Welcome: –

Passing the Peace: –

As we gather for worship let us remember that we are one people in Christ Jesus.  We are all welcomed by God into His presence and graced by His mercy.  Let us, then, be united in our worship of God and in our fellowship together, and uplift our hands to greet those both here and those in their homes with these words:

May the peace of God be with you.

And also with you.

Call to Worship    

‘Come, you who seek the Lord’

Come, you who seek the Lord,

Him who was crucified,

Come, listen to the Gospel Word

And feel it now applied.

To every person far and wide

We share the joyful news,

Jesus, who for every sinner died,

Is risen again for you.

Salvation we proclaim

Which every soul may find,

Pardon and peace in Jesu’s name,

And life for Humankind.

He lives, who spilt his blood,

Believe the witness true,

The might, the power, the Son of God

Shall be revealed to you.

Charles Wesley

(Wesley’s Prayers and Praises p113 & 114)

Prayer of Praise  

(adapted from Prayers for the Seasons Year A p96 & 97 + Opening Prayers p38 + Invocations p28 & 28 + Leading Intercessions p22) 

    God of love, we rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus, for through Him You have released us from the bondage of sin.  We praise You for your foresight and Your dedication to planning the salvation of humankind.  We praise You for Jesus Christ who willingly offered Himself to be the means by which our sins can be removed forever.  We praise you for Your Holy Spirit who blesses us by being our guide and comforter in all moments of our life.

    God of compassion, through a relationship with you we can experience joy and hope, a newness of being, a relief from concerns and worries.  We are enabled and encouraged to give up old habits and attitudes so as to live lives by Your standards, lives in touch with Your will and purpose, lives attuned to the cries from our neighbours.  You walk with us in our daily life, revealing Your truth and delivering us from peril.

    God of light, we are assured of Your power to act in the World.  We are assured of Your love for all people and of Your readiness to embrace all who come to You on bended knees acknowledging their desperate need for forgiveness and healing.  We are assured of the reality of Your closeness to us when we humble ourselves in penitence and prayer.  We are assured of your abundant grace and mercy because your Word says so.

    God of new life, we acclaim You as our God and praise You in the presence of all people because you have brought us out of darkness into the light of our salvation.  Amen.

You are invited to join in listening or joining in two Songs:

The first song is:’ When I think of the cross’ – (‘He’s everything to me’ number 3)

(The words are printed below)

Verse 1 of 2

Long, long ago in a faraway place,

Rough rugged timbers were raised to the sky.

There hung a man suspended in space,

And, though he was blameless, they left him to die.

Chorus

Just to think of the cross, moves me now,

The nails in his hands, his bleeding brow,

To think of the cross moves me now,

It should have been me,

It should have been me,

Instead, I am free, I am free.

Verse 2 of 2

He put an end to my guilt and despair,

Turned bitter hating to sweet peace and love.

Even the men who put him up there

Were offered forgiveness and life from above.

Chorus

Just to think of the cross, moves me now,

The nails in his hands, his bleeding brow,

To think of the cross moves me now,

It should have been me,

It should have been me,

Instead, I am free, I am free.

I am free.

Ralph Carmichael

The 2^nd song is: ‘I have decided to follow Jesus’ – (‘He’s everything to me’ number 18)

Sadhu Sundar Singh or Simon Marak (refer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Have_Decided_to_Follow_Jesus )

Prayer of Confession 

(from Uniting in Worship Book 2 p257 &258 nos. 4, 5 & 6)  Merciful God, we see the abundant life that you have provided for us, the gifts that you have so freely given.  We confess the times when we have withheld our plenty from others. 

Lord have mercy

We see the wonders of Your Creation and the beauty in the World around us, yet we confess that our tendency is to use it foolishly and carelessly.

Lord have mercy.

We see and hear of people in desperate situations, crying out for care and compassion, yet we confess that often we turn away and are indifferent to the needs of others.

Lord have mercy.

At Easter we celebrate Your great act of salvation for the World through the costly sacrifice of Your Son, yet we confess that often we neglect this means of Grace, that our worship is superficial and our prayers selfish.

Lord have mercy.

