Easter Sunday April 12, 2020
At Dawn
Alleluia, Christ is Risen, Alleluia
Three years ago, I was blessed to lead worship on
Easter Sunday
at a church in Richmond,
VA.
That sermon was titled With Fear and Great Joy,
and recalled the emotions
of the women who arrived at the tomb at dawn.
The women’s emotions were a mix of fear and joy.
You and I have all felt these same emotions, feeling
overwhelmed,
not
knowing whether to run towards something or away from it.
In our current challenging times, we are overwhelmed
with emotions.
This Holy Week has been different from all past ones.
However, in an effort to gather in community on this
Easter Day,
I have included liturgy
of a worship service
(in
the reformed tradition of PCUSA).
The
hymns listed are from the Glory to God Hymnal
(Westminster
John Know Press © 2013).
Gathering in response to God’s call
Call to Worship Psalm
118
Give thanks to the Lord,
for he is good;
his love
endures forever.
The Lord is my strength
and my defense
he has
become my salvation.
Shouts of joy and
victory
resound in
the tents of the righteous:
“The Lord’s right hand
has done mighty things!
I will give you thanks,
for you answered me;
you have
become my salvation.
The Lord has done it
this very day;
let us
rejoice today and be glad.
Invocation
Almighty God, by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ you broke the power of death and opened the way to
eternal life.
As the empty tomb stands
witness to his triumph over death,
make your church to be a
bold testimony to his enduring victory in life,
that all we do may
proclaim to the world, “He is risen, indeed!”
Through Christ, who
lives with you and the Holy Spirit
now
and forever. Amen
Hymn Jesus Christ is Risen Today Glory to God #232
Call to Confession
God has opened to us the
gates of righteousness that we may enter through them. Confident in God’s love,
let us confess our sin.
Prayer of Confession
Lord Jesus, through the
power of the Holy Spirit we have been raised from the waters of baptism to
share in your glorious resurrection.
Yet we have not lived as
Easter people.
We are unsure of your
promise, confused about your will, and afraid in the face of danger.
Whenever we are tempted
to fear death, give us courage to confess your Easter victory.
Whenever we are
distracted by petty conflicts, keep our minds on your reconciling love.
Whenever we are
overwhelmed by the power of evil, reveal again to us your triumph over the
destructive powers of oppression.
Forgive us our sin and
let our lives be a testimony to your salvation
through the love of God
and by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Assurance of Pardon
Listen, church:
God who raised Jesus
from the dead has not given us over to death.
In the name of Jesus
Christ, we are forgiven.
The Word proclaimed
Prayer of Illumination
Almighty God, by the
power of your Spirit roll away the stone and reveal to us the Word of Life.
Amen.
Jeremiah 31:1-6
31 At that time, says the Lord, I will be the God of all the
families of Israel, and they shall be my people.
2 Thus says the Lord:
The people who survived the sword
found grace in the wilderness;
when Israel sought for rest,
3 the Lord appeared to him from far away.
I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
4 Again I will build you, and you shall be built,
O virgin Israel!
Again you shall take your tambourines,
and go forth in the dance of the merrymakers.
5 Again you shall plant vineyards
on the mountains of Samaria;
the planters shall plant,
and shall enjoy the fruit.
6 For there shall be a day when sentinels will call
in the hill country of Ephraim:
“Come, let us go up to Zion,
to the Lord our God.”
The people who survived the sword
found grace in the wilderness;
when Israel sought for rest,
3 the Lord appeared to him from far away.
I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
4 Again I will build you, and you shall be built,
O virgin Israel!
Again you shall take your tambourines,
and go forth in the dance of the merrymakers.
5 Again you shall plant vineyards
on the mountains of Samaria;
the planters shall plant,
and shall enjoy the fruit.
6 For there shall be a day when sentinels will call
in the hill country of Ephraim:
“Come, let us go up to Zion,
to the Lord our God.”
Matthew 28:1-10
28 After
the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the
other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And suddenly there was a
great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and
rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like
lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 For fear of him
the guards shook and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said
to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was
crucified. 6 He is not here; for he has been raised, as he
said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and
tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going
ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” 8 So
they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his
disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And
they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my
brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
Sermon: At
Dawn
Today we celebrate the risen
Christ!
Yet, you and I are
celebrating differently today:
no
sunrise service,
no
Easter egg hunts,
no
gathering in the church for worship.
