, a Sepulchre. So I saw in my dream, that just as Christian came up with the Cross, his burden loosed from his shoulders, and fell off his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do, till it came to the mouth of the Sepulchre, where it fell in, and I saw it no more. Then was Christian glad and lightsome, and said with a merry heart, He hath given me rest by his sorrow, and life by His death."
Bunyan concludes, "Then Christian gave three leaps for joy, and went on his way singing."

Easter is a time for joyful leaps and singing hearts.

Hymns for Sunday - Mission Praise

(1).Christ the Lord is risen today 76 (2). There is a Redeemer 673 (3). My God and is thy table spread-on notices (4). If Christ had not been raised-on notices (5). Thine be the glory 689

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