Welcome to Picton United Church’s Virtual Service and Communion for Easter Sunday April 11, 2020
Words of Welcome
This morning we gather together in the Spirit of the Risen Christ. We are not able to be together, physically, because of COVID-19 – an example of the brokenness of our world. But as our “Song of Faith” proclaims:
“. . .Yet evil does not – cannot – undermine or overcome the love of God.”
But just as we gather each week for worship in community with our sisters and brothers throughout the world, so today we worship as one body – though separated by space.
Our Service will include Celebration of the Sacrament of Holy Communion. Gathered around the Lord’s Table, although separated into our individual homes, we will eat and drink together remembering the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, and in response to Christ’s call.
May this Worship experience nurture, nourish and strengthen you for your journey of faith in these trying times.
Invitation To Worship
The Lord has risen! He has risen indeed! Hallelujah!
Jesus is alive! God’s victory over death has begun!
By the Spirit, Jesus meets us here – in the breaking of bread and taking of the cup –
God forms us into a community, empowered to love the world in Jesus’ name.
Hallelujah! Let us worship God!
And so we sing VU#157 “Christ the Lord is Risen Today” (verse 1)
- Christ the Lord is risen today, Hallelujah! all creation joins to say; Hallelujah! raise your joys and triumphs high; Hallelujah! sing O heavens and earth reply, Hallelujah!
Opening Prayer
Gracious and Loving God – known to us as Kind Creator, Compassionate Friend, and Ever-Present Spirit – in Jesus our Saviour you took upon yourself the brokenness of our world in order to heal and redeem the whole creation.
We celebrate today the New Life we have in the Risen Christ. Not even death could defeat your steadfast Love.
Encounter us now as we worship: in the singing, in the speaking, in the listening, in the breaking of bread;
That we might be your faithful people in this Easter Season and always. We pray this in the name of the Risen Christ. Amen.
Opening Hymn VU#161 “Welcome Happy Morning”
- Welcome, happy morning! Age to age shall say; hell today is vanquished, heaven is won today: come then, True and Faithful, now fulfill your word; this is your third morning: rise, O buried Lord!
Refrain: Welcome, happy morning! Age to age shall say; hell today is vanquished, heaven is won today!
- Earth with joyful welcome clothes itself for spring; greets with life reviving our returning king: flowers in every pasture, leaves on every bough, speak of sorrows ended; Jesus triumphs now!
Refrain:
- Author and Sustainer, Source of life and breath; you for our salvation trod the path of death: Jesus Christ is living, God forever-more! Now let all creation hail him and adore.
Refrain:
- Loose our souls imprisoned bound by Satan’s chain; all that now is fallen, raise to life again! Show your face in brightness, shine the whole world through; hope returns with daybreak, life returns with you.
Refrain: Welcome happy morning! Age to age shall say; hell today is vanquished, heaven is won today!
Prayer for Reconciliation (from A Song of Faith)
One: We are all touched by the brokenness of the world;
All: the rise of selfish individualism that erodes human solidarity; the concentration of wealth and power without regard for the needs of all; the toxins of religious and ethnic bigotry; the degradation of the blessedness of human bodies and human passions through sexual exploitation; the delusion of unchecked progress and limitless growth that threatens our home, the earth; the covert despair that lulls many into numb complicity with empires and systems of domination. We sing lament and repentance.
Silence for Personal Reflection & Prayer
Kyrie Eleison – Lord have mercy. VU#946
Assurance of God’s Unfailing Love
God forgives, and calls all of us to confess our fears and failings with honesty and humility;
God reconciles, and calls us to repent the part we have played in damaging the world, ourselves, and each other.
God transforms, and calls us to protect the vulnerable, to pray for deliverance from evil, to work with God for the healing of the world, that all might have abundant life.
We Sing of Grace – Halle, Halle, Hallelujah!
Bible Readings
We read today the story of that first Easter Morning as related by the authors of The Gospels of Matthew, The Gospel of John, and The Gospel of Luke:
Matthew 28.1-10
28.1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James, 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 The Angel’s appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of the angel 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: ‘Jesus 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 and yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”
(Luke 24.10-11)
Now it was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But those words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.
John 20.11-18
20.11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent down to look into the tomb 12 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?” Mary replied: “They have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 At this Mary 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 (the mother tongue of Jesus and his disciples) “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 Jesus had said these things to her.
Luke 24.13. . .31 (Paraphrased)
That very day, two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem – in the late afternoon. They were talking with each other about all these things that had happened since their last meal with Jesus on Thursday evening.
As they walked, they were joined by another traveller, it was Jesus, but they did not recognize him. The stranger asked them what they were discussing. They stopped walking for a moment – their hearts heavy with grief, and it showed on their faces.
They told him about their hopes in Jesus of Nazareth – and about the terrible events of his arrest, trial, torture and execution as an enemy of Rome.
This stranger spoke to them about how all of this had been predicted in scripture. Before they knew it, they had arrived at their destination. The sun was setting. The stranger bade them farewell and seemed determined to go on his way. They insisted that it wasn’t safe to travel at night and asked him to accept their hospitality.
