Easter Acclamation

Alleluia! Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Although separated, we worship together and unite through the contributions we have all made.

[Sarah has found this prayer by John van de Laar.]

We Gather and We Celebrate
What are we to make of this day?
When graves are opened…
When the dead awaken…
When life refuses to be contained…

Then nothing is impossible!
Hope is never extinguished
and love is never conquered.

We celebrate You today, Jesus,
Because You have made it clear that death does not have the last word;
Because You have filled us again with hope and faith;
Because You have given us a vision of new possibilities, new realities, and new ways of being.

Open our minds to believe what we cannot explain;
Open our hearts to hope for what we cannot see;
Open our lives to live and to love in the midst of death and despair;

Let resurrection happen again in us today.
Amen.

Let’s join together in this upbeat version of Thine be the Glory!

Singing the Faith 313. The words are included on the video.

[Words by Edmond Budry to the tune from Judas Maccabeus by Handel.]

Had we been all together in the church, we would now be decorating the cross. Instead, why not spend a few minutes reflecting on these Easter images with the accompanying music of “I know that my Redeemer liveth” from Handel’s Messiah.

[It is sung by Elly Ameling with the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields.]

 

Primroses from Colin and Janet

Blossom from Sandra and Mike

Decorating the Cross from Mike

Easter Garden from Andy

Decorated Cross from Mike

Supermoon from Tuesday
captured by Mike

We conclude our reflections with a prayer from Margaret Abbot.

Listening God

Listening God,
It is hard not to know what will happen next.
Whether we are going to grieve or rejoice.
What good news might look like –
What bad news might imply.
Help us not to rush ahead but to live without knowing –
To dwell in your uncomfortable mystery.
Amen.

[Taken from a Methodist booklet, “9 Days.”]

The Lord’s Prayer – we pray this, inclusively, with many different kinds of worshipping people.

Let’s sing StF 306 – Now the green blade rises to the accompaniment played by Geraldine and Sarah.

[Words by John Crum to a traditional French carol.]

Wheat Field

 

Now the green blade rises from the buried grain,
Wheat that in dark earth many days has lain;
Love lives again, that with the dead has been:
Love is come again, like wheat that springeth green.

In the grave they laid him, love whom men had slain,
Thinking that never he would wake again.
Laid in the earth like grain that sleeps unseen:
Love is come again, like wheat that springeth green.

Forth he came at Easter, like the risen grain,
He that for three days in the grave had lain.
Quick from the dead my risen Lord is seen:
Love is come again, like wheat that springeth green.

When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain,
Thy touch can call us back to life again;
Fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been:
Love is come again, like wheat that springeth green.

Let’s now sing StF 305 – Low in the grave he lay to the accompaniment played by Geraldine and Sarah.

[Words and music are by Robert Lowry.]

 

Low in the grave He lay—Jesus my Saviour!
Waiting the coming day—Jesus my Lord!

Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes
He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose!
Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Vainly they watch His bed—Jesus, my Saviour!
Vainly they seal the dead—Jesus my Lord!

Death cannot keep his prey—Jesus, my Saviour!
He tore the bars away—Jesus my Lord!

Intercessory prayers are written and presented by Kay with Grant behind the camera.
The bidding is, “Father, God, be with us” to which we respond, “and teach us to trust in you.”

A final hymn – StF 311, The day of resurrection, earth tell it out abroad!

[Words by St John of Damascus to a German melody.]

The day of resurrection! Earth, tell it out abroad;
The Passover of gladness, the Passover of God.
From death to life eternal, from earth unto the sky,
Our Christ hath brought us over, with hymns of victory.

Our hearts be pure from evil, that we may see aright
The Lord in rays eternal of resurrection light;
And list’ning to His accents, may hear, so calm and plain,
His own “All hail!” and, hearing, may raise the victor strain.

Now let the heav’ns be joyful! Let earth the song begin!
Let the round world keep triumph, and all that is therein!
Let all things seen and unseen their notes in gladness blend,
For Christ the Lord hath risen, our joy that hath no end.