^{EASTER DAY}

Matthew 28:1-10 (Sermon 1: “Easter Laughter”)

Or John 20:1-18 (Sermon 2: “Who was Raised?”)

Colossians 3:1-4

or Acts 10: 34-43

Jeremiah 31: 1-6

or Acts 10: 34-43

Psalm 118: 1-2, 14-24

PREPARATION

Death are evil have been given the knock-out blow,

today we celebrate their funeral!

Christ is risen!

He is risen indeed!

As with Adam all shall die,

so with Christ Jesus, all shall live.

The Lord has become my strength and my song,

Christ has become my rescue and healing.

This is the day which the Lord has made.

We will rejoice and be glad in it.

Do not be afraid.

I know that you arelooking for Jesus who was crucified.

He is not here, for he has risen, just as he said he would.

Now go quickly and tell his followers that he has risen from the dead

Come and look at the empty place where his body lay.

Christ has risen!

He has risen indeed!

and is going on ahead of you where you will meet him.

Christ has risen!

He has risen indeed!

O give thanks to our God who is so good,

Whose love endures forever!

PRAYER OF APPROACH

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful are you, God of countless hosts!

That we are gathered here to celebrate another Easter, we praise you.

For the making your Christ transcendent over evil and death, we praise you!

For Christ meeting with the women who had come to mourn at his tomb, we praise you.

For the promise that he goes on a head of us, ready to meet us down the road, we praise you.

For the declaration that because he lives we shall live also, we praise you.

Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful are you, God of countless hosts!

Amen!

CONFESSION AND ASSURANCE

With the confidence born of Easter day, let us approach the throne of God’s grace.

Let us pray

People of the church, why have we sometimes looked for Jesus among the dead?

Because the arrogant still flaunt their power

and humble people are downtrodden;

because the rich can pervert the course of justice

while the poor must settle for many injustices,

and because we become weary

and are tempted to give up.

People of the church, why do we sometimes look for Jesus among the dead?

Because the world panders to the lusts of the flesh,

while the spirit is ignored or suppressed;

Because science pretends to have all the answers

while the Gospel is neglected or derided,

and because we become weary

and are tempted to give up.

People of the church, why do we sometimes look for Jesus among the dead?

Because death appears to be so permanent

and our faith feels so weak and fitful;

Because greed and despair seem so powerful

and our love and hope feel so fragile,

and because we become weary

and are tempted to give up.

People of the church, why in spite of this dark side do you still look for a living Christ?

Because in some mysterious but sure way

his mercy finds us in our wanderings,

his grace has forgiven our many sins,

his Spirit wipes away our weariness

and something of his love again flows through us to others.

* ----- Time for silent prayer----

FORGIVENESS

People of God, “by grace you are indeed saved, by a faith that is not your own making. It is a gift of God” through Christ in the fellowship of the his living Spirit.

Christ is risen!

he is risen indeed!

The peace of the living Lord Jesus be always with you!

And also with you!

PRAYER FOR CHILDREN

Easter Jesus, you are wonderful!

Nothing can ever wipe out your love!

Today we want to skip and dance,

twist and twirl,

sing and sound trumpets,

to celebrate with you

your victory over all the badness

that killed you and put you in a tomb.

Easter Jesus,

today we also want to say thank you

for preparing a heavenly home

for all those who love you.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Amen!

PSALM 118

See ‘More Australian Psalms’ page 153

which commences:

Thank the Lord, the greatest,

whose sure-love lasts forever!

Let the congregation shout it:

God’s sure love lasts forever!

THE MESSAGE

Matthew 28:1-7

He is not there

locked in cold stone

as long as earth

orbits the sun.

Not where the sad

are ruled by tears,

nor where the strong

build Babel’s stairs.

Not where stoics

light desperate fire

on the hard rock

of sheer despair.

Not where the young

party full-on

with speed and noise

lest death come soon.

He’s not back there

returned to dust

but on the road

and at the feast.

He’s here for us

and we shall see

him in our own

small Galilee.

He’s here for us

in common life;

we taste his bread

and hear his laugh.

Ó B D Prewer 1992

WE THE WOMEN

Early in the morning

with the dew still on the ground,

we came to the garden,

braced ourselves,

went to the tomb

with great love

but no hope.

We were not alone

for a messenger from God was there

bathed in holy glory

and we threw ourselves down

on trembling knees

with great fear

but no hope.

Overwhelmed with wonder

we listened to the heavenly message

then peered in to look

at emptiness

before turning and running

with great haste

and some hope.