All our recent celebrations
are being done differently:
birthdays, graduations, weddings.
Social distancing means no
community picnics,
no
fellowship lunch, no hugs or passing of the peace.
Some days it can be hard to
find reasons for joy, for celebrating;
fear
has taken over our lives.
So, let us talk about
fear…you and I have our fears;
snakes, spiders,
loss,
illness,
conflict,
loneliness,
our
fears are plentiful.
Fear is a belief that
someone or something is dangerous.
You and I become
overwhelmed, anxious, apprehensive;
we
yearn to find safety and be protected.
We long to hear the words: Do not be afraid.
What calms us, what comforts us, what
makes you and I feel secure?
What can change fear to joy?
Faith, faith in God’s eternal love,
love
that did not end with death on a cross,
Jesus
risen, resurrected,
Alleluia,
Christ has risen! Alleluia!
The 2 Marys began their day
with loss and grief,
they
were overwhelmed with awe, uncertainty, and fear,
and
then the calming words Do
not be afraid,
brought
amazement and joy and celebration.
A new day was dawning, light was
coming into the world,
renewal,
revitalization, rejuvenation, restoration.
What had been dark,
what
had lurked in the shadows,
where
there had been sadness, loss, grief, and fear
was
illuminated by God’s love,
God’s
risen Son,
Jesus
our Savior, conqueror of death and fear.
There may have not been a
sunrise service this morning,
but
the sun did rise (as we remember the risen Son of God).
The Son who said:
“I
am the light of the world.
Whoever
follows me will never walk in darkness
but
will have the light of life.” -John 8:12
Light, dawns, sunrises remind us
daily of Easter morning.
What memories do you have of
sunrises?
Views from a mountain top, the dawn
appearing over the ocean,
light
growing brighter in your own backyard.
The sun awakens us to a new day, new
possibilities,
new
challenges and opportunities.
Each day brings light into our lives,
light
to make things grow,
light
to show us the path to follow,
light
to shine in our hearts,
light
that proclaims the good news of resurrection.
After the sabbath, as the
first day of the week was dawning,
Mary Magdalene and the
other Mary went to see the tomb.
Up early, the sun slowly
dawning,
they
not knowing the miracle that was about to happen,
the
promised fulfilled.
Jesus’ words lightened their
hearts and
they
were told to share the message:
Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be
afraid;
go
and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
The women were the first
proclaimers of the good news,
passing
on light to the disciples.
As disciples we too can pass
on this light.
The good
news of God’s love is that we as Christians
must share with others.
God’s
eternal love,
love’s own crucified risen light shines.
The tomb is
empty!
Jesus has risen!
The light
dawns,
Jesus has gone ahead, and his light will lead our way.
Alleluia,
Christ has risen! Alleluia!
Affirmation of Faith from The Confession of 1967 9.53-6[1]
God’s redeeming work in Jesus Christ embraces the
whole of man’s life: social and cultural, economic and political, scientific
and technological, individual and corporate. It includes man’s natural
environment as exploited and despoiled by sin. It is the will of God that his
purpose for human life shall be fulfilled under the rule of Christ and all evil
be banished from his creation. Biblical
visions and images of the rule of Christ, such as a heavenly city, a father’s
house, a new heaven and earth, a marriage feast, and an unending day culminate
in the image of the kingdom. The kingdom represents the triumph of God over all
that resists his will and disrupts his creation. Already God’s reign is present
as a ferment in the world, stirring hope in men and preparing the world to
receive its ultimate judgment and redemption.
With an urgency born of this hope, the church applies itself to present
tasks and strives for a better world. It does not identify limited progress
with the kingdom of God on earth, nor does it despair in the face of
disappointment and defeat. In steadfast hope, the church looks beyond all partial
achievement to the final triumph of God.
“Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more
abundantly than all we ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in
Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Hymn Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty Glory to God #35
Lord’s Prayer
Sending forth to serve in the World
Hymn Be Not Afraid (x3) Glory to God
#243
Charge and Blessing
Receive the good news:
Christ is risen from the dead.
Tell the good news: the
power of death shall no more oppress us.
Live the good news: we
are free to love as he has loved us.
May God who raised Jesus
from the dead bless you and by the power of the Holy Spirit raise you with him
in glory.
Amen.
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| Beautiful Egg painted 3/28/20 |
Liturgy from Feasting on the Word Worship Companion
Year A
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