May the empty tomb be more than an event for us as we worship this year, and may our worship lead us into a real and transforming encounter with God’s irrepressible life!

READINGS:
Acts 10:34-43: Peter preaches to the Gentiles in Cornelius’ house & reminds them of Jesus’ life, death & resurrection.
OR Jeremiah 31:1-6: A prophecy of hope and restoration in which God promises that God’s people will once again be happy, and will enjoy God’s blessings.

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”.

Colossians 3:1-4: Paul encourages believers to remember that they have been raised with Christ, that their life is with Christ in God, and that they should therefore concentrate on the things of heaven.
OR Acts 10:34-43 (see above)

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 Matthew 28:1-10: The two Mary’s go to Jesus’ tomb, and find it open with an angel sitting on the stone who instructs them to go and tell the disciples that Jesus is risen. As they head off, they are met by the risen Jesus.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
It goes without saying that the theme for Easter Sunday is the resurrection of Christ. But, more than just a historical event that happened to Jesus years ago, the readings make it clear that the resurrection is also something that happens for us today. All of the Old Testament readings speak of restoration and new life that can be experienced by those who have been broken. In Acts Peter reminds the gathering in Cornelius’ house of Christ’s resurrection as part of his call for them to believe. Paul in his letter to the Colossians reminds them that they too are raised with Christ, and that they have life that lasts beyond the grave. So, even as we walk with the women and the disciples through the resurrection story, we are called to remember that, as we receive Christ, it becomes our story too.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: It’s easy to make the resurrection an intellectual exercise that focuses on details, doubts and questions of evidence. Equally it is easy to make the resurrection little more than a touch stone of belief – of intellectual agreement – that qualifies us to call ourselves Christians. But, as the readings today show, the resurrection is far less about what goes on in our minds as it is about what goes on in our lives. The two big challenges for us as believers is to open our lives to this resurrection life of Christ, to allow God’s life to break in and free us from all the little deaths that seek to control our lives. Then, as those who have experienced life, we are called to be those who bring life – agents of resurrection – in all the places in our world where death is at work. This year we cannot avoid asking how resurrection can be experienced in Japan and New Zealand, or in the Middle East where protests against oppressive regimes have broken out in various nations. Also, we need to face the ongoing question of how resurrection can be experienced for our diseased planet, how resurrection can come to those who live in dire poverty, or who have been trafficked as sex slaves, or who live with the burden of dread diseases. One thing is certain, God’s resurrection life will only come to those people as we – the people of the resurrection – carry it into the world.

LOCAL APPLICATION:  It is crucial that Easter Sunday is not allowed to become just an interesting academic exercise. In every community, and in every life, we struggle with both life and death. The beauty of resurrection is that death is not so much opposed or destroyed as transformed and absorbed into life. And so, as we celebrate resurrection this Sunday, we are also called to live resurrection in our own lives. This means that God is challenging us to face the death within us – the self-centredness, apathy, destructiveness and cynicism that keep us and others from life – and allow it be transformed into life. It also means that we be prepared to bring life to others wherever we can through our compassion, hospitality, listening, giving, friendship, involvement and advocacy. When we become aware of how our actions bring life or death to others, we find ourselves making different choices. If our use of energy robs the planet of life, we will gratefully seek to be more responsible and careful. If our choice of products or our tendency to consume more than we need leaves others in poverty, or leads to people not receiving fair pay for their work or products, we will shop more compassionately. And if simple acts like voting, signing petitions (like those from Avaaz.com) or engaging our local government officials can help to make our communities more just and peaceful, we have brought life to others. Then, flowing from these works, we can speak – with actions having backed up our words – of the eternal life that can be experienced through 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)
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

May the power of resurrection life fill our souls as we worship this week, and throughout the Easter Season.

READINGS:
Acts 2:14a, 22-32: Peter, preaching on the Day of Pentecost, proclaims that Jesus is risen and quotes from David’s Psalm (16) as a prophecy of the resurrection of Christ.

Psalm 16: A psalm of David, expressing trust in God, commitment to faithful worship, and assurance of God’s promise of resurrection – which in the New Testament is taken as a promise of Jesus’ resurrection.

1 Peter 1:3-9: Peter encourages the believers as they endure trials, reminding them of the life they have in the Risen Christ and of the joy that they will experience when their faith, having been strengthened by their suffering, leads them into fulness of life.