We confess that our personal sins grieve You and hurt many, and that our social sins hold many in bondage and oppression.

Lord have mercy.  Forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all that separates us from a loving relationship with You.  Empower us as we seek to live a life of reverence for you and with a sincere love for others.  Amen.

Assurance of Forgiveness 

(from 1Peter 1: 21) 

Our faith and our hope are fixed on God who raised Jesus from death and gave Him glory.  Upon this trust, and having confessed our sins to God, we can be confident that our sins are forgiven, and our lives cleansed in the sight of God.

Thanks be to God.

Prayer of illumination 

(from Uniting in Worship Book 1 number 13 & 14 p599) 

  Prepare our hearts, O Lord, to be guided by your Word and the Holy Spirit, that in your light we may perceive your mercy and grace, that in your truth we may find freedom, and that in your will we may discover peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Bible Readings

Acts 2:

14a  Then Peter stood up with the other 11 Apostles and in a loud voice began to speak to the crowd:

36  “All the people of Israel, then, are to know for sure that this Jesus, whom you crucified, is the one that God has made Lord and Messiah!”

37  When the people heard this, they were deeply troubled and said to Peter and the other Apostles:

“What shall we do, brothers?”

38  Peter said to them,

“Each one of you must turn away from their sins and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven; and you will receive God’s gift, the Holy Spirit.  39  For God’s promise was made to you and your children, and to all who are far away – all whom the Lord our God calls to Himself.”

40  Peter made his appeal to them and with many other words he urged them, saying,

“Save yourselves from the punishment coming on this wicked people!”

41  Many of them believed his message and were baptised, and about three thousand people were added to the group that day.

1 Peter 1

17  Peter writes,

17  You call Him Father when you pray to God, who judges all people by the same standard, according to what each one has done: so then, spend the rest of your lives here on Earth in reverence for Him.  18  For you know what was paid to set you free from the worthless manner of life handed down by your ancestors.  It was not something that can be destroyed, such as silver or gold;  19  it was the costly sacrifice of Christ, who was like a lamb without defect or flaw. 

20  He had been chosen by God before the Creation of the World, and was revealed in these last days for your sake.  21  Through him you believe in God, who raised him from death and gave him glory; and, so, your faith and hope are fixed on God.

22  Now that by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves and have come to have a sincere love for your fellow believers, love one another earnestly withal your heart.  23  For through the living and eternal Word of God you have been born again as the children of a parent who is immortal, not mortal.

[Today’s English Version]

This is the Word of God.

Praise to you Almighty God.

Luke 24:

13  On that same day two of Jesus’ followers were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,  14  and they were talking to each other about all the things that had happened.  15  As they talked and discussed, Jesus himself drew near and walked along with them;  16  they saw him, but, somehow, did not recognise him.  17  Jesus said to them,

“What are you talking about to each other, as you walk along?”

They stood still with sad faces.  18  One of them, named Cleopas, asked him,

“Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that have been happening there these last few days?”

19  “What things?” he asked.

“The things that happened to Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered.  “This man was a Prophet and was considered by God and by all the people to be powerful in everything he said and did.  20  Our Chief Priests and rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and he was crucified.  21  And we had hoped that he could be the one who was going to set Israel free!  Besides all that, this is now the third day since it happened.  22  Some of the women of our group surprised us; they went at dawn to the tomb,  23  but could not find his body.  They came back saying they had seen a vision of angels who told them that he is alive.  24  some of our group went to the tomb and found it exactly as the women had said, but they did not see him.”

25  The Jesus said to them,

“How foolish you are, how slow you are to believe everything the prophets said!  26  Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”

27  And Jesus explained to them what was said about himself in all the Scriptures, beginning with the Books of Moses and the writings of all the Prophets.  28  As the came near the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther;  29  but they held him back, saying, “Stay with us; the day is almost over and it is getting dark.”

  So Jesus went in to stay with them.  30  He sat down to eat with them, took the bread, and said the blessing; then he broke the bread and gave it to them.  31  Then their eyes were opened and they recognised him, but he disappeared from their sight.  32  They said to each other,

“Wasn’t it like a fire burning in us when he talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?”