As we hurried

like crazy along the garden path

the Beloved was there

with his ‘shalom’

and we clutched his feet

with great love

and large hope.

As we left the place

three magpies perched on a stone wall

were singing a song

that was very old yet now new

and we heard that song

with great joy

and sure hope.

Ó B D Prewer 2001

SERMON 1: EASTER LAUGHTER

Matthew 28:8-9

“So the women left the tomb quickly with both fear and great joy, and ran to tell the disciples. There and then Jesus met them, and said: “Peace be with you!” They came up to him, and with adoration knelt and held his feet.”

Those women were the first to share the Easter laughter. They arrived at the tomb in despair and left in boundless happiness. Women were the first joyful apostles of Easter. They could dare laugh as never before.

Today I invite you to think about laughter. Can you, in this crazy old world, still achieve a good belly laugh? A laughter gloriously more holistic and therapeutic than the erudite jokes of cynics? A laughter that rises far above the cackle that accompanies smutty jokes?

WHY DO WE LAUGH?

Why are some things humorous? What is it that makes a situation comical? What is it that lies at the basis of laughter? I will attempt to highlight two factors from what is a very complex subject. These two things are key ingredients of laugher.

There is the factor of INCONGRUITY and the hope of RESTORATION.

First, INCONGRUITY. Humour occurs when ill matched words or happenings are placed side by side. There has to be a sense of something sharply out of place. Incongruity.

Some examples.

There was the day I was resplendent in a spotless new white alb and iridescent stole. Before we processed into church the choir gave me a ribbing. Imagine their delight when I partially tripped when making my way to the lectern. Incongruity: a preacher in his full flowing dignity is not supposed to be a clumsy oaf in front of the congregation.

On one other humiliating occasion, I became somewhat worked up in a sermon, suddenly raised my voice with a large outgust of breath. To my dismay, the sudden pressure lifted an upper denture and shot it up into the air above my head. Throwing myself across the pulpit cushion I caught it (I was much younger then!) as it spun down. For a moment the congregation was stunned, then laughter free and uncontrollable broke out plus some applause for the catch I had made. I joined in, at first ruefully, and then more uncontrollably. Incongruity: A preacher in full oratorical flight should never launch a denture in front of his flock. There was no proceeding with the sermon, all my dignitas had been shot to pieces.

However, these situations are only funny if there is hope of restoration to the right balance of things. This second element of restoration is pivotal is situations of healthy humour. Only sick minds laugh when there is no hope of restoration.

In the first example, when I tripped on my new alb, the choir laughed because no damage had been done (except to my pride!). If I had fallen a nd broken a leg or worse, the humour would

have quickly dried up. As it was, I recovered myself and continued on. No harm done, as they say. The hope of restoration was there or healthy laughter would not have occurred.

In the second example, if my denture had smashed or even more, if I had toppled over in my attempt to retrieve it, the laughter would have turned to concern. As it was, the denture was retrieved, I was safe, and nothing was harmed except my pride. There would be restoration or the congregation would not have fallen around in the pews with

laughter. They knew that next Sunday I would be up there in the pulpit again trying my hardest to share with them the wonder of the Gospel. It was a redeemable situation. As I have already said, only sick minds see humour in unredeemable situations.

It seems to me that these two factors: incongruity and restoration are key ingredients in healthy laughter. As they are in Easter joy.

Now I will turn to some of the age-old incongruities of human existence; factors that constitute the human predicament; the things that bring some people to despair, insanity, or suicide. I will mention just three of these dark factors: disease, evil and death.

HOW DO WE COPE WITH THE INCONGRUOUS FACT OF DISEASE AND DISABILITY?

It is self evident that human bodies were intended to be well balanced, functional and healthy. Health seems to be the right order of things.

But the terrible incongruity of disease and handicap confronts us. There are ears than cannot hear, eyes that cannot see, children’s legs that cannot walk and arms that cannot hug. We see little children with leukaemia, people in their prime crippled with strokes, dear elderly people who have lived saintly lives spending their last days in distress and pain. It is all inappropriate!

We know eyes were meant to see, children were meant to freely play, legs were meant to walk and run and dance. The brain is meant to control the movements of the body, the heart is meant to pump sufficient blood. This is the right order of things.

I tell you this: if disability, disease and pain are the final word then there is little to laugh about.

HOW DO WE COPE WITH THE INCONGRUOUS FACT OF EVIL?

