EASTER SUNDAY
1st April 2018
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HALLELUJAH CHORUS
01 Hallelujah Chorus(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
PRAYER
02 Prayer(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
Heavenly Father, we rejoice today that the resurrection of Jesus has happened. We are ashamed that our Saviour has felt the burden of our sin yet so grateful that he was prepared to pay the penalty for us. We are astonished that he could love us so much but we are grateful that he does!
Today we are relieved that the agony of the crucifixion and the separation from you, dear God, is over.
Jesus has done so much for us we hardly dare ask for more yet we remember that he said we should cast our cares upon him. How anyone could go through so much for us and still be available to us amazes us. So this Easter Day, our thoughts go to those who do not know Jesus as a Saviour and we would ask that by the miracle of our sins forgiven, our lives might be such that they will encourage them to come to know him for themselves.
Because we believe in the miracle of the resurrection, we believe the healing of those who are suffering from illness and addictions can be cured so we bring those we know who are in need of the touch of the great physician to you asking that you will restore them, please.
And wherever there is war or unrest, we pray that our glorious Prince of Peace will offer an alternative which is honouring to you, our Almighty God.
These things we ask in the name of Jesus. Amen.
CHORAL: SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD
03 Spirit of the living God(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
HYMN: CHRIST THE LORD IS RISEN TODAY
2-01 Christ The Lord Is Risen Today (To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
1
Christ the Lord is ris’n today, Alleluia!
Sons of men and angels say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heav’ns, and earth, reply, Alleluia!
2
Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Vain the stone the watch the seal, Alleluia!
Christ hath burst the gates of hell, Alleluia!
3
Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia!
Where thy victory, O grave? Alleluia!
4
Soar we now where Christ hath led, Alleluia!
Foll’wing our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia!
5
King of glory, soul of bliss, Alleluia!
Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
Thee to know thy power to prove, Alleluia!
Thus to sing and thus to live, Alleluia!
CHORAL: SEE WHAT A MORNING
05 See what a morning(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
1
See what a morning, gloriously bright,
With the dawning of hope in Jerusalem
Folded the grave-clothes
Tomb filled with light
As the angels announce Christ is risen
See God's salvation plan, wrought in love
Borne in pain, paid in sacrifice
Fulfilled in Christ, the Man, for He lives
Christ is risen from the dead
2
See Mary weeping, 'Where is He laid?'
As in sorrow she turns from the empty tomb
Hears a voice speaking, calling her name
It's the Master, the Lord raised to life again
The voice that spans the years
Speaking life, stirring hope
Bringing peace to us
Will sound till He appears
For He lives, Christ is risen from the dead
3
One with the Father, Ancient of Days
Through the Spirit
Who clothes faith with certainty
Honour and blessing, glory and praise
To the King crowned
With power and authority
And we are raised with Him
Death is dead, love has won
Christ has conquered
And we shall reign with Him
For He lives, Christ is risen from the dead
BRASS: RESURGAM (I SHALL RISE AGAIN)- A Tone Poem by Eric Ball.
06 Resurgam(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
HYMN: I SERVE A RISEN SAVIOUR
07 I serve a risen Saviour (To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
Introduction: An old hymn by Alfred Ackley (1887-1960) who wrote both lyrics and music. He served as pastor in several states of the United States, and worked for a few years with evangelist Billy Sunday.
1:
I serve a risen Saviour; He's in the world today.
I know that He is living, whatever men may say.
I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,
And just the time I need Him He's always near.
Chorus:
He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me along life's narrow way.
He lives! He lives! Salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.
2:
In all the world around me I see His loving care,
And though my heart grows weary I never will despair.
I know that He is leading, thro' all the stormy blast;
The day of His appearing will come at last.
Chorus:
3:
Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian! Lift up your voice and sing
Eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ, the King!
The Hope of all who seek Him, the Help of all who find,
None other is so loving, so good and kind.
BIBLE READING: JOHN 20:1-18
08 John 20_1-18(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
The Empty Tomb
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary
Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been 5
removed from the entrance. 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb12 and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
HYMN: THINE IS THE GLORY
09 Thine be the glory(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
1
Thine be the glory, risen, conqu’ring Son;
Endless is the victory, Thou o’er death hast won;
Angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,
Kept the folded grave clothes where Thy body
lay.
Refrain
Thine is the glory, risen conqu’ring Son,
Endless is the vict’ry, Thou o’er death hast won.