33 They got up at once and went back to Jerusalem, where they found the eleven Disciples gathered together with the others  34  and saying,

“The Lord is risen indeed!  He has appeared to Simon!”

35  The two then explained to them what had happened on the road, and how they had recognised the Lord when he broke the bread.

[Today’s English Version]

This is the Gospel of our Lord.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

You are invited to listen or join in singing the Hymn: ‘Christ the Lord is risen again’  (TiS365  AHB282  MHB207)

(This YouTube clip is for another hymn, but is used here for the tune.  The words are printed below).

Verse 1 of 5

Christ the Lord is risen again;

Christ has broken every chain;

“Hark!”  The Angels shout for joy,

Singing evermore on high.

Verse 2 of 5

He who gave for us his life,

Who for us endured the strife,

Lives in glory now on high,

Pleads for us and hears our cry.

Verse 3 of 5

He who slumbered in the grave

Is exalted now to save,

Now through all the Church it rings

That the Lamb is King of kings.

Verse 4 of 5

Now he bids us tell abroad

How the lost may be restored,

How the penitent forgiven,

How we too may enter Heaven.

Verse 5 of 5

Christ, our Pascal Lamb indeed,

Christ, your ransomed people feed.

At the end of Earthly strife

Raise us, Lord, to endless life.

Michael Weisse

Translated by Catherine Winkworth

Sermon

How would you react if I were to suggest to you that there was something missing from the Gospel accounts?  Would your reaction be one of ‘shock, horror!’ at my impertinence?  Would you accuse me of giving too much credence to ‘conspiracy theories’, which portray the early Church as intentionally hiding certain truths about Jesus that did not sit well with their particular narrative about his life and ministry?

  To explain, and, as well, to issue you a challenge to ask yourself how clearly you followed today’s reading from Luke’s Gospel, I would like you to picture in your mind the scene of the house in Jerusalem in which the eleven Disciples and the other believers were in the habit of gathering together.  (Luke 24: 33 & Acts 2: 2)  (oikos in Greek  Strong’s NT3624  meaning a family home or dwelling)  It may or may not have been the same house in which Jesus shared the Passover meal with his Disciples prior to their going to the Garden of Gethsemane.  (Luke 22: 13)  It may or may not have been the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, in which we read later that many followers of Jesus were in the habit of gathering for prayer.  (Acts 12: 12)  Almost certainly, Mary, the mother of Jesus, would have been present, because John was there and it was his role to take care of her, as Jesus had directed as he hung on  the cross.  (John 19: 26 & 27) 

  Cleopas and his companion had hurried back to Jerusalem after realising that it was the resurrected Jesus who had appeared to them while they were journeying to the village of Emmaus.  They went immediately to this particular house, eager to share with those who were there the revelation that Jesus was alive.  Can you recall what those in the house had said to them as soon as Cleopas and his companion had entered?

  We read in Luke’s Gospel that they were greeted with the words:

“The Lord is risen indeed!  He has appeared to Simon!”  (Luke 24: 34) 

  Now, I would like for you to tell me where, in any of the four Gospel accounts, is it recorded when and where, on the day of his resurrection, Jesus appeared to Simon Peter.  Both Luke and John, in their Gospels, write of Peter, upon the return of the women telling everyone present that the tomb was empty, only running to the tomb to confirm that that was the case.  They make no reference of Jesus later appearing to Peter in person.  Luke and John make only this mention of Peter in their account of the events of the day of the resurrection.  Matthew and Mark make no mention whatsoever of Peter in their writings.

  In his first letter to the Church at Corinth, Paul confirms that Jesus did appear to Peter on the day of his resurrection, presumably from personally talking to Peter.  We read:

“Christ died for our sins, as written in the Scriptures; that he was buried and that he was raised to life three days later, as written in the Scriptures; that he appeared to Peter and then to all twelve Apostles.”  (1 Corinthians 15: 3b -5)  So, it is this occasion of the risen Jesus appearing to Peter to which I was referring when I said that there was something missing from the Gospel accounts, for, as I have pointed out, it is absent from all four Gospels. 

