Welcome: –

Call to Worship: –

(from 1 Corinthians 1: 23 and 10: 12 to 22, 54 and 57) 

We proclaim the crucified Christ, and Christ raised from death.

But, if Christ has not been raised from death, then we have nothing to preach, and nothing to believe.

More than that, we are shown to be lying about God, because we said that He raised Christ from death.

And if Christ has not been raised, then our faith is a delusion, and we are still lost in our sins.

If our hope in Christ is good for this life only and no more,

Then we deserve more pity than anyone else in the World.

But the truth is that Jesus Christ has been raised from death,

As the guarantee that we and those who sleep in death will also be raised.

For just as all people die because of their union with Adam,

In the same way, all who believe will be raised to life because of their union with Christ.

Scripture has come true, “Death is destroyed, victory is complete.”  (Isaiah 25: 8) 

Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!

Greeting

In Luke’s Gospel, we read that the two who walked with Jesus on the road to Emmaus, upon realising that it was Jesus with whom they had journeyed, returned at once to Jerusalem to the house where the 11 Disciples and the others were staying, so as to share their amazing news.  (Luke 24: 33)  Let us also greet one another with the same joy and excitement, as we share this amazing news with one another here.

The Lord has risen!

He has risen indeed!

Explanation of the Order of Service:  

  Today, in five segments, we will follow the theme of God’s work to “destroy death forever”  as we read in Isaiah 25: 8a.  Each segment with include a Bible passage, a short comment, a time of prayer or appropriate response to God, followed by an Easter song or hymn.  We hope that you enjoy the journey and find it meaningful.

First Bible Reading

“God said to Abraham, ‘I will give you many descendants, and they will become a great Nation.  I will bless you and make your name famous, and you will be a blessing.  And I will bless those who bless you, curse those who despise you, and through you shall all the Nations of the Earth be blessed; all because you obeyed my command.’”  (Genesis 12: 2 & 3, 22: 18) 

“God said to Isaac, ’I will give you as many descendants as there are stars in the sky, and I will give them all this territory.  Through your descendants all Nations on Earth will be blessed, because Abraham obeyed me and kept all my Laws and Commands.’”  (Genesis 26: 4) 

“ God said to Jacob, ‘I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying.  Your descendants will be as numerous as the specks of dust on the Earth.  They will extend their territory in all directions, to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south.  All peoples of the Earth will be blessed through you and your descendants.’”  (Genesis 28: 13 & 14) 

[Today’s English Version, NRSV ]

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Comment on First Bible Reading – ‘Destruction of Death’ promised

“God said to Isaac, ’I will give you as many descendants as there are stars in the sky” Genesis 26: 4

We read of God giving the same promise to the three early Patriarchs of the Jewish People; to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  This promise was comprised of several parts:

God’s protection and blessing for them, which had been evident since the time Abraham had departed Ur in Chaldea with his father and siblings;

Ownership of the land in which they were now living, though at the issuing of the promise to each of these persons, they were foreigners in a land ruled by powerful Kingdoms;

Innumerable descendants, though at the time of the issuing of the promise to each of these persons, neither had a family; and,

That at some indeterminate time in the future, through their descendants, God would issue a blessing for all Nations on the Earth, to all peoples on the Earth (Genesis 12: 3, 26: 4 & 28: 14).

  We can clearly see how significant these were to the Patriarchs.  We must recall that God was very real to them because He had spoken in person to each of them.  Therefore:

It gave to each of them the confidence of knowing that God was to continue His close and benevolent relationship with them and their promised families into the near future as well as into the far future.

It gave to each of them the hope of permanence of a place to live for their descendants.

It gave to each of them the hope of descendants who would care for them in their old age, and, just as importantly, descendants who would represent the hope that their family ‘name’ would continue long into the future.

And, it gave to each of them the reassurance that they and their descendants would prosper in their life in this ‘promised land’.

  But it was the latter part of God’s promise that seems out of place.

  Why was there a need for all Nations and all peoples to receive this special blessing?  God had already given to all peoples of all Nations the blessings from living off the fruitfulness of His Creation around them, land on which to grow crops or on which to graze flocks and herds, fruit and vegetables and herbs to collect or to grow, timber and stone and mud from which to construct shelter and storage places, flowing water or water from wells to drink, for watering their crops and for watering their flocks and herds, and minerals from which to obtain metals for implements.  Of what else were they in need?  This uncertainty does not hinder the acceptance by these Patriarchs of the promise of God’s bless.

