Koonung Heights Uniting Church
Service of Worship at Home
Easter Day – 9 April 2023 – 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.
We will share Communion during this service so you may like to have the elements ready.
Introit: “He became poor” – (Click this link and skip the ads – TIS words below)
Easter Greeting & Candle Lighting:
Wild, uncontainable God
you break free,
you raise up,
you release new life.
In Christ sin and death are defeated
and we are no longer bound.
Christ is risen!
He is risen indeed!
Alleluia.
Acknowledgement of Country:
As we gather on this day of celebration,
I acknowledge the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung
People of the Kulin nation.
I pay my respects to elders past and present,
and to all future leaders and generations.
May we commit ourselves to be people of the covenant,
listening, truth telling and seeking justice for all.
Call to Worship:
What a day.
What a morning.
All the opposites are happening:
from shadow to light,
from death to life,
from sadness to joy,
from graveyard to garden,
from being lost to being found again,
from hatred to love,
from night to morning,
from silence to alleluias.
Everything has turned around
and today
may we celebrate and let go a little,
breathe in new life,
enjoy the light,
share the good news
and worship the risen Lord.
Alleluia!
We Sing: “Christ the Lord is risen today” – (Click this link and skip the ads –TIS words below)
Christ the Lord is risen today: Hallelujah!
Let the whole creation say: Hallelujah!
Raise your joys and triumphs high: Hallelujah!
Sing now, heaven, and earth reply: Hallelujah!
Love’s redeeming work is done; Hallelujah!
Fought the fight, the battle won; Hallelujah!
Vain the stone, the watch, the seal: Hallelujah!
Christ has burst the gates of hell. Hallelujah!
Lives again our glorious king; Hallelujah!
Where, O death, is now your sting? Hallelujah!
Once he died our souls to save; Hallelujah!
Where your victory, O grave? Hallelujah!
Soar we now where Christ has led, Hallelujah!
Following our exalted Head; Hallelujah!
Make like him, like him we rise: Hallelujah!
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies. Hallelujah!
Prayer of Adoration and Confession:
Wild, holy God,
on Easter Day we join together
to celebrate the mystery of resurrection.
The angel declares ‘he is not here, he is risen’,
to the women who came to anoint his body.
We still do not understand
the great mystery of Easter
and yet we believe that the tomb was empty
and that now Jesus is here,
he is no longer confined to a body,
he is everywhere, all the time.
Alleluia!
Like the women,
we doubt the angel’s words,
we are afraid,
what does this mean?
We come seeking solace and reassurance from God,
our parent, our maker,
the one who loves us so much
and longs for us to come to love in return.
We come humbly before you, risen Lord,
aware of our faults and failings and asking for your forgiveness
for those times when we have said or acted
in a way that was not loving.
Parent God,
help us to know that your love for us is so deep
that there is nothing we can do to change it,
your Son has shown us and asks us to believe.
Help our unbelief.
Transform us and send us out into the world
to share the good news,
Jesus is not here,
he is risen!
Amen.
Words of Assurance:
Here is the good news: Love came down.
Love that rescues us from our selfishness and greed.
Love that infects us with Christ’s righteousness.
Love that awakens us to our true selves.
Love that cleanses and renews.
In Jesus the Christ we are forgiven,
receive new life, and are born again!
Thanks be to God!
The Peace:
The peace of the risen Christ be with you …
and also with you.
The Story:
On Friday
the body was broken
and taken down from the cross,
broken and cold,
and laid in a tomb.
Three days later,
it is morning that breaks
and a new dawn spills into the world
revealing a set of fresh footprints
in the dew.
By a tomb now empty,
behind a stone: (rolled and discarded)
angels hide,
restless with good news,
trying to keep a secret,
waiting for someone to come
to anoint a body.
But the joke is …
there is no body!
Mary is first,
and unable to keep silent any longer
the heavenly beings blurt out:
“He is not here!”
There is laughter in their voice,
giggling with good news,
hardly able to proclaim their message:
“He is risen!”
Suddenly the sun shifts over the horizon,
shards of light fuse together
creating the peachy orangey yellow gold
of the first kingdom morning.
And the angels shout aloud
the word they have been holding onto for so long:
“Alleluia!”
“Alleluia!”
“ALLELUIA!”
Bible Reading: Mark 16:1-11
– The Resurrection of Jesus
1 When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 They had been saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” 4 When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. 6 But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
9 Now after he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went out and told those who had been with him, while they were mourning and weeping. 11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.
We Sing: “Myrrh-bearing Mary” – (Click on this link and skip the ads – TiS words below)
Bible Reading: John 20:11-18
– Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb, 12 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. 13 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.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” 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.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not touch 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.’ ” 18 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.
Watch and listen to the Reflection
Reflection: Joyful Reunion.