John 20:19-31: The resurrected Jesus appears to his disciples and breathes the Holy Spirit on them, then he appears to Thomas who had doubted the witness of the other disciples, and shows Thomas his wounds, leading Thomas to faith and worship. After telling this story, John explains the purpose of his Gospel, to show who Jesus is and to lead his readers to faith.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
The resurrection may be an interesting historical fact, but if that’s all it is, it has little value for us today. This week’s Lectionary readings make it clear, however, that the resurrection of Jesus is way more than just an event of the past. Every reading offers the assurance that God’s life is available to us now in Christ. In both Peter’s preaching and his letter he affirms that Christ’s resurrection is real and is a promise that God’s life is available to all. The Psalm, which Peter quotes in his Pentecost sermon, expresses the Psalmist’s assurance of God’s care and life, and is taken by Peter as a prophecy of Christ’s resurrection. Finally, in the Gospel reading, John demonstrates how Christ’s resurrection inspires and empowers his disciples, and how Thomas is dramatically drawn into faith. Put together, these readings give us a basis for confidence as we face the challenges – the ‘little deaths’ – of each day, and they invite us to experience Christ’s resurrection life now not just after we have died. So, resurrection is not just an amazing thing that happened long ago. It can be our lived experience every moment.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: In a world where nothing is certain, where agreements and treaties and commitments are so often broken, the word ‘assurance’ can seem like a ridiculous ideal. Expediency would seem to be a far higher value, and those who want to keep up had better get comfortable with it fast. Yet, assurance is an important word in the realm of faith. Without assurance faith becomes either a fantasy or a white-knuckle clinging to vain hope. It’s not that we need proof of what we believe – as if faith was about verifiable fact. Rather, it’s that faith needs to be something we live, that drives us and moves us and defines us. Lived faith requires a confidence which is an experience of the thing in which we believe. Like the small wins that an athlete uses to boost their confidence on the way to Olympic gold, assurance confirms for us that what we have given our lives for has substance and reality to it. To speak of the resurrection with no experience of ‘little resurrections’ to give us this assurance, this confidence, leaves us in a limbo state of always waiting for something better – “pie in the sky”. But, as we work for justice, peace, simplicity and community in this world, we draw strength from our daily experiences of God’s resurrection life – in the laughter of a poor child who still remembers how to play; in the commitment to peace among those who suffer abuse from dictatorial leaders; in the mindfulness of those who choose what they eat and buy according to principles of justice and conservation of the planet; in the resilience of those who continue to hope and dream and work for a bright future, even after losing everything in natural disasters. It is when we open our hearts and minds to these signs of resurrection that we find the assurance to keep faith, and to hold on to our integrity, compassion and commitment to ethical living. It is this daily experience of resurrection that empowers us to believe in Christ and the way of God’s reign, and, like Thomas, to turn our lives into an act of worship and service.

LOCAL APPLICATION:  In every life there are daily ‘little deaths’ – job losses, sickness, broken relationships, bereavements. At times faith in Christ and in the resurrection has been portrayed as an escape from these realities of the human condition, and Christians have tried to pretend that we are immune from life’s pain and failures. However, when we do this, we do not help ourselves or our communities, and we do not honour Jesus’ death or resurrection. Also, when we make the resurrection simply a historical fact to assent to intellectually, we lose the power it offers for daily living and service. Thomas refused to believe as an intellectual exercise just because “everyone else” did. He insisted on discovering the resurrection for himself, even though it meant admitting his doubts and allowing himself to be proved wrong. He needed an assurance of life, but once he had received it, he was a changed and healed person. What life and healing we could offer our neighbourhoods and our people if, in the Church, we welcomed doubt and recognised that failure and brokenness are universal. What transformation could be experienced if we accepted people as they are – whatever that might mean – and invited them to seek in earnest after an assurance – an experience of ‘little resurrections’ – in the midst of their pain and struggle. How different our impact on our communities might be if, instead of giving our energy to judgement and criticism and defensiveness, we embraced all people with the confidence of God’s life, God’s love and God’s compassion. How differently we might be perceived as Christians if our faith in resurrection was less an idea which we held in our heads, and more a quality that we lived with every part of our lives. And when we’ve experienced the assurance that comes from God’s life in this way, we discover that we cannot help but be agents of resurrection in every moment, every place and every relationship we may find ourselves.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Little Resurrections
The Gift Of Faith