We feel in our very bones that humanity is meant for goodness. We have it in us to be loving creatures, generous and compassionate, truthful and thoughtful, making this world a paradise.

Yet everywhere we encounter the inappropriate factor of evil. This perversity is all around us and within us. Corruption, injustice, rampant greed, lust, hatred, cruelty, racism, torture, murder, apathy and much savage religious intolerance run through all nations and communities.

It gets at us all. We know we are meant to be lovely and loving beings, yet in spite of our ideals we can be grossly unlovely and unloving. This is a grave incongruity, and obscenity in God’s creation.

I tell you this: if evil has the last word there is no room for healthy laughter.

HOW DO WE COPE WITH THE FACT OF DEATH?

The third awful incongruity: we die. By our very nature we are self-conscious living beings. We only exist by living. We not only live but we know we live. We not only die but we know we must die. We cease to be. “Earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” What can possibly be more inappropriate than death to something that knows it is alive?

Like a large black shape following a swimmer in beautiful waters, we are shadowed all our days by the dark figure of death. We are mortal.

I tell you this: if death has the last word, then laughter can only be a hysterical cackle by those who want to pretend it

does not matter, while deep down their very being trembles at the thought of nonbeing.

Disease/disability, Evil and Death. Three mocking incongruities that seem to rule us all. If in truth they do utterly and finally rule us all, then let us put a ban on laughter and build our lives (as Bertrand Russell once suggested) “on the unyielding rock of despair.”

There would have to be a massive event of RESTORATION to set us laughing at these three spectres.

There has been that very thing!

ONE MASSIVE EVENT OF RESTORATION

Women running.

Before we slip into a frigid zone of despair, let us listen to the feet of some women running very early one Sunday morning. As they run they chatter and laugh excitedly. As they rush by we get a glimpse of them; those women who soon after dawn went sadly to tend the dead body of a much-loved friend. Now they are laughing as if everything in the whole world has been put to rights.

And in a profound sense it has. It has been put to rights.

They have witnessed the spectre of disease and disablement, they have known the pervasive power of evil, and they have seen and touched death. Now they laugh, not with bitter cynicism. but with sheer joy! Their friend has risen, transcended death and has, mystery of mysteries, met them on the cemetery path. They run and laugh like creatures reborn in a world that has been reborn...

Matthew 28:8-9

There is sure hope of restoration: Here is God’s promise that the bitter incongruities are not forever! The crucified Christ, living gloriously, is the massive event of restoration. Here is the trigger for holy, indomitable laughter.

Disease is not the immutable word. The Christ who heals diseases gives sight to the blind and new strength to the disabled, lives on. Suffering is not forever. Evil is not forever. Death is not forever! God has vindicated his loving Child Jesus. Laugh then my fellow Christians, dare to laugh. Laugh not only when you are healthy in body, but when you are maimed or diseased. Christ is risen!

FROM MY PASTORAL BLESSINGS

As a pastor, I have been richly blessed.

Disease is defeated. On this Easter Day I see a nineteen year old woman smiling at me from an iron lung, I hear a blind and deaf 98 year old man singing “O for a thousand tongues to sing my great redeemer’s praise”.

Christ is risen! Disease does not have the last word. Laugh Christian; you have the secret.

Evil is conquered... I hear the father of a murdered girl forgiving the murderer. I read the words of a nurse who suffered war and captivity saying: “There I saw Satan fall from heaven.” I watch a man who had been brutally treated as a child, spending his life caring for neglected children.

Christ has risen! Evil does not have the last word. Laugh Christian; you have the secret.

Death is transcended. Death really happens. There is no denying it. But it does not have the victory.

We have a Christ who did not merely survive death but transcended it. He was raised up to new life. Today I hear a dying Dutch immigrant whispering: “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness cannot smother it.” And I think of my grandfather standing by his wife who has just died, saying “Now let us sing the doxology”.

Christ has risen! Death has no dominion over us Laugh Christian, laugh!

WE ARE THE EVIDENCE

Christ has truly risen. The evidence is overwhelming. Just look around you here in this congregation gathered almost two millennia later.

Without Christ’s resurrection there would have been no faithful apostles, no church, no memory kept of his life and teaching, no babies baptised in his name, no hospitals developed by his spirit, no common yet holy Table spread for all who are hungry and need the bread of heaven.

God has designed us for life, and in Christ destined us for life abundant beyond our comprehension! I mean that; literally: Beyond our comprehension!

Christ has risen! Death does not have the last word. Laugh Christian, by indomitable grace, you now have the right!