If you have ever waited for someone at the arrivals gate at an airport you will know what a tremendously uplifting and joyous experience it can be. Families, friends, partners waiting for their beloved to walk through the door. The beam as faces light up on recognition, the quickening of the step, the hug, the kiss, the handshake, the smiles and laughter and keen questioning. They all tell of the bonds that were stretched with distance and now in that instant have snapped back with an immediacy and intimacy. It is beautiful to behold.
I was lucky enough to have one such reunion last Friday … my nephew James flew into Melbourne for a Grand Prix weekend with some work mates who had driven down earlier. He had contacted me beforehand to see if there would be a time that just the two of us could catch up so I decided to pick him up at the airport. It was great to see him and over a long breakfast and some great conversation we reconnected, sharing a special moment when he told me that on Easter Day he was being confirmed in his church. How precious was the moment I heard that.
This Easter Day will have a special meaning for James, but for many Australians it has become just another holiday with the bonus of some culinary indulgence. It is estimated that this year (even with the harder economic times) Australians will spend an estimated $1.7 billion on Easter related food including hot cross buns and Easter eggs. While most of us enjoy this part of Easter, for many the real meaning behind Easter has been lost. The life changing significance of what happened on that first Easter morning seems unknown to many. It is sad to think that this pivotal moment in human history, when God in love reached out to change everything, is not understood.
But maybe I’m getting ahead of myself, for while we know and can rejoice this Easter morning, when we meet the women going to the tomb, they are not in the same position we are. In both of today’s readings, we meet the women before they have heard the good news.
In Mark’s telling, as soon as they can after the Sabbath has ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome buy spices and go to anoint Jesus in the tomb. These are the women who have watched Jesus die, know where to find the body of Jesus, and know that there is a large stone in front of the tomb.
As they journey they are filled with the practical concerns for their task, wondering how they will roll the stone away, but what continued to drive them forward was the bond of love that still held them close. Even in Mark’s gospel, with its two different endings, that connection is obvious.
In their shock, as recorded in Mark’s account, the women are awestruck to fearful silence at the empty tomb. But they are called to action by the figure dressed in a white robe within the tomb. They are commissioned to go and preach the good news that Jesus is alive and going ahead of them. And in time they do, yet not everyone believes them.
Before Peter and the other male disciples, the two Marys and Salome were called to carry the Word onwards. What a gift to be given and called to share. As it is women who witness the torture and death of Jesus, and women who follow and see where his body is placed, it seems somehow fitting that they are the first witnesses to the empty tomb and the first to receive the good news: He is risen! How sad it is that in some parts of the world women are now not free to preach the gospel in the same way a man can.
John’s gospel tells a different story. Here Mary Magdalene (one of the women who travelled with Jesus and supported his ministry) travels to the tomb and converses with the angels when she finds that Jesus is not there. In her grief, even though she sees Jesus, she does not recognise him. It is only when he says her name, ‘Mary’ that she perceives who is speaking with her.
This interaction, I believe, reveals some interesting things about Jesus. Firstly he chooses to speak to Mary, rather than the other disciples who are at the tomb. They leave wondering and confused but Mary knows. Maybe Mary needs this encounter more, or maybe it is because of what Jesus asks her to do. Secondly, Jesus could have spoken immediately to Mary, but he doesn’t. He waits and reaches out to her in her distress … speaking her name and reminding her that she is known and loved. Thirdly, something is still going on for Jesus as he asks Mary not to touch him as he has not yet ‘ascended to the Father’ (John 20:17). While we can only guess at the meaning of this, Jesus commissions Mary to be the first preacher, the one to share the good news of his resurrection and return, showing that in God’s kingdom all have gifts and a role to play.
So what does this story have to say to us today? I wonder if it is not a timely reminder that we need to continue to celebrate Easter. It is not a once and it’s done kind of celebration, but a pivotal story of God’s love that must be repeated, recalled and relived. So many don’t know this story, and how will they if we aren’t prepared to share it?
The world, God’s creation, and our small corner of the whole universe – the part over which we have power to assert influence and make decisions – is in constant flux and change. Societies are in constant shuttling as they progress forward in some ways and regress backwards in others. The building of a world in which the attributes of the Kingdom of God are central is a process that needs to be argued about and worked for. The hope that comes on Resurrection Sunday is one that inspires us that when events seem to be going wrong, when the powers that harm and destroy what is good seem on the ascent, that this is not the last word.
Yes, we are called to be part of the push towards kingdom values, and we can do this because we recognise the bonds of love that hold us together. However distant they might seem at any given time, these bonds of love can grow and strengthen and heal and transform. This is the glorious hope of Easter – that we might tell the story of something positive and good, something life-changing, and invite others to meet the risen Christ.
And if we do this, maybe next Easter those with whom we share this good news might know that transformative love of God in their lives, and join with us in proclaiming “Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed!” Hallelujah!
Amen.
Prayer for Others (prepared by Liz Pace):
Let us pray,
God of love and compassion, hear the prayers of your people.