Hymn Suggestions:
At The Name Of Jesus
Blessed Assurance
How Can We Sinners Know
Hail Thou Once Despised Jesus
Jesus, My Lord, My God, My All
Hallelujah, What A Saviour (Link to YouTube video)
Jesus Messiah (Link to YouTube video)
Grace Like Rain (Link to YouTube video)
I Will Rise (Link to YouTube video)
Here I Am To Worship (Link to YouTube video)
On The Third Day (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for Easter Sunday (Can still be used this Sunday if the sacrament is shared because of the resurrection theme)

Video Suggestions:
Doubting Thomas

May we be drawn into unity and communion with God and each other as we seek for life in our worship.

READINGS:
Acts 2:42-47: A description of the life of the early disciples as they shared in worship, hospitality and caring for one another.

Psalm 23: David’s famous psalm of confidence and hope in God’s care, guidance and provision.

1 Peter 2:19-25: Peter encourages the believers who are going through trials because of their faith, and reminds them that Christ, who suffered though he was innocent, is the example we follow.

John 10:1-10: Jesus warns about those who are thieves and robbers, who do not care for ‘the sheep’, and he speaks of himself as the gate for the sheep, through which the sheep move to find pasture – and the abundant life that Jesus offers.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
This week the Lectionary offers a wonderful and rich connection of ideas. In this season of the resurrection, the life of Christ is still uppermost in our minds, and Jesus’ promise that he has come to give life is at the heart of our reflections. The rest of the Gospel, though, and the other readings, all reflect on how life is lived when the care and compassion of God direct us. In the Acts reading we are given a glimpse at the true community of the first disciples and their care for one another. In Psalm 23 we are reminded of God’s care and attention toward God’s people. In Peter’s letter, written to those who are being persecuted for Christ’s sake, there is the assurance that their suffering is not meaningless, and that it is a sharing in Christ’s sacrifice, even as God – the Shepherd and Guardian of the believers’ souls – watches over them. finally, Jesus, in speaking about his life, warns about those who pretend to care for ‘the sheep’ but don’t. In a confusing contrast he is both the Shepherd who does care, and the gate through which the true Shepherd enters to call the sheep, and through which the sheep pass in order to find pasture and life. While it is not the purpose of this short reflection to unravel all of these metaphors, the essential message is clear – the life of Jesus is given and received by mutual care, compassion and protection. The resurrection does not offer some individualised, blissful life. Rather, it calls us into a life that is shared with others who follow Christ, to whom we belong and for whom we are responsible, even as they as are called to care for us. It is only together – in community – that Christ’s life can be known and enjoyed.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: If there is one gift that modern science has given us it is the realisation of the connectedness of all things in the universe. While we have divided up our world into ever smaller groupings – nationalities,political affiliations, languages, ethnicities, regions, genders, generations, religions, cultures, economic strata, educational levels, all of these divisions are ultimately false. It is impossible to do anything to another person or group that does not have some impact on ourselves. And so, we are called, as followers of Christ, to embrace these connections, and to find in them the resurrection life that Christ promises. Like the psalmist, we can know God’s care and provision for us, but also know that this means that we are drawn into God’s house, where we are not the only inhabitants. Like the early believers we are called to share all things, to ‘do life’ together, and to endure whatever persecution or hardship we may face with the same grace and forgiveness that Christ demonstrated. And unlike the false shepherds, who care nothing for the sheep, we are both the sheep who enjoy God’s care, and the ‘shepherds’ or ‘gatekeepers’ who care for the sheep and help them to find life-giving pasture. What this interconnected experience of life means, is that we can no longer ignore what happens on the other side of the world. We are connected with the poor, the sick, the refugee and the oppressed. And, in our own way, as followers of Christ, we can use our love and compassion to change the world so that the most vulnerable people are no longer abused by “thieves and robbers” but are cared for and provided for by people who truly seek their best, and who seek a better world in which all are secure, all are provided for and all are included in the community of humanity.

