Christ is Risen indeed! As the long Easter celebration continues, the readings this week move us into praise and proclamations of faith. Now is the time to pull out all the stops and allow our worship to be true celebration.

One thing I have long found curious, though, is the lack of contemporary hymns that reflect on the empty tomb. I offer the suggestions below as an attempt to find some contemporary music that can support this week’s theme, and allow for the celebration of this season to be expressed. If you have any better suggestions for contemporary resurrection songs, please feel free to leave a note in the comments.

READINGS:
Acts 5:27-32: The apostles are arrested for refusing to stop preaching about Jesus.

Psalm 150: The closing song of the Psalter calling God’s people- and all creatures – to praise with everything they have.

Revelation 1:4-8:John’s introduction to the Revelation, praises Jesus as the resurrected witness, the one who has given us life, and who is God eternal.

John 20:19-31: Thomas, who is not present at the first appearance of Jesus to the disciples, is confronted with the Risen Christ, and invited to put his doubts to rest. He responds by affirming his faith in the Risen One.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
While this week’s Gospel reading naturally draws us to reflect on doubt and faith, the other readings encourage a slightly different approach, which focuses instead on Thomas’s final proclamation of worship. My suspicion is that we make far more of Thomas’s doubt than Jesus does. The focus on praise, however, draws us into a whole different place. It is their faith and determination to worship Jesus that makes the disciples so bold in the face of the threats from the religious leaders. It is the worship of the Psalmist that provides the celebration at the end of the Psalter – bringing all of the lament, grief, pain and suffering that we find in those songs into this moment of final celebration. It is John’s worship of Jesus, and his faith in the Risen One, that moves him to write about his vision of hope and grace in the final consummation of Jesus’ saving work.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: The opposite of faith is not doubt, but fear, cynicism and despair. It is these negative forces that constantly lead our world into violence – from the World Wars, to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, to religious conflicts like those in Nigeria recently. It is these negative forces that so often lead to oppression, exploitation and abuse of those we fear. To commit to hope and justice and life is, in the light of this, a subversive and confrontational act – as the disciples found out. The challenge, of the resurrection then, is to be people who refuse to co-operate with the forces of fear, cynicism and despair, and who work constantly to bring faith, hope, life and worship into places of fear and pain. What global movements of prayer, faith, hope and worship can you join or initiate – even if it means joining or inviting those you disagree with? It is these acts of unity that defies the power of fear and cynicism, and prophetically offers hope and life. If you live in the United States, what might this have to say about the ongoing failure of bipartisanship in your political life?

LOCAL APPLICATION: It is tempting, even in faith communities, to align ourselves only with those with whom we agree. People who are different are challenging, and move us out of our comfort zone. This can make them frightening. It is also tempting to stick with ideas, practices and customs that we are familiar with, because they are safe. New ideas and ways can be threatening and difficult to navigate – which is why we so often struggle with change – and so we easily find ourselves resisting them automatically. Neither response – staying only with familiar people or familiar situations – lead us into life, though. It is when we are willing to embrace the other, the new, the different, with faith, hope and love, that we enter into the life that Jesus offers. When we can believe in resurrection enough to build our lives on this faith, hope and love, then we begin to be able to move out of our safe spaces, and find life in all the unexpected places where it is hiding. What new people, new experiences, new ideas or new practices can you explore as a faith-action this week in your community?

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Defiant Praise
We Choose Not

Hymn Suggestions:
Hallelujah! What A Saviour
How Can We Sinners Know
To God Be The Glory
Blessed Assurance
I Cannot Tell Why He Whom Angels Worship
OR for a contemporary version click through to the Sacredise site (scroll down for the preview)
Jesus Messiah (Link to YouTube video)
Hallelujah! What A Saviour – Vicky Beeching (Link to YouTube video)
Grace Like Rain (Link to YouTube video)
A Tomb So Cold
Glorious (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for the Foretaste of the Heavenly Banquet
A Liturgy for Easter Sunday

Video Suggestions:
Doubting Thomas

What does Easter Sunday have to say to a world of injustice? Everything! When life triumphs over death, when insignificant women are the first witnesses, when the powers of empire cannot silence a ragtag band of ordinary people, something different is at work in the world. This is our hope, our inspiration and our challenge. May your Easter be a moment, not just of celebration, but of awakening and of mobilisation to find life, bring life, create life in every place of death in your world. He is risen! Alleluia!

READINGS:
Acts 10:34-43: Peter preaches to the Gentiles in Cornelius’ house & reminds them of Jesus’ life, death & resurrection.

Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24: A song celebrating God’s mercy and strength, and celebrating the restoration of God after struggle – foreshadowing “the stone that the builders rejected” who “became the cornerstone”.

1 Corinthians 15:19-26: Christ is the one who died and came back to life in order to bring all people to life. Finally, death itself is destroyed.

John 20:1-18: Mary finds the empty tomb and reports it to the disciples. Peter and John investigate and witness the empty tomb, but Mary remains and becomes the first to meet the Risen Christ.

