Easter celebration with Nancy and Randy Campbell

EASTER PROLAMATION:

ONE: The Lord is Risen!
ALL: He is Risen indeed!
ONE: The right hand of God has triumphed.
ALL: The right hand of God is exalted..
ONE: Because of the Lord's victory I will not die.
ALL: Instead I will live and proclaim what God has done.

WELCOME:

CALL TO WORSHIP:
ONE: No matter how often the dawn heralds day's beginning with sounds and light, we always welcome the sense of newness that morning gives.

 ALL: Thanks be to God! Christ is risen!

ONE: And no matter how many times we hear the Easter story proclaimed in song and gospel, we always welcome the assurance of newness that Christ's resurrection gives.

ALL: Chrit is risen! Thanks be to God! 

ONE: By our Creator's design, the predictable transition from night to dawn is a matter of course.


ALL: Hosanna in the highest! Hallelujah!

ONE: Through our Creator's power, the wondrous transition from death to life is a matter of grace.


ALL: Thanks be to God! Christ is risen!

Easter Solo : "The purple Robe"- Norm Rennie


Lyrics to 'Scarlet Purple Robe' by The Stanley Brothers

There's a story so unkind in the Holy book we find
And it tells how Jesus stood alone one day
False accused and there condemned yet they found no fault with Him
The man who wore the scarlet purple robe 

Purple robe my Savior wore oh the shame for me he bore
As He stood alone, forsaken on that day
And they placed upon His head piercing thorns and blood stained red
His raiment was a scarlet purple robe

In the common judgment hall he was mocked and scorned by all
And a tear of sorrow fell upon His cheek
Soldiers of the wicked man smote Him with their evil hand
The Man who wore the scarlet purple robe

Words of truth that day were plain from the lips of Pilot came
In this man I find no reason He should die
But the multitudes replied let Him now be crucified
The man who wore the scarlet purple robe

Oh the River Of Jordan is many miles away
And this mighty river I may never see
But I'll find myself an alter in an old fashioned church
And my River Of Jordan that will be

PRAYER OF APPROACH & THE LORD'S PRAYER: 

Lord God, we gather in the name of the Risen Christ to pour forth our praises in glad Easter celebration. We rejoice that You have not left us without hope, but have come back to us in the victory of the resurrection, and given us the assurance of eternal life with He whom You have lifted from the tomb. 
And in the words taught to us by our Lord, Jesus, let us pray together: Our Father, who art in heaven, hall wed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

ANTHEM:       'Every Morning Is Easter Morning"

written by Richard Avery and Donald. Marsh 

Ev'ry morning is Easter morning from now on! 
Ev'ry day's resurrection day, the past is over and gone! 

Good-bye guilt, good-bye fear, good riddance! Hello, Lord, Hello, sun! 
I am one of the Easter People! My new life has begun! 

Ev'ry morning is Easter morning from now on! 
Ev'ry day's resurrection day, the past is over and gone! 

Daily news is so bad it seems the Good News seldom gets heard. 
Get it straight from the Easter People! God's in charge spread the word! 

Ev'ry morning is Easter morning from now on! 
Ev'ry day's resurrection day, the past is over and gone! 

Yesterday I was bored and lonely; But today look and see! 
I belong to the Easter People! Life's exciting to me! 

Ev'ry morning is Easter morning from now on! 
Ev'ry day's resurrection day, the past is over and gone! 
Ev'ry morning is Easter morning, 
Ev'ry morning is Easter morning, 
Ev'ry morning is Easter morning, 
From now on! 

Children Time :


 The legend of the Dogwood

In the time of Jesus, the Dogwood tree had grown to a great size,

lust like that of an Oak tree! They used it to build the cross that

Jesus was hung on. This made the Dogwood tree very sad. Jesus,

sensing this sadness, promised the Dogwood tree that it would never

again grow large enough to build a cross. It's branches would be

narrow and crooked — not good for building at all. And now the

Dogwood tree has many traits to remember this promise.

1.        The dogwood flower has 4 petals which are shaped like a cross.

2.        The middle of the dogwood flower has a crown of thorns.

3.        At the edge of each petal there is a nail dent.

4.        The nail dents are stained with the colour of Jesus' blood.

Look carefully at the picture of the dogwood flower and see if you

can find the 4 traits to remember Jesus' promise to the Dogwood

tree.

The Offertory Prayer:  
0 God, you unconditionally share Your only Son with all who believe in Your name. On this Holy Day, receive our offerings as an affirmation of our commitment to be Your faithful disciples. Strengthen our ability to be gifted stewards of Your created world. We pray in the name of the Resurrected One, Jesus Christ, the Messiah. Amen.