LOCAL APPLICATION: Whereare the lines drawn in your community? In every church we inevitably fall into lines and divisions, splitting ourselves long lines of gender, generation, sexuality, theology, denomination and function. We tend to separate ourselves when we worship – children, adults and youth in different venues with different ‘styles’ – and when we work and live together as church – with clergy and laity kept in their distinct compartments. But, what if all of these lines rob us of life? What if our tendency to use marketing strategies to identify ‘target markets’ and ‘felt needs’ only leads us into a lifeless uniformity? What if it is the very interconnectedness and diversity that opens us to the reality of the resurrection? In what ways can your community begin to identify and honour the connections, rather than the differences? In what ways can you begin intentionally to include those who are seen as different or ‘outside’? What would happen if the neighbourhood in which your church operates knew you as the church that connects people and that connects needs and solutions and that celebrates humanity in all of its God-given variation? In what ways could your church offer a ministry of connectedness, welcome and involvement with those who most need to be cared for and offered life in your town? Do you think that, maybe, as we seek to follow Christ’s example, we could ignore the slights and criticisms that we so easily retaliate to, and notice the ones who need to be loved and led to life? And then, do you think that maybe the people of your community would find, individualy and together, a richer, more full life, as they honour and embrace the connectedness of the world?

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Good Shepherd
The Life That Ignores Limits
Finding God Together
God You Are Enough (Psalm 23 Paraphrase)

Hymn Suggestions:
The King Of Love My Shepherd Is
Saviour, Like A Shepherd Lead Us
The Church’s One Foundation
Blest Be The Tie That Binds
We Shall Go Out With Hope Of Resurrection
Everyone Under The Sun (Link to Yahoo Listening Page)
You Are: Mp3; Chord Chart
All Are Welcome (Link to YouYube video)
Though We Are Many (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for the Breaking of Bread

Video Suggestions:
The Good Shepherd
Acts 2
Psalm 23

May we find both assurance and a call to action in our worship this week.

READINGS:
Acts 7:55-60: Stephen who has been on trial, expresses his vision of Jesus glorified, which angers the religious leaders, who drag him out of the city to stone him. But, Stephen, as he dies, prays for his attackers, and commits himself to God.

Psalm 31:1-5, 15-16: The Psalmist (David, according to the heading) pleads for God’s protection and deliverance from enemies who seek to harm and ensnare him, and commits his soul into God’s care.

11 Peter 2:2-10: Christ, who was rejected by people, but honoured by God, is the cornerstone on which God is building a spiritual temple in which followers of Christ are the stones. This community that built on Christ is called out of darkness into God’s light to be God’s holy nation.

John 14:1-14: Jesus encourages his disciples to trust in him and not be troubled, for he is the way to God and God is revealed and known in him.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
If following Christ is seen as a way to avoid suffering and struggle, we will deeply disappointed by the message of this week’s Lectionary readings. Beneath all of them lies the reality that Jesus, and those who follow Jesus, faced persecution, accusation and suffering. They were not exempt from life’s troubles, and sometimes their faith even brought suffering on them. And so we witness Stephen who is stoned for his witness to Christ, but who entrusts himself to God. We read the words of the Psalmist who, facing persecution and attack, commits himself to God’s care and protection. Peter tells of how Christ was rejected, but God honoured him and has built a community of light with Christ as the foundation. And Jesus, reassuring his disciples, reminds them that they can find peace in trusting him, and connecting with God through him. The gift of this week is the assurance that, even as we face suffering, our lives are in God’s hands, and, if we will entrust ourselves to God’s care, we will find peace and will be partners in God’s work in our world. This is not the message of ease and of guarantees of the “good life” that we might hope for. But, it is something much better. It is an assurance that as we live in this world and experience its pain, along with all people, we are partners with God, and we have the confidence that our lives and their ultimate destiny are in God’s hands.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: As we face the great challenges of our world, we can be tempted to one of two responses. On the one hand we can grow fearful and alarmist, desperately pointing out the crises, feeling that it is all up to us, that our future in is in our hands and courting the hopelessness that this can bring. On the other hand we can use faith as an escape, a way to focus on “heaven” and ignore the problems of earth, and a doorway to a naive and passive faith that requires no engagement from us and no work on our part to change the brokenness of our world. The Scriptures call us to a different response from either of these, though. While trusting in God’s care, while recognising that our future is not in our own hands, but God’s, and while finding peace in the assurance of God’s care and love, we are encouraged to work with God, asking boldly and courageously for God’s grace to impact our world, seeking to do the “greater works” that Christ called us to, and living as God’s people of light, welcoming all into God’s compassion and mercy. The assurance that faith brings gives us hope for the world and its future. The work that faith calls us to makes us participants in God’s saving work in our world. These two go together, and call us, daily, to make local changes that have global impact. To consider what we buy and eat, what we wear and drive, how we vote and participate in community and social processes. Perhaps the place to start is to examine our hearts, find the places within us where we are most concerned or afraid, and ask how to lead us into faith and trust around that issue, while showing what practical steps we can take to be part of the solution to that specific global grief.