  The descendants of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob were small in number, and, as foreigners in a land claimed and occupied by others, their immediate survival was dependent upon the goodwill of these landowners towards them.  As such, they had little if any influence over those with whom they currently shared the land, let alone those people whose very existence was then unknown to them.  So, how could they be a blessing to anyone if they had no influence in their lives?

  But, this is the very point isn’t it.  Why would God be dependant upon Earthly power and influence to enact His will and purpose in the World?  We see God working through the small and the powerless, because it was in them that God saw the strength for which He was seeking, that is, their faith in Almighty God. 

  The author of the Letter to the Hebrews writes,

“It was faith that made Abraham obey when God called him to go out to a country which God had promised to give him.  He left his own country without knowing where he was going.  By faith he lived as a foreigner in the country that God had promised him.  He lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who received the same promise from God. (Hebrews 11: 8 & 9)

  Thomas Hewitt writes,

 “they accepted the challenge of an unknown and uncertain future and obeyed the call of God because they trusted God and believed in His promises.”  (Thomas Hewitt in Hebrews  An Introduction and Commentary p174)

Prayer of Praise 

(Year A p88 +Aust Prayer Book p209 + Book of Worship p209 + The Book of common Worship pp304 &305) 

   God of unending life, we celebrate the rising of your Son Jesus from the darkness of mortality to the brightness of glory.

  By raising Jesus You have conquered the power of Death and opened for us the way to eternal life. 

   We rejoice in the hope that is ours to share in Your victory over the Powers that have bound us in the past and have kept us from full fellowship with You.  We give you praise for the manner in which Your great power has been demonstrated.

  We are humbled by the manner in which You have so freely given to us release from the bondage of sin and welcomed us into Your family.

  There is nothing in our character or our conduct that makes us worthy of Your attention, yet you show to us how much You love us by the magnitude of Your grace and mercy.

  All glory to You, Almighty God, giver of life, Saviour and Lord.  May Your Name be blessed for ever for You have honoured Your promise to all the World to forgive sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

  May we remain faithful to You always and trust in Your Word as the sole guide for our lives and for the sustaining of our souls.

  In Your name we pray.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to or join in singing two Songs.  The first song is: ‘Praise the name of Jesus’  (Scripture in Song volume 1 No 111)

Roy Hicks

The second song is: ‘Come praise him, exalt him’  (Scripture in Song Volume 2 No 210)

The words are printed below:

Come praise Him, exalt Him

And worship His name.

Today and forever He’s always the same.

Come praise Him, our Saviour,

The Lamb that was slain.

Come praise Him and worship;

The Lord is His name.

(repeat)

Bonnie Low

Second Bible Reading

Isaiah 25:

6  “Isaiah writes,

‘Here on Mount Zion the LORD Almighty will prepare a banquet for all the Nations of the World – a banquet of the richest food and the finest wine.  7  Here He will suddenly remove  the cloud of sorrow that has been hanging over all the Nations.  8  The Sovereign LORD will destroy death forever!  He will wipe away the tears from everyone’s eyes and take away the disgrace His People have suffered throughout the World.  The LORD Himself has spoken.

9  When it happens, everyone will say,

“He is our God!  We have put our trust in Him, and He has rescued us.  He is the LORD!  We have put our trust in Him, and now we are happy and joyful because He has saved us.”’”

[Today’s English Version]

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Comment on Second Bible Reading – ‘Destruction of Death’ foreseen

‘a banquet for all the Nations of the World’  Isaiah 25: 6

Again, we hear of a blessing to all peoples of all Nations, as God had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  The image in this passage from the writings of the Prophet Isaiah is of a banquet where the richest food and the finest of drink is being served.  And we can picture the scene, where nothing is held back from offering the richest and finest to all of those who are present.  The mention of Mount Zion, where God’s very presence is in the Temple in Jerusalem, indicates that the offer of God’s blessing has everything to do with the worship of God and the work of God in the lives of people.

  The banquet is a celebration, and as the passage unfolds, the reason is revealed.

  Isaiah writes of the removal of a “cloud of sorrow”  (Isaiah 25: 7a)  .  Mention of a cloud, or as some translations read, a “veil”, hints that, up to that point in time, people had an obscured vision or understanding of spiritual matters.  This lack of understanding hung over the minds and souls of people like a heavy curtain, or as one senses the surroundings when walking through thick cloud, disabling one’s senses and clarity of comprehension, causing fear and sorrow.  Its removal brings clarity of vision, a revealing of what is true and good, and, as such, brings joy and fulfilment, as one experiences when participating at a banquet.

