RESURRECTION SUNDAY

Snippet

“Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf in springtime.”  -- Martin Luther

Scripture

You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. -- Acts 3:15

Song

Was it a Morning Like This

by Sandi Patty

http://youtu.be/eb1ayV5sTtM

Was it a morning like this

When the Son still hid from Jerusalem?

And Mary rose from her bed

To tend the Lord She thought was dead

What is a morning like this,

When Mary walked down from Jerusalem?

And two angels stood at the tomb,

Bearers of news she would hear soon.

Did the grass sing?

Did the earth rejoice

To feel you again?

Over and over like a

Trumpet underground,

Did the earth seem to pound:

"He is risen"

over and over

in a never ending round

"He is risen, alleluia, alleluia!"

Was it an morning like this,

When Peter and John from Jerusalem?

And as they raced for the tomb,

Beneath their feet was there a tune?

Was it a morning like this,

When my Lord looked out

On Jerusalem?

He is risen, alleluia, alleluia.

Sentence Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Son to earth as a baby so many years ago.  Thank you that He paid the punishment for my sins by dying on the cross.  And thank you that He rose again to prove that death was truly defeated. I place my trust in You to be my Savior. Guide me through the dark times of my life Christmas prayer and give me courage to live for You.  Amen 

Max Lucado

STEADFAST LOVE

Snippet

Holy Saturday: Rest well, indeed. For tomorrow there is work to be done and a grave to be conquered.

Scripture

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;[b]

    his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

    great is your faithfulness.

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,

    “therefore I will hope in him.” Lamentations 3:22-24 ESV

                      

                    Song                          Forever BY Kari Jobe   http://youtu.be/huFra1mnIVE

The moon and stars they wept

The morning sun was dead

The Savior of the world was fallen

His body on the cross

His blood poured out for us

The weight of every curse was broken

One final breath He gave

As Heaven looked away

The Son of God was laid in darkness

A battle in the grave

The war on death was waged

The power of hell forever broken

The ground began to shake

The stone was rolled away

His perfect love could not be overcome

Now death where is your sting

Our resurrected King has rendered you defeated

Forever, He is glorified

Forever, He is lifted high

Forever, He is risen

He is alive

He is alive

Sentence Prayer

Grant Lord, That we who are baptized into the death of your son our Savior Jesus Christ may continually put to death our evil desires and to be buried with him; and that through the grave and gate of death we may pass to our Joyful resurrection through His merits who died and was buried and rose again for us, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord Amen

CRAZY LOVE

Snippet

As we stand on Calvary on Good Friday, one truth we learn is not to apply to the heart of Jesus the measure of our own stingy little hearts, so mean, so narrow, and so hard.  If we make him as fussy, unforgiving, and vindictive as we are at our worst, we shall never comprehend how good, how patient and compassionate, how gentle and extravagant Jesus of Nazareth really is.  (Reflections for Ragamuffins, Brenan Manning pg. 89)

Scripture

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:6-8

Song

Crazy Love Hawk Nelson

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Js_hgkHQ6Bc

We're the ones who believe in the things unseen

This home, this body is the in-between

We're the ones who fight down on our knees

Who dare to love our enemies, love enemies

They say it sounds insane, we say that we've been changed

By the power of crazy love

This world, it looks at us like we're ridiculous

Maybe it's all because of crazy love

We're the ones gonna put it all in reverse

Gonna die to ourselves, gonna live to serve

'Cause when you get what you get when you walk by faith

Is it really so dumb to give it all away? Give it all away

They say it sounds insane, we say that we've been changed

By the power of crazy love

This world, it looks at us like we're ridiculous

Maybe it's all because of crazy love

Crazy love

We know it sounds absurd, we don't get what we deserve

It's by grace we are saved

They say it sounds insane, we say that we've been changed

By the power of crazy love

This world, it looks at us like we're ridiculous

Maybe it's all because of crazy love

Crazy love

We're the ones who believe in the things unseen

This home, this body is the in-between

(Crazy love)

We're the ones who fight down on our knees

Who dare to love our enemies

We're the ones gonna put it all in reverse

Gonna die to ourselves, gonna live to serve

Crazy love

Sentence Prayer

Jesus, you are the good shepherd. 

You are willing to die for the sheep.

You are the good shepherd:

as the Father knows you and you know the Father.

In the same way you know your sheep.

And your sheep know you;

You are willing to die for us.

The Father loves you because you are 

willing to give your life;

No one takes your life from you;

You give it up of your own free well;

You are the good shepherd.

Jesus is the good shepherd who understand our frailty.

And knows each one of us by name.  

A New Zealand Prayer Book Pg 128

MUANDY THURSDAY

Snippet

The benefits [the Lord’s Supper] confers, are spiritual, not physical. Its effects must be looked for in our inward man. It was intended to remind us, by the visible, tangible emblems of bread and wine, that the offering of Christ’s body and blood for us on the cross, is the only atonement for sin, and the life of a believer’s soul. It was meant to help our poor weak faith to closer fellowship with our crucified Savior, and to assist us in spiritually feeding on Christ’s body and blood. It is an ordinance for redeemed sinners, and not for unfallen angels. By receiving it we publicly declare our sense of guilt, and need of a Savior – our trust in Jesus, and our love to Him – our desire to live upon Him, and our hope to live with Him. Using it in this spirit, we shall find our repentance deepened, our faith increased, our hope brightened, and our love enlarged – our besetting sins weakened, and our graces strengthened. It will draw us nearer to Christ. J.C. Ryle Commentary, Matthew 26

Scripture

Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” 27 And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, 28 for this is my blood of the[c] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.” Matthew 26-29 ESV

Song

Remembrance (Communion Song) Matt Redman

http://youtu.be/9oCNwIA6xLc

[Verse 1]

Oh, how could it be

That my god would welcome me

into this mystery?

