The Resurrection of Our Lord

Introduction:  Early Christians greeted each other, “Christ is risen!” and the other responded, “Christ is risen indeed!” I greet you this morning and feel free to greet whoever is sitting with you, “Christ is risen!” Lord, help us savor that truth this morning.

We start our service today by making the sign of the cross. At baptism we were marked with the cross and baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection. Romans 6:3,4 says, “Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”

We confess together our sins, trusting that God will forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Faithful and just God, we confess that we are captive to doubt and fear, bound by the ways that lead to death. We have not loved our sisters and brothers as you have first loved us. Forgive us, God of mercy. Let your Holy Spirit work in us to change our lives and make us new, that we may know the abundant life given in Jesus Christ, our risen Lord. Amen

God says in his word, “In this is love, not that we loved God but that God loved us and sent the Son to atone for our sins.” In the name of +Jesus Christ, I announce to you that your sins are forgiven. Let the perfect love of God cast our fear, fill us with oy and inspire us to live for others. Amen.

 Gathering Hymn: Lo in the Grave He Lay (Up From the Grave He Arose) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtxSWcfH9hk

Join me in the Prayer of the Day

God of mercy, we no longer look for Jesus among the dead, for he is alive and has become the Lord of life. Increase in our minds and hearts the risen life we share with Christ, and help us to grow as your people toward the fullness of eternal life with you, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

Alleluia. Christ, our paschal lamb, has been sacrificed.* Therefore, let us keep the feast. Alleluia. (1 Cor. 5:7, 8)

Hymn of the Faithful: Thine is the Glory https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbBOOmkMLmI

HEARING GOD’S WORD

The Old Testament reading rejoices in God’s faithfulness and anticipation of eventual victory.

First Reading: Jeremiah 31:1-6

¹At that time, says the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.
²Thus says the Lord:
The people who survived the sword
found grace in the wilderness;
when Israel sought for rest,
³the Lord appeared to him from far away.
I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
⁴Again I will build you, and you shall be built,
O virgin Israel!
Again you shall take your tambourines,
and go forth in the dance of the merrymakers.
⁵Again you shall plant vineyards
on the mountains of Samaria;
the planters shall plant,
and shall enjoy the fruit.
⁶For there shall be a day when sentinels will call
in the hill country of Ephraim:
“Come, let us go up to Zion,
to the Lord our God.”

We join our voices with people from the past through the psalms. Feel free to read responsively with different people with you.

Psalm: Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24

¹Give thanks to the Lord, for the Lord is good;
God’s mercy endures forever.
²Let Israel now declare,
“God’s mercy endures forever.”
¹⁴The Lord is my strength and my song,
and has become my salvation.
¹⁵Shouts of rejoicing and salvation echo in the tents of the righteous: “The right hand of the Lord acts valiantly!
¹⁶The right hand of the Lord| is exalted!
The right hand of the Lord acts valiantly!”
¹⁷I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the Lord. 
¹⁸The Lord indeed punished me sorely,
but did not hand me over to death.
¹⁹Open for me the gates of righteousness;
I will enter them and give thanks to the Lord.
²⁰“This is the gate of the Lord;
here the righteous may enter.”
²¹I give thanks to you, for you have answered me
and you have become my salvation. 
²²The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
²³By the Lord has this been done;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
²⁴This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it. 

Early Christians share how they understood the miracle of Easter.

Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-4

¹If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ²Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, ³for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. ⁴When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.

The Gospel from the Gospel of John.

SERMON: John 20:1-18

¹Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. ²So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” ³Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. ⁴The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. ⁵He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. ⁶Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, ⁷and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. ⁸Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; ⁹for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. ¹⁰Then the disciples returned to their homes.
¹¹But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; ¹²and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. ¹³They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” ¹⁴When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” ¹⁶Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). ¹⁷Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ” ¹⁸Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

SERMON            Why are you weeping?

The Lord is risen! The Lord is risen indeed!