OR Luke 24:1-12: The women find the tomb empty and meet two angels who report that Jesus is risen. They return and report the event to the disciples, who are initially skeptical.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
This Easter the focus is, of course, on the resurrection, but the particular emphasis is on the liberation that Jesus brings. It is notable that the Acts reading is included, reminding us of that great moment of inclusion in the church’s history, where Peter proclaims, “But God has shown me that I should no longer call anyone impure or unclean.” In addition, both Gospel readings focus on the women’s role in the great resurrection drama, especially Mary Magdalene – another great moment of inclusion in the history of God’s people. The message is clear – the resurrection is not just about finding life for after we die. It is a doorway to life now for all who are denied life through exclusion, oppression or judgment.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: Easter is celebrated the world over for the life that Jesus brings to us all. Unfortunately, though, the Easter message of inclusion, liberation and life is often subverted by versions of faith that project Christ’s life only into the heavenly future, and only for a select few. In the name of this Gospel, people of other faiths and nations have been exploited, oppressed and even killed. Many of the global inequalities in the world today are the product of this distortion of Christ’s message and purpose. In the light of this, it may be appropriate to spend some time in repentance, and in renewing our commitment to share Christ’s inclusive liberating life with all people. This commitment applies to issues like immigration, poverty, war, people of other cultures, religions, races, genders and even sexual orientations. What specific places of oppression may God be calling you to reach out to with resurrection life?

LOCAL APPLICATION: Every community wrestles with the forces of death both within and without. Within, we must confront the temptation to exclude those who disagree with us, the temptation to form closed, and critical cliques, and the temptation to keep Christ’s life to ourselves, and as a future hope only. In addition, the power struggles that beset every group of people are not absent in the Church, which always leaves some among us feeling silenced, sidelined and wounded. Without, we face the temptation to turn a blind eye to the dark places in our communities, to stand on the sidelines and judge those who are suffering, or to blame them for their own pain, and to close our doors to those who don’t fit our profile of a Christian. But, if we are to embrace the true power of resurrection life, we must turn our backs on our fears and prejudices, release our hold on power, and invite the hurting, the different, the marginalised into Christ’s liberating life. Who are the people in your community who need to hear this invitation in your community this week? How can you be a community that leads others into a liberating encounter with the Risen Christ?

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Witnesses
Resurrection
Committing To Life

Hymn Suggestions:
Christ The Lord Is Risen Today
Thine Be The Glory
Hail! Thou Once Despised Jesus
Up From The Grave He Arose
Crown Him With Many Crowns
We Shall Go Out With Hope Of Resurrection
Mighty To Save (Link to YouTube video)
Crown Him (Link to YouTube video)
Easter Song (Link to YouTube video)
Everyone Belongs (Link to Amazon.com preview & download page)
Lord, I Lift Your Name On High (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for Easter Sunday

Video Suggestions:
Because He Lives
Tell Everyone
Resurrection
He Is Risen (An Easter Benediction)

Image:
Resurrection

Good Friday is a challenging and exciting opportunity to lead people into a real encounter with Christ as the Suffering Servant. It is tempting to fall back on old ideas and formulae, but I would encourage you to explore being creative, not to overwhelm the solemnity of the day, but to enhance it. As per usual, here are some suggestions for how you could approach this day, and for some possible resources.

READINGS:
Isaiah 52:13-53:12: A song of the suffering servant, who is persecuted and dies for the sake of others (“us”).

Psalm 22:  A Psalm of lament, grieving the suffering and abandonment of the writer, but celebrating the inevitable rescue that will come, and praising the God who brings this salvation.

Hebrews 10:16-25: We have confidence to approach God, because of Christ’s sacrifice for us, and can now live in hope, in intimacy with God, and in love-in-action.

John 18:1 – 19:42: Jesus is arrested, tried, crucified and buried – and through it all, reveals the brokenness and lack of integrity of those who face him, while revealing his own truth, integrity and divine character.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
Good Friday is a tough day to prepare for . The story is so familiar, that the shock and impact of it can easily be lost in a “same old, same old” ritualism. However, with a little creativity and thoughtfulness, some powerful themes emerge. First is the question of Jesus’ purpose – did he live to die, or did he die in order to live and bring life to all? This is more than semantics. It opens up our faith to the reality that what Jesus came to do was not about death so much as it is about life in all its forms and possibilities. Jesus died because he refused to allow a lesser life – evil, compromise, expediency – take him over. He died because he embraced a life of love fully and completely, and would not be moved from it. And in so doing, he lived fully, and gave an example for us to follow and a way for us to enter life. The second theme is that of our response. What Jesus did was not simply to give us a ticket to bliss in heaven. Rather he opened the door for us to be forgiven – which requires us to face our darkness and brokenness – and to live fully, as he did, if we will also die to everything that keeps us from real, abundant life, and embrace a life of love. Good Friday, then, confronts us with what life is really meant to be, and with the price we must pay to find it – which, in the end, turns out to be much smaller than it may at first appear.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: In so many ways religion has come to be irrelevant to the big issues of our world. Glen Beck’s recent call for Christians to leave social justice oriented churches simply illustrates the point. However, what Jesus did in his death goes to the heart of the crises we face. In a world of war, Jesus refuses to take up arms, and gives himself to death. In a world of corruption in the halls of power, Jesus exposes expediency and manipulation, and dies with his integrity intact. In a world of poverty, Jesus gives up everything in order to offer life to others. Jesus makes it clear, whatever the situation, practical, sacrificial, cross-bearing love, is the greatest confrontation and challenge to the broken systems of our world. And, while some view love as ‘wimpy’, the Sunday that is coming reveals it’s true, death-defeating power. What does this say to us about being Easter people in our world today?