PRAYER OF INVOCATION: 
Most gracious and loving God, You who swallowed up death with the resurrection of Christ Jesus, we lift our hearts to You in praise of this blessed morning. We celebrate the Good News revealed by the stone that was rolled away and the tomb that was empty, that news which was confirmed by the angels and by Jesus Himself as He appeared to His disciples and followers. We thank You, Lord, for the miracle of this day, and for how it gives to Your people a sure and eternal hope. Be with us, we pray, in the holy celebration, and lead us in the path of righteousness. 0 God, giver of new life, we gather this morning with our alleluias, our banners and flowers, and instruments and song. Today, Lent is ended, and the time of our salvation has begun. The snow is melting, and the flowers will soon be in bloom. We come to worship in beauty and in truth. We come, because we have hope that the resurrection will enter into each of our lives and transform them. Through Christ's spirit we have come to love one another. This is what You showed us on that first Easter when You raised Your Son from the dead; Your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Acts 10:34-43
New International Version (NIV)


34 Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favouritism  35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.  36 You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, announcing the good news  of peace  through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all.  37 You know what has happened throughout the province of Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached— 38 how God anointed  Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing  all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him 

39 “We are witnesses  of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a cross,  40 but God raised him from the dead  on the third day and caused him to be seen. 41 He was not seen by all the people,  but by witnesses whom God had already chosen—by us who ate  and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.  43 All the prophets testify about him  that everyone  who believes  in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Matthew 28:1-10
New International Version (NIV)


Jesus Has Risen

28 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

2 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. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee.There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped 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.”

ANTHEM: "Above All"
written by :  Michael W. Smith


Verse 1
Above all powers
Above all kings
Above all nature
And all created things
Above all wisdom
And all the ways of man
You were here
Before the world began

Verse 2
Above all kingdoms
Above all thrones
Above all wonders
The world has ever known
Above all wealth
And treasures of the earth
There's no way to measure
What You're worth

CHORUS
Crucified
Laid behind the stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

Verse 1
Above all powers
Above all kings
Above all nature
And all created things
Above all wisdom
And all the ways of man
You were here
Before the world began

Verse 2
Above all kingdoms
Above all thrones
Above all wonders
The world has ever known
Above all wealth
And treasures of the earth
There's no way to measure
What You're worth

CHORUS
Crucified
Laid behind the stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

CHORUS
Crucified
Laid behind the stone
You lived to die
Rejected and alone
Like a rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

Like the rose
Trampled on the ground
You took the fall
And thought of me
Above all

PASTORAL PRAYER: 
Great God in heaven, hear our prayer of gratitude today. Hear our songs of grateful thanksgiving and praise. Despite our mortality, despite our disobedience, despite our lack of faith, You sent Jesus to die on a cross and be born to a new life. And because of that, every day is a hope-filled day, filled with that which makes for wonder, joy and peace. Touch us now with Your Easter love. We come before You, 0 God, with our praise, our thanksgiving, our prayers and our petition, through Christ Jesus, our Risen Lord, He who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, both now and forever. Amen

MEDITATION:               Why Celebrate Easter?

Why Celebrate Easter?

I'm going to begin this morning's message with a poem written by Frances Heighton. It's entitled 'An Easter Message.'

The sky knew it first, it told the sun.
The sun whispered warmly for soft rains to come.
The raindrops fell gently on each little leaf
And then woke the tulip, too long, now asleep.
The tulip smiled coyly at the crocus and then
The lily, fair flower, stood tall on its stem.

The tree got the message, was happily blessed
With blossoms and branches, then from a new nest,
A robin just winging stopped for a short while,
Asked all around him just why was their smile.
Each little blossom, flower and thing
Answered, "We'll tell you.. .He is risen again!"

Easter and springtime go together, a time of rebirth and renewal. We clean the dust away from the corners in our homes, we rid our closets of the clothes we never wear any more, we open our windows to let in the fresh, clean air, and on Easter Sunday we come to church to hear of the Risen Christ, the wonderful story of His resurrection. But why exactly do we celebrate Easter?

I wonder if we've got the story right, do we really understand what happened? I ask this question because of a little story I heard about a Sunday School teacher and her class of Pre-K children. She was teaching the class about the resurrection of Jesus. She asked if anyone know what the angels said to the women when they came to the tomb looking for Jesus. One of the four year old girls excitedly raised her hand and said, "I know! I know!" "What did they angels say to the women when they wanted to know where Jesus was?" asked the teacher. The little girl responded proudly, "He is not here. He's in prison!"

The fact is that Jesus is not in prison, He is risen! But what does that mean for us? Let me begin with a story that occurred over 2000 years ago. Listen carefully.. .we don't want to get our facts wrong. On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were wondering about this, suddenly two angels, in clothes that gleamed like lightning, stood beside them. In their fright, the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the angels said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; He has risen! Remember how He told you, while He was still with you in Galilee: 'The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and on the third day be raised again'." Then they remembered His words, and leaving the angels, they fled back to the city. They found the disciples, with others in their company, and they said to them, 'The Lord is risen!' (Luke 24: 1-9)

For Christians, there is no holiday more important than Easter. Easter is the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. He had been crucified and was buried for three days. His disciples knew He was dead, He was gone forever. They never understood that the real reason Jesus sacrificed His life was the only way for us to obtain righteousness and restore our faith and trust in God. The sinless blood of Jesus was shed on the cross, which freed mankind from sin and eternal death. Through faith in Christ, man has eternal life.

