Dear friends,
I hope you are keeping well. Here are some resources that I hope will help you as we each have church at home this Sunday. I hope you find these an encouragement in the riches of grace in Jesus Christ our Lord.
You are also invited to join us for our ‘Prayer Supper’ at 6:00pm this Sunday evening via Zoom. You can join us on a computer or by dialling in on any phone line. If you would like to be sent a link to join us, please email mikeyreade@hotmail.co.uk.
As ever if you need assistance with any practical needs or errands, I am happy to arrange and coordinate people with offers of help in the church family, so please get in touch.
(My apologies in advance that you might be shown adverts on some of the videos below, they are sometimes automatically generated by YouTube.)
Alleluia, Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
This is the day that the Lord has made.
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Hymn
Alleluia, alleluia, give thanks to the risen Lord.
Preparation
Open our eyes, Lord - enlarge our seeing.
Open our hearts, Lord - increase our faith and love.
Open our minds, Lord - deepen our knowing.
Often we do not live the Lord's abundant life:
Lord have mercy - Christ have mercy - Lord have mercy.
Word of God
Our reading this Sunday is 1 Peter 1:1-12. Please read this, then let's join together in affirming our faith:
We believe O God - that you are the eternal Lord of Life
We believe O God - that you are the eternal Lord of Love
We believe O God - that you are the eternal Lord of Light
Blessed be you O God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Reflection: Living Hope
The First Letter of Peter gives us an uplifting Easter message:
"[The Father] has given us new birth into a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead...” (1 Peter 1:3)
The problem we have is both life and hope are easily crushed.
At the moment our globally interconnected world is being shaken to the core by COVID-19.
Life is profoundly changing – probably not just temporarily; assumptions of the last 60 years or so are being challenged.
This is not so different from those early Christian/Jewish communities, written to as the “Exiles of the Dispersion” (1 Peter 1:2), in present day Turkey. Once these were strong Christian centres, but Rome would bring a ‘fiery test’ to these young churches.
‘Living Hope’ - raises embattled spirits both then and today. To look beyond the present moment and crisis to a Hope that lifts us into eternity. Not to escape the present – but to enable us to meet the moment with renewed energy and compassion.
There is a big contrast and division between:
Hope founded upon this world - as even with good humanitarian actions, we are good at spoiling things (see the 7 deadly sins), and
Hope founded upon the source of life and Hope – God whom we meet in Jesus.
The “Living Hope” flows on into an ‘inheritance’ (1 Peter 1:4) that is:
‘imperishable’: It cannot be spoilt, or taken away (yet we trust the perishable)
‘undefiled’: It cannot be corrupted by human action/sin. (yet we constantly recycle our sins)
‘unfading’: It will last! All that is around us will change, even the mountains and seas, even the world’s botoxed beauty will change! This Living Hope comes with a Resurrection guarantee.
In the meantime, life goes on. After the apparent catastrophe of Good Friday, there is Easter. Everything now takes on a deeper, richer form, within the unique stream of life that flows from the Father, through Jesus Christ, in the Spirit.
Here, then, is:
the Love of Christ – that embraces all.
the Light of Christ – to lead and inspire in the pilgrimage.
the Life of Christ – that we now see to be an eternal Living Hope.
Hymn
You are the king of glory.
Intercession
We pray for all working in the NHS and support services.
We pray for Governments worldwide - for wise leadership and decision making.
We pray for those who are sick, troubled, fearful and bereaved.
O Lord, we bring
{name/situation} in their weakness, for your strengthening.
.................... in sickness, for your healing.
.................... in trouble, for your guidance.
.................... in authority, for your leading.
Today's Collect
Almighty Father, you have given your only Son to die for our sins and to rise again for our justification: grant us so to put away the leaven of malice and wickedness that we may always serve you in pureness of living and truth; through the merits of your Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Please continue with your own prayers and the Lord’s Prayer.
Hymn
Thine be the glory.
Conclusion
Thank you O Lord,
your steadfast love never ceases.
Your mercies are new ever morning,
great is your faithfulness.
Let us go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Amen.