LOCAL APPLICATION: In local communities it is common for those who have the means to separate themselves from the problems of the rest of the world. We do this by creating gated communities for the wealthy, to protect them from the poor and from crime. We do this by hiding in a belief that our small efforts can make little difference. We do this by allowing our pessimism to lead us to self-interest and “us and them” thinking. But, in the Church we have no such luxury. Christ has shown us that it is in living and working for God’s reign that we find the assurance and peace that we seek, and this means not separating ourselves from the world, but engaging the world in Christ’s name. Rather than adopt a cynical “the world’s going to hell anyway” view of things, or buying into a “Left Behind” kind of pessimism about the world, we can embrace God’s saving and hopeful perspective on things and we can seek to be part of God’s healing. We can trust that God is at work in the world and in our communities, and we can look for the signs. And then we can actively participate in what we see God doing in our schools, in our neighbourhoods, in our local governments, in our churches and in our homes. We can seek to live as the community of light that, in whatever small way we can, shines light into the community around us. This will almost certainly mean enduring misunderstanding and even persecution by those who are invested in the “way things are”. It will mean embracing the pain of self-giving as we work on behalf of those who need to experience God’s grace and compassion. And it will mean, even in the face of disillusionment and discouragement, holding fast to the assurance that Jesus offers. But, as we live as people of trust and hope, we bring hope to the world.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
The Faith We Need
Staying Faithful
The Measure Of Faith
In The Face Of It All

Hymn Suggestions:
My Faith Looks Up to Thee
Trust And Obey
O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go
Blessed Assurance
Hear Our Praises (Link to YouTube video)
I Believe That God Appeared In Human Form (Link to lyrics. The tune is the well-known song “I Believe That Every Drop Of Rain That Falls)
Jesus Messiah (Link to YouTube video)
Mighty To Save (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy For The Foretaste Of The Heavenly Banquet

Video Suggestions:
The Stoning Of Stephen
Trust Fall

Whether we choose to remember the Ascension on the Day (2 June) or wait until Sunday (5 June), may our worship invite us into the mystery and the majesty of the embodied and glorified God.

READINGS:

Acts 1:1-11: Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to his disciples. Then he is taken up into heaven, with the assurance of the angels that he will return.

Psalm 47: A celebration of and call to praise the God who is high over all.
OR Psalm 93: A psalm celebrating God’s reign and majesty

Ephesians 1:15-23: Pau’s prayer for the Ephesians that they may know the power of Christ who is over all and fills all.