  Isaiah then makes the astounding claim,

“The Sovereign LORD will destroy death forever!”  (Isaiah 25: 8a) 

  It is God, and God alone, who accomplishes this, by His initiative, by His own actions; not as a reward nor as any response for what Humanity has done, because there are no conditions attached.  It is to be done out of God’s tender lovingkindness towards the Humanity who He created. 

  There is that one thing shared by all persons, a disposition towards disobeying God and refusing to listen to the voice of God speaking to them, leading, consequently, to a loss of closeness to God in their daily life.  Sin and death were, and are, something that is shared by all peoples of all Nations.  Sin and death marked the spoiling of God’s Creation, it spoiled the intimate relationship God sought with each person.  

  The sin of Adam and Eve brought with it two consequences.  When God sent them out of the Garden, they felt a deep sense of loss, of disconnection with God, inevitably bringing the sorrow and disgrace to which Isaiah refers.

  In addition, sin brought with it death, in its many facets.  We read in the Genesis account that they were no longer allowed “to take fruit from the tree that gives life”  (Genesis 3: 22)  , meaning that they would no longer have access to the means to live forever.  In addition, there was a ‘death’ in their relationship with God.  They would not longer experience the close walks with God that they experienced in the Garden.  In the account of Cain and Abel, we see a ‘death’ in the relationship one person may have with another.  It is this death to which Isaiah also refers.

  It is upon this background that we read this astounding statement by God.  For it is a statement of intent that God makes, not a vague hopeful promise, nor an unsubstantiated plan of action.  “I will!” states God  (Isaiah 25: 7a & 8a)  .  And in three ways, God makes it clear “the finality and the totality” of His intent, as John Sawyer writes in his Commentary  (John Sawyer in Isaiah vol 1  p214)  :

The Sovereign LORD will destroy death forever!  (Isaiah 25: 8a) 

  He will wipe away the tears from everyone’s eyes,  (Isaiah 25: 8b) 

 and take away the disgrace His People have suffered throughout the World.  (Isaiah 25: 8b)  

  And we see four aspects in the response of people:

“they express that they are happy and joyful” because of what God is doing in their lives, ready to celebrate this happiness and joy by participating in God’s banquet.  (Isaiah 25: 9) 

They recognise God as their Redeemer and Saviour, “He has rescued us.  He has saved us.”  (Isaiah 25: 9) 

They acknowledge that God is the Almighty Creator God, and that there are no other gods but Him.  “He is our God!  (Isaiah 25: 9) 

And, finally, in the same manner as did Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, they proclaim their obedience to God, “We have put our trust in Him.”  (Isaiah 25: 9) 

 But, there are no details in this passage from Isaiah as to how God would accomplish this work of redemption, nor of when it would be accomplished.  If one accepts that Abraham entered the Land of Canaan in around 1900BC and that Isaiah commenced his prophetic work around 740BC, upon the death of King Uzziah of Judah  (Isaiah 5: 1)  {refer to Chronology of the Bible in Good News Study Bible p1050}  , this means that 1060 years have elapsed between God issuing His promise to Abraham and the Prophet Isaiah adding to the understanding of what this promise entailed.  For over a millennia the people of Israel had held onto the promises given to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.  These had been partially fulfilled in that they occupied that land of Canaan and that they had become a populous and great Nation.  Yet, the final portion, relating to the blessing that would flow through them to all the Nations, had not yet been fulfilled.  For how much longer would the people of Israel need to trust God for Him to complete this age-old promise?

Prayer of Confession 

(Year A p89 + Leading Intercessions p20 + Bok of Worship p78) 

  God of Heaven and Earth, we live wasteful lives in a Society that does not value a responsible use of what You have provided in Your Creation.  Please forgive us for not being in harmony with the World around us.

  Have mercy on us.

  God of spirit and flesh, what you condemn as sinful we excuse by calling it Human nature or our culture.  Please forgive us for not lifting our eyes beyond the present state of being to the higher realm above.

  Have mercy on us.

  God of mercy and grace, we are content with a quiet fellowship amongst ourselves and neglect your call to be ambassadors for Christ.  Please forgive us for our lack of vision and aspiration for your Church and for our lives.

  Have mercy on us.

  God of our friend and neighbour, we whine and complain about the behaviour and attitudes of those around us, and fail to reach out to all people as Jesus did.  Please forgive us for not seeking to bridge divisions between us and others nor to heal personal wounds.

  Have mercy on us.

  Almighty God, we consecrate ourselves anew to You this Easter Day.  Fill us with your Spirit of reverence and humility, resting on the assurance of Your everlasting love.

