Easter Sunday is about the resurrection of Jesus!

Easter Sunday is about the resurrection of Jesus!

Do we give the message of the resurrection of Christ enough thought and time in congregational life?

The central message of Easter is the resurrection of Christ. That is why we till Pentecost Sunday focus on this most important of all Christian truths, that Jesus was raised from the dead - and we call it Eastertide.

Indeed, all Christian worship throughout the year testifies of the resurrection of Christ. The fact that Christians worship on Sunday, the first day of the week, instead of on Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, testifies that the resurrection of Jesus is the fundamental truth on which Christianity stands.

Jesus rose on the first day of the week. And we worship on the first day of every week, to say to the world that we serve a risen Saviour. Sunday worship testifies every Sunday of the importance of the resurrection to every Christian and all of humanity.

Jesus is alive. He did conquer and we are redeemed!

Let’s celebrate Eastertide with joy, vigour, faith, commitment, faithfulness and much love. 

What is so “good” about Good Friday?

Good Friday is a commemoration of the day of the suffering and death of Jesus. So why call it good?

Because it is a crucial day that celebrates a most significant moment in the history of the world.

Ever since Jesus died and was raised, Christians have proclaimed the cross of Jesus to be the turning point for all people, and even more so for all believers in Jesus Christ as Saviour.  Paul considered it to be “of first importance” that Jesus died for our sins, was buried, and was raised to life on the third day, all in accordance with what God had promised all along through the ages. (1 Corinthians 15:3).  We remember the day Jesus willingly suffered and died by crucifixion as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins (1 John 1:10).

Before we understand the good news of the gospel, we have to understand the bad news of our condition as sinful people under condemnation. The good news of deliverance only makes sense once we see how we have been oppressed by the consequences of sin. 

 Good Friday is “good” because as horrifying as the suffering of Jesus was, it had to happen for us to be able to receive the joy of Easter. The wrath of God came upon Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb, in order for forgiveness and salvation to be given to his people.

The day that seemed to be the greatest triumph of evil was an act of God to redeem us from the burden of sin.

On Good Friday we learn that God’s wrath met his mercy and grace at the cross. 

Good Friday is “good” because the suffering of Jesus brought us the joy of salvation, his death brought us eternal life and his sacrifice absolved us from our guilt.

And it is good, because without Good Friday, there would have been no Easter Sunday!

Tenebrae Liturgy and Readings.

Tenebrae Liturgy and Readings.

On Maundy Thursday night, the evening before Good Friday.

Introduction:

You are asked to meditate on the fact that it was on the Thursday evening before Good Friday that Jesus and his disciples were together for the last time, when he and they stood in the shadow of the cross, when he washed their feet and instituted the Holy Supper.

Tenebrae is the Latin word for shadows. The gradual extinguishing of the lights at the end of the service is symbolic of the advancing darkness that came over Jesus during the night of his arrest, with the flight of the disciples, the bitter hate of his enemies, the looming shadow of the cross. The moments of total darkness recalls the time when he was in the tomb.

The relighting of the central candle is a prophecy of Easter so soon to dawn.

We ask you to observe the rule of silence throughout the service.

The liturgy ends with the relighting of the central candle, after which the congregation leaves the church in silence and go home still meditating the experience of Tenebrae...

Call to Worship

Romans 8: 38 - 39

I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Or use Psalm 16:  7 – 9.

Hymn/s

Prayer of Adoration and Confession of sins.

We worship you, we give thanks to you, o LORD. You are the one living and true God, who is Spirit, personal, infinite, and eternal, present in every place, the almighty Author and sovereign Lord of all; most blessed, most  holy, and most free; perfect in wisdom, justice, truth and love; to us most merciful and gracious; unto whom only we must cleave, whom only we must worship and obey.

To You, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be glory forever.

You are holy, O God of majesty, and blessed is Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. In Jesus, born of Mary, your Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. He lived as one of us, knowing joy and sorrow. He healed the sick, fed the hungry, opened blind eyes, and broke bread with outcasts and sinners.

Dying on the cross, he gave himself for the life of the world. Raised from the grave, he won for his people victory over death. We praise you that Christ now reigns with you and will come again to make all things new.

