Printable services for those unable to attend St C

                                

                                   

               St Clement Church Community Easter Day Service

 

Good morning to you all.

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

We will be celebrating Easter in our church building on Sunday, this service of the Word is for you to read at home if you are unable to be with us.  Together, whether in person or not, today we worship our risen Lord and reflect on the wonder of the Easter message.

Much love and God Bless.

Rev Di and family xx

 

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Through him we have come to trust in God who raised Jesus from the dead and gave him glory, so that our faith and hope are set on God.      

 

Let us pray:

Lord Jesus Christ, risen from death to life in the father’s love,

raise us to share in new life, that we may know your presence among us now, and serve you in the power of the Spirit. Amen.

 

Hymn: ‘Jesus Christ is risen today’

 

Our prayers of Penitence

The doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews; Jesus came and stood among them and said;

“Peace be with you.”                                      

This Easter Day we bring our fears and failings to the risen Christ;

 

 

When we are faced with a challenge, but regress into old attitudes,

Lord, have mercy. 

 

When we face these difficult times, but fail to trust in your loving purposes,

Christ, have mercy. 

 

When we are agents of gloom rather than messengers of hope,

Lord, have mercy. 

 

May Almighty God have mercy upon us, forgive us our sins and failings, and bring us to everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

Let us pray our Collect for Easter Day

God of glory, by the raising of your Son you have broken the chains of death and hell: fill your Church with faith and hope; for a new day has dawned and the way to life stands open in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Old Testament Reading: Acts 10. 34-43

New Testament Reading: 1 Corinthians 15. 1-11

 

Hymn: ‘Hail the day that sees Him Rise’
 

Gospel: John 20. 1-18

(Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John. 

Response: ‘Glory to you O Lord.’)

 

 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’ Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went towards the tomb.  The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb.  He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself.

Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.’ When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’

Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ which means Teacher. Jesus said to her, ‘Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.“’ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.    Praise to you, O Christ.

 

Reflection

At the beginning of our Gospel story this morning, Mary was in utter despair, the events of the last few days were unbelievable, and they had flung her life into utter chaos.  She was living grief beyond belief, and had questions far beyond any answers she could fathom.

It all started in the dark. John tells us it was the first day of the week and it was still dark outside, no hint of dawn at all. It must have been more than a physical darkness, but also the darkness of the depths of despair. Jesus was gone, hidden by the dark events of the last few days. 

What could Mary do but return, if only to pick up the pieces of her life and try, peering through the darkness, to make some sense out of what was left? 

She wanted to start there, in the last place she’d seen Jesus, ground zero of whatever life she was going to have to rebuild,

all the while desperately wishing for everything just to go back to the way it had been before.  After an exhausting week and the utter dreadfulness of what had happened, perhaps she’d finally collapsed out of exhaustion, and then, a few hours later, while it was still dark,

she woke, and her mind started the questions all over again. All she could think of was the memory of Friday—the horror of the cross and the urgent rush to prepare Jesus’ body before Sabbath began. She had to go back. 

Not an unreasonable wish. Just a short while ago, Jesus was a respected teacher whose reputation as a man of wisdom was growing rapidly.  The possibilities of everything that could happen for the Jewish people under his leadership were staggering.  They were on the brink of revolution—Mary knew it, and she had given up everything to follow. 

She had to go back, just in case there was any way to salvage what was, to put things to rights, to just get things back to normal. 

What would the future hold now?  She didn’t know. If only things could return to the way they were. 

If only.

And so she went to the tomb, early that morning in the dark.  Once there though, she could see clearly that in fact, the nightmare had just gotten worse.  All the care and love put into entombing Jesus’ body had been defiled, the stone moved, the grave clothes piled there, and no body to be found at all. 

John tells us Mary runs to tell the disciples, this was a serious turn of events, the looting of the grave and Mary couldn’t stop crying.

She came back and stood at the open tomb, weeping and all alone, grieving the loss of a Saviour and, even worse, the loss of everything she knew to be true about her life. 