PICTURE IT FOR YOURSELVES

Can you, my friends, this morning see the women running from the tomb; running and laughing and singing?

What a remarkable sight!

Those first apostles of the resurrection Gospel! Easter celebrates the victory over the incongruities that would crush us but for the restoration of all things that Christ’s rising forecasts. He is the promise of the last and final joy. Of all the people in the world, Christians have the best reason to laugh.

If we should falter and withhold our laughter, who in the world will then laugh to the glory of God?

* Shorter version.

SERMON 1: EASTER LAUGHTER

Matthew 28:8-9

WHY DO WE LAUGH?

There is the factor of INCONGRUITY and the hope of RESTORATION.

First, INCONGRUITY. Humour occurs when ill matched words or happenings are placed side by side. There has to be a sense of something sharply out of place. Incongruity.

One example.

On one occasion, I became somewhat worked up in a sermon, suddenly raised my voice with a large outgust of breath. To my dismay, the sudden pressure lifted an upper denture and shot it up into the air above my head. Throwing myself across the pulpit cushion I caught it (I was much younger then!) as it spun down. For a moment the congregation was stunned, then laughter free and uncontrollable broke out plus some applause for the catch I had made. I joined in, at first ruefully, and then more uncontrollably. Incongruity: A preacher in full oratorical flight should never launch a denture in front of his flock. There was no proceeding with the sermon, all my dignitas had been shot to pieces.

However, such situations are only funny if there is hope of restoration to the right balance of things. This second element of restoration is pivotal is situations of healthy humour. Only sick minds laugh when there is no hope of restoration.

If my denture had smashed or even more, if I had toppled over in my attempt to retrieve it, the laughter would have turned to concern. As it was, the denture was retrieved, I was safe, and nothing was harmed except my pride. There had to be restoration or the congregation would not have fallen around in the pews with laughter. They knew that next Sunday I would be up there in the pulpit again trying my hardest to share with them the wonder of the Gospel. It was a redeemable situation. (As I have already said, only sick minds see humour in unredeemable situations.)

It seems to me that these two factors: incongruity and restoration are key ingredients in healthy laughter. As they are in Easter joy.

Now I will turn to some of the age-old incongruities of human existence; black incongruities that constitute the human predicament; the things that bring some people to despair, insanity, or suicide. I will mention just three of these dark factors: disease, evil and death.

HOW DO WE COPE WITH THE INCONGRUOUS FACT OF DISEASE AND DISABILITY?

It is self evident that human bodies were intended to be well balanced, functional and healthy. Health seems to be the right order of things.

But the terrible incongruity of disease and handicap confronts us. There are ears than cannot hear, eyes that cannot see, children’s legs that cannot walk and arms that cannot hug. We see teenagers with leukaemia, people in their prime crippled with strokes, dear elderly people who have lived saintly lives spending their last days in distress and pain. It is so grimly incongruous!

I tell you this: if disability, disease and pain are the final word then there is little to laugh about.

HOW DO WE COPE WITH THE INCONGRUOUS FACT OF EVIL?

The second dark incongruity: the existence of EVIL.

We feel in our very bones that humanity is meant for goodness. We have it in us to be loving creatures, generous and compassionate, truthful and thoughtful, making this world a paradise.

Yet evil pervades all people. Corruption, injustice, rampant greed, lust, hatred, cruelty, racism, torture, murder, apathy and much savage religious intolerance run through all nations and communities.

It infects us all. We know we are meant to be lovely and loving beings, yet in spite of our ideals we can be grossly unlovely and unloving. This is a grave incongruity, and obscenity in God’s creation.

I tell you this: if evil has the last word there is no room for healthy laughter.

HOW DO WE COPE WITH THE FACT OF DEATH?

The third awful incongruity: we die.

By our very nature we are self-conscious living beings. We only exist by living. We not only live but we know we live. We not only die but we know we must die. Like a large black shape following a swimmer in beautiful waters, we are shadowed all our days by the dark figure of death. We are mortal.

” What can possibly be more inappropriate than death to something that knows it is alive?

I tell you this: if death has the last word, then laughter can only be a hysterical cackle by those who want to

pretend it does not matter, while deep down their psyche trembles at the thought of nonbeing.

Disease/disability, Evil and Death. Three mocking incongruities that seem to reign. If in truth they do utterly and finally reign, then let us put a ban on laughter and build our lives (as Bertrand Russell once suggested) “on the unyielding rock of despair.”

