For the week of April 20 – Easter Sunday
Let us worship the Lord: Beloved, Christ is risen! Our Savior is risen! Steadfast Love is risen! This is the day that God has made; let us rejoice and be glad! Alleluia! (written by Dr. Lisa Hancock)
Opening Hymn: #302 Christ the Lord is Risen Today
- Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia! Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia! - Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia! Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids Him rise, Alleluia! Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia! - Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia! Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!
Once He died our souls to save, Alleluia! Where's thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia! - Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia! Following our exalted Head, Alleluia!
Made like Him, like Him we rise, Alleluia! Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia! - Hail the Lord of earth and heaven, Alleluia! Praise to Thee by both be given, Alleluia!
Thee we greet triumphant now, Alleluia! Hail the Resurrection, thou, Alleluia! - King of glory, soul of bliss, Alleluia! Everlasting life is this, Alleluia!
Thee to know, Thy power to prove, Alleluia! Thus to sing, and thus to love, Alleluia!
Psalm 118:17-24 (CEB)
17 I won’t die—no, I will live
and declare what the Lord has done.
18 Yes, the Lord definitely disciplined me,
but He didn’t hand me over to death.
19 Open the gates of righteousness for me
so I can come in and give thanks to the Lord!
20 This is the Lord’s gate;
those who are righteous enter through it.
21 I thank You because You answered me,
because You were my saving help.
22 The stone rejected by the builders
is now the main foundation stone!
23 This has happened because of the Lord;
it is astounding in our sight!
24 This is the day the Lord acted;
we will rejoice and celebrate in it!
Prayers of Intercession: Thank You, Lord, for hearing our prayers for those dear to our hearts. We now pray as You have taught us: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. Lead us, not into temptation but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Offering spotlight: The students LUMC is supporting in Ghana – Ebenezer (also known as King) and Emmanuella – are currently studying for their finals. They will soon be graduating! As you may recall, King and Emmanuella are among the first in their families to attend – and soon to graduate from – post-secondary education. In fact, 100% of the students at Withrow College are first-generation students.
King will be among the 6.3% of Ghanaian men with a post-secondary degree; Emmanuella will be among the 2.6% of Ghanaian women with a post-secondary degree. With his nursing degree, King will be entering a workforce where a little more than half of the nurses are men. Decently-paid by Ghanaian standards, King will nonetheless often be working 15-18 hour days caring for his patients.
As a public health worker, Emmanuella will play a vital role in providing healthcare services, promoting health, and preventing diseases at the community level, often focusing on maternal and child health, disease surveillance, and health education.
Both will be exemplary alumni of Withrow College and will provide invaluable services to their community and their country as they support their families. In appreciation for our financial support these past two years, King has sent a message to our congregation:
“I want to say a very big thank you to the church for your love and prayers you have had for us all the time, for I know through our Christ Jesus we are always redeemed through your prayers. On behalf of myself and Emmanuella, we say a big thanks for your intimacy with us. God richly bless you.”
Offering prayer: Radiant God, whose love endures forever, we gather today in the light of resurrection hope, offering these gifts as a response to the abundant grace we have received. In this period of spiritual renewal, may our giving reflect the joy of the empty tomb and the promise of life everlasting. Transform our offerings into acts of love that bring light to the world, just as Christ’s light dawned in our hearts. We dedicate these gifts to Your service, trusting that, in Your hands, they will bring forth new life. Amen. (Discipleship Ministries)
Hymn of Preparation: #322 Up from the Grave He Arose
- Low in the grave He lay, Jesus my Savior, waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!
Refrain: Up from the grave He arose; with a mighty triumph o'er His foes;
He arose a victor from the dark domain, and He lives forever, with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!
- Vainly they watch His bed, Jesus my Savior,
vainly they seal the dead, Jesus my Lord! (Refrain) - Death cannot keep its prey, Jesus my Savior; He tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord!
(Refrain)
Scripture: John 21:15-19 (CEB)
15 When they finished eating, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?”
Simon replied, “Yes, Lord, You know I love You.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed My lambs.” 16 Jesus asked a second time, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?”
Simon replied, “Yes, Lord, You know I love You.”
Jesus said to him, “Take care of My sheep.” 17 He asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?”
Peter was sad that Jesus asked him a third time, “Do you love Me?” He replied, “Lord, You know everything; You know I love You.”
Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep. 18 I assure you that when you were younger you tied your own belt and walked around wherever you wanted. When you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and another will tie your belt and lead you where you don’t want to go.” 19 He said this to show the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. After saying this, Jesus said to Peter, “Follow Me.”