         We come to Easter morning and Covid-19 is still with us. CNN, BBC, Fox News etc. are all eager to share the most recent news. Each has a slightly different take on what’s happening. We tune in listening for reports on when the shelter-in-place order will be lifted. News changes by the minute and interviews are given from people who experienced Covid-19 slightly differently. It’s all so confusing and attention grabbing. Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24 and John 20 all report the resurrection of Jesus and there are slightly different accounts of who was there, doing what, saying what and experiencing what. Each author probably talked with different people who focused on different facts while each engaged in popular gab. What can we agree on and what is our understanding?

The Jesus is MIA

Women went to the tomb to place spices on the Jesus’ body as he had been quickly buried in Nicodemus’ tomb on Friday evening. A stone had been placed in-front of the entrance and guards were posted. John reports that the women found the stone rolled back, the guards gone and does not report conversations with angels or the risen Lord. John is not focusing on the narrative of the story but the truth of history: Jesus is MIA.

This is a truth that is not private but must be shared. The women immediately ran to the disciples to share the news. In the face of government opposition, the crucifixion and guards, and in the face of religious opposition, truth must be shared. The disciples arrived and they did not fully understand what happened. Jesus is MIA! What? The historical reality of Easter has changed lives.

Unlike the night journey of Mohammed from Mecca to the Temple in Jerusalem with the Angel Gabriel, experienced by one and believed by many, the empty tomb was seen by many and the risen Christ was seen by many different types of people. The resurrection changed history.

The disciples returned home because the truth of the resurrection is lived into. The implications are worked out in our lives. Today we may live with the virus but we know it is something that will pass as all illness do, resulting in return to health or reception into eternity. The risen Christ is not something we know is real and live through, going back to our everyday life, whatever that will mean after recovery. The resurrection changes our reality forever. We have a savior who can be accessed at any time now, by any person now, in every place now. He is risen!

What difference does that make in our lives? Do we just hunt our Easter eggs, sing our songs, celebrate and then return to normal? Who are we running to tell today? Is there room in our thinking to grow in understanding God’s presence now? Jesus went MIA but how will that truth be processed as history unfolds?

The angels ask Mary, “Why are you crying?”

John now turns to an angelic encounter. Mary, probably the sister of Martha and Lazarus, lingers outside the tomb and is reflecting on the truth – his body is gone. What happened?

That which cannot be seen, that cannot be touched, that which has disappeared from sensory experience is so hard to grasp and understand. I hear and see about Covid-19 on the TV and radio. I see people wearing masks and social distancing. But how does that impact me? At the mountain top youth retreat outing, I am so overwhelmed by the reality of Christ and the Christian community but then I return to the humdrum of everyday life and feel the loss in the return to normal. I have a fantastic morning devotion and before noon, I have let some disagreeable word come out of my mouth or at least enter my thoughts. As the experience that is processed through the five senses moves to our spiritual understanding, I must reflect and move from historical truth to spiritual life.

I doubt Mary had a little phrase to explain reality, “Jesus died for my sins” to package truth. Mary had not seen the resurrected Jesus and in fact, when he appeared, did not recognize him. In that time of disconnect from understanding truth– he is not moved, he is risen – Mary grieves. In the face of death, physical or just the death of our old self that has been affected by the resurrection, perhaps we too grieve. How is Covid-19 going to play out? What will the new normal look like?

Mary bends over and looks into the tomb and there encounters the angels. Perhaps the mountain top experience is inspirational and insightful but we must bend over and look. We have no tomb to look into like Mary but we can look into scripture. Gradually we come to realize that the “lamb of God” was a sacrificial image that John was using at the beginning of his gospel. Gradually we come to grips with our sinful selves and we weep. Faith draws us to a deeper understanding and into a truer self that is called upon to forgive, turn the other cheek, share our cloak – we weep. The joy of Easter truth gives way to challenges to growth.

Jesus asks, “Why are you weeping?”