Say ‘eat this bread, take this wine’

Now the simple made divine

for any to receive

[Verse 2]

See his body, his blood-

Know that he has overcome

Every tril we will face

None to lost to be saved

None too broken or ashamed

All are welcome in this place.

[Bridge]

By your mercy, we come to your table,

By Your grace you are making us faithful

[Chorus]

Lord, we remem-ber You,

And remembrance leads us to worship

And as we wor-ship You,

Our worship leads to communion

We respond to your invitation;

We remem-ber you

Sentence Prayer

Everlasting God

Enable Your Church to become a more accurate picture of Your faithfulness.  Let us be a fellowship of people who are know for our love.  A community of diverse people who are kind, respectful, and gracious toward one another.  A gathering of people who are dedicated to the teachings of Jesus and the scriptures-living them out no matter their radical demands or countercultural call.  Amen (Dusk to Dawn R Douglas Jones House Studio Kansas City Kansas pg 70)

BLOOD

Snippet

God proved His love on the Cross. When Christ hung, and bled, and died, it was God saying to the world, 'I love you.' Billy Graham

Scripture

But God shows his great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners.

 So through Christ we will surely be saved from God’s anger, because we have been made right with God by the blood of Christ’s death. 10 While we were God’s enemies, he made us his friends through the death of his Son. Surely, now that we are his Friends, he will save us through his Son’s life. Romans 5:8-10 NCV

Song

The Color Song By Petra http://youtu.be/_s6012RghSQ

Red is the color of the blood that flowed
Down the face of someone who loved us so
He's the perfect man, He's the Lord's own son
He's the lamb of God, He's the only one
That can give us life, that can make us grow
That can make the love between us flow

Blue is the color of a heart so cold
That will not bend when the story's told
Of the love of God for a sinful race
Of the blood that flowed down Jesus face
That can give us life, that can make us grow
That can keep our hearts from growing cold

Gold is the color of the morning sun
that shines so freely on everyone
It's the sun above that keeps us warm
It's the Son of Love that calms the storm
That can give us life, that can make us grow
That can turn our mornings into gold

Brown is the color of the autumn leaves
When the winter comes to the barren trees
There is birth, there death, there is a plan
And there's just one God and there's just one man
That can give us life, that can make us grow
That can make our sins as white as snow

That can give us life, that can make us grow
That can turn our mornings into gold
That can give us life that can make us grow
That can keep our hearts from growing cold
That can give us life that can make us grow
That can make the love between us flow

Sentence Prayer

May the Fire of Christ’s love fill us, that love with which he loved us first. Amen

CROSS

Snippet

The Cross represents only one thing for us— complete, entire, absolute identification with the Lord Jesus Christ— and there is nothing in which this identification is more real to us than in prayer. Oswald Chambers My Utmost for His Highest August 06

Scripture

The teaching about the cross is foolishness to those who are being lost, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1Corinthians 1:18 NCV

Song

Still the Cross FFH http://youtu.be/tdnFIYtN4XA

Sometimes it seems the world's unraveling around us

We fear it all my one day come undone

We can't forget the One who came before us

To forgive the past and bring hope for what's to come

When it all comes crashing down

The cross still stands alone

And on this our faith is built

And our courage is made strong

Sometimes it seems that I have been forgotten

I don't know how I will make it on my own

But the One who said I will never be forsaken

He still hears my prayer and I will never be alone

When it all comes crashing down

The cross still stands alone

And on this my faith is built

And my courage is made strong

When the world falls apart

And you fear for your heart

There's a tower of peace

It's still the cross

So bring your sick and your poor

And your longing for more

To the place of relief

It's still the cross

Though the world may not confess

You and Your holiness

One day all will see

You in all Your majesty

And the cross will stand alone

As the place where You made known

Your love for all mankind

Till then in it we'll hide

When the world falls apart

And you fear for your heart

There's a tower of peace

It's still the cross

So bring your sick and your poor

And your longing for more

To the place of relief

It's still the cross

There is hope for the lost

When the world falls apart

And you fear for your heart

There's a tower of peace

It's still the cross

So bring your sick and your poor

And your longing for more

To the place of relief

It's still the cross

There is hope for the lost

It's still the cross

There is hope for the lost

It's still the cross

Sentence Prayer

Jesus;

Ruler of the everlasting kingdom.

Prince of peace, champion of the despised:

You are the king;

You make a cross your throne;

You wear a crown of thorns;

You call your subjects friends.

Help us take up our cross,

To hunger and thirst for all that is good;

Then will your kingdom come on earth as in heaven.  Amen

(New Zealand Prayer Book pg 118)