We come before you this morning with grateful hearts full of hope, with a deepening understanding of the breadth of your love for your people.
Dampen our arrogance that insists we need to understand everything. Quieten our doubts and allow us to see that we do not need to know or to fully understand what has happened this Easter Day but rather accept that the life we have been given needs to be lived to the full in your service.
Guide us to make new beginnings, full of the knowledge that the love that we show others is part of your kingdom on earth.
We bring before you those many parts of your world that are not being shown your love. Help us to find ways to do what we can to relieve the suffering of your people, whether through war, famine, cruelty, discrimination or climatic disasters.
Give us courage to speak up when confronted with bigotry, greed, injustice and ignorance.
We bring before this morning our private prayers and concerns and ask for your guidance as we pray in silence (time of silence)
God of Easter morning, of new beginnings, of abundant life, bless your people as we go from this place full of joy and hope.
Amen.
Watch and participate in the communion service
Communion:
Invitation to the table
Friends,
it would have been easy on that Easter morning
for Jesus to roll away the stone,
walk to the city centre,
and declare that death had not won.
Instead, Jesus waited in the garden.
He waited for the people who needed him most.
He waited for Mary.
He called her by name.
He stopped her crying.
He gave her a reason to hope.
So if you have ever doubted
that God’s love for you is personal and specific,
may the truth of this day remind you otherwise.
The God you seek will meet you in the garden on your hardest days.
And that same God has a seat saved at this Table, specifically for you.
So, come.
Come, whether you are dancing for joy, or like Mary, still feeling a little lost.
Come with your questions. Come with your hunger.
Come, whether this is your first time or your hundredth.
Come, because this feast is a reminder
that God’s Table is big enough for all of us.
Jesus Christ is risen today and he rose for you.
So, come. All are welcome.
Prayer of Thanksgiving
Resurrecting God,
Mary went to the garden looking for you.
Two thousand years later, we follow in her footsteps.
We seek after you,
hungry for a garden moment where we might hear you say our name
or feel you in our midst.
So before the hallelujahs begin,
we empty our pockets of our prayers and remember where we’ve been.
With gratitude, we recall Maundy Thursday.
We are grateful for the tables we gather around,
for the friends that feel like family,
and for this church—which acts as our band of disciples.
We hold onto the reminder of you washing the disciples’ feet that night,
and trust that that same love extends to us.
With sorrow, we recall Good Friday.
We grieve the depths of cruelty woven into that day –
a cruelty so many in this hurting world know.
So, for those who are still caught in grief and loss,
for those whose days have turned to night,
relieve them of their suffering.
Find them in the crowd.
Wipe their tears.
Hold their grief for them and point them toward peace.
Now, with hope we enter into this Easter morning,
to find ourselves face-to-face with your good news.
Thank you for giving us reason to hope.
Thank you for the sunrise after a long night,
for the healing of bones and hearts,
for laughter that is contagious,
and for the joy felt in community.
May every gratitude and joy in our life come back to you.
Now as we come to the Table,
just as Mary came to the tomb,
we ask that in every stage of our seeking, you would be near to us.
Pour out a double portion of your Spirit on this bread and cup
that we might see you as clearly as Mary did.
And may this meal nourish us to build your kingdom here.
Until that promised day, we pray together using the words you taught us to pray,
saying,
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.
Distribution
So in recollection of the meal that Jesus shared with his disciples we affirm that
the bread we take is a sharing in the body of Christ, a body broken for justice.
Also the wine we take is a sharing in the blood of Christ, shed for liberation.
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
Where don’t we seek after you, God?
We look for you in the mirror, in strangers,
in sunrises, on mountain tops,
in the laughter of children, and in meals shared together.
We look for you on the city streets,
in hospital rooms, in jail cells,
in poetry, and hymn melodies.
We look for you everywhere!
Sometimes the seeking is hard,
but then at other times, we come to this Table
and all are fed,
and all are welcomed,
and there is room for everyone,
and no one is turned away,
or made to feel unworthy.
And in those moments, we see you clearly.
So thank you for meeting us in our seeking.
Please don’t stop seeking us.
Gratefully we pray,
Amen
Blessing:
Jesus is not here, he is risen.
He is everywhere all the time.
So let us go and share this wonderful news,
let us shout it from the rooftops,
let us sing it in the streets.
Let us be bold and brave as we go –
and may we dwell in God’s delight,
share in the new risen life of Jesus
and walk with the joy of the Spirit
who dwells within us and around us.
Amen.
We Sing: “Hear the bells ringing” – (Click on this link for the tune – TIS words below)
Thanks to all those who have assisted in preparation for this liturgy with encouragement, prayers and conversation. I have also utilised the following resources:-Spill the Beans (Issue 46) and The Women’s Lectionary: Preaching The Women Of The Bible Throughout The Year (Ashley M Wilcox), WorkingPreacher.com Fig Tree Worship and Sanctified Art.