In the midst of her anxiety and confusion, Jesus appears unrecognized and asks the question, “Why are you weeping?” Please note that resurrection does not mean absence or social distancing. Jesus is not deterred by her confusion, her lack of understanding, or her grief. One of the great messages of Easter for us today is that Jesus is with us as we grieve, as we misunderstand, and as we reflect. He is not unavailable because of our humanness. But perhaps we do not recognize his presence.

Mary asks a question, “Where have you taken him?” Jesus is not afraid of our questions and doubts. Into that time, he spoke her personal name. He no longer addresses her as “woman” but now calls into her personal space, her personal name, “Mary.” We are no longer looking at historical truth of the resurrection, and we are not looking for understanding, but we are facing personal truth called forth in our name. Jesus knows us, sees us, is present and cares about us. We cannot hold onto him as our personal commodity but he sees who we are in our very essence. Our tears are met by his presence.

This Easter Sunday we live in the shadow of Covid-19 that makes our future health unpredictable, in the shadow of political unpredictability as we approach elections, and certainly in economic upheaval from the sheltering. I do not think it is that different from Bible truth. We are not hunting Easter eggs and candy nor having festive meals with family and not even gathering in churches with people we love. We sit as the early disciples did.

The tomb is empty. The stone is rolled away. Jesus is risen.

Lord, help me understand as I look at the tomb today.

He knows my name and is going before me!

Halleluyah.

 Hymn: Jesus Christ Is Risen Today https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzy7jFNUc3w

Let us share together the Nicene Creed on this day:

We believe in one God, The Father, the Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary and became truly human. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in only holy catholic and apostolic church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Prayers of Intercession

Uplifted by the promised hope of healing and resurrection, we join the people of God in all times and places in praying for the church, the world, and all who are in need.

God of resurrection, from the very beginning you give the church the gift of men and women as your witnesses: as preachers, teachers, and leaders. Open our ears to their proclamation this day and always. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

All your creation praises you—the earth hums, the seas pulse, the stars shine, and the galaxies whirl in glorious harmonies to honor you. Let us hear and blend our voices in the song. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

The countries of the world experience disunity and conflict; we set our minds on fear and greed rather than on your rule of justice and steadfast love. Build up all countries on your cornerstone of peace. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 We still weep with those who weep, and mourn with those who mourn. Cradle the fearful, the suffering, and the dying, assuring them of your loving presence. We especially remember those in the wake of Covid-19. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Bless the creative and helpful service of worship leaders this day: musicians, ushers, greeters, worship assistants, preachers, readers, and all others who provide welcome and hospitality in our midst. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

 Risen Lord, you went ahead of us into the grave and defeated the powers of evil. We remember those who have died. Inspire us to live our lives in this resurrection hope and draw us to you in our final days. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

With bold confidence in your love, almighty God, we place all for whom we pray into your eternal care; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

We cannot pass the offering plate today but we can still mail checks and return thanks for all God has given us and gifted us.

Merciful God, our ordinary gifts seem small for such a celebration, but you make of them an abundance, just as you do with our lives.  Prepare us for service in your name, in the strength of the risen Christ.  Amen.

 If we can worship virtually, we can pass the peace virtually, “The peace of Christ be with you always. And also with you.” If you are with a loved one, you might even share a “holy kiss.”

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, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

I cannot consecrate the elements of Communion electronically but I would encourage you to share some bread together and say, “Christ is risen. He is as close to you as this bread in your stomach. Don’t forget.” Then share a drink and say, “Christ is risen. He is as close to you as the blood flowing through your body. Don’t forget!”

Let us pray, Life-giving God, you have fed us with your word, and our hearts burn within us. May we never forget that you are risen. You are alive and your presence is always with and within us. Now send us forth to share the gifts of Easter with all in need; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Read or say to each other:

May the One who brought forth Jesus from the dead raise you to new life, fill you with hope, and turn your mourning into dancing. Almighty God, Father, ☩ Son, and Holy Spirit, bless you now and forever. Amen.