Forgive us our sins. Purify us and cleanse us, o Lord. Give us strength to serve you faithfully until we feast with you and all your people in the fullness of your glory and joy.

Through Christ, with Christ and in Christ, in unity with the Holy Spirit, belong to you all glory and honour, eternal God, now and forevermore!

Grant us, o Lord, peaceful fellowship with you and with each other.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Amen.

Lectionary Readings:  Exodus 12:1-4, (5-10), 11-14;   Psalm 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17, 31b-35.

Short Sermon.

Prayer of Thanksgiving:

Let us pray:    Almighty and ever-living God, we thank you that in your great love you have brought us together tonight to experience the darkness of the night of your arrest, that we may with more commitment and thanksgiving praise and worship you for the eternal Light we gained when you laid down your life for your friends.

Grant us the grace to live according to the Gospel Truth we have heard and experienced tonight.

When we remember that Thursday night when you washed the feet of your disciples, when you instituted your Holy Supper, when you were denied and betrayed, when you anguished in Gethsemane, waiting to carry the wrath of God for our sins, when your emotions became dark and sad   - as we remember the darkness of that night - speak to us through your Word and urge us to repent, because we have done this to you by our sins, impurity and disobedience.

Father and God of Light and truth - help us to accept your love for us;

teach us how to believe when the world around us become dark;

change our hearts that we will expect that the Light of the World is our Redeemer from darkness and our Saviour from the judgement of God.

Through Jesus Christ, our Lord,

Amen.

(Keep in mind that Easter Communion on Easter Sunday is the celebration where our Holy Week services peak in joy and the experience of our fellowship with the living, conquering Lord.)

Tenebrae Readings and Extinguishing of the Tenebrae Candles:

Suggested readings:

FIRST READER: Luke 22: 39 – 48

First reader extinguishes 1st candle.

SECOND READER: Luke 22: 54 - 62.    2nd candle extinguished.

Music while contemplating the readings... (Betrayal)

THIRD READER: Matt 27: 22 – 31    Reader extinguishes 3rd candle.

FOURTH READER: Lukas 23: 26 - 28.     4^th candle extinguished.

FIFTH READER: Matt 27: 33 – 40     Reader extinguishes 5^th  candle

SIXTH READER: Luke 23: 39 – 43 & John 19: 25 - 27.     6^th candle extinguished.

Music while contemplating the readings... (Sadness)

SEVENTH READER: Luke 23: 44 – 54      Reader extinguishes 7^th  candle.

Music while contemplating the readings... (Death)

Minister:     With a loud cry, Jesus, breathed His last...

The minister then extinguishes the central candle.

Total darkness represents that Jesus was in the tomb

SILENCE

After about a minute, the minister relights the central candle with the words.

On the 3rd day, He rose again!

The minister leaves the sanctuary immediately and worshippers follow in silence.

This is an incomplete service, without benediction, only completed on Easter Sunday.

We leave the sanctuary in silence – and go home reflecting on the experience of Tenebrae…

TENEBRAE - Thursday, 17 April 2014

TENEBRAE

During the services on Maundy Thursday and Good Friday:

Reflect and meditate on the last words of Christ spoken from that

cross:   words of grace, love, hope, agony, suffering, finality, and rest.

Remember the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for the atonement of our sins.

Recognize the gravity of our sin that caused him the agony.

Repent and turn to God for forgiveness.

Realize the greatness of the Holy Trinity, the one and only God who saves.

Respond to the Lord in reverent worship, prayer, and obedience.

On Maundy Thursday we share in the Tenebrae liturgy. The word ‘tenebrae’ is Latin for shadows. The purpose of the Tenebrae liturgy is to recreate the excruciating emotional aspects of the passion of Christ. It is not a happy service, because the occasion it reflects on is not a cheerful one. The deeply felt love for Jesus that holds on to his sacrifice for our sake is not entertaining.  But it brings us to stand in awe, to remember with reverence, to love passionately and to be grateful beyond the possibility of the expression of words and actions.