  William Barley writes:

“That must ever remain one of the great untold stories of the World.  But surely it is a lovely thing that Jesus should make one of his first appearances to the man who had denied him.  It is the glory of Jesus that he can give the penitent sinner back his self-respect.”

  (William Barclay in The Gospel of Luke p310) 

  Joel Green writes:

“(This appearance of Jesus is) undoubtedly .. to indicate Simon’s full rehabilitation following his denial of Jesus and repentance  (Luke 22: 55 – 62)  , and thus to legitimate Simon not merely as an authentic ‘witness to the resurrection’  (Acts 1: 21 & 22)  ,but as leader of the community of witnesses.  (Luke 22: 31 – 34)  (Joel Green in The Gospel of Luke p851) 

But wait, there’s more, as the ad states.

Chart showing Resurrection Appearances – NIV Study Bible p1615 

Here is a chart complied by an unnamed contributor to the NIV Study Bible that details, from the Gospel accounts and from Paul’s writings, events involving Jesus and appearances of Jesus that took place in the period of 40 days from the day of his Resurrection to the day of his Ascension, as well as his future appearance to Paul “several years later”. 

  I will only briefly mention two that are listed by Paul in his first Letter to the Church in Corinth, where he writes;

“Then Jesus appeared to more than 500 of his followers at once, most of whom are still alive, although some have died.  Then he appeared to James, (the brother of Jesus – Galatians 1: 19)”  (1 Corinthians 15: 6 & 7)  [refer to the column on the far right hand side of the above chart] 

  These appearances of Jesus are also not mentioned in any of the Gospel accounts.

  So, the question that comes to your mind is:

“If Paul can list these three occasions when the resurrected Jesus appeared to someone, and they are not mentioned in any of the four Gospels, does that indicate that these Gospels are deficient in some way.  Does it matter?

  An Academic would reply “No.”, simply on the basis that none of the Gospels seeks to portray itself as a comprehensive Biography of Jesus, but, rather, as a collection of events involving Jesus and of speeches made by Jesus that have been collated, as John states:

“in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.”  (John 20: 31) 

  This answer, by itself, is a satisfactory one.  However, the reactions of people to the revelation of the reality of the resurrection of Jesus, as they are recorded for us in today’s readings from Luke’s writings, confirms for us the validity of the Gospel accounts and of Luke’s writing of the Acts of the Apostles as reliable accounts of the very early Church in Jerusalem.

  We must first consider the frame of mind or emotional state of Cleopas and his companion as they were journeying to the village of Emmaus.  Michael Wilcock writes:

“The conversation of the two (followers of Jesus) was heavy with sorrow, disappointment and bewilderment.”  (Michael Wilcock in The Message of Luke p208) 

John Carroll writes that their perception was:

“no body seen, no presence of Jesus, and therefore no restored hope, no Easter faith”.  (John Carroll in Luke  A Commentary p484) 

  Coleman luck states, in his Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, that the Disciples (and the other followers of Jesus) believed many things which the Prophets had spoken.  But they did not believe all.  They believed the predictions of the Messiah’s glory, but not of the Messiah’s sufferings.”  (Coleman Luck in Luke  The Gospel of the Son of Man p122) 

  As they walked, an apparent stranger joined them, someone who walked with them, who felt the heat of the day as they did, who conversed with them, and who was prepared to eat with them.  It is crucial to understand the implications about what Luke is writing.  Luke is clearly stating that there was nothing strange or ‘special’ about the appearance of the risen Jesus.  He was in Human form and appearance as the words are simply to be read.  He was not an apparition or a ghostly appearance, but ‘flesh and blood’.  Michael Wilcock writes:

“He was so ‘ordinary’ (in appearance) that (Cleopas and his companion) had, at first, no suspicion of his being anything other than a flesh and blood mortal like themselves.”  (Michael Wilcock in The Message of Luke p209) 

  Jesus had been raised to life in the identical physical manner and makeup as he had lived before his death on the cross.  This is a crucial understanding for the early Christians, because the witness given by of those who were a first-hand witness to the risen Christ was sufficient enough to counter the later heretical teachings that either stated that Jesus wasn’t raised from the dead, or that as the Son of God he could never have lived as a Human, or that Jesus was never raised to life in Human form.