As they sat down to a simple meal, they invited their guest to ask the blessing over the food. As he took up the bread, and blessed and broke it and gave it to them they recognized that it was Jesus! But then he was gone.
They hurried back to Jerusalem and found the other disciples – breathlessly sharing with them their experience on the road – and how Jesus was known to them in the breaking of bread.
Prayer: Loving God, in the reading of the Bible, may your Word be heard; in the meditations of our hearts, may your Word be known; and in the faithfulness of our lives, may your Word be shown. Amen.
Sermon “Jesus -Incognito”
From three of the four gospels, we have stories of the experience of the members of Jesus’ community on that first Easter Day. We have stories of the experience of the women and men who were closest to Jesus.
We are familiar with the stories of the twelve disciples or apostles. Fishermen, a Tax Collector, just regular guys who had left everything to follow Jesus. They had accompanied him for the last three years – walking from place to place in Galilee, in Samaria, and then in Jerusalem.
They very likely knew a range of emotions that weekend. They were ashamed that when the chips were down all of them had run away to save themselves when Jesus was arrested. Simon, the one Jesus called Petros – The Rock – actually denied three times that he ever knew Jesus.
And they were still terrified. They were well known as Jesus’ followers. They had been seen in his company for these past years. Now they fully expected the wrath of the Roman Empire to come down on them as it had on their Master.
We don’t know as much about the women of Jesus community. But the Gospel writers tells us that it was the women who were present near the cross. They did not run away. It was the women who helped to take Jesus lifeless body from the cross, and with Joseph of Aramathea, to lay him in the tomb. Since it was the Sabbath Day – which begins at sunset on Friday – they weren’t able to do the ritual preparation of the body. They noted where Jesus’ body was placed and prepared to return even before daybreak on the first day of the week – on Sunday.
Who were they?
- Mary – the mother of Jesus – we can only imagine her heartbroken grief at having watched her son executed by Roman soldiers.
- Mary Magdalene – a woman who had been abused, rejected and ostracized by many of the people in her life. Jesus saw her inner strength and beauty and accepted, forgave and loved her – making her part of his loving community.
- Joanna – another of the women of Jesus community. She was healed by Jesus and then followed him in The Way. Her name means “God has been gracious”. She is said to have been one of the women who provided, from their own family resources, for the needs of Jesus and his community.
These women, with others, came to the tomb on Easter morning. They were expecting to anoint Jesus’ body in the rituals of burial and grieving, according to the customs of their day.
These women were surprised, astonished, overjoyed, and terrified by their encounter with angels. These women became the first witnesses to the resurrection.
It is important for us to note that Jesus came to Mary Magdalene, outside the garden tomb, and she did not recognize that it was Jesus. Jesus came to her incognito – she thought he was the gardener. It was when he called her by name that she recognized him.
The message given to Mary and the other women was that they should go and tell the other members of the community that Jesus had risen from the tomb – and that he would meet them back in Galilee. Jesus would meet them in the places where they lived.
Two other disciples, travelling the short walk from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus, encountered Jesus on the road. They did not recognize that it was Jesus. Jesus came to them incognito – they thought he was a traveller as they were. It was in the offering of hospitality – and in the breaking of bread that the recognized him.
Jesus comes to us too, incognito. We meet him along life’s journey – in the ordinary places where we do our living. Jesus comes to us embodied in the family, friends, neighbours and strangers whom we encounter along the way. In the 25th Chapter of Matthew, Jesus says that whenever we act on behalf of those who are most in need – we are serving him.
For us too this morning, as we partake of Holy Communion, Jesus comes to us, is known to us, in the breaking of bread.
As we gather around the Lord’s Table – you in your homes – and your Minister here in our sanctuary – Jesus comes to us, is known to us, in the breaking of bread.
And not only when we gather around the Lord’s Table to celebrate this sacrament – but every time we break bread and drink together – Jesus said: “Remember me.”
So, today, we remember his birth, his life, his ministry of caring and compassion, and his suffering and death. But on this Easter Day – most importantly – we remember that God acted to defeat death in bringing Jesus to life again – and that the risen Christ walks with us daily. Christ comes to us incognito.
Even though we live our lives primarily on Easter Saturday. Even though we live in the ‘not yet’ of the full reign of God; we know that the power of death and the grave – the power of the brokenness of our world – is ultimately broken. God is with us – at work in us and others by the Spirit!
Thanks be to God! Hallelujah! Amen.
We Offer Our Gifts
At this point in our worship Service, we usually offer our tithes and offerings – our gifts – acknowledging, and with gratitude, for the many gifts we’ve received by God’s grace.
Even though we are not together this morning – you are invited to remember the needs of your church in this challenging time. You can send your offering to the Church Treasurer, or, in the case of Picton United Church, you can give your gift on-line through the church website.
And so we sing: We give thee but thine own, whate’er that gift may be. All that we have is thine alone, a gift O Lord, from thee. Amen.