  May we die daily to sin so that we may live in the joy of the resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(Acts 10: 43) 

The Apostle Peter reminds us that “everyone who believes in the saving work of Jesus Christ will have their sins forgiven through the power of His name”.  Know therefore that if we confess our sins, we can be confident that God has listened and has acted, that our sins are forgiven and we are reconciled to God.

God Thanks be to God.

You are invited to listen to or join in singing the Hymn ‘Low in the grave he lay’  (Alexander’s Hymns Number 3 No 122)

The words are printed below.

Verse 1 of 3

Low in the grave he lay,

Jesus my Saviour.

Waiting the coming day,

Jesus my Lord.

Chorus

Up from the grave he arose

With a mighty triumph o’er his foes.

He arose a Victor from the dark domain,

And he lives forever with his saints to reign.

He arose!  He arose!

Hallelujah, Christ arose!

Verse 2 of 3

Vainly they watch his bed,

Jesus my Saviour.

Vainly they sealed the dead,

Jesus my Lord.

Chorus

Up from the grave he arose

With a mighty triumph o’er his foes.

He arose a Victor from the dark domain,

And he lives forever with his saints to reign.

He arose!  He arose!

Hallelujah, Christ arose!

Verse 3 of 3

Death cannot keep his prey,

Jesus my Saviour.

He tore the bars away,

Jesus my Lord.

Chorus

Up from the grave he arose

With a mighty triumph o’er his foes.

He arose a Victor from the dark domain,

And he lives forever with his saints to reign.

He arose!  He arose!

Hallelujah, Christ arose!

[repeat the chorus]

Robert Lowry

Third Bible Reading

Matthew 28:

1  “After the Sabbath, as Sunday morning was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.  2  Suddenly there was a violent earthquake; an angel of the Lord came from Heaven, rolled the stone away, and sat on it.  3  His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.  4  The guards were so afraid that they trembled and became like dead men.

5  The angel spoke to the women.

‘You must not be afraid,’ he said.  ‘I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.  6  He is not  here, he has been raised, just as he said.  Come here and see the place where he was lying.  7  Go quickly now, and tell his Disciples,

“He has been raised from death, and now he is going to Galilee ahead of you; there you will see him!”

Remember what I have told you.’

8  So they left the tomb in a hurry, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his Disciples.

9  Suddenly Jesus met them and said,

‘Peace be with you.’

They came up to him, took hold of his feet, and worshipped him.

10  ‘Do not be afraid,’ Jesus said to them, ‘Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee and there they will see me.’”

[Today’s English Version]

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Comment on Third Bible Reading – ‘Destruction of Death’ accomplished

The angel spoke to the women, “He is not here, he has been raised, just as he said.”

Matthew 28: 6

(https://media.istockphoto.com/id/97996358/photo/he-is-risen.jpg)

What did the women face when they went to the tomb early that Sunday morning?

The heavy stone that had sealed the tomb had been rolled back and an angel, attired in bright garments, was seated upon it.

The guards, who had been instructed to stop anyone from entering the tomb to take away the body of Jesus, had been struck dumb by the angel’s appearance on the scene.

And, most significantly, the women saw an empty tomb.  They had seen Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus place the embalmed body of Jesus in this very tomb just over a day previously, so where was the body of Jesus now?  What did this all mean?

  The angel said to them, “He is not here, he has been raised from the dead, just as he said.”  (Matthew 28: 6) 

  The understanding is that the Disciples had shared with the women who followed Jesus and his Disciples on there journeying, what Jesus had said on at least two occasions, as recorded by Matthew, that he was to be put to death and that he would be raised to life again on the third day.  (Matthew 12: 40, 16: 21)  But, did anyone put any credence to these words of Jesus?

  Most significantly, it was this phrase that stood out to the women,

“he has been raised from the dead”  (Matthew 28: 6)  

  This was reassurance to them that Jesus had actually died, just as they had seen and understood.  But who had raised Jesus from the dead?  Obviously, it was God who had raised Jesus from the dead, for only God has the power to create and to put life into beings.  But for what purpose?

  It is here we see the significance of the timing of the Easter events.  The very evening when the crucifixion of Jesus took place, each family would be celebrating The Passover, offering an unblemished lamb as a sacrifice, in remembrance of how centuries before, in the time of their ancestors being slaves in Egypt, an unblemished lamb was sacrificed by each family, with the blood of the lamb being applied to the doorposts of each home to save them from God’s impending wrath upon their Egyptian overlords.