Luke 24:44-53: Jesus reminds the disciples of how he has fulfilled the Scriptures, then he promises the Holy Spirit, blesses them and is taken up to heaven.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
If the Ascension has led us to faith in a disembodied, removed God who is watching us "from a distance", we have missed its message. Whatever the disciples actually saw happen that day, the facts of the experience are far less important that the meaning. The Ascension certainly does not mean that heaven is "up", hell is "down" and God is looking down on us from some far removed place. Rather, the Ascension offers us a number of crucial truths that, in this world of injustice and inequality, we desperately need to reclaim. First the fact that Jesus did not die, but was seen to "return" to the Godhead physically is a continuation of the story of incarnation. God does not despise the human body – rather God embraces it, inhabits it and glorifies, making human flesh part of the Godhead! This means that the needs of the body – for food, clean water, sanitation, shelter and loving, intimate touch – are all part of the Gospel and are included in God’s gift of salvation. Secondly, the Ascension declares as clearly and loudly as it can be that Jesus, and not Caesar (nor any other Empire, government, system or social hierarchy) is Lord over all. This means that our ultimate allegiance must be to Christ first, and that our lives are called to be a reflection of Christ’s reign in the midst of the other forces and ‘lords’ that influence and control our world. Finally, the Ascension always comes with the promise of the Holy Spirit’s power which tells us that God is not absent and removed from us, but continues to be completely immersed in the world and in the lives of human beings. The gift of the Spirit also assures us of God’s resources and God’s inspiration and God’s guidance to strengthen and enable us as we seek to live as faithful followers of Christ. It may be tempting to make this celebration about Christian triumphalism, but that would be to deny the meaning of Christ’s earthly life. Rather, the Ascension is the necessary next step in that life, ensuring that God remains involved with human beings, that God’s presence continues to be available to us, and that we know that everything that makes us human – including our physicality – has been embraced and welcomed into God. It’s less about "Christianity" defeating all, and more about Christ drawing all things into the life of God.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: In the face of global conflicts that are so often framed in religious terms – in particular the tendency to view all of the Muslim religion in the light of a few radical, militant fundamentalists – the Ascension has a lot to say. In the face of global inequality, and the "might is right" claim to authority and control that is often exercised by business, political and religious organisations, the Ascension has a lot to say. In the face of the devaluing of our embodied humanness through the trivialisation of sexuality, the control of health care and medicine for maximised profits, and the shaming of any body type but the lean, muscle bound, athletic image which is promoted by the diet and fitness industries, the Ascension has a lot to say. In the face of global inequality and the divisions we create between those who are "us" and those who are "them" those who have value (in our eyes) and those (usually in other countries) who don’t, the Ascension has a lot to say. We cannot celebrate Christ’s Ascension and view power in the militant terms of domination. We cannot celebrate the Ascension and believe that the Christ who is now "Lord of all" is only concerned for some and not for others, only includes and welcomes some (like "us") and not others (like "them"). We cannot celebrate the Ascension and abuse or idolise the body or its sexuality – our own or that of others. No, when we celebrate the Ascension, we affirm our belief that God is committed to humanity – including our physicality, to equality, to justice and to compassionate inclusion of all. And if we believe that Christ really is Lord of all, we cannot help but express through living our lives according to the gracious, embodied, just and compassionate values of Christ’s reign.

LOCAL APPLICATION: In every organisation, every community, every family, every church, power has the potential to turn into a struggle. In every human collective there is the potential for abuse, exploitation and exclusion. But, the Ascension calls us to a different way of being. It begins with a personal recognition of the value that Jesus places on every human being – including ourselves. That Christ would take on our flesh, live our life, die our death, and then rise and take the place of authority over our human world, indicates the extent to which Christ is concerned to change the human system in which only some are valued, and others count for nothing. Then, celebrating the Ascension calls us to work, in our own small corner of the world, to embody the reign of Christ – the justice, equality, compassion and inclusion that Jesus demonstrated in his life, and that he expresses as Lord of all (not just Lord of some). This means that we must strive for collaborative leadership in which power is shared and all have the capacity and the facility to participate if they so choose. This means that we must strive to celebrate all people and their humanity, not just those who are "special" or "important" in some way. This means that we must learn to value every part of our humanness and teach others to do the same – honouring the beauty and dignity in every person, and seeking to preserve the sacredness in the most intimate of human connections – hospitality, identity, and sexuality. This means that, as church, the Ascension calls us to be a community of liberation not condemnation, of celebration not judgment, of this-worldly concern and compassion not other-worldly. In what ways can you express some of these realities in your Ascension Day worship?

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Cosmic Community
A New Vision Of Power
Set The World To Rights
In Name Alone

Hymn Suggestions:
Be Thou My Vision
The Head That Once Was Crowned
Hail To The Lord’s Anointed
At The Name Of Jesus
God Of The Moon And Stars (Link to YouTube video)
Above All (Link to YouTube video)
How Great Is Our God (Link to YouTube video)
Everlasting God (Link to YouTube video)
Now And Forever: Mp3 Download; Chord Chart
The Lord Reigns: Mp3 Preview; Chord Chart
We Bow Down Before You: Mp3 Preview; Lead Sheet

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for the Foretaste of the Heavenly Banquet

Video Suggestions:
The Ascension & Jesus Christ
The Ascension & The Church
Rise

Image:
Sky

May you be inspired as you prepare, and transformed as you worship this week!

READINGS:
Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31: Wisdom sings of being with God at the creaiton of the world, and of humanity.

Psalm 8: A song of God’s majesty, and the honour God has given to humanity.