On Maundy Thursday you are asked to meditate on the fact that it was on the Thursday evening before Good Friday that Jesus and his disciples were together for the last time, when he and they stood in the shadow of the cross, when he washed their feet and instituted the Holy Supper. 

It is to stand in the shadows within the darkness of Christ’s suffering.

It is keeping watch with the Lord.

The gradual extinguishing of the lights and candles is symbolic of the advancing darkness that came over Jesus as a result of the flight, the denial and betrayal of his disciples, the bitter hate of his enemies, the shadows of the cross. 

The moments of total darkness recalls the time when he was in the tomb.

And the relighting of the central candle is a prophecy of Easter so soon to dawn. 

The purpose of the service is to recreate the abandonment and agony of the events, and it is left unfinished, because the story isn’t over until Sunday – Resurrection Day.  At Tenebrae we do not hear a “happy ending story” but it speaks of love and divine commitment to us, God’s people. And because the outcome is not on Thursday, or Friday – the final word, the final blessing, the amazing light comes on Sunday.

There can be no faith without listening to what Jesus said on the cross.

There can be no joy of atonement, without the death of the Sacrificial Lamb.

There can be no joy of life, without the dreadful death of the Saviour.

There can be no joy of Paradise, without the Redeemer’s forsakenness by God.

There is no forgiveness without the bitter pain of repentance.

There is no grace and mercy, without the wrath of God satisfied.

There is no salvation, without God acting to redeem us by giving his Son.

There is no joy of thanksgiving, without reverent worship and prayer.

Palm Sunday Devotion

This Sunday, 13 April 2014, billions of believers within the world-wide church will celebrate Palm Sunday. They will call it the first day of Holy Week, the final 7 days of Lent, remembering and giving thanks for the last week of Jesus' atoning ministry on earth. 

Palm Sunday commemorates the Saviour’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem only days before his arrest and crucifixion — an event recorded in all four Gospels in the New Testament.

According to John 11, it happened just after Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead in the small town of Bethany. This dramatic miracle captured the attention of many, including the Judean aristocracy in Jerusalem and fuelled their fear that this plain rabbi from Galilee would steal their influence and the wealth they acquired from being in cahoots with the imperialistic oppressor, Rome.

Jesus and his disciples returned to Bethany and Bethphage, slightly east of the Mount of Olives. He sent two of them ahead to a nearby village for a donkey and, after the disciples placed clothes on the animal's back, Jesus mounted it and rode into the city.

"This took place," says Matthew (21:4-5), "to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’” And:  “Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road" (Matthew 21:8, quoting Zechariah 9:9-10).

And Luke tells us:  "As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” (Luke 19:37-38).

The Old Testament background to this day is found in Zechariah 9:9-10:

“Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem!  Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey. And he shall speak peace to the nations; his rule shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth."

Some of those present at the first Palm Sunday hoped for, and others feared, the launch of a revolt against Roman oppression.

But Jesus was no military leader - he rode a donkey, not a warhorse — and his concern was pastoral and not political, as we read in Luke 19: 41 – 42:

As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.

Oh, if we would only see what will bring us peace and who he is who will set us free, we will come on Sunday to sing our hosanna’s to the King and prepare our hearts for commemorating his sacrifice of love and deliverance so soon to come!

Liturgical Prayers, hymns and songs for Palm Sunday.

As we remember the triumphal entry of Jesus on the Sunday before his arrest, may our worship bring glory to Jesus Christ, our Saviour, Lord and King. 

Call to worship:   Psalm 118: 26 – 29   (ESV)

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!

We bless you from the house of the Lord.

The Lord is God, and he has made his light to shine upon us.

You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;

you are my God; I will extol you.

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

for his steadfast love endures forever!

Glory to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now, and always!

Prayer of Praise and for the forgiveness of sins.

Oh Lord of hosts,

you are a good and faithful God and your love endures forever.

We are troubled and find it hard to meet our many responsibilities and for this reason we cry to you, our Lord.

Because you are with us, we will not be afraid.  You, our Saviour and King, are with us, you are our Helper and our refuge.

O King of glory, eternal Son, exalted Lord, you are our Guide.