  Jesus was offering himself as the unblemished Passover Lamb for all of Humanity.

  The Apostle Paul writes in his second Letter to the Church in Corinth,

“Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made him share our sin in order that in union with him we might share the righteousness of God.”  (2 Corinthians 5: 21) 

  In his Letter to the Church in Rome, Paul writes,

“Because of our sins Jesus was given over to die, and he was raised to life in order to put us right with God.”  (Romans 4: 25) 

  Geoffrey Wilson writes,

“Christ’s death and resurrection are inseparable because they form one redemptive act; neither makes sense without the other.”  (Geoffrey Wilson in Romans  A Digest of Reformed Comment p77) 

  Charles Barrett seeks to explain this verse by saying,

“Christ died on the cross because of the sins we had committed; and was raised from death with the view of dealing with our future sins.”  (Charles Barrett in The Epistle to the Romans p93) 

  It was John the Baptist who said of Jesus,

“There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the World.”  (John 1: 29) 

  Randolph Tasker, in writing about this verse, notes that John is stating that “in taking upon himself the sins of the World, Jesus ‘takes it away’, that is, removing both its guilt and its power.”  (Randolph Tasker in John  An Introduction and Commentary  p51) 

  Thus we see that in his death and resurrection, Jesus confronts and defeats the power of Satan and the hold that Satan had over people because of their fear of death.  (Hebrews 2: 15)  For it is in Jesus Christ that we see the fulfilment of all that Isaiah was writing in his claim that “The Sovereign LORD will destroy death forever!”  (Isaiah 25: 8) 

  In these words of Isaiah we see “a clear promise of immortality for those who now stand before God forgiven and cleansed” because of their faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ.  (Yeoman Muckle in Isaiah 1 – 39 p86)

  This understanding is repeated by John in his words,

“For God loved the World so much that He gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.”  (John 3: 16) 

  John Gibson writes, “We must not in the slightest underestimate the stupendous claims of the New Testament that, by the birth of Jesus, God’s rule over Humanity took a visible shape among them in Jesus, a shape it had not previously taken, or that by his Cross and Resurrection, God won so decisive a victory over His ancient enemies of sin and evil that never again would they be able to plunge His Creation into chaos and disaster.”  (John Gibson in Genesis volume 2 p15)

Apostles’ Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God’s only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into Heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting. Amen.

English Language Liturgical Consultation (ELLC)  1988 revised translation

You are invited to listen to or join in singing the Hymn ‘I serve a risen Saviour’

Alfred Ackley

Fourth Bible Reading

Acts 3:

11  “Peter said to those who had gathered around John and himself in Solomon’s Porch in the Temple,

13  ’The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has given divine glory to His servant, Jesus.  But you handed him over to the authorities, and you rejected him in Pilate’s presence, even after Pilate had decided to set him free.  14  He was holy and good, but you rejected him, and instead you asked Pilate to do you the favour of turning loose a murderer.  15  You killed the one who leads to life, but God raised him from death – and we are witnesses to this.

24  All the Prophets who had a message, including Samuel and those who came after him, also announced what has been happening these days.  25  The promises of God through His Prophets are for you, and you share in the Covenant which God made with you ancestors.  As he said to Abraham,

“Through your descendants I will bless all the people of the Earth.”

26  And, so, God chose His servant and sent him to you first, to bless you by making every one of you turn away from their wicked ways.’”

Acts 10:

34  “Peter said to those who had gathered in the house of Cornelius, the Roman Centurion,

37  ‘You know of the great event that took place throughout the land of Israel, beginning in Galilee after John preached his message of baptism.  38  You know about Jesus of Nazareth  and how God poured out on him the Holy Spirit and power.  He went everywhere doing good and healing all who were under the power of the Devil, for God was with him.  39  We are witnesses of everything that he d id in the land of Israel and in Jerusalem.  Then they put him to death by nailing him to a cross.  40  But God raised him from death three days later and caused him to appear,  41  not to everyone, but only to the witnesses that God had already chosen, that is, to us who ate and drank with him after he rose from death.  (Luke 24: 40 – 43, John 21: 12 – 15) 

42  And he commanded us to preach the Gospel to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God has appointed judge of the living and the dead.  (Matthew 28: 18 – 20, Mark 16: 15 – 18, Luke 24: 45 – 49, Acts 1: 7 & 8)  43  All the Prophets spoke about him, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through the power of his name.