Romans 5:1-5: In Christ God has given us peace and a place of privilege, and has also strengthened us by giving us the Spirit.

John 16:12-15: Jesus promises the Spirit who will lead us into truth, and teach us all that belongs to Jesus and the Father.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
The theme this week is clear – the nature of God as Triune. This “difficult” doctrine of the Church is a tough one to address in a sermon or in worship, which tempts us either to treat it as an academic exercise, or to skip over it completely. However, the very mystery of this doctrine – and of the texts that are wrapped around it this week – provide a wonderful array of options. There is the opportunity to acknowledge again the limitations of our language and thinking about God, and to embrace God’s glorious, infinite mystery. There is the chance to recognise how God has chosen to reveal God’s self to humanity in flesh and Spirit, and how Jesus and the Spirit really do show us what God is like. There is also the chance to recognise the work of all three Persons in the life of every woman and man. There is also the opportunity to explore God’s nature as community, as Love, as relationship, and what this means for us. Ultimately, though it is wise to bear in mind Richard Rohr’s words: “Trinity leads you into the world of mystery and humility where you can not understand, you can only experience.” And perhaps the heart of that experience is ‘mutuality’ – of God within God, and, miraculously, of God with humanity.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: One of the massive challenges facing our world is competing ideas about God. This does not only apply to religions in conflict, but also to the way God is viewed from the perspective of the sciences – physics, anthropology, sociology and psychology. Within these competing visions of the divine lies the problem of human arrogance, and the need to impose our visions on others. Ultimately when we believe that God is on our side (who or whatever that God may be – from the warrior of a fundamentalist to the science of a Dawkins), we easily deny the humanity, the wisdom and/or the worship of others. As followers of Jesus, though, we are offered a vision that denies us this arrogance. It makes our speaking and thinking about God hesitant and humble, because we are forced to acknowledge the mystery behind the words. It also calls us to allow God’s relational image within us to shine forth, leading us to seek connection, mutuality and love with all. These are not two separate attitudes. Humility and mutuality are based on each other, and are a necessary ingredient for any work of reconciliation, peace-making and problem-solving in a world where the struggles we face are bigger than any one person or group.

LOCAL APPLICATION: In the Western culture of individuality and self-interest, we too easily lose our sense of connectedness and responsibility for others and for the collective. In the Eastern and African cultures of community and social responsibility, we too easily lose our sense of self-determination and accountability. In both cases, the vision of God that is offered to us in the Trinity gives us what we lack, and enables us to lean into the paradox which values both individuality and mutuality. In our communities and churches, then, we recognise God’s call to hold individuals accountable – those in leadership, and those who follow – and to challenge each one to take responsibility and live faithfully and justly (there are no grand children in faith!). But, we also recognise God’s call to bring people into humble, respectful, compassionate and generous relationships of mutuality and sharing, in which grace and respect and mercy triumph over judgment, exclusion and partisanship. The Trinity reveals to us both God’s confrontation of our human weakness, sinfulness and injustice, and God’s invitation to share in God’s love and mutuality in communities of faith. The glory is that justice can only truly be enacted when the trust of mutuality is assured, and mutuality can only be maintained when justice is upheld. We are called both to live this truth, adn to proclaim it to the world.

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
Life-Giving, – Restoring, -Fulfilling God
God, Saviour, Counsellor
A Desperate World

Hymn Suggestions:
Holy, Holy, Holy
Father, We Praise Thee
Holy God, We Praise Thy Name
Immortal Invisible
Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow
Father, Spirit, Jesus (Link to YouTube video)
Praise The Father, Praise The Son (Link to YouTube video)
Glorify Your Name (Link to YouTube video – best one I could find, I’m afraid!)
Father, I Adore You (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for the Breaking of Bread

Video Suggestions:
Trinity
Psalm 8

Image:
Trinity 1
Trinity 2

May your eyes be opened and your heart be filled as you celebrate the ever-present Spirit of God this week, and as you receive the empowerment of God for the journey ahead.

READINGS:
Acts 2:1-21: The believers are filled with the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and they start to praise God in various languages.
Or Genesis 11:1-9: Humanity seeks to build a tower that reaches the heavens, but God confuses their language and they scatter over the earth.

Psalm 104:24-34, 35b: The world and all its creatures depend on God for provision and breath – which leads the Psalmist to commit to praise God.