2
Lo! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb;
Lovingly He greets us, scatters fear and gloom;
Let the church with gladness, hymns of triumph
sing;
For her Lord now liveth, death hath lost its
sting.
Refrain
3
No more we doubt Thee, glorious Prince of life;
Life is naught without Thee; aid us in our strife;
Make us more than conqu’rors, through Thy
deathless love:
Bring us safe through Jordan to Thy home
above.
Refrain
CHORAL: HALLELUJAH! CHRIST AROSE
10 Hallelujah, Christ arose(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
VOCAL SOLO: ALL OF ME (SOLOIST: SANDRA ENTERMANN)
11 All of me(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
CHORAL: BECAUSE HE LIVES
12 Becaus he lives(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
1.
God sent His son, they called Him Jesus
He came to love, heal and forgive
He lived and died to buy my pardon
An empty grave is there to prove my Saviour lives
Chorus
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow
Because He lives, all fear is gone
Because I know He holds the future
And life is worth the living, just because He lives
2
How sweet to hold a newborn baby
And feel the pride and joy He gives
But greater still the calm assurance
This child can face uncertain day, because He lives
Chorus
3
And then one day, I'll cross the river
I'll fight life's final war with pain
And then, as death gives way to victory
I'll see the lights of glory and I'll know He reigns
Chorus
SERMON
Dr. Malcolm Westwood
13 Sermon-1(To hear the audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
My words today are surprising -even to me! But I have long since learned that to share other than the thoughts God gives to me, may seem on paper to be acceptable but in my heart I realise it isn't the message God wants me to share. So I hope you will be kind and understanding if the Easter resurrection account is a little less than what you would normally expect me to give.
Describing a miracle is surprisingly difficult. There are the basic facts, of course, but no one can explain the miracle -otherwise it wouldn't be a miracle!
We can say that Jesus walked on water but apart from marveling at that happening, there's not a lot we can add! Turning water into wine, giving sight to the blind and so on are all amazing miracles but though we can describe the circumstances, when it comes to the actual event we can but say it happened.
So it is with the resurrection. Yet to read the account in the Gospels is to leave us wanting more detail.
Matthew's gospel tells us there was an earthquake and an angel came and rolled away the stone which secured the tomb. As the stone weighed between 1 and 2 tons the angel must have had colossal strength!
When the two women came to the tomb with spices to anoint the body of Jesus an angel spoke to her. Why did she not ask him, “How did you move that stone ?!" Or indeed ask any of the questions we would want to ask if we met an angel. What an opportunity to ask him what heaven was like! -“What do angels do all day?” and “Do angels have a sense of humour?”-or else why did this one choose to sit on top of the stone he had rolled away as Matthew (27:2) tells us in his account of the Resurrection- ‘There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.’
It must have seemed odd to Matthew otherwise he would have simply have written "an angel was there who had rolled the stone away."
I like to think heaven’s angels have a sense of humour!
Then there's the different human reactions which reassure us that God understands that it takes some of us longer than others to act on his invitation to accept Jesus. John beats Peter in a race to the tomb after the women had told them the tomb was empty. The facts were there for John but he didn't enter the tomb. Peter on the other hand didn't stop. He went directly inside the tomb. (Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.-John 20:4)
It takes longer for some than others to accept what God wants to reveal. Perhaps that's a good lesson for all churches and ministers to remember- some of us are slower to understand-as we read the risen Jesus said to the disciples he met on the Emmaus Road, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24: 25)
There's also an illustration of how grief can take from us the greatest comfort God can give us-Jesus himself. Mary's eyes were clear enough to see the tomb was empty but then her mind goes into overdrive with grief. All she wants to know is where whoever has taken Jesus from the tomb has put him. But then, her eyes and her mind are clouded with so much grief that she doesn't recognise the very one who will take away her grief! Let us ever have patience with those who are bereft with grief and just try to reflect Jesus to them until they recognise him and can once again cry out in recognition, "Master!"
We read (Matthew 28:2-4) ‘There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.
The soldiers on guard saw the angel. How strange that they would fear their overseers more than the hand of God. The lesson perhaps that we should heed is what God thinks of us is more important than what man thinks of us. All too often we do not obey God for fear what man might think of us. Sometimes we fail to witness when we should lest we are thought to be some sort of "religious fanatic!"
Such comments, of course, must be seen against the background of the miracle of the Resurrection when everyone we read about must have found it so difficult to think straight when confronted with the immediacy of the resurrection which no one could believe had happened.