[Today’s English Version]

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Comment on Fourth Bible Reading – ‘Destruction of Death’ proclaimed

“you rejected him in Pilate’s presence, even after Pilate had decided to set him free”  Acts 3: 13

Roger Bowen writes,

“All New Testament writers said that faith in Christ is the only way in which a person can be right with God.  Therefore, Christians should be witnesses to him, so that other people may come to share their faith.”  (Roger Bowen in A Guide to Romans p60) 

  The Apostle Peter readily took every opportunity to witness to the saving ministry of Jesus Christ. 

  On one occasion, we find Peter and John in the Temple one afternoon, having attracted a crowd to gather around them and a man who had been lame all his life but who Peter had just healed.  So, with a ready audience, Peter proclaimed the Good News of Jesus Christ.

  He clearly states that he is not claiming any acclaim or notoriety for himself, for he states,

“The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our ancestors, has given divine glory to His servant, Jesus”  (Acts 3: 13) 

  Here, Peter is referring to the last part of the promises that God gave to their ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that,

  “through you shall all the Nations of the Earth be blessed”  (Genesis 12: 2 & 3, 22: 18) 

  For we see that in and through Jesus is the blessing foretold by God to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that would flow from their descendants, the blessing of sins forgiven, of reconciliation with God, of renewal of life in the present, and of the promise of eternal life to come.

  But Peter was never one to hold back from telling the truth.  As we read the passage, Peter sought to challenge those in the crowd to look at themselves and their relationship with God in the light of Jesus Christ.

  Firstly, Peter said to the crowd,

‘Remember the person who Jesus was.  Though he was holy and good, but you did not respond to him in the correct way, you did not respond to him as God’s agent upon Earth, for “you rejected him”, to the point where you demanded his crucifixion even though it was obvious to Pilate that such a course of action was not justified.’  (Acts 3: 13 & 14) 

  Secondly, Peter said to them,

‘Remember the message Jesus preached, of life in all its fulness that he had been sent by God to bring into fruition.  How foolish you were, Peter points out, to seek “to kill the one who leads to life”, for it was “God raised him from death”.  And where is the evidence for this, Peter asks?  John and myself can substantiate our claim, Peter states, for “we are first-hand witnesses to this”’  (Acts 3: 15)  .

  Thirdly, Peter asked the crowd,

‘And where do you see the power of the risen Jesus Christ at work among you at this very moment?  You need look no further than the man before you who once was lame but is now “walking and leaping and praising God”  (Acts 3: 8)  ,because it is only through the power of the risen, alive Jesus that he has been healed.’

  Lastly, Peter said to the crowd,

‘Don’t put your faith in your racial or cultural or religious heritage, or your good works, or your faithfulness in making your Temple sacrifices, for none of those can guarantee you righteousness before God.  Instead, Peter said to them,

“The promises of God through His Prophets are for you, and you share in the Covenant which God made with you ancestors.  As he said to Abraham,

“Through your descendants I will bless all the people of the Earth.”  And, so, God chose His servant, Jesus, and sent him to you first, to bless you by making every one of you turn away from their wicked ways.’”  (Acts 3: 25 & 26) 

  What the people of Jerusalem had to grasp was that they themselves were the focus of God’s blessing that God had promised would flow through their ancestors.  The challenge from Peter was whether they would respond by placing their trust in the word of God as their ancestors had done, and to obey God in His call to follow His way.

  Later in Acts we see that it was Peter himself who was challenged to broaden his understanding as to how God seeks to work in the World and whom God seeks to bless.

  God led Peter to Caesarea, to the house of Cornelius, the Roman Centurion.  (Acts 10: 34)  We need to sense Peter’s hesitance in going because it meant entering the house of an uncircumcised, ‘unclean’ Gentile, something that any pious Jew would avidly avoid since doing so would likely render them ‘ritually unclean’ and therefore unable to participate in Temple worship or worshipping at a Synagogue for the required period of cleansing.  (Acts 10: 28)  Peter needed to sense God’s insistence that he go to the house of Cornelius.

“Do not consider anything unclean that God has declared clean.”, the voice of God tells Peter in a vision.  (Acts 10: 15) 

  Why was it crucial for Peter to visit Cornelius?  Because Cornelius and his family worshipped God and was seeking a greater understanding of God and of his relationship with God, and it was Peter whom God was sending to Cornelius and his family, “to answer his questions”  (Acts 10: 4)  . 