Lord Jesus, who gave your life for our salvation, who bled and died that we may live - and rose from the dead that we may conquer sin and temptation:

Forgive us our trespasses, our impurity and our disobedience.

Forgive us for not making you, our Head and our King, first in our lives.

Forgive our selfishness, our greed and our envious desires,

and make us worthy ambassadors for the Lord of lords.

May we share in the triumph of Jesus who entered Jerusalem as the Prince of Peace.

Give us courage to serve you today, and always.

To the glory of your Name and only by grace, we pray.

Amen.

Prayer of Illumination:

Glorious Lord, Jesus Christ our Redeemer, who once entered Jerusalem triumphantly to reveal that you are the Messiah, the son of David and the eternal Son of God,

by the work of your Holy Spirit and to the glory of your Father,

reveal to us your  grace, your power and your peace, your majesty and your love as we listen to the Holy Scriptures read and preached today.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

Amen.

Readings:   Psalm 118:1-2, 19-29, Matthew 21: 1-11 or John 12:12-16

Prayer of Intercession:

Heavenly Father, Almighty God -

You sent your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, into this world as our Friend and for our salvation, so that by his humility and his becoming one of us, he might call us back to fellowship with you.

We come before you on this Palm Sunday, with great expectations and excitement, proclaiming your majesty!

Hosanna in the highest!

Hosanna to him who comes in the Name of the Lord!

Father, we rejoice that through the work of your Spirit we received the good news, in which we stand, and by which we are saved:

that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,  that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day;

We believe he is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. 

He is the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. 

He is our Lord and God.

Lord of heaven and earth,

we thank you for that you have blessed us and all your children across the world, in every age, through the work and witness of your world-wide Church.

We bless you for the teaching of the Scriptures, for the preaching of your Word, and for the grace of your sacraments. We praise you for our friendship and fellowship in Christ with one another.

In your mercy and by your grace, listen to our prayers for the Church of Christ.

Purify your people from all pretence, dishonesty and injustice

that as we confess Christ as Lord and everlasting King,

all whom Christ called to be his own  may be of one heart and one mind

that everyone will see and be amazed by the unity of the Body of Christ, your own people,  

to the honour and glory of your Name and for the salvation of many.

We pray for all who celebrate the Good News of our Lord and preach and teach your Word!

May we glorify you through our worship and our teaching on this day of celebration.

Holy Spirit, draw your people to the Father in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

We pray for all who do receive your Word, to be faithful witnesses to your grace, your love and your kindness.

Father God, deliver us from the weakness that gets in the way of the proclamation of your truth;

awake the careless; help us to turn from our wicked ways; restore the penitent; strengthen and confirm the faithful;  protect and guide our children;

and comfort and heal the sick and the distressed.

Today we remember .........     who need your healing touch, your loving comfort and your majestic power and strength!

Bless us, Lord, as we observe your holy week.

Bring us together to gratefully remember your affliction for our sake on Thursday night and urge us by your Spirit to regret our sins and disobedience that caused your suffering as we worship on Good Friday.

May we all sincerely and with much joy celebrate your glorious and eternal victory on Easter Sunday.

During this Holy Week, dear Lord, help us to

proclaim liberty to the captives, to set the oppressed free, and to announce the day of the Lord 's salvation.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord

Amen.

Hymns and Songs:

SOF 189

Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest!

Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest!

Lord, we lift up your Name,

with hearts full of praise;

be exalted o Lord our God!

Hosanna in the highest.

Glory, glory, glory to the King of kings!

Glory, glory, glory to the King of kings!

Lord, we lift up your Name,

with hearts full of praise;

be exalted o Lord our God!

Glory to the King of kings.

SOF 27

All hail King Jesus!

All hail Emmanuel!

King of kings, Lord of lords,

bright morning star.

And throughout eternity I’ll sing your praises,

and I’ll reign with You through-out eternity.

Hymn based on Psalm 118 and sung on the music of “Glorious things of Thee are spoken”.

Christ is made the sure foundation,

Christ the head and cornerstone;

chosen of the Lord and precious,

binding all the church in one;

holy Zion's help forever,

and her confidence alone.

Christ is made the sure foundation,

Christ the head and cornerstone.