Dismissal

Christ is risen, just as he said.  Go in peace. Share the good news. Alleluia!

Thanks be to God. Alleluia!

Good Friday

April 10, 2020

Introduction

Friday of Holy Week starts on Thursday evening as Jesus and the disciples leave the Upper Room and walk to the Garden of Gethsemane. John does not record Jesus praying in the Garden probably in the wee hours of Friday morning. In John 14 – 18, John records all the comforting Jesus gives to his followers on the way to Gethsemane. Jesus is going to prepare a place for us. He is the vine giving us life. The world does not understand Jesus and will not understand us. Jesus’ prays for his followers, even us.

Our readings this evening pick up at John 18 with Jesus’ arrest in the Garden, trial, and crucifixion. Interwoven in the narrative is the honest account of Peter’s denials, political posturing, popularity reversals, and horrific suffering. The journey this evening reflects the reality of life in the earthly kingdom that is being redeemed by our Savior. Peter is forgiven, God is a just judge, family is bigger than biological with deep connecting bonds, and someday pain and suffering will end. Covid-19 will not win, corrupt politicians will not rule forever, hatred, prejudice, and racism will be defeated by faith, hope, grace and love. The Holy Spirit will guide, counsel and intercede for us. We depart silently, this evening, grieving the suffering we are walking through.

Biblical text will be followed by a hymn. I will share a link to You Tube but I realize you must click on the link or copy it into your address bar on your devise. Ads may come up but be patient, click the “skip ads” arrow when it shows. Enjoy the music and then click the red circle in the left top corner to end You Tube and return to your script. I hope that works. Welcome to a virtual Good Friday service, walking with Jesus to and through the cross experience.

Let us begin in the Name of the Father, +the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Amen. I invite you to light a candle that we will blow out at the end of the service as we are not at the altar to strip it.

Join me in the Prayer of the Day

Almighty God, look with loving mercy on your family, for whom our Lord Jesus Christ was willing to be betrayed, to be given over to the hands of sinners, and to suffer death on the cross; who now lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

We look to Jesus, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. (Heb. 12:2)

Readings and Psalm

First Reading: Isaiah 52:13–53:12

¹³See, my servant shall prosper;
he shall be exalted and lifted up,
and shall be very high.
¹⁴Just as there were many who were astonished at him
—so marred was his appearance, beyond human semblance,
and his form beyond that of mortals—
¹⁵so he shall startle many nations;
kings shall shut their mouths because of him;
for that which had not been told them they shall see,
and that which they had not heard they shall contemplate.
^53:1Who has believed what we have heard?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?
²For he grew up before him like a young plant,
and like a root out of dry ground;
he had no form or majesty that we should look at him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.
³He was despised and rejected by others;
a man of suffering and acquainted with infirmity;
and as one from whom others hide their faces
he was despised, and we held him of no account.

⁴Surely he has borne our infirmities
and carried our diseases;
yet we accounted him stricken,
struck down by God, and afflicted.
⁵But he was wounded for our transgressions,
crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the punishment that made us whole,
and by his bruises we are healed.
⁶All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have all turned to our own way,
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

⁷He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
⁸By a perversion of justice he was taken away.
Who could have imagined his future?
For he was cut off from the land of the living,
stricken for the transgression of my people.
⁹They made his grave with the wicked
and his tomb with the rich,
although he had done no violence,
and there was no deceit in his mouth.

¹⁰Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him with pain.
When you make his life an offering for sin,
he shall see his offspring, and shall prolong his days;
through him the will of the Lord shall prosper.
¹¹Out of his anguish he shall see light;
he shall find satisfaction through his knowledge.
The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
¹²Therefore I will allot him a portion with the great,
and he shall divide the spoil with the strong;
because he poured out himself to death,
and was numbered with the transgressors;
yet he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

Psalm: Psalm 22 (You may take turns reading verses in your group.)