  Peter, upon seeing how Cornelius, his family, and those others who Cornelius had invited to hear Peter speak, had responded to Peter’s preaching with faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ, was led to exclaim,

“I now realize that it is true that God treats everyone on the same basis.”  (Acts 10: 34) 

  Thus, we see the wider fulfillment of the blessing that God stated to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob would come through their descendants.  It was the task of those first 12 Disciples, who themselves were descendants of those Patriarchs, to preach the good news of the risen Christ, firstly to their fellow Jesus, as Peter had done in the Temple account in Acts 3, and, now, to all those outside of the Jewish race, as Peter had come to realise in this account in Acts 10.

  Peter made two statements on this occasions, and in them we can grasp his deeper understanding of the depth and breadth of love that God had for all of Humanity, and of the wider vision for taking the Gospel to the ends of the Earth.

  In Acts 10: 42 we read Peter saying,

“And Jesus commanded us to preach the Gospel to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God has appointed judge of the living and the dead.  (Matthew 28: 18 – 20, Mark 16: 15 – 18, Luke 24: 45 – 49, Acts 1: 7 & 8)” 

  Peter has come to realise that in using the words “the people”, Jesus is not just referring to ‘the people of the Jewish race’, but to all the people of all the Nations, as God had initially said to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

  In Acts 10: 43 we read Peter Stating,

“All the Prophets spoke about (Jesus), saying that everyone who believes in him will have

their sins forgiven through the power of his name.”

  Again, Peter has come to realise that in using the word “everyone”, Jesus is not just referring to ‘everyone of the Jewish race’, but to everyone of all the Nations, as God had initially said to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

  William Barclay writes, “Through Jesus, the friendship which should always have existed between humans and God, but which sin interrupted, has dawned upon Humanity.”  (William Barclay in The Acts of the Apostles p88)

Offering

Offering Prayer    

“For the life that you have given”  TiS774  

This YouTube clip is for another hymn but is used here for the tune, so disregard the words – only the one verse is needed.]

For the life that you have given,

For the love in Christ made known,

With these fruits of time and labour,

With these gifts that are your own:

Here we offer, Lord, our praises;

Heart and mind and strength we bring;

Give us grace to love and serve you,

Living what we pray and sing.

Ralph Vaughan Williams

You are invited to listen to or join in singing the Hymn 3  ‘Christ the Lord is risen today’  (AHB290 (ii)  MHB204)

Charles Wesley

Fifth Bible Reading

Colossians 1:

“17  Paul wrote to the Church in Colossae saying,

Christ existed before all things, and in union with him, all things have their proper place.  18  He is the Head of his Body, the Church; he is the source of the Body’s life.  He is the first-born Son, who was raised from death, in order that he alone might have the first place in all things.  19  For it was by God’s own decision that the Son has in himself the full nature of God.  20  Through the Son, the, God decided to bring the whole Universe back to Himself.  God made peace through His Son’s sacrificial death on the cross and so brought back to Himself all things, both on Earth and in Heaven.

21  At one time you were far away from God and were His enemies because of the evil things you did and thought.  22  But now, by means of the physical death of His Son, God has made you His friends, in order to bring you, holy, pure, and faultless, into His presence.  23  You must, of course, continue faithful on a firm and sure foundation, and must not allow yourselves to be shaken from the hope you gained when you heard the Gospel.”

[Today’s English Version]

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Comment on Fifth Bible Reading – ‘Destruction of Death’ lived out

‘He is the first-born Son, who was raised from death’  Colossians 1: 18

(https://media.istockphoto.com/id/1299627953/photo/crucifixion-and-resurrection-concept.jpg)

Whatever we may think of Paul as a person, as a theologian, or as a missionary, we must recognise that he is consistent in his message.

“We proclaim the crucified Christ, through whom God has called both Jews and Gentiles, Christ who reveals the power of God and the wisdom of God.”  (1 Corinthians 1: 23 & 24) 

  But we must also see a consistency in his explaining the purpose, the intent, of God calling us back to a right relationship with Him.

“God has brought you back into union with Christ Jesus, … By him we are put right with God, we become God’s holy people and are set free.”  (1 Corinthians 1: 30) 

  Paul as an identical message for the Church at Colossae,

“But now, by means of the physical death of His Son, God has made you His friends, in order to bring you, holy, pure, and faultless, into His presence.”  (Colossians 1: 22) 

  William Barclay writes,

“The aim of reconciliation is holiness.  Christ carried out his sacrificial work of reconciliation in order to present us to God consecrated, unblemished and irreproachable.”  (William Barclay in The Letter to the Colossians p150) 

  Donald Guthrie writes that the concept behind Paul’s words is that we are to present ourselves to God as a sacrifice, “holy, in the sense of sacred or separated to God, blameless in the sense of without blemish, and irreproachable in the sense of not open to any charge.”  (Donald Guthrie in Colossians in the New Bible Commentary p1145) 