Our Communion Hymn VU#459 “Here O My Lord”
- Here, O my Lord, I see you face to face; here would I touch and handle things unseen, here grasp with firmer hand eternal grace, and all my weariness upon you lean.
- Here would I feed upon the bread of God, here drink with you the royal wine of heaven; here would I lay aside each earthly load, here taste afresh the calm of sin forgiven.
- This is the hour of banquet and of song; this is the heavenly table for us spread; here let us feast, and feasting still prolong the fellowship of living wine and bread.
The Liturgy of Holy Communion
One: May God be with us.
All: God is here among us.
One: Let us open our hearts to God.
All: We open them to God and to one another.
One: Let us give thanks.
All: It is right to give our thanks and praise.
One: We thank you God, Creator of all, from the beginning you made the world and all its creatures. You made people to live for you and for one another. We praise you, O God.
All: We praise you, O God.
One: You created Adam and Eve and gave them a garden; you showed Noah a rainbow; you gave Moses strength to free your people and taught Miriam to sing; you gave courage to Esther and loyalty to Ruth; you gave David a harp to sing your praise, and help him defeat the giant. We praise you, O God.
All: We praise you, O God.
One: Yet even they turned away from you and forgot about you, as we do too. But you did not forget. You came to us in Jesus of Nazareth, to show us how much you love us and to bring us back to you again. We praise you, O God.
All: We praise you, O God.
One: Jesus came as one of us, first an infant, then a child, later a youth, then an adult. He rejoiced with those who rejoiced, and wept with those who wept. To the despairing, he spoke a word of hope. To the sick, he gave healing. To the hurting, he was a friend.
Still, people turned away from you. They betrayed Jesus and nailed him to the cross. But he was lifted from the grave and restored to life, that he might be with us and we with him, alive for evermore! Therefore, with all the saints in every time and place, we join the angels in their praise:
All: Holy, Holy, Holy Lord. Vulnerable God, your strength is made perfect in weakness. Blessed is the One who comes to proclaim justice and peace on earth. Hosanna in the highest!
One: We gather at this table to remember that on the night before he died, Jesus ate with his friends. He took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it, he broke it and gave it to them saying: “Do this in remembrance of me.”
That same night, Jesus also took a cup of wine, and after giving thanks, he passed it to his friends saying: “Drink. This cup, poured out for you, is the promise of God. Whenever you drink it, remember me.”
We remember Jesus’ death and celebrate his resurrection; we await with hope his coming again to bring peace and justice to earth; and we proclaim the mystery of our faith:
All: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.
One: Send, Kind Creator, your Holy Spirit upon us and what we do here, that we and these gifts, touched by your Spirit, may be signs of life and love to one another and to the world you love. Through Christ, with Christ and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory is your, Holy Mystery who is Wholly Love, now and forever.
All: Amen.
The Lord’s Prayer
Consecration of Bread and Cup
Though we cannot be together this morning we are united by the Spirit of the Risen Christ who meets us here at this table. You are invited in your own home to partake of the bread and then the cup as I invite you to do so.
Taking the bread, Jesus said, as often as you eat this bread do so in remembrance of me. Bread for the journey.
Taking the cup of wine, Jesus said, this cup is the new covenant, my life poured out for the life of the world. Whenever you drink together do so in remembrance of me. The wine of arrival.
Prayer after Communion
All: Life-giving God, we give you thanks for the gift of Jesus’ Presence in the simplicity of this holy meal. Unite us with all who are fed by the life of Christ that we may faithfully share the Good News of your love in an uncertain world; through the gifts of your Spirit. Amen.
Parting Hymn VU#481 “Sent for by God’s Blessing” – (tune: “The Ash Grove”)
- Sent forth by God’s blessing, our true faith confessing, the people of God from this Service take leave. The supper is ended, O now be extended the fruits of this service in all who believe. The seed of Christ’s teaching, receptive souls reaching, shall blossom in action for God and for all. God’s grace did invite us, God’s love shall unite us to work for the kingdom and answer its call.
With praise and thanksgiving to God ever living, the tasks of our every-day life we will face. Our faith ever sharing, in love ever caring, embracing God’s children of each tribe and race. With your feast you feed us, with your light now lead us; unite us as one in this life that we share. Then may all the living with praise and thanksgiving give honour to Christ and the name that we bear.
Commissioning & Blessing
Sung Response
Go now in peace, never be afraid, God will go with you each hour of every day. God now in faith, steadfast, strong and true, know God will guide you in all you do. Go now in love, and show you believe, reach out to others, so all the world can see. God will be there, watching from above – Go now in peace, in faith and in love.
Amen! Amen! Amen!
Extinguishing the Candles
As our Service ends each week, we extinguish the candles on the Communion Table and the Christ Candle. As we do so we remember that Jesus said, “You are the Light of the World.” So it is that we are invited to take the Light of Christ with us into all the places where we do our living; and to look for the Light of Christ in the faces of everyone we meet.
Amen.
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