So in commenting on the resurrection one can, at best, do so in the light of history when we have had a chance to think endlessly about what happened, though of course, the disadvantage of doing that, is we cannot experience the amazement of seeing and hearing things as they were happening first hand.
But those who believe in the sacrifice of Jesus and the reality of the crucifixion and resurrection can genuinely celebrate Easter and know how much it means to us personally.
I am so grateful to God for guiding my thoughts to something about which I'd like to share with you. And for me, it’s another revelation which is new to me. I accept that it may have occurred to you but bear with me, please, as I share it.
For a moment or two, I want to talk about "sin". Now I know that it's not the most popular subject (!) but it is at the very heart of Easter because it affects everyone of us.
We are told in Romans 3:23 ‘… all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ So my remarks are not singling out any particular group of people much less any individual.
When we sin there are always events which result in human terms, some more awkward or far reaching than others.
I'm reminded of a married man with children who became involved with a single female. He divorced his wife, married the younger girl and had children with her. The condemnation came thick and fast. In his church some members felt when he repented of his sins, he should return to his first wife while others said his second wife should not be abandoned to bring up the small children on her own. So he was wrong if he did and wrong if he didn't!
It becomes clear that we can choose our actions but we cannot choose the results they cause.
And isn't it true that even when we truly repent of wrongdoing and claim God's forgiveness, the forgiveness of those we may have hurt may not be so willingly forthcoming. The results of our wrongdoing are so often the price we pay for sin and those results can be heartbreaking. We have God's word that he will forgive us but that doesn't take away the anger and hatred at times of those we may have harmed.
Such comments, I'm sure, we all understand but here's the comment I would like to share and it's the thought which I confess is new to me.
We are told Jesus was made sin-he took on him all the sin of all the world. So not only did he take on the penalty of our sin- that is death and separation from God- but if he really took my sin and your sin, then he took the consequence of that sin, too, yet don’t we suffer from them still?
But I came to understand that there is a world of difference between God's consequence of sin and the human result of sin.
But isn’t that just semantics-a way of saying the same thing with different words?
And then I heard the quiet voice of God telling me that the sin of the world that Jesus bore on the cross included the consequence and what the wrongdoing had done to our very personality-the loss of honour and our own self-respect. And God said "My Son has dealt with that. You are made whole!"
That I understood-gratefully so!
And then I recalled the story about a very fine preacher who had a somewhat dubious past. One day, a visitor came to his church and in a service stood up to denounce him. The stewards tried to stop him speaking but the preacher said, "No, the man is correct. All he says of me is true. I am that man but I stand here today cleansed by the blood of Jesus at Calvary and whatever the human results of my sin may be, God assures me that the eternal consequence of separation from him is no longer mine. I can only ask for those I have hurt to be equally forgiving. "
Our answer to those who would remind us of our sin is that Jesus paid the price for our thoughts, actions and the consequence.
We cannot deny our sin for that would be to contradict the Bible itself. But neither should we be silent about the fact that we are forgiven and cleansed.
And to understand this new revelation to me from God, I had to realise there is a difference between the human result of our sin and the consequence laid down by God. The consequence of unforgiven sin is permanent eternal separation from God. The human result of sin is what the people who observe us make of it.
Jesus on the cross dealt with the consequence of our sin because he paid the penalty for the whole of our sin and frees us from its consequence. The human result of our sin may affect others –and ourself- for all of our lifetime but we can confess to the fact that like all other people we have sinned but that sin has been forgiven and whatever man would choose to think about us they cannot take away from us the miracle that we have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus and freed from the eternal consequence. And I’d like to think that wherever you may be, you will be echoing my ‘Hallelujah-thank you, Jesus!’
It is better by far to have the forgiveness of God than the forgiveness of man though it must ever be our prayer that the latter might come when they see the difference the former makes in us.
So today, we welcome Jesus who proves by his resurrection that death will not separate us from him but will be the divine consequence of sins forgiven -eternal life with him!
CHORAL: HALLELUJAH FROM THE MOUNT OF OLIVES (BEETHOVEN)
14 Resurrection(Beethoeven) (To hear audio file please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
BENEDICTION
15 Benediction (To hear audio file, please right click mouse, then left click to open new tab)
May the peace of God which comes to us through the knowledge of sins forgiven be yours, the relationship with Jesus mean that you daily walk with him and God’s gift of the Holy Spirit fill you will an ever present wonder of the love of God. Amen.
If you would like to comment on the service please e mail
mw@veilministries.org