  Paul continues with a word of warning,

You must, of course, continue faithful on a firm and sure foundation, and must not allow yourselves to be shaken from the hope you gained when you heard the Gospel.”  (Colossians 1: 23) 

William Barclay writes,

“Reconciliation has another kind of obligation.  It lays upon us the obligation to stand fast in our faith, and never to lose or abandon the hope of the Gospel, that through sunshine or through shadow we should never lose confidence in the love of God.”  (William Barclay in The Letter to the Colossians p150) 

Donald Guthrie writes,

“Firmness of faith will be evidence of the reality of your reconciliation with God, for we must avoid the temptation to fall for false teaching.”  (Donald Guthrie in Colossians in the New Bible Commentary p1145) 

  John Gibson writes,

“The Christian life is an ongoing process, with both a beginning or setting out, which calls

for Courage and commitment, and a goal or a journey’s end, to which we look forward eagerly but which we have not yet reached.  We are warned that there are, all the time, choices to be made, wrong turnings to be avoided, a right path to be kept.  We are reminded too that we are not alone, but have a protector and guide on the way, who has brought us to where we are now and who will help us to circumvent the dangers that still lie before us.

  Tiredness and elation, shame and purpose, striving and expectation, responsibility and dependence, these are the contrary thoughts and emotions which we experience in our pilgrimage journey of faith.  Notions of victory and triumph, of rest and contentment, will be ours too, but that is for the future, and the future is God’s.”  (John Gibson in Genesis p27 & 28) 

  Let us then place our trust in God, to save us from our past, to walk with us in our present, and to banquet with us in our future.  Amen.

Prayers for Others 

(from Bruce Prewer in Australian Prayers p54 & 55) 

God of the risen Christ, we rejoice in your resurrection power which is fully ours in Jesus Christ.  We pray that you will keep us alert to the sufferings and needs that burden many people this Easter.

May we live out your love in the message of Easter and rejoice in the sharing of the knowledge of the gift of life in Jesus.

Keep us aware, O God, of those for whom this Easter is one of misery and loneliness, those who are separated from loved ones, immigrants who are lonely in a strange environment, alcoholics and other addicts for whom no day is ever a holiday, homeless young people, and the inmates of our prisons.

Living lord, help them to know your love in the message of Easter and to rejoice in the gift of life in Jesus.

Keep us aware, O God, of those for whom this Easter time is one of tragedy; the victims of road accidents, their family and friends, those who are seriously injured, those who are fighting for their very lives, and those who are weeping for the dead.

Living lord, help them to know your love in the message of Easter and to rejoice in the gift of life in Jesus.

Keep us aware, O God, of those who must work while most of us are holidaying, the Police and prison warders, transport workers and café staff, doctors and nurses and orderlies in hospitals, emergency services workers, security workers, and those who work in hotels and motels.

Living lord, help them to know your love in the message of Easter and to rejoice in the gift of life in Jesus.

God of Easter, keep each of aware of our own needs, and of the vast resources for our growth in faith, hope and love, which are available to us this day and always.

May your Word give nourishment to the roots of our faith so that in our words and actions we can give nourishment to those in the Community in which we live and move.

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done, on Earth as it is 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 forever.  Amen.

You are invited to listen to or join in singing the Hymn 4 ‘It was finished upon that cross’

Keith and Kristyn Getty

Benediction  

(from Alan Kay {ed} Wesley’s Prayers & Praises p112)  

Easter Day

The Lord of Life is risen indeed,

To death delivered in our stead;

His rise proclaims our sins forgiven

And shows the living way to Heaven.

Haste then, you souls that first believe,

Who dare the Gospel word receive,

Your faith with joyful hearts confess,

Be bold, be Jesus’s witnesses.

Go tell the followers of your Lord

Their Jesus is to life restored,

He lives, that they his life may find,

He lives to quicken Humankind.

Charles Wesley

And may the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, rest upon you and remain with you always.  Amen.

Benediction Song

You are invited to listen to or join in singing the first verse and chorus of the song ‘Never lose sight of Jesus’ (Alexander’s Hymns No. 3 No 6). The words are printed below:

Verse

O pilgrim people bound for the Heavenly land,

Never lose sight of Jesus,

He’ll lead you gently with loving hand.

Never lose sight of Jesus.

Chorus

Never lose sight of Jesus,

Never lose sight of Jesus,

Day and night he will lead you right,

Never lose sight of Jesus.

Robert Harkness