How often do we get caught up in the guilt of Good Friday? It's true, Christ died a horrible death for our sake. It's important for us to remember that He had to die first. But the story doesn't end at the cross. If it did, then there isn't any story to tell. We remember Christ's death because it led to today. The day that was foretold by the prophets. The day Jesus foretold. The day He would become victorious over the grave, victorious over the sin of the world. The day Christ is resurrected from the dead and prepares to take His place at the right hand of God.

What we celebrate here today was totally outside the frame of reference of every single disciple, even though Jesus had told them over and over again that it would happen, that He would be killed, and that on the third day He would be raised from the dead. Yet not one of them believed it would happen. Not one of them took Jesus at His word. Each of the disciples has to go through a process of being convinced, of being convinced either by Jesus Himself, or by the overwhelming testimony of others who have seen Him.

We are sometimes like the disciples. We hear the message that Jesus proclaimed. We witness the miracles that He performs in other people's lives. But when it comes to hard times, the time of trial, the time of loss, the time of mourning, it can be very difficult to believe what Jesus has said about being raised on the third day, difficult to believe that not only was He raised, but that we too will be raised.

Today, this Easter Sunday, as we remember the empty tomb, the angels, the lilies, Mary's encounter with Jesus, the testimony of Peter, and the existence of the church itself, we are reminded that while there are many reasons to weep, there is also a great reason to

rejoice. Jesus was crucified, He died and He laid in the tomb, but that tomb couldn't hold him.

Death isn't the end of Christ's story and it isn't the end of our story. If Christ hadn't been raised, the church would never have come into existence, because the disciples would never have gone on in the face of the opposition they encountered, to proclaim that Jesus was indeed raised from the dead on the third day, and that He is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. They would never have passed on to us their testimony, for they wouldn't have had anything to testify about.

That first Easter morning proved beyond any doubt that Jesus was the Messiah. He had told the religious leaders and His disciples that He would give His life and on the third day rise from the grave. Easter gives us the possibility to step out of our tombs into the light.

We come here this morning to celebrate an empty tomb, knowing that death no longer has any power over us.

The Lord Jesus Christ went through everything that we have to go through. And for us, He even met that final enemy — death. But He emerged triumphant! They pulled His lifeless body down from the cross and carried it to the tomb. But on the third day, He walked out of that tomb, the risen, the victorious, Son of God.

And here we sit...the greatest victory of all time is being remembered this morning, yet the only celebration happening is the excitement of the children who find their hidden Easter eggs and candy. Other than the few cars in the yard, people would hardly know we are here. They can't hear us, they don't see how our lives are impacted by Christ coming alive. Are we excited by Jesus Christ? How would anyone know? The women in Luke went and proclaimed that Christ had risen. Their excitement captivated Peter, and he went to check it out for himself, and what he saw amazed him. The empty tomb is the ultimate sign of

life.. .not just that Christ is alive, but we are all alive in Him, and through Him we can have eternal life. We need to embrace not the cross, but the empty tomb. We need to embrace the One who is alive. The One who didn't rise just on Easter morning, but the One who rises in us each and every single day, the One who rises in believers!

We have the best news ever! Christ died and is risen again! Let's celebrate it, live it, and declare it to the world. The great Easter truth is not that we are to live newly after death, but that we are to live here and now by the power of the resurrection. We need to allow Jesus to complete His victory in our lives by receiving Him as Lord and Saviour, and giving ourselves to Him for His service.

I'd like to refer to the anthem sung by the choir this morning. The words of the song explain why we celebrate Easter, why Easter should be celebrated with passion and joy:

Above all kingdoms, above all thrones,

Above all the wonders the world has ever known, Above all wealth and treasures of the earth,

There's no way to measure what You're worth. Crucified, laid behind a stone,

You lived to die, rejected and alone.

Like a rose trampled on the ground,

You took the fall and thought of me above all.

We can't forget the sacrifice Jesus made for us. We need to know that the stone was rolled away from the tomb, not to let Jesus out, but to let us in, to show us that death is not the end, but rather, it is a new beginning. A beginning that proclaims the victory of life over death, and which allows us to turn our backs on the grave and face our future with faith and hope, confident that all of God's promises will be fulfilled, and that Jesus loves us, above all!

Passing of the Peace

BENEDICTION & CHORAL AMEN
May the Christ who walks on wounded feet walk with you on the road. May the Christ who serves with wounded hands stretch out your hands to serve. May the Christ who loves with a wounded heart open your hearts to love. May you see the face of Christ in everyone you meet, and may everyone you meet see the face of Christ in you.