He is Risen!
Easter Sunday Worship 9th April 2023
Opening Words - Mark 16:6-8
“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”
Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
Hymn 1105 See what a morning glorious and bright
Prayers and Lords Prayer
Children's Address
Offertory
Bible Reading Matthew 28 verses 1-10
Hymn 30 Alleluia, alleluia give thanks to the Risen Lord
CD 8 Tr1 RED
Talk with Props
I have a beautiful box with a lid, when I open it what can we find?
Easter Eggs
Is this the purpose of Easter ? For many this is it – holidays and eggs
But we know it is so much more than this.
So what is it?
Spices
This is what the women had gathered and taken to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus
But when they got there it was a surprise.
Angel and phone torch (a bright light)
This is what the women found, not Jesus but angels and bright lights
Empty box
The box is now empty. The tomb was empty and the angels said that Jesus had gone "He had Risen, He was Alive"
The Women
In the other Gospels the women find the stone rolled back, but in Matthew they see God’s angel descending, rolling back the stone and sitting on it.
The resurrection shakes the world, and we have seen the devastation in Turkey and Syria from the recent earthquakes, this is how the ground shook and the stone rolled away.
The reaction of the women was initially fear that then turned to joy such that they ran with their news to find the others.
The angels instructed them to ‘Not be afraid’
Because of the resurrection we need never be afraid again, for Jesus has conquered the worst and won ‘Oh death where is thy sting?’ and now He is alive forever calling us into His Kingdom.
The Guards
The tomb had been put under strict rules and guarded at all times.
The guards at Jesus’ tomb were the religious police, men under the command of the chief priests, who had accompanied them when the stone was sealed. So afraid were they that even after they had had Him killed then still needed to keep Jesus where they could see Him.
But the reaction to the earthquake and opening of the tomb was different for the guards – for they wishing to protect themselves (and for money) became part of a false story.
See the difference ‘The guards shook and became like dead men’, but the two Marys were able to run with their life-giving news.
It is only God’s kingdom that cannot be shaken, and it is faith, hope, and love that abide.
What a rollercoaster of a reading – from shaking with fear to prostrate with joy.
The guards appear to be traumatised.
An angelic figure that looks like something from a fantasy movie – the women don’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Do we have a similar mix of feelings about the Easter story?
How do we feel about a God that loves us so much He sent His Son to die for us and promises to forgive our sins and share eternal life with us?
How do we feel about a God where death is not the end, but just the beginning?
The real question is, Do we believe in the resurrection of Jesus?
The astounding thing about the Good News of the resurrection is that it’s for everyone.
The centurion’s words at the foot of the cross ‘surely this man was the Son of God’ changed His life. Jesus died for Him.
The first witnesses to the astounding events of Easter morning are not the leading male disciples, but the grieving women.
This good news is for women and men, Gentile and Jew, young and old, us and all our family, friends and neighbours.
Are we ready, like the women, to rush and share the joyful news?
Amen
Reading He was Back - a meditation from Peter's perspective
Hymn 14 All heaven declares
Prayers of Intercession
We pray for all people affected by conflict, for Ukraine and for the area where Jesus grew up in what is now Israel and Palestine. We think of those in the horn of Africa suffering from famine.
We pray also for our local community, in these times of higher cost of living we pray that there physical needs are met but also that they come to know you God and that they become closer together as a community
Hymn 33 And can it be
Grace
