Welcome
Call to Worship – psalm 57:8-11
Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn.
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love, reaching to the heavens;
your faithfulness reaches to the skies.
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;
let your glory be over all the earth
Hymn 439 – See What a morning
Scripture Sentence – Acts 13:32-33
This is the good news: what God promised, he has fulfilled for us, by raising up Jesus from the dead!
Collect for Easter Day
Lord of life and power,
through the mighty resurrection of your Son,
you have overcome death
and opened the gate of everlasting life.
Grant that we, being dead to sin
and alive to you in Jesus Christ,
may reign with him in glory,
who with you and the Holy Spirit is alive,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Reading john 20:1-9
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)
The Lord’s Prayer
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 trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation;
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Children’s Story – “God’s Wonderful Surprise” by Sally Lloyd-Jones
Children’s Praise – My God is Powerful
Reading john 20:10-18
Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.
He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).
Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
Sermon
Prayer
We give you thanks, great God,
for the hope we have in Jesus,
who died but is risen and rules over all.
We praise you for his presence with us.
Because he lives, we look for eternal life,
knowing that nothing past, present,
or yet to come can separate us from your great love
made known in Jesus Christ, our Lord.
God of life,
as we celebrate this most holy day
we do so in the shadow of sorrow
because we cannot meet in your house of worship,
or enjoy the fellowship of our church family.
Come quickly, O Lord,
rescue us from this trouble;
we have put our trust in you,
and we will be restored.
God of compassion,
be close to those who feel the ache of isolation,
surround them with your love.
Speak your words of peace into the hearts
of those who worried and anxious.
Keep us safe in the shelter of your care
and watch over all our loved ones.
God of glory,
fill your church with the power
that flows from Christ’s resurrection
so that, in the midst of a hurting world,
may we be a signal of new beginnings,
and a channel of your living hope.
Amen
Hymn 442 – Thine Be The Glory
Final Prayer
God of our salvation,
you have restored us to life,
you have brought us back again into your love
by the triumphant death and resurrection of Christ:
continue to heal us
as we go to live and work
in the power of your Spirit,
to your praise and glory.
Amen.
Announcements
My Easter Greeting
Use the form below to say hello to the others who are having ‘Church at Home’ today!
Kingson, “Happy Easter everybody,
Christ is risen
Death has been conquered
It does not have the last say
Our Lord reigns
And nothing will ever separate us from his love
Glory hallelujah
He is risen indeed
Hopefully will see you all again and soon“
Jo and Sean, “A lovely service today. Happy Easter all, we hope you are all staying safe and well.”
Hazel, Ethel and Bill, “A lovely service. Thank you Andrew, and a very happy Easter to all.”
Shirley Lew, “Happy Easter to all! Thank you Andrew for a lovely service. I look forward to seeing you all in brighter times ahead.”
Annette Luddy, “A very blessed, peaceful, safe and happy Easter to all my newfound friends in St Andrew’s. With love in the Lord.”
Leslie & Edna Gill, “To All at St.Andrews worshiping at home, we join with you in this celebration of Easter Day.“
Kat, Matt and Tenley, “Alleluia. Christ is risen indeed. Happy Easter to all.”
Maimie and Lorna, “Happy Easter to all in St Andrews”
The Harty Family, “From all of us, we wish all of our brothers and sisters in the St Andrews family a happy Easter and that God will keep you safe and well until we meet again.”
Avril Young, “Thank you Andrew for coming into our homes this morning and making it feel more like an Easter Sunday in these difficult times. Stay safe and Happy Easter.”
St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church Blackrock 