There would have to be a massive event of RESTORATION to set us laughing at these three dark incongruities.

ONE MASSIVE EVENT OF RESTORATION

Massive event? Yes…yes..yes.YES! The inexplicable Easter thing!

Listen carefully this morning. If you become very still, you can hear the feet of some women running from a grave yard. As they run they chatter and laugh excitedly. These women, soon after dawn, went sadly to tend the dead body of a much-loved friend. Now they are laughing as if everything in the whole world has been put to rights.

And in a profound sense it has. It has been put to rights.

They have witnessed the spectre of disease and disablement, they have known the pervasive power of evil, and they have seen and touched death. Now they laugh, not with bitter cynicism. but with sheer joy! Their friend has undergone a metamorphis! Jesus of Nazareth transcended death and, mystery of mysteries, met and spoke with them outside the tomb.

They run and laugh like creatures reborn in a world that has been reborn. For indeed it has.

There we have it! Absolute restoration: Here is God’s promise and preview! Black, bleak incongruities are not forever! The crucified Christ, living gloriously, is the massive event of restoration. Here is the trigger for our gob-smacked, indomitable Easter good humour.

Disease is not forever. Evil is not forever. Death is not forever!

God has vindicated his loving Child Jesus. Laugh then my fellow Christians, dare to laugh. Laugh not only when you are healthy and virtuous, but when you are diseased sinners and dying. Christ is risen! Laugh, laugh laugh!

FROM MY PASTORAL BLESSINGS

As a pastor, I have been richly blessed.

Today remember a nineteen year old young woman smiling at me from an iron lung, I hear a blind and deaf 98 year old man singing “O for a thousand tongues to sing my great redeemer’s praise”, I bend low over a cancer-riddled migrant and hear him whisper: “The light shines in the darknnes and the ddartknes cannto msother it.

Christ is risen! Laugh Christian; you have the secret to ultimate good humour.

Christ has risen! Evil does not have the last word. Laugh Christian; you have the secret.

PICTURE IT FOR YOURSELVES

Can you, my friends, picture those d ear, brave women running from the tomb; running and laughing and singing?

What a remarkable sound!

If we should falter and withhold our laughter, who else in the world will then laugh to the glory of God?

SERMON 2: WHO WAS IT THAT WAS RAISED?

John 20: 11-18

Who was raised on Easter Day? Jesus of Nazareth. That’s who!

Mary, supposing him to be the gardener, said to him: Sir, if you have carried his body elsewhere, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.

Jesus said to here:” Mary!”

Mary turned to him and exclaimed “Master!”

If Christ Jesus were not raised from the dead, I would pack my bags and leave the church forever. The witness to his transcending death, and making himself known to his friends, lies at the very basis of our faith.

Without hesitation I agree with Gerhard Ebeling, who when he was professor of theology at Zurich and writing of the resurrection of Christ, said:

In my opinion the very existence of Christianity is at stake in the way it answers the question [was Jesus raised up]. Whether it repeats the creed of the risen Jesus half-heartedly with a bad conscience, or whether it does it with conviction- joyfully and convincingly, finding itself at the source and basis of faith.”

I do not understand the resurrection. It certainly was much more than the mere resuscitation of a body. But those first Christians were convinced (convinced enough to suffer and die for their conviction!) that Jesus had been lifted up out of the realm of death into a new and glorious eternal life. They met him. He was real. He was alive.

THE SEAL OF APPROVAL

Easter Day is not primarily about some general theme of life after death. Not about general survival. It is specifically about one special person who was raised up by God, and made himself known to those who loved him dearly. Jesus, son of Mary and Joseph, the man who was crucified, is the person Easter is about.

In raising this particular man God emphatically refuted the evil ways of those men who plotted Christ’s downfall and had jeered him all the way to the cross.

In raising this particular man God has placed a seal of approval on all that Jesus was, did and taught. His way is the true way to live if we want to be truly human.

God did not raise up the remarkable nation builder, Moses, or the poetical prophet Isaiah.

God did not raise up the Greek philosophers Socrates or Plato, or the mocking founding emperor of Rome, Augustus Caesar, whom men had worshipped as divine.

God certainly did not raise up the duplicitous high priest Caiaphas, or the hand-washing Roman Governor Pontius Pilate.

It was not even a kindly Jewish rabbi like the wise Gamaliel, who was famed for his generous spirit and willingness

to listen to others.