  Michael Wilcock continues in his Commentary, writing of how it was the words of Jesus that renewed life to the faith of Cleopas and his companion.  It was Jesus who sustained their belief that “life does have a meaning”, and who revealed that this meaning in life “is found only in him, (the living Christ)”.  (Michael Wilcock in The Message of Luke p209) 

  We read that “Jesus explained to them what was said about himself in all the Scriptures, beginning with the Books of Moses and the writings of the Prophets.”  (Luke 24: 27) 

  Michael Wilcock states that, in the same manner as Jesus had taught with authority in the synagogues, here he was speaking with authority about “things concerning himself”, because “the Scriptures are a living testimony to the living Christ”.  (Michael Wilcock in The Message of Luke p209) 

  John Carroll writes that it was from this teaching of Jesus that “untrusting hearts, disillusioned and devoid of hope became “hearts ablaze”.  (Luke 24: 32)  (John Carroll in Luke  A Commentary p487) 

  William Barclay writes that this incident on the road to Emmaus “tells us of the ability of Jesus to make sense of things.  It is only in Jesus that, even in the bewildering times, we

learn what life means.”  (William Barclay in The Gospel of Luke p309) 

  He also notes that “these two men, when they received their own joy, hastened back to Jerusalem to share it.  And on reaching Jerusalem, they found others who had already shared their experience.  It is the glory of the Christian that they live in a fellowship of people who have had the same experience as they have had.”  (William Barclay in The Gospel of Luke p310)  

  But what of those who were not followers of Jesus.  How did they respond to the news of the risen Jesus?

  We read in Acts 2 of how, on the Day of Pentecost, Peter and the other eleven Apostles were speaking to a crowd that had gathered around them.  These were “fellow Jews”  (Acts 2: 14b)  , and, therefore, Peter spoke to them of their Scriptures because their Scriptures spoke about their Messiah, making reference to Psalm 16 (in verse 25 to 28), Psalm 132 (in verse 30), and Psalm 110 (in verses 34 and 35).  He was following the pattern Jesus took with Cleopas and his companion when, in his discussions with these two men, Jesus made reference to “what was said about himself in all the Scriptures”  (Luke 24: 27) 

  Craig Keener writes of the confidence with which Peter addressed the crowd:

“because the Scriptures are clear in their references to the Messiah”,

“because Peter and the others standing before them were eyewitnesses to the fact that Jesus fulfilled all that was written in Scripture concerning the Messiah”, and

“because their witness was confirmed by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon them, for which there was no other Biblical explanation.”  (Craig Keener in Acts in The IVP Bible Background Commentary of the New Testament p329) 

  About what, then, did Peter make reference in his speech?  William Barclay made note of three things.

  Firstly, Peter states quite clearly that “the cross was no accident but belonged to the eternal Plan of God”.  (William Barclay in The Acts of the Apostles p21) 

Peter said to them:

“In accordance with His own Plan, God had already decided that Jesus would be handed over to you; and you killed him by letting sinful men crucify him.”  (Acts 2: 23) 

In Peter’s first letter to various Churches in now northern Türkiye, he makes reference to “the costly sacrifice of Christ, who was like a lamb without defect of flaw.  He had been chosen by God before the Creation of the World and was revealed to these last days for your sake.”  (1 Peter 1: 19 & 20) 

Jesus himself prayed in the same manner in the Garden of Gethsemane:

“My Father, if it is possible, take this cup of suffering from me.  Yet not what I want, but what you want.”  (Matthew 26: 39) 

“My Father, if this cup of suffering cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.”  (Matthew 26: 42) 

  William Barclay writes:

“The Cross is not a kind of emergency measure flung out by God when everything else had failed.  It is part of the very life of God.”  (William Barclay in The Acts of the Apostles p21) 

  Secondly, Peter states quite clearly that “the sufferings and the death of Christ were the fulfillment of Old Testament prophesy”.  (William Barclay in The Acts of the Apostles p22)  Jesus said the very same thing to Cleopas and his companion,

“The Jesus said to them,

‘How foolish you are, how slow you are to believe everything the prophets said!  Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and then enter his glory?’”  (Luke 24: 25 & 26) 