Until two days ago she’d finally known who she was: Mary Magdalene, disciple of Jesus.  Now, in the darkness, she didn’t recognize that Mary, the one she’d become since she met Jesus, and she couldn’t see through the darkness to know who on earth she was supposed to be now.

And as she stood there, weeping, she met a stranger in the garden.  This man must be the gardener, she was certain.  He looked at her with compassion and asked her why she was crying, how he could help her, if there was someone she’d lost. 

“Yes!” she sobbed.  “If you’ve moved his body for some reason, please, please tell me where you have laid him and I will take his body and care for it.  Please help me.”

“Mary.”  Her name.  That was all he said, but then she knew.  She knew.  His voice pierced the befuddled chaos of her brain and she looked up in sudden recognition and said, “My teacher.”

In the moment when Jesus called her name, her whole world shifted and she knew in an instant: nothing would ever be the same again.

One moment she was in the throes of grief, surrounded by the darkness; the next moment she recognized Jesus, and the light began to dawn.

That moment, when she encounters the risen Christ for the first time, changes everything. 

Her hopes suddenly rise, he’s here!  He’s alive!  Everything can get back to the way it used to be!  Only to plummet when Jesus says nope, it’s time to let go, Mary. Now that I’ve called you by name and you have witnessed the power of God, everything changes.  Now, this is YOUR story to tell.  In that moment Jesus asked her to change everything. 

Which is nothing new, if you think about it.

There’s not one person whom Jesus encounters in the entire Gospel narrative who is not asked to change, and change big.  Lay down your nets; do you want to be healed? Repay those you’ve stolen from; get up and walk . . . and for Mary it’s nothing different.  When the living God calls your name, everything changes. Oh, if only everything could stay the same: everything we believe about God and everything we know about ourselves.  But resurrection is definitely NOT about staying the same. 

When we’re confronted with resurrection, I mean really, personally confronted, when the resurrected Christ calls our names, everything changes.  Believe you me, as one who has experienced such an event, everything changes.

For Mary, that meant going and telling, and she’s known now by us, some 2000 years later, as the first witness to the resurrection, the one who had the courage to recognise God and to share the good news.

Yes, the good news of resurrection is that Jesus called Mary by her name and offered her the opportunity to follow the living God, out of the dark despair of that morning into the new and life-giving light. 

God called her name . . . and God calls our names. 

But telling a 2000 year old story once a year as a tradition isn’t likely to change anything.

We can’t just leave this place today to put the miracle of new life and the promise of resurrection back on the shelf until next year. 

Why not?  Because God is calling our names, every single one of us, just like Mary, we’re offered a personal invitation to go and tell, to live our lives with the conviction that the good news of Easter, the overthrow of sin and death, is not a dry and dead ceremony we celebrate once a year. 

No, this time it’s personal. 

Jesus is calling our names, you and me, calling us to live as if the Gospel matters, calling us to practice resurrection every single day of our lives.

Christ has called us by name and to live resurrection not like a 2000 year old fairy tale, but like a story that really matters. 

Jesus wouldn’t let Mary leave that day without being changed, and Jesus won’t let us encounter resurrection and leave unchanged, either.  If Easter means anything at all, we’re going to walk out of here determined to practice it.  The poet and writer Wendell Berry who coined the phrase “practice resurrection.”  He wrote;

‘Friends, every day do something that won't compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing. Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it. Practice resurrection.’

My friends, Jesus has called us by name and offered us the opportunity to practice resurrection, and today is certainly the day to answer that call.  Go and tell.  Jesus instructs us as he told Mary that day. 

Take the resurrection hope out of this building and into the world. 

This is your task this Easter . . . know it, do it . . . because God has called you . . . by name.  Amen.

 

Let us pray;

Father, may the promise of resurrection dwell deeply in our hearts. Give us the grace to share such a wonderful thing with others. Find us faithful to you, and live enabled by the knowledge that we too, will one day share in your glorious kingdom. Amen.

 

Hymn: ‘Dear Lord and Father of Mankind’

                                                                                                                                          Affirmation of our faith

Let us declare our faith in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ:

Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures;

he was buried; he was raised to life on the third day and afterwards he appeared to his followers and to all the apostles:

this we have received, and this we believe.         