Message: Wrap Your Arms Around Something Good for Easter Pastor Becky Cuddeback
Words can get us in trouble, those things we say out loud that get repeated by our small children. Our kids had trouble saying words like banana, cereal, blanket, yet there were words that came out clear as day. You know the words I am talking about. I couldn’t get mad – I knew where they heard them. Mostly I was just amazed at how well they knew when to use them. After all, context really is everything.
Sometimes we say things without thinking that come back to haunt us. Things we wished we’d never said. Things we never get to take back or apologize for. Our lives are full of personal and communal examples of how our mouth has gotten us in trouble. We can do this deliberately in the form of threats or scoldings, pledges or promises. They come out as lighthearted or come from deep rooted emotions. We know our words have weight and on that last night Peter made a statement he couldn't live up to. When he makes it, we are right there with him. He is sincere, he isn’t speaking to blow smoke, he really means it.
We are in the 13th chapter of John verses 36-38
Simon Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, where are You going?”
Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you can’t follow Me now, but you will follow later.”
Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow You now? I’ll give up my life for You.”
Jesus replied, “Will you give up your life for Me? I assure you that you will deny Me three times before the rooster crows.
Peter meant it. As they are together at the table, Peter can’t imagine anything that could happen that would cause him to deny Jesus. In the learning process Peter had put his foot in his mouth, like telling Jesus that he wasn’t going to be killed by the elders, chief priests, and the legal experts. Yet, Peter is also the one who first recognized Jesus as the Son of God. Yet, Peter on their last night together pledges he will stay with Jesus.
We recall how it went outside the Temple courts. Peter being asked if he was with “that man” and Peter saying no, and asked again, no and being asked again – no. Peter didn’t count on the Temple guards tracking them to the garden. Peter didn’t know about Judas’ betrayal which also caught up the disciples in Judas’ betrayal. Peter was thinking Jesus would be teaching, healing, fishing – not being put to death. When faced with the enormity and the severity of the danger of the night, Peter denied Jesus. Peter’s words condemned him.
The good news is, Peter’s denial is not the final word. God has the final word and that word is RESURRECTION!
The Risen Christ meets Peter on the shoreline. Jesus serves Peter and the rest of the disciples breakfast. Peter, do you love Me asks Jesus? You know I love You says Peter. Jesus instructs, then feed my sheep. It is an exchange in threes, one question for each denial. Jesus is giving Peter three opportunities for Peter to express his love for Jesus. Jesus never doubted Peter’s heart. In this exchange we get a practical glimpse at three powerful ways the Risen Christ meets us and helps us today, just as He met Peter.
1- When we most need love, the Risen Christ comes to love us.
In our times of doubt and disorientation Jesus knows who we are. We can forget and when we do, Jesus loves us with an unwavering, unshakable, unconditional love. With the Risen Christ there are no “I told you so’s”, no stern lectures. The Risen Christ reminds us that He still loves us, trusts us, and supports us. The love of the Risen Christ comes to us.
2- When we most need forgiveness, the Risen Christ comes to forgive us.
Peter that morning needed forgiveness and that is precisely what Christ came to give him. And we need forgiveness too, and the Risen Christ offers it to us. Not only that, Jesus gives us a model to offer forgiveness to others. Forgiveness is foundational to our faith. Forgiveness is the standard; we are to forgive. We ask for forgiveness each time we pray the Lord’s Prayer, each time we repent to God in solitude, each time we go to the one we have wronged and the Risen Christ is there.
3- When we most need direction, the Risen Christ comes to direct us.
Peter and the disciples after Jesus’s death, went back to what they knew. They were fishermen so they went fishing. The Risen Christ met them where they were and gave them direction. Feed My sheep! Take up My torch, I have shown you a new way to be, a new way to care for each other and the world.
This is what the Risen Christ does for us as well. Coming over and over to us to direct our lives toward the care of others. To love others in response to Jesus’s love for us.
For direction, we must place ourselves before Jesus’s questions:
Do you love Me? Yes, Lord. Feed My lambs.
Do you love Me? Yes, Lord. Take care of My sheep.
Do you love Me? Yes, Lord. Feed My sheep.
Caring for God’s children is the direction the Risen Christ gives us. The Risen Christ is here with us today. He is here right now. He has come to give us the love, the forgiveness, and the direction we so desperately need. This! This is the something good we can wrap our arms around for Easter. Amen
Closing Hymn: #310 He Lives
- I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today;
I know that He is living, whatever foes may say.
I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer,
And just the time I need Him, He’s always near.
Refrain: He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives today!
He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way.
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.
- In all the world around me I see His loving care,
And though my heart grows weary, I never will despair.
I know that He is leading through all the stormy blast;
The day of His appearing will come at last. Refrain:
- Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian, lift up your voice and sing
Eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ the King!
The hope of all who seek Him, the help of all who find;
None other is so loving, so good and kind. Refrain:
The blessing: May the Lord bless you and keep you and make His face shine upon you this week.