  Thirdly, Peter states quite clearly that “the resurrection is the final proof that Jesus was indeed God’s Chosen One.”  (William Barclay in The Acts of the Apostles p22) 

“this Jesus, whom you crucified, is the one that God has made Lord and Messiah.  God has raised this very Jesus from death, and we are all witnesses to this fact.”  (Acts 2: 36b & 32) 

  Edward Blaiklock, in writing on this, notes that Peter was not speaking to people who had no concept as to what he was referring, for Peter was speaking to people who lived in Jerusalem at a time when “the fact of the empty tomb must have been common knowledge”, for the Easter events had only taken place some 40 days previously.  (Frederick Blaiklock in The Acts of the Apostles p22) 

  The challenge Peter gave to his listeners was for them to find reasons not to accept what was so clearly set out in Scripture about the Messiah, or for them to find reasons not to accept the claims by those standing before them to having witnessed the physical appearance of the risen Christ.  To not accept either of these sources of evidence was to turn their backs on what was so clearly fact and truth.  But there was more, for Peter was addressing their very soul.  William Barclay writes:

“If Humanity’s sin was responsible for the crucifying of Jesus, then our sin was also

responsible for it.”  (William Barclay in The Acts of the Apostles p23) 

  How did they respond to these words of Peter and the other eleven Apostles?

“When the people heard this, they were deeply troubled.”  (Acts 2: 37) 

  Other translations read “cut to the heart”.  (NEB, NRSV, NIV) 

  Frederick Bruce, in his Commentary on The Acts of the Apostles, states that they were “conscience stricken”.  (Frederick Bruce in Acts in the New Bible Commentary p975) 

  The original Greek word is kataponeo, which has connotations of being worn down or oppressed with anguish or pain.  (Strong’s NT2669) 

  We gain, then, an understanding of how deep and sincere was the response to the message of the Apostles by many of their listeners.  Thus, we understand the earnestness of their request to the Apostles:

“What shall we do, friends?”  (Acts 2: 37b) 

  Peter replied to them:

“Each one of you must repent, turn away from their sins, and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ”. 

  Thomas Lindsay points out that repentance involves “an inward change of the heart”, while baptism is “an outward profession of that change”.  (Thomas Lindsay in Acts of the Apostles p57)  Edward Blaiklock writes that “repentance demands the witness of baptism”.  (Edward Blaiklock in The Acts of the Apostles p60) 

  Craig Keener explains why this is so, and the impact that such an act would have for a Jewish convert, for he writes:

“Peter’s demand would offend his Jewish hearers and cost them respectability.  He calls for a public, radical testimony of conversion, not a private noncommittal request for salvation with no conditions.  And to be baptised “in the name of Jesus Christ” distinguishes this sort of baptism for it requires a confession of faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, rather than a promise to obey the Law of Moses and to follow the Jewish sacrificial rites and rituals.  (Craig Keener in Acts in The IVP Bible Background Commentary of the New Testament p329) 

But we are neither followers of Jesus who were witnesses to his Earthly ministry, nor are we Jewish citizens of early first century Jerusalem with fresh memories of the events that took place on that first Easter nor of an empty tomb.  How do we respond to the message of the reality of the resurrected Christ with its challenge to make a response?

Wrist band for Amaze World at Tanawha

I was telling those who came to the service at PM Village last Thursday, that Kerry and I took our three granddaughters to Amaze World at Tanawha on the Sunshine Coast on Wednesday of last week.  It was previously known as Bellingham Maze, and has many activities to keep children busy for the day; a hedge maze, a timber maze, mini golf, a playground, and puzzle games.

  When you have paid the price for entry into the park, you are given a band to place on your wrist as an indication that you have a right to be on the premises.  You wear it for all to see, and it allows you re-enter the park if, for some reason, you need to return to your car at some point during the day.

  I got to thinking that, as Christians, we wear a sort of wrist band given to us by God.  So to what is God granting us access?

  The Apostle Peter wrote his first letter to various Churches located in present day northern Türkiye, who were not Jews nor former followers of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1: 4 reads:

“and so we look forward to the rich blessings that God keeps for His people.  He keeps them for you in Heaven.”