Romans 8:14-17: God has given us God’s Spirit by which we know we are God’s children, sharing both in God’s glory and God’s suffering.
OR Acts 2:1-21: See above.

John 14:8-17, (25-27): Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to be an advocate for his followers, and to lead them into truth.

REFLECTIONS ON THEME:
Pentecost is another season that is easy both to underestimate and to grow too familiar with. The potential themes are also many and varied and which can make this celebration difficult to tackle well. Perhaps the oldest mistake we make with this season is to speak of it as the Spirit’s “coming” – as if God’s Spirit was absent from the world before this. Jesus gives us a clue to a different understanding, though, when he says that “the world cannot receive him because it isn’t looking for him…” Pentecost is essentially a breakthrough in our human capacity to apprehend and experience God’s activity which is (and always has been) active in all of creation (including us). At Pentecost we learn to look for God’s Spirit – and the readings for today make it clear that God’s Spirit can be seen and found anywhere and everywhere we look. It is this awareness that there is nowhere that God is not that breaks down Babel’s walls of division. In receiving the new awareness of God’s Spirit we find that we all speak a common Spirit-enabled language – the language of God-imaged, Spirit-filled, humanity. Once our eyes are opened to see God’s Spirit in all things (including those who are different from us, who are hostile toward us, and who are most repulsive to us), everything changes. We know ourselves (and all creatures) as St. Francis did – as God’s children and siblings of one another – and we willingly share Christ’s suffering (as Paul says) to bring God’s creation into awareness of this unity and community in God’s Spirit.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE:
GLOBAL APPLICATION: Across the globe human beings suffer from a blindness to the Spirit’s presence and activity. When we use the earth as nothing more than a resource to enrich ourselves, we have failed to recognise the Spirit. When we justify killing, exploiting, marginalising or dehumanising others, we have failed to see the Spirit in them. When we embrace a rampant individualism and consumerism, we have failed to recognise God’s Spirit and the community of all things in God’s Spirit. Pentecost is a wake up call for our world – how different might our politics, economics and environmental policies be if we recognised God’s Spirit in all things, and if we took time to really learn our common language? How would this consideration impact how you pray, speak, act, vote, spend, advocate and play? How can you and your community participate in the Spirit’s work and help others to recognise God’s Spirit in all things?

LOCAL APPLICATION: It is all too common among Christians to speak of God’s Spirit beign “with” us and “not with” others who believe differently from us. We speak of churches and people where God’s Spirit has “left” and we talk about places where we think God is no longer present. Whenever we fall into this trap, we have missed the gift of Pentecost, and have made our God too small. But, when we realise that God’s Spirit is everywhere – although we and/or others may not be looking for or able to recognise God’s Spirit for whatever reason – we find our view of these others changes. We suddenly discover that God can be encountered in every person, and every place – from a untouched places of breath-taking natural beauty to slums and disaster areas. And, once we have seen this, we discover that, like Jesus, we would rather suffer than inflict suffering on these Spirit-filled ones. We would rather sacrifice than exploit Spirit-filled people and the Spirit-filled world for personal gain. We would rather listen for the language of our common humanity than deny the humanity of a single person – even if they deny ours. What would it mean for you and your community to take Pentecost seriously? What defenses might have to come down? What hands might have to be offered to others? What beliefs might have to be released? What actions might have to become obsolete? What people might have to be welcomed and embraced?

RESOURCES FOR WORSHIP:
Prayers:
A Pentecost Thanksgiving
A Pentecost Confession
Ordinary People
Building Blocks Of The Kingdom

Hymn Suggestions:
Breathe On Me Breath Of God
O Thou Who Camest From Above
Spirit Divine Attend Our Prayers
O Spirit Of The Living God
Love Divine, All Loves Excelling
Deep Calls To Deep: Chord Chart; Lead Sheet; mp3
Breathe (Link to YouTube video)
All Who Are Thirsty (Link to YouTube video)
Spirit Of The Living God (Link to YouTube video)
Shine Jesus Shine (Link to YouTube video)
O Let The Son Of God Enfold You (Link to YouTube video)

Liturgy:
A Liturgy for Pentecost
A Liturgy for the Spiritual Feast

Video Suggestions:
Pentecost – Acts 2
Pentecost Prayer
Pentecost
Pentecost

Image:
Flame