LOCAL APPLICATION: A Christianity that is about nothing more than a guarantee of personal forgiveness and a life of eternal bliss is the antithesis of what Christ came to do – it is selfish, escapist and unloving. It removes us from any cost, and deceives us into believing that all we have to do is agree to a set of ideas and sit back until we get to heaven. Good Friday does not leave us with this delusion, however. Jesus confronts selfishness and self-protectiveness at every turn. He challenges us with his willingness to give his life in order to practically love even his enemies. He disrupts our comfort by mirroring back to us the extent of our depravity and collusion in the evil systems of our world. But, he also opens a way for us to find a new life now. He leads us into the abundant life that comes when we embrace the cross, commit to love, and refuse to settle for less than true, authentic, generous living.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Dying To Live
A Day Of Wonders
A Naked Death

Hymn Suggestions:
When I Survey The Wondrous Cross
O Thou Who Camest From Above
Beneath The Cross Of Jesus
Alas! And Did My Saviour Bleed
Jesus Keep Me Near The Cross
O The Wonderful Cross (Link to YouTube video)
Amazing Love (You Are My King) (Link to YouTube video)
This Place (Scroll down for chord chart). Go here & scroll down to listen to a preview.
Amazing Love (Link to YouTube video)
Above All (Link to YouTube video)
Once Again (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Communion Liturgy for Good Friday

Video Suggestions:
The Cross: A Curse For Us?
The Cross
Easter Part 2: Jesus Crucified
The Wonderful Cross
Wingclips.com Easter Videos

Image:
Crucifixion

As we move into the central event in the Church Year, the Liturgy of the Passion gives us an opportunity to prepare well and meaningfully. Many liturgists this year seem to be suggesting that, if the longer Gospel reading is used, it can be allowed to stand alone, preaching in its own way without a sermon to explain or mediate it. Whatever approach is used – or if the Liturgy of the Palms is combined – this Sunday opens doors to a deep encounter with the incarnate and crucified Christ. And that, after all, is hat our worship is all about.

READINGS:
Isaiah 50:4-9a: A prophecy of the obedient servant, beaten and mocked, but vindicated by God.

Psalm 31:9-16: The cry of God’s servant, persecuted and beaten.

Philippians 2:5-11: Jesus’ humility and obedience in his incarnate, crucified life, and God’s exaltation of Christ.

Luke 22:14-23:56: Jesus’ journey to death, from the last supper, to his burial.
OR
Luke 23:1-49: Jesus is tried before Pilate and Herod, and crucified.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
The Liturgy of the Passion is, quite simply, a meditation on the suffering of Jesus, but, especially through the Psalm reading, also a reflection on God’s solidarity with all who suffer. The way the service is structured is, obviously, dependent on which version of the Gospel reading is used. Also, the Liturgy of the Passion can be combined with the Liturgy of the Palms to create a more diverse and “journeying” service that moves from celebration to solemnity. The possibilities are endless.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: In the Liturgy of the Passion the justice focus does not need to be over emphasised. The clear call to find God in places of suffering, and to stand with all who suffer comes through without too much effort. A nice touch, though, could be to spend some time remembering those who have been affected by the recent spate of natural disasters, as well as those who live in ongoing pain because of AIDS, poverty or war.

LOCAL APPLICATION: Again, there is no need to overplay the theme here. The Scriptures do a lot of the work on their own, and the clear, comforting message of God’s initiative in coming to us in our pain – whatever that pain may be – comes through without any extra effort. Perhaps, the one thing that can be made use of – especially if the Passion and the Palms are combined – is the challenge that God’s reign presents to the systems of our world that cause or exacerbate suffering. And, of course, there remains the inspiring message of hope that pain and death do not have the final word.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
If Not For Your Embrace Of Death
The Mystery Of Your Love
No Dying Today
What Life Can Be

Hymn Suggestions:
O Sacred Head Now Wounded
O Love Divine What Hast Thou Done
Jesus! The Name High Over All
Depth Of Mercy
And Can It Be
This Place (Scroll down for chord chart). Go here & scroll down to listen to a preview.
God With Us (Link to YouTube video)
Amazing Love (Link to YouTube video)
Once Again (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Short Liturgy for Maundy Thursday (Although designed for Maundy Thursday, this liturgy can also be a fit for Passion Sunday).

Video Suggestions:
His Passion
What Would You Suffer For?

Image:
Crucifixion