This is the faith of the Church. This is our faith. We believe and trust in one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

 

Our intercessions are written by Liz Davies

Christ is Risen – Alleluia!

Christ is Risen, and the power of His resurrection fills the world with new life, hope and expectation and so we bring Him all our praises and prayers.

Faithful God, we think of your Church today celebrating the Resurrection all over the world. Language, race, nationalities, colour may be different but our worship and our joy on this day make us one in the Gospel. We pray that the Holy Spirit may guide and strengthen us in mission and service, praying that day by day we may grow in love for you and for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Christ is Risen: He is risen indeed, Alleluia

 

Creator God, we pray for the leaders of the nations of the world that they may give priority to those with the greatest need in the distribution of the world’s basic resources. We especially pray on this special day for peace in the world and for countries where there is war and conflict.                                                                          We remember today those in the fight against violence and terrorism around the world and for all service personnel in active duty around the world.

Christ is Risen: He is risen indeed, Alleluia

 

Risen Lord, we pray for the people of Baltimore where the bridge collapsed into the river; we pray for the families devastated by the shootings at the concert in Russia; for the peoples of Ukraine, Gaza and Israel, Haiti, and all peoples in countries where violence and war are the norm and where they long for a peaceful way of life.

Christ is risen: He is risen, Alleluia

 

Gracious God, on this Easter Day we bring before you this little church of St Clement where for centuries people have sung their praises and offered up their prayers to you. This is a special place of welcome to all who enter, whatever their colour or creed, whoever they maybe.

Today, on this special day, we offer to you all our worries and concerns about our little church’s future. Please guide us in our thoughts and discussions and may we always be mindful of our vicar’s well-being.

Christ is risen: He is risen indeed, Alleluia

 

Father God, at this joyful Eastertide we pray for our families and friends especially for those joining us here in Cornwall during the Easter holiday.                                               We thank you for the joy of sending and receiving Easter messages of love. Thank you for all the modern communication systems which bring our loved ones so close even when we are separated by great distances.

Christ is risen: He is risen indeed, Alleluia

 

Loving God, we pray for those in need and ask you to wrap your loving arms around those who suffer. We bring before you, King Charles and the Princess of Wales who are both undergoing treatment for cancer.

Be with them and their families and we pray that they may be restored to full health. We especially pray for all those within our church family who need our prayers.                                                                                                                 We pray for the broken-hearted, for the sick, for the lonely, that your presence may comfort them in their time of need.                                                                                                We especially bring before you, Ken and Reverend Diane, May, Susan, Lauren, Lynda, Angela, Barrie and Sandra, Pam and David, Terry and Dot, Margaret, Maureen, Linda and Rupert, Allison and Rob, Jan, Anita and Stephen, Michael and Patricia, Jeremy, Stella, Alison, Linda, William, Callum and Elaine, Jay, Andy, and all those who are alone and have no one to pray for them.

Christ is risen: He is risen indeed, Alleluia

 

Merciful God, we pray that all those who have recently died may share in the promise of new life won for us all by the resurrection of your Son Jesus Christ and His triumph over death and the grave.

Christ is risen: He is risen indeed, Alleluia

 

Father God, as we go out into the world, we pray that we may reflect your love in our families, our church, and our community; so that the world can witness that we are followers of Christ and draw others into His loving care.

Merciful Father: accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

 

Gathering our prayers and praises into one,

let us pray with confidence as our Saviour taught us;

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed 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 trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

 

 

Hymn: ‘Thine be the Glory’

 

The Peace

The risen Christ came and stood among his disciples

and said, ‘Peace be with you.’

Then they were glad when they saw the risen Lord.

Alleluia!  May the peace of the risen Lord be always with us.

 

Blessing

May the light of Christ surround us,

may the Love of God enfold us,

may the presence of God watch over us,

may the power of God protect us and those whom we love, 

and may we never forget that wherever we are, God is also. 

Amen.