¹My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Why so far from saving me, so far from the words of my groaning?
²My God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer;
by night, but I find no rest.
³Yet you are the Holy One,
enthroned on the praises of Israel.
⁴Our ancestors put their trust in you,
they trusted, and you rescued them. 
⁵They cried out to you and were delivered;
they trusted in you and were not put to shame.
⁶But as for me, I am a worm and not human,
scorned by all and despised by the people.
⁷All who see me laugh me to scorn;
they curl their lips; they shake their heads.
⁸“Trust in the Lord; let the Lord deliver;
let God rescue him if God so delights in him.” 
⁹Yet you are the one who drew me forth from the womb,
and kept me safe on my mother’s breast.
¹⁰I have been entrusted to you ever since I was born;
you were my God when I was still in my  mother’s womb.
¹¹Be not far from me, for trouble is near,
and there is no one to help.
¹²Many young bulls encircle me;
strong bulls of Bashan surround me. R
¹³They open wide their jaws at me,
like a slashing and  roaring lion.
¹⁴I am poured out like water; all my bones are out of joint;
my heart within my breast is melting wax.
¹⁵My strength is dried up like a potsherd; my tongue sticks to the roof of          my mouth;
and you have laid me in the dust of death.
¹⁶Packs of dogs close me in, a band of evildoers circles round me;
they pierce my hands and my feet. R
¹⁷I can count all my bones
while they stare at me and gloat.
¹⁸They divide my garments among them;
for my clothing, they cast lots.
¹⁹But you, O Lord, be not far away;
O my help, hasten to my aid.
²⁰Deliver me from the sword,
my life from the power of the dog.
²¹Save me from the | lion’s mouth!
From the horns of wild bulls you have | rescued me.
²²I will declare your name | to my people;
in the midst of the assembly | I will praise you. R
²³You who fear the Lord, give praise! All you of Jacob’s | line, give glory.
Stand in awe of the Lord, all you off- | spring of Israel.
²⁴For the Lord does not despise nor abhor the poor in their poverty; neither is the Lord‘s face hid- | den from them;
but when they cry out, | the Lord hears them.
²⁵From you comes my praise in the | great assembly;
I will perform my vows in the sight of those who | fear the Lord.
²⁶The poor shall eat | and be satisfied,
Let those who seek the Lord give praise! May your hearts | live forever!
²⁷All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to the Lord;
all the families of nations shall bow before God.
²⁸For dominion belongs to the Lord,
who rules over the nations. 
²⁹Indeed, all who sleep in the earth shall bow down in worship;
all who go down to the dust, though they be dead, shall kneel before   the Lord.
³⁰Their descendants shall serve the Lord,
whom they shall proclaim to generations to come.
³¹They shall proclaim God’s deliverance to a people yet unborn,
saying to them, “The Lord has acted!” 

Second Reading: Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9

¹⁴Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. ¹⁵For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. ¹⁶Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
^5:7In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to the one who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. ⁸Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; ⁹and having been made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.

Gospel: John 18:1–19:42

¹[Jesus] went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered.²Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. ³So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons. ⁴Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” ⁵They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus replied, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. ⁶When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they stepped back and fell to the ground. ⁷Again he asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” ⁸Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.” ⁹This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, “I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.”

Hymn: Jesus, Name Above All Names https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-X1EoecpeE

(Naida Hearn from Palmerston North, New Zealand went to her “wash house” to do the laundry one day in 1970. She carried a list of names for Jesus she had written down for years. She put the list on the window sill and opened her mouth and started singing, inspired by the Holy Spirit. She left the laundry and went to the house and wrote down the song and returned to do her laundry. The song spread in New Zealand and came to the USA to bless many.)

¹⁰Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. ¹¹Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?”
¹²So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. ¹³First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. ¹⁴Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people.

Spoken Hymn: This hymn is probably not familiar to us Lutherans but the words are good so I encourage you to read the words and meditate on how Jesus chose to go through the experience that was before him. He was not a victim of our sin. He was God proactively acting to reconcile with his creation.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_ZBhSxWots

May the mind of Christ, my Saviour,
Live in me from day to day,
By His love and power controlling
All I do and say.