  God calls us “His people”.  God recognises who has placed their hope and trust in His saving grace, and has then placed His “wrist band” upon us as prove of that.

  God calls us to look forward to the rich blessings that He has kept safe for us in Heaven, at the end of Time.  But, who has paid the entry price?

1 Peter 1: 3 reads:

“God gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death.”

  It is Jesus Christ who has paid the price on the cross, the price that was required to remove our sins and to reconcile us with God.  Make no mistake, there is no mention of us contributing anything towards receiving the grace and mercy that God demonstrates towards us.  But, there is a part that we must play.

1 Peter 1: 5 reads:

“They are for you, who through faith are kept safe by God’s power”.

  We must acknowledge the love that God has for us.  We must acknowledge the sacrifice that God called His Son, Jesus, to make on our behalf.  We must truly believe that, in placing our trust in the saving work of God, the death and resurrection of Jesus, our sins are forgiven and that our relationship with God is restored.

  We must believe that through all of this, that God has given us “new life’; “new life” to be enjoyed in two ways. 

  We are to understand that we experience this “new life” “at the end of Time”  (1 Peter 1: 5b)  , when we experience “the blessings that God keeps for His people”  (1 Peter 1: 4a) 

  We are also to understand that we are to live out this “new life” in ‘the here and now’.  1 Peter 1: 15 & 16 reads:

“be holy in all that you do, just as God who called you is holy.  God says, ‘Be holy because I am holy.’”  [Leviticus 11: 44 & 45, & 19: 2] 

  Let us then respond to the love of God and live out our New Life granted to us through Jesus Christ.  Let us wear our wrist band for Heaven with gratitude in our hearts, with praise on our lips, and with holiness in all that we do and say and think.  Amen.

You are invited to listen or join in singing the Hymn: ‘Christ liveth in me’  (Alexander’s Hymns No.3 number 208)

James McGranahan

Offering

Offering Prayer    

“For the life that you have given”  TiS774  

[This YouTube is for another hymn but is used here for the tune, so disregard the words – only the one verse is needed. The words are printed below].

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

Prayers for Others

Loving God, knowing of your love for all of Humanity, especially of your compassion for the needy, we come to you with our cares and our concerns.

We bring to you our prayers for the World around us and for people individually.

May the World acknowledge your power and authority as the ruler of all.

May Governments and those in positions of power and decision making seek your will and guidance, may they seek to act to bring health and prosperity to all and not wealth and status for the few.

May peace and justice be the driving forces among peoples and not division and prejudice.

May there be the desire among people to work together to alleviate need and want, to find remedies for disease, to eliminate crime and corruption.

Have mercy on the lonely and the grieving, those who feel shut off from the company of others and withdrawn into a world of self-absorption and self-sorrow. 

May they feel your presence close by and experience the comfort and peace of mind that only you can give. 

We pray for those who are ill or injured. 

May you provide relief for them in this difficult time.  We pray for those who provide care and comfort to them that they will see the reward for their efforts.

Bless our families as we gather and as we are apart,

that we will value their presence and welcome their company.

Holy God, use your Church to save sinners, to lift up the down cast, to give hope to those who have given up on life, to comfort the sorrowful,

to open the eyes of those who do not understand that Christ is near them, to make known the truth of his sacrifice for our lives in all the World.

(Raymond Chapman in Leading Intercessions p22 & p101, David Hostetter in Prayers for the Seasons of God’s People Year A p97 and Year C p91 & 92)

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 or join in singing the Hymn: ‘An Easter Hallelujah’

Kelley Mooney

Benediction    

‘My sins are washed away’

A glad new song of praise I sing,

I am an heir with Christ, my King.

I feel a joy that’s all divine,

For I am his and he is mine.

I have a peace I can’t express,

All through his blood and righteousness.

There’s constant victory in my soul

For Jesus Christ has full control,

His grace alone has made me whole.

My sins are washed away.

Charles Hutchinson Gabriel

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

Benediction Song

‘Never lose sight of Jesus’  (Alexander’s Hymns No. 3 number 6)

[For the Benediction song we are singing only the first verse and chorus. The words are printed below].

Verse

O pilgrim 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