The Lord in risen! Alleluia!
Love is stronger than hate,
life is stronger than death,
for Jesus Christ is risen!
Song
‘Jesus Christ is risen today’, sung at Northland Church. If you have problems connecting, try this direct link to YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djU28gx40dU&t=36s
Prayer
Let us pray.
God, our maker and our redeemer, you loved the world so much that you sent your only Son to bring us life eternal. Dying he destroyed our death. Rising he restored our life.
We give you thanks, great God, for the hope we have in Jesus. We praise you for his presence with us. Because he lives, we look for eternal life with you, knowing that nothing past, present, or yet to come, can separate us from your great love. made known in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
God of glory, fill your people with the power that flows from Christ’s resurrection. May it signal the beginning of a renewed humanity, risen to new life with Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.
From the Bible
The Bible reading for today is from Matthew 28:1-10. There is also a video of a dramatic re-enactment of the Gospel reading underneath.
Matthew 28:1-10
After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 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. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men.
But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 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.”
So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
Dramatic readings from Lumo
Here is the dramatic re-enactment of the Gospel reading by the Lumo group (it includes some extra bits, including the burial of Jesus and more resurrection appearances). If you have trouble connecting you can go directly to YouTube at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eDONqj3gFI
Message
Christ is Risen! The message is brought to you by Geoff Wellington of the Saltbush Community. On Easter Sunday this year we explore the account of the resurrection of Jesus in Matthew’s gospel and through the eyes of the women. It is the women who bear witness to the events of Jesus birth, life, death and resurrection and it is the women who are first commissioned to go and tell the Good News to the other Disciples and to meet Jesus in Galilee.
What did you hear in the Word today? How would you describe an encounter with the risen Christ? How might you bear witness to the risen Christ?
Before a time of prayer you may like to spend some time in silence sitting still. Close your eyes lightly. Sit relaxed but alert. Simply be still and open to God. You may prefer to do this while listening to the ‘Optional reflective music’ below.
Optional reflective music
The reflective music is ‘Alive again’, by Lucy Kong and Raina Ashford (at Marketplace in Bondi, Sydney). If you have problems connecting, also try this link at Vimeo:
https://vimeo.com/599512892
Prayers for Others
Our prayers today are brought to us by Ros Robinson from Cootamundra Uniting Church.
Blessing
Go out into the world, to love and serve the Lord. Bless us and the people we meet along the way. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Song
The closing song is, ‘Thine be the glory’, sung as a ‘virtual choir’ by St Andrew the Great Music (UK). If you have problems connecting, try this direct link to YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTXUsKFecJs
Postlude
‘I know that my Redeemer liveth’, by George Handel. If you have trouble connecting go directly to Youtube at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg7aXEvCeXY
Resources
The sermon is based on content in the Saltbush service for this week, which can be found at:
https://saltbushcommunity.uca.org.au/video/the-word/easter-sunday-christ-is-risen-matthew-28-1-10/