EChurch@Wartburg – 4.20.14

Welcome to a Gathering of EChurch@Wartburg

On This Glorious Resurrection Sunday!

http://www.publicdomainpictures.net/view-image.php?image=8297&picture=thank-you-jesus-sand-sculptureThank You Jesus Sand Sculpture

If you are new to EChurch, please click on this link for an explanation

Here is our Order of Worship

Blest Are You, Jesus link

Blest are you, Lord Jesus who came to us a little child
one of us, flesh and blood to share in our humanity
For God so loved the world
ALL: That all might have eternal life

Blest are you, Lord Jesus who came to us as carpenter
and yet in whose creative hands a world was fashioned
For God so loved the world
ALL: That all might have eternal life

Blest are you, Lord Jesus who came to us as fisherman
and yet pointed to a harvest that was yet to come
For God so loved the world
ALL: That all might have eternal life

Blest are you, Lord Jesus who came to us as teacher
and opened eyes to truths that only
the poor could understand
For God so loved the world
ALL: That all might have eternal life

Blest are you, Lord Jesus who came to us as healer
and opened hearts to the reality of wholeness
For God so loved the world
ALL: That all might have eternal life

Blest are you, Lord Jesus who came to us as prophet, priest and king
and yet humbled himself
to take our place upon the cross
For God so loved the world
ALL: That all might have eternal life

Blest are you, Lord Jesus who came to us as servant
and revealed to us the extent of his Father’s love
for human kind
For God so loved the world
ALL: That all might have eternal life

Blest are you, Lord Jesus, who rose
from the ignominy of a sinner’s death
to the triumph of a Saviour’s resurrection
For God so loved the world
ALL: That all might have eternal life

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son
for the sake of me
and you
and other sinners too
God so loved the world
Blest are you Lord Jesus, our Saviour and Redeemer
Amen

How Often link

How often when weary
do we sigh ‘The spirit is willing,
but the body is weak.’
How often when in prayer
are thoughts distracted by
sounds or circumstance
or prayers diverted
by trivial concerns.
Baggage carried with us
rather than left at your feet.
How often do we find ourselves
apologising to you
for our abbreviated prayer life.
And yet you draw us still
to be in your presence
as you did the disciples at Gethsemene
You want us to share in your life
to play our part.
You told your disciples to watch and pray
so that they might not fall into temptation
Do you ask the same of us
and do we also fail you
each time we whisper
‘The spirit is willing,
but the body is weak.’
Grant us the strength, Lord
of body and of spirit
to offer you the sacrifice
of our lives
Amen

Scripture Reading:  Luke 2:8-20 (NASB Bible Gateway)

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.  And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

Easter Prayer of St. Hippolytus (AD 190-236)

Christ is Risen: The world below lies desolate
Christ is Risen: The spirits of evil are fallen
Christ is Risen: The angels of God are rejoicing
Christ is Risen: The tombs of the dead are empty
Christ is Risen indeed from the dead,
the first of the sleepers,
Glory and power are his forever and ever
Amen

Easter Prayer 2011 -Mark Galli link

O Risen Lord, be our resurrection and life.
Be the resