Koonung Heights Uniting Church
Service of Worship at Home
Easter Day – 31 March 2024 – 10am or whenever possible
You may like to light a candle during your time of worship.
Feel free to text the Peace to other members of the congregation.
During the service we will share Communion so you might like to have the elements ready.
Introit: “Easter Song” – (TiS 389)
Hear the bells ringing, they’re singing that we can be born again.
Hear the bells ringing, they’re singing, ‘Christ is risen from the dead.’
The angel upon the tomb-stone said, ‘He is risen, just as he said.
Quickly now, go tell his disciples that Jesus Christ is no longer dead!’
Joy to the world, he is risen, alleluia, he’s risen, alleluia,
he’s risen, alleluia!, alleluia!, alleluia!
Candle Lighting:
Today is a day of celebration
for new life is released.
Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed!
Death has not won.
The grave has lost its sting.
Christ is risen.
Christ is risen indeed!
Alleluia!
Acknowledgement of Country:
As we joyfully gather today,
I acknowledge the Wurundjeri WoiWurrung
People of the Kulin nations,
Traditional Custodians of this unceded land.
I pay my respects to Elders past and present,
and all future leaders and generations.
As First and Second Peoples walking together,
may we commit ourselves to be people of the covenant,
listening, truth telling and seeking justice for all.
Call to Worship:
Yesterday we thought death had won.
Yesterday we thought all was lost.
Yesterday we thought Christ was gone.
But not today.
Today we know that love has won.
Today we know that hope is real.
Today we know that Christ is here.
We have a reason to hope.
We have a reason to sing!
Alleluia!
Alleluia!
Christ is risen today.
We Sing: “At the dawning of salvation” – (TiS 392)
At the dawning of salvation; in the morning of the world,
Christ is raised, a living banner by the love of God unfurled.
Through the daylight, through the darkness, Christ leads on his great array:
all the saints and all the sinners he has gathered on his way.
He is risen in the morning, he is risen from the dead;
he is laughter after sadness, he is light when night has fled.
He has suffered, he has triumphed, life is his alone to give:
as he gave it once he gives it evermore, that we may live.
For the glory of salvation in the dawn of Easter day
we will praise you, loving Father; we rejoice to sing and pray
with the Son and with the Spirit. Lead us on, your great array,
saints and sinners celebrating your triumphant love today.
Call to Prayer:
On this Easter Day, it is fair to say that we do not need to confess our sins to God,
for our Lenten journey has been our confession.
We have confessed how very much we are like the disciple Peter,
prone to wander, prone to give up, push back, jump in and cry out,
prone to deny that we even know Jesus and to run away and hide.
All the while we have seen, over and over, how God calls us by name,
and holds us in grace.
Yet, It’s not enough to hear of God’s grace once.
We need to hear it over and over again, week after week.
We need to be reminded that God’s grace and mercy will never run out.
So let us come before God in prayer.
Prayer of Adoration and Confession:
Extraordinary, overwhelming God of love and life,
we gush in our praise today
not because we ever deeply understand
but because we know enough
to feel the deep touch of your salvation.
So we gush in our praise and wonder and awe,
hoping to grasp the depth of this day,
shouting out words of delight that Christ is risen.
In all our denials, in all our fears, even when we flee
you call us to life.
The stone is rolled away!
We assume it is a mistake.
The angels say, “He is not here!”
We assume their news is fake.
The women tell the story,
but we do not want to hear it.
Peter runs to the tomb,
but we do not understand.
Forgive us, God, for thinking an empty tomb
is nothing more than a prank.
Forgive us for seeing discarded burial cloths
and still holding tight to death.
Forgive us for pushing away reasons to hope
when you are alive and well in the world.
Teach us to see what you see.
Unravel the threads of our unbelief.
Amen.
Words of Assurance:
The angels tell the women, “Remember what Jesus told you.”
So, church, remember this:
You are seen.
You are forgiven.
You are held in God’s grace.
All of this is true.
Grace and mercy abound for you.
Remember this.
Amen!
The Peace:
God makes peace within us. Let us claim it.
God makes peace between us. Let us share it.
The peace of the risen Christ is here … to stay.
Thanks be to God.
A Time for All:
Since our service on Ash Wednesday, we have been walking alongside Peter as he travels with Jesus on his journey to Jerusalem. We have seen how we are like Peter in so many ways. I wonder what you remember of this journey?
This morning I have a bit of a quiz for you … to see just how much you do remember. Each week we have added a ‘stepping stone’ to our tree, each with an image on it that serves as a reminder of the story of Peter and Jesus from that week. We added an image on Thursday night and Friday, and have added another today. The last will be added next week. So, if you think you might be able to choose an image and remind us all of the story that goes with it, now’s your chance. Here’s a small incentive to help … the first three correct responses will get an Easter egg.
So how was that … did you think what I did was fair? In some ways it probably was – I explained what you had to do, set out the task, and gave rewards to those who got it right. But in some ways it probably wasn’t fair – we might ask what about those people who knew the answer, put their hands up and I didn’t call on? What about those who might have missed a week or are visiting today for the first time and haven’t heard any of the stories we have? Was it fair to have only three prizes or should there have been one prize per image, or one prize per person?
Sometimes in life it can seem that things aren’t fair and we can easily feel cheated if we think that we have missed out, but it seems to me that Easter is one time when we are very lucky that things were not fair. Let’s face it, if things had been fair Jesus would not have been arrested and put on trial. If things had been fair Jesus would not have been put to death. If things had been fair we would not be celebrating his resurrection today. Rather than Easter being about ‘fairness’, the story of Easter shows us that God acted from the place of extravagant generosity, grace and love. Jesus, the God-One who lived among us, walked a pathway which led to us receiving not what was fair, but the invitation to new, abundant life. Let us live into this hope.
Let us pray:
Dear God,
hope is hard to find in our world.
There are plenty of reasons to be cynical,
to throw in the towel and accept that everything is doomed.
New life seems impossible, and yet, hope doesn’t die.
Like tenacious weeds that keep springing up, let hope rise within us
again and again and again.
Help us believe in resurrection, today and every day.
In the name of the Risen Christ we pray,
Amen.
We Sing: “Alleluia, alleluia” – (TiS 390)
Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord,
alleluia, alleluia, give praise to his name.
Jesus is Lord of all the earth; he is the king of creation.
Alleluia, alleluia …
Spread the good news o’er all the earth: Jesus has died and has risen.
Alleluia, alleluia …
We have been crucified with Christ; now we shall live for ever.
Alleluia, alleluia …
God has proclaimed his precious gift: new life for all! Alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia …
Come, let us praise our living God, joyfully sing to our Saviour.
Alleluia, alleluia …
Bible Reading: Psalm 18:16-21
16 He reached down from on high; he took me;
he drew me out of mighty waters.
17 He delivered me from my strong enemy
and from those who hated me,
for they were too mighty for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my calamity,
but the Lord was my support.
19 He brought me out into a broad place;
he delivered me because he delighted in me.
20 The Lord rewarded me
according to my righteousness;
according to the cleanness of my hands
he recompensed me.
21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord
and have not wickedly departed from my God.
Bible Reading: Luke 24:1-12
– The Resurrection of Jesus
1 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body. 4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5 The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen. 6 Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be handed over to the hands of sinners and be crucified and on the third day rise again.” 8 Then they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.
Reflection:
I cannot stay away on Easter Morning.
Like Peter, I would run if I could.
Stop the car, pump my arms,
take the church steps two at a time, all to know –
Did it happen?
Did it really happen?
Is evil no match for love?
I’d grab the mic to ask the angels,
the heavens, the children,
Were the stories true?
And in response, the choir would sing, “Alleluia.”
Children would place flowers on the cross.
The preacher would tell me the stone was rolled away.
The people would pass the peace,
and welcome strangers,
and make room in the pews.
And with faith over doubt,
I would hope.
For I imagine that all of that ordinary holiness
would be enough for Peter,
and it would be enough for me.
As people who have gathered for worship on Easter Day, I wonder if we follow in the footsteps of Peter. We have heard the rumour that Jesus is alive and we have come to hear the story again for ourselves, because we wonder ‘What if it is true? What if death is real but not final? What if Jesus is not merely past but present? What if Jesus were to meet me here? What would life be then?’
We might expect that, after denying Christ, Peter would retreat in shame – or perhaps even run away in an attempt to leave his past behind him. Instead, when he hears the news from the women, he doesn’t dismiss them like the other disciples. Instead, Peter gets up and runs to the tomb. When he peers into the empty tomb and sees the linen cloth, he is filled with awe.
Today’s text begins with the obvious: Jesus is dead and his followers assume that he remains that way. We are told that it is the first day of the week, and that Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women come to the tomb. This is where the body of Jesus was placed and they have brought the spices along to anoint his body and to show proper respect for the dead. They find the tomb empty, and while this is good news, what they discover does not lead to an easy change of perspective. Rather than clarity, it brings confusion. After all, bodies that are dead presumably remain dead and the best we can do is treat them with respect.
Many readers of the gospel might be content to do the same. We too, assume that death is death, and that our proper response should be to enshrine the dead Jesus in a tomb of memory. We recall he was an insightful teacher, a fiery prophet, and a compassionate healer, so we image ourselves being called to honour his memory, much as the women imagined they were called to honour his dead body. But that is not enough.
Through the messengers at the tomb, the women remember Jesus’ assurances. They do not actually see the risen Jesus himself, but receive a word that runs counter to what they believe to be true. They encounter the resurrection through this message that ‘Jesus is not here, but has risen’ and are encouraged to remember what Jesus told them. This brings the Easter experience close for us, because this is precisely what we have – the word of resurrection. We, like the women at the tomb, are given a message of resurrection, and that flies in the face of what we know to the norm.
It would seem that the only logical response to such a message is disbelief, because experience teaches that death wins. This message that Jesus lives is contradictory to what the disciples have experienced. We know that when contradicting claims collide, we feel safer by affirming what we already know, and this is what we see as the women return to the disciples with the news. The disciples respond not just with words of disbelief, but with downright dismissal. While translations will render their reaction as ‘an idle tale’, ‘foolish talk’, or ‘nonsense’ the real meaning of the Greek word is “garbage.” The women announce Jesus’ promises fulfilled and the response from the ones who were closest to Jesus is ‘yeah, well, that’s a bunch of rubbish.’
There is so much truth and honesty in this reaction. After all, good news frequently seems too good to be true. If the tomb is empty, if Jesus has been raised from the dead, then life, as we’ve known and expected it to be, is no longer. The Easter message begins its work in challenging our certainties around death, because in Jesus it is life that gets the last word.
The Easter message turns the world upside down and makes us question how we are to live as people who confess the resurrection. The resurrection claim was so outrageous that Peter had to see for himself, and I think the question he would have asked himself as he ran to the tomb, with hope on his heels, was ‘Could this really be true?’
This is a question that we all have to answer. The Easter message calls us from our old believe in death, to a new belief in life. The claim that the tomb could not hold Jesus, and the idea that the one who died by crucifixion has now risen, is so outrageous that we must consider that reality that it is true.
Peter goes home wondering and it’s in that wondering that the meaning of the resurrection lies. The resurrection only makes sense when we remain amazed, marvelling and wondering at the love of God that reversed death itself. We are not asked to explain the resurrection, offer proof for the resurrection, or make a case for the resurrection. Instead, like Peter, we live in wonder – wonder for how belief in the God of resurrection truly can change the world.
While the Easter reading stops with Peter’s amazement, the Easter story continues far beyond, as God continues to challenge the certainty of death with the promise of life. How can we, like Peter, run toward the hope that God offers? How can we live in a way that offers that hope to those in our families and communities. Will we be diligent in continuing to look for the resurrected Christ in our midst? How might we be open to the ways the Spirit is calling us to live into the hope we have as a resurrected people?
Amen.
Affirmation of Faith:
We may weep through the longest nights.
We may stare at the empty tomb
with more questions than answers.
We may run our fingers over the burial cloths and still long for more.
But today, we are a people of hope.
We believe in new beginnings.
We believe that the God who created the world is stronger than death.
We believe that Jesus abides among us,
healing, teaching, and leaving fingerprints throughout this world.
We believe that a tomb could not hold him.
We believe that the sun does rise.
We believe that Peter was there
with questions, awe, and faith the size of a mustard seed.
We believe that the story is not over yet,
for God is among us.
Today we are people of hope.
We Sing: “Yours be the glory” – (TiS 380)
Yours be the glory, risen, conquering Son,
endless is the victory over death you’ve won;
angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,
kept the folded grave-clothes, where you body lay.
Yours be the glory, risen, conquering Son,
endless is the victory over death you’ve won.
See, Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb;
lovingly he greets us, scatters fear and gloom;
let the church with gladness hymns of triumph sing,
for the Lord is living, death has lost its sting.
Yours be the glory
No more we doubt you, glorious Prince of life;
life is naught without you: aid is in our strive;
make us more than conquerors through your deathless love,
bring us safe through Jordon to your home above.
Thine be the glory …
Prayer for Others (prepared by Liz Pace)
God of new beginnings,
hear the prayers of your people.
We remember your people who are facing terrible dangers from war, famine, flood and fire. Strengthen our resolve to help all who need it not only with physical aid but with hope and encouragement.
Each one of us has special needs and special people who need your comfort and reassurance. Let us take a moment to name them now.
On this happy day we are refreshed and encouraged by the knowledge of Jesus’ resurrection. Help us to make a new start to enthusiastically spread your love and care to our community and show, by our living, that trust and hope are a vital part of life.
Give us new ideas of how to show our communities that there is meaning behind the chocolate bunnies, silver paper and holidays. Help us to be relevant to those who know little of Jesus’ life and teaching, through our lives of joy and laughter, trust and hope.
Loving God, you have given us everything and cared for us even when we are unkind or greedy. We come before you now, reminded of your sacrifice of your son Jesus and again grateful for your reassurance.
Amen.
Communion:
Invitation to the Table
When the women got to the tomb on that Easter morning they were met by angels,
who told them, “He is not here! But remember what he told you.”
I can’t help but wonder, there in that garden as the sun rose over the trees,
if they remembered it all.
I wonder if they remembered Jesus telling 5,000 people to sit together in the grass,
passing out baskets of fish and bread.
I wonder if they remembered how he stopped in the middle of the crowd to ask,
“Who touched my robe?”
I wonder if they remembered how he ate with Zacchaeus
or scooped up the children onto his knee.
I wonder if they remembered him teaching in the temple, telling people,
“Love your neighbour as yourself.”
I wonder if they remembered how the wind stopped with the sound of his voice.
I wonder if they remembered how he washed their feet and said,
“This is my body, broken for you.”
I wonder if they remembered it all …
Friends, just like the women in the garden, we need those same reminders.
The suffering of the world can erode the muscle memory of grace and welcome
that we hold. Don’t let it.
Come to the Table and remember.
Remember how Jesus fed everyone.
Remember how none were turned away.
Remember how he said,
“Do this in remembrance of me.”
Come and remember.
There is room for you here.
Great Prayer of Thanksgiving
God of today and tomorrow,
God of the garden and the tomb,
God of our faith and our doubt,
we are running toward you.
Like Peter on that Easter morning, we simply cannot stay away.
So with beating hearts and wide eyes, we have arrived in this sanctuary.
God of the dawn,
we thank you for the gifts of this world that instil buoyancy in us,
for the curiosity of children,
for the sound of your people singing in unison,
for crowded tables and neighbourly kindness,
for the sun after rain, love after loss and faith after doubt.
Like Peter, we have countless reasons to hold onto hope.
Highest among them is the joy and promise of this day.
However, before we found ourselves in the garden,
before the joy and the alleluias of this day,
we found ourselves at the foot of the cross.
So for the things that erode our hope,
for the things that stitch doubt and fear into our hearts, we ask for your comforting hand.
Wrap your arms around all who cannot find healing after their longest night.
Wrap your arms around all who look for reasons to hope, but cannot find them.
Holy God, like Peter, fan the flames of our faith.
Like Peter, invite us to step out of our boats.
And like Peter, use us to care for those in need, to tell your story,
and to build a better world.
We remember, and we believe.
So with awe-struck, wildly-beating, grateful hearts, we run toward you.
With feet in the garden and eyes on the cross, we pray to you,
saying the words your son taught us to pray:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name;
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil.
For the Kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and forever.
Amen.
The Story
Every time we gather at this table, we tell the same story –
the story of a Messiah who gathered his friends together for one last supper,
the story of a Messiah who loves us so much
that he keeps on offering a seat at the table to our wandering hearts.
On the night of Jesus betrayal and arrest, as he shared a meal with his friends,
Jesus took bread; gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to his followers, saying:
“Share this bread among you; this is my body which will be broken for justice.
Do this to remember me.”
When supper was over, he took the cup, gave thanks and gave it to his disciples, saying:
“Share this wine among you; this is my blood which will be shed for liberation.
Do this to remember me.”
Invocation
Holy God, pour out your Spirit on this bread and wine,
and on your people gathered here.
Shape us into one body, sharing in your peace.
Weave us together in laughter and in hope,
sharing with one another in wisdom and joy.
Distribution
When joy felt impossibly out of reach Jesus became one of us
and broke bread with friends and strangers.
When the world was crying out for justice and peace Jesus came near to us
offering friendship through this cup.
These are the gifts of God for the people of God.
The bread of life – the cup of hope.
May this meal nourish and refresh you, strengthen and renew you,
may it remind you that you are loved. Amen.
(eat and drink)
Prayer
God of love, we give you thanks for the gift of new life
and for satisfying us with this meal.
Send us from here to reveal your love in the world.
Inspire us to use our words to point others to the Word.
Inspire in us the resolve and the courage, the compassion and passion
to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with you.
Amen.
We Sing: “This day God gives me” – (TiS 642)
This day God gives me strength of high heaven,
sun and moon shining, flame in my hearth,
flashing of lightning, wind in its swiftness,
deeps of the ocean, firmness of earth.
This day God sends me strength to sustain me,
might to uphold me, wisdom as guide.
Your eyes are watchful, your ears are listening,
your lips are speaking, friend at my side
God’s way is my way, God’s shield is round me,
God’s host defends me, saving from ill.
Angels of heaven, drive from me always
all that would harm me, stand by me still.
Rising, I thank you, mighty and strong One,
king of creation, giver of rest,
firmly confessing threeness of persons,
oneness of Godhead, trinity blest.
Blessing:
Beloved wanderer,
as you leave this place,
may you carry your curious heart on your sleeve.
May you look for God in every face.
May you find the courage to get out of the boat,
to run to the tomb,
and to speak of your faith.
And when the world falls apart,
may you hear God’s voice deep within, saying,
“Take heart, it is I, be not afraid.”
You are called.
You are blessed.
In both your ups and your downs,
you always belong to God.
Go now in peace.
Go trusting that good news.
Amen.
Thanks to all those who have assisted in preparation for this liturgy with encouragement, prayers and conversation. I have also utilised the following resources:
Sanctified Art (A Wandering Heart), Working Preacher and Fig Tree Worship.