Neither did God wait for later centuries to raise up a genius like Michelangelo, nor Isaac Newton, nor Shakespeare, Rembrandt, Mozart or Albert Einstein.

And certainly it was not the Elvis Presley or John Lennon, not Humphrey Bogart or Audrey Hepburn. Not Winston Churchill, J.F Kennedy or even that truly wonderful first secretary of the United Nations, Dag Hammarskjöld.

None of these received the full divine seal of approval.

THE MAN AND HIS MESSAGE

God raised up Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was the key figure. God said a momentous YES to Christ, to the obscure Galilean prophet, rubbished by many then and still scorned by many “sophisticated” people today. This unique person is the one whom God mysteriously but emphatically raised.

It was the man who told us to take a long look at the lilies of the field and the birds of the air, and to learn from them instead of from our money driven way of life.

The person raised up is the one who dared to say, “Blessed are the peacemakers. Blessed at the poor, the gentle, and the merciful”

It is the man who stunned his listeners by asserting:’ Love your enemies, pray for those who abuse you.”

God has raised up the fellow who was relaxed in the company of tax routers, prostitutes and other outsiders, and went on to say that many of them would get into the kingdom of God long before those self-righteous people on display at

synagogue and temple.

It is the Jesus who told parables about a generous welcome home given to prodigal son, and challenged us to a new way of loving others through his story about a Samaritan who helped a Jew who had been mugged on the road between Jerusalem and Jericho.

This Jesus, who insisted that we cannot worship both God and money, who declared that the truly ruthless people are those who put themselves last, and who claimed that not one sparrow falls to the ground without God knowing and caring. This person is the man at the heart of the glorious Easter affirmation.

It is the man who wept in the Garden of Gethsemane, was bullied by thugs, mocked by respectable people, judged by power-brokers, sentenced by a political coward, and died feeling forsaken on a terrible cross. This same Jesus is the core message of Easter.

MAKE NO MISTAKE ABOUT IT

Without the message of Easter, we are to be pitied.

Make no mistake about it. On that terrible Friday, when a broken body was taken down from a cross and given a hasty burial in a borrowed tomb, at that point all that Jesus did and said appeared to be discredited as useless in this real world.

He and his message were finished, and the disciples were a spent force forever. They were in hiding... Their master had got it wrong. Back to the real world where greed, hatred, cunning, revenge, and brute power rules supreme. Jesus had lost.

But a couple of days later, something remarkable happened that changed everything. This same Jesus was raised up alive, and appeared first to the women and then to the men who had loved and trusted him.

Mary, supposing him to be the gardener, said to him: Sir, if you have carried his body elsewhere, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.

Jesus said to here:” Mary!”

Mary turned to him and exclaimed “Master!”

Christ has risen! And with that rising all his loving, creative, merciful, strong-minded and generous-hearted way of life was also raised up.

Jesus gets the divine seal of approval. Easter. Joy. Hope. Awe and wonder. Christ has risen indeed!

WE BELIEVE

Christ is risen!

Christ is risen indeed!

We believe in the God who brought immortality to life

in the gospel of Christ Jesus.

We believe in the Christ who brought faith in a loving Father to life

in the gospel of resurrection.

We believe in the Holy Spirit who brought hope in ourselves to life

in the gospel of boundless renewal.

We believe in grace that is stronger than evil,

in mercy that is larger than suffering,

and in joy that is greater than death.

Christ is risen!

Christ is risen indeed!

*** Or the above in the form of a prayer as follows---

THANKSGIVING

With high spirits we eagerly thank you, loving God,

that we have been raised up with Christ

and look for those things that are eternal

We eagerly thank you for bringing life and immortality to light

through the Gospel.

We eagerly thank you for the glorious witness of our living Christ

to your unfailing, overriding providence.

We eagerly thank you for the promise they we now share in the victory

which Christ Jesus has won.

We eagerly thank you

that grace is stronger than evil,

that mercy is larger than suffering,

that joy is greater than grief,

and that love is mightier than death.

All our joyful thanksgiving and loving praise we bring to you,

holy Friend, loving Saviour, and glorious God of eternal Easter.

Through Christ Jesus our risen Lord.

Amen!

PRAYERS FOR OTHERS

It was for all people that Christ Jesus died and rose from the grave.

Let us pray for some of them.

Most loving God, we bring to you our concern and compassion for those whose lives are subject to acute sorrow, evil or disease.

For those who over this Easter face an untimely, sudden death, we pray: Victims of war, terrorism, murder, and the carnage on our roads.

Living Christ