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
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