To this dwelling, where we call Thee,

come, O Lord of Hosts, today!

With your faithful loving-kindness

hear Your people as they pray,

and Your fullest benediction

shed within its walls always.

To this dwelling, where we call Thee,

come, O Lord of Hosts, today!

Praise and honour to the Father!

Praise and honour to the Son!

Praise and honour to the Spirit!

Ever three and ever one!

One in might and one in glory,

while unending ages run.

Praise and honour to the Father,

to the Spirit, to the Son!

Palm Sunday Hymn on the music of “The Church’s one foundation”  - Traditional Palm Sunday Hymn

All glory, laud, and honour
to thee, Redeemer, King,
to whom the lips of children
made sweet hosannas ring.

Thou art the King of Israel,
thou David's royal Son,
who in the Lord's Name comest,
the King and Blessed One.

The company of angels
are praising thee on high;
and mortal men and all things
created, make reply.

The people of the Hebrews
with palms before thee went;
our praise and prayer and anthems
before thee we present.

To thee, before thy passion,
they sang their hymns of praise;
to thee, now high exalted,
our melody we raise.

Thou didst accept their praises:
accept the prayers we bring,
who in all good delightest,
thou good and gracious King.

Jesus Christ, o Lord almighty (Music of “Ode to Joy”)

Jesus Christ, o Lord almighty,

David’s son, yet holy, free!

We will always praise, adore Thee,

God for all eternity.

Praise our Lord, He is our bounty,

our inheritance is He.

Sing hosanna, bring Him glory,

laud his gracious majesty!

Jesus Christ, o Lord, almighty,

reigns with God eternally.

Who forever aids and helps me,

saves His Church so graciously.

Sing hosanna, bring Him glory,

merciful and great is He!

He who leads His chosen people  -

worship Him, praise ceaselessly!    

Lent: Sacrificial love

John 15: 13 – 14    Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  You are my friends if you do what I command.

We are missing the boat if we are restructuring our churches to only become “friendly churches”. People do not need “friendly churches" as much as they need "friends".

The Son of God invested so much to become our Friend.  He came from the glory of heaven to be one of us and he invested the sacrifice of his very life to be our Friend. He gave his body and blood to be able to take us home to his Father and introduce us to God as his friends.

Jesus did not choose us to become his servants, his slaves  - but called us to be his friends and initiated us into the “inner circle” of the friendship of the Father and the Son.

When we observe his command to love one another, we learn how to share in the eternal friendship of Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Taking his commandment to love one another to heart, we have to accept his standard that there is no greater love than laying down your life for one’s friends.

True Christian love, is sacrificial love.

And sacrificial love will change the world.  It can change a community, a nation and a country.

It will change a marriage and a family.

Sacrificial love will meet our need for friendship and stamp out loneliness.

It will renew a Church!

Love is the supreme fruit of our lives. And it makes us more than family - it makes us friends in Christ!

As we prepare to share in Holy Week from 13 – 20 April - may our friendship grow in Christ,

and with Christ!

Lent: It is all about love!

The love of Christ is a central element of Christian belief. It refers both to the love of Jesus Christ for humanity, and to the love of Christians for Christ. These two aspects are not separate teachings—the love of Christians for Christ is simply a reflection of his love for his followers.

In the Gospel according to John, the parable of the Good Shepherd (John 10:1-21) symbolizes the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ based on his love:  “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. There shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

And in 1 John 4:19, the spontaneous nature of this love is highlighted: "We love, because he first loved us", expresses our love of Christ as a mirroring of Christ's own love for us.

John is saying that our love of Christ results in the following of his commandments. In John 14:15, Jesus states, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." and John 14:23 reconfirms that: "If a person loves me, he will keep my word". During the Last Supper Jesus gives a new commandment to his eleven remaining disciples: "Love one another; as I have loved you" and states that: "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples."

During our Lenten journey it is our love of Christ that grows because of a deeper understanding of his love for us.  The cross is the ultimate proof and revelation of his love. And when we learn anew during this season to take up our cross to follow him, our Easter joy will be complete when we see his glorious victory that will keep our love for Jesus and his love for us, gloriously alive for all eternity.