May the Word of God dwell richly
In my heart from hour to hour,
So that all may see I triumph
Only through His power.

May the peace of God my Father
Rule my life in everything,
That I may be calm to comfort
Sick and sorrowing.

May I run the race before me

Strong and brave to face the foe

Looking only onto Jesus

As I onward go.

(We know little about Kate Wilkinson, author of this hymn who was a member of the Church of England and involved in the Keswick Deeper Life Movement. The song has inspired people facing difficult times like Covid-19. The song was published in 1925 when she was 66 years old. Christ said, “Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me.”)
¹⁵Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, ¹⁶but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. ¹⁷The woman said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” ¹⁸Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself.
¹⁹Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. ²⁰Jesus answered, “I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. ²¹Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said.” ²²When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, “Is that how you answer the high priest?” ²³Jesus answered, “If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?” ²⁴Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.
²⁵Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They asked him, “You are not also one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it and said, “I am not.” ²⁶One of the slaves of the high priest, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Did I not see you in the garden with him?” ²⁷Again Peter denied it, and at that moment the cock crowed.
²⁸Then they took Jesus from Caiaphas to Pilate’s headquarters. It was early in the morning. They themselves did not enter the headquarters, so as to avoid ritual defilement and to be able to eat the Passover. ²⁹So Pilate went out to them and said, “What accusation do you bring against this man?” ³⁰They answered, “If this man were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” ³¹Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him according to your law.” The Jews replied, “We are not permitted to put anyone to death.” ³²(This was to fulfill what Jesus had said when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.)

Hymn: Just As I Am: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zucUa13ciOM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zucUa13ciOM

(This hymn by Charlotte Elliot, 1789-1871, is said to have influenced more people than any sermon ever preached. At age 30 she became an invalid for the rest of her 82 years. An Swiss evangelist, visiting her challenged her that she could come to Jesus just as she was, distressed, an invalid. Peter denied Christ. Witnesses lied. Politics. We are all guilty of falling short and come to this story, just as we are. These words inspired this famous hymn and she was later considered one of the finest English hymn writers.)
³³Then Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” ³⁴Jesus answered, “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” ³⁵Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me. What have you done?” ³⁶Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.” ³⁷Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.” ³⁸Pilate asked him, “What is truth?”

After he (Pilate) had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no case against him. ³⁹But you have a custom that I release someone for you at the Passover. Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?” ⁴⁰They shouted in reply, “Not this man, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a bandit.
^19:1Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. ²And the soldiers wove a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and they dressed him in a purple robe. ³They kept coming up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and striking him on the face. ⁴Pilate went out again and said to them, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no case against him.” ⁵So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!” ⁶When the chief priests and the police saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and crucify him; I find no case against him.” ⁷The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has claimed to be the Son of God.”
⁸Now when Pilate heard this, he was more afraid than ever. ⁹He entered his headquarters again and asked Jesus, “Where are you from?” But Jesus gave him no answer. ¹⁰Pilate therefore said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release you, and power to crucify you?” ¹¹Jesus answered him, “You would have no power over me unless it had been given you from above; therefore the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.” ¹²From then on Pilate tried to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are no friend of the emperor. Everyone who claims to be a king sets himself against the emperor.”

Spoken Hymn: This is My Father’s World

This is my father’s world
And to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres

This is my father’s world
Oh, let me never forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong
God is the ruler yet.

This is my father’s world
Why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is king, let the heavens sing

God is the ruler yet.

(Maltbie Davenoirt Babcock, a minister in Lockport, New York, at the turn of the Twentieth Century and author of these words, would walk beside Lake Ontario. He always left home telling his wife, “I’m going out to see my Father’s world. What is truth and where to find it? God is ultimately kings in all circumstances.)
¹³When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s bench at a place called The Stone Pavement, or in Hebrew Gabbatha. ¹⁴Now it was the day of Preparation for the Passover; and it was about noon. He said to the Jews, “Here is your King!” ¹⁵They cried out, “Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but the emperor.” ¹⁶Then he handed him over to them to be crucified.
So they took Jesus; ¹⁷and carrying the cross by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of the Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. ¹⁸There they crucified him, and with him two others, one on either side, with Jesus between them. ¹⁹Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” ²⁰Many of the Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek. ²¹Then the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’ ” ²²Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.” ²³When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier. They also took his tunic; now the tunic was seamless, woven in one piece from the top. ²⁴So they said to one another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see who will get it.” This was to fulfill what the scripture says,
“They divided my clothes among themselves,
and for my clothing they cast lots.”
²⁵And that is what the soldiers did.
Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” ²⁷Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.
²⁸After this, when Jesus knew that all was now finished, he said (in order to fulfill the scripture), “I am thirsty.” ²⁹A jar full of sour wine was standing there. So they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. ³⁰When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Hymn: Were You There When They Crucified My Lord https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uhGYD1svTM4

(This is one of the most famous African American songs that arose from their communal experience of slavery and was first published in 1899 in William E. Barton’s Old Plantation Songs in the section “Recent Negro Melodies.” Originally it had four stanzas: 1) Were you there when they crucified my Lord?; 2) …when they nailed him to the cross?; 3) …when they pierced him in the side?; 4) …when the sun refused to shine. The United Methodist Hymnal, along with many other songbooks, includes a fifth: “…when they laid him in the tomb.” The series of questions are meant to function as a prompt to memories that go beyond recall to bring incorporation into our present lives and to that become part of our story.)
³¹Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. ³²Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him. ³³But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. ³⁵(He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) ³⁶These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of his bones shall be broken.” ³⁷And again another passage of scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.”
³⁸After these things, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus, though a secret one because of his fear of the Jews, asked Pilate to let him take away the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission; so he came and removed his body. ³⁹Nicodemus, who had at first come to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, weighing about a hundred pounds. ⁴⁰They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it with the spices in linen cloths, according to the burial custom of the Jews. ⁴¹Now there was a garden in the place where he was crucified, and in the garden there was a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. ⁴²And so, because it was the Jewish day of Preparation, and the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

Hymn: When I Survey the Wondrous Cross   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsBiaBTFADI

Prayers of Intercession

Let us pray, brothers and sisters, for the holy church throughout the world.

Almighty and eternal God, you have shown your glory to all nations in Jesus Christ. By your Holy Spirit guide the church and gather it throughout the world. Help it to persevere in faith, proclaim your name, and bring the good news of salvation in Christ to all people. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty and eternal God, your Spirit guides the church and makes it holy.

Strengthen and uphold our bishops, pastors, other ministers, and lay leaders. Keep them in health and safety for the good of the church, and help each of us in our various vocations to do faithfully the work to which you have called us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty and eternal God, give your church unity. Look with favor on all who follow Jesus your Son. Help us to forgive the other. May we not carry grudges. May we put the best construction on everything. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

.

.

Almighty and eternal God, you are the creator of a magnificent universe.

Hold all the worlds in the arms of your care and bring all things to fulfillment in you. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty and eternal God, you are the champion of the poor and oppressed. In your goodness, give wisdom to those in authority, so that all people may enjoy justice, peace, freedom, and a share in the goodness of your creation. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty and eternal God, you give strength to the weary and new courage to those who have lost heart. Heal the sick, comfort the dying, give safety to travelers, free those unjustly deprived of liberty, and deliver your world from falsehood, hunger, and disease. Hear the prayers of all who call on you in any trouble, that they may have the joy of receiving your help in their need. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Let us pray:

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,

and the power, and the glory,

forever and ever. Amen.

Blow out your candle now and pray silently or with friends about issues on your heart. Reflect on the heart of God that seeks reconciliation with His creation. We will join together virtually Easter morning.

Sleep well, God does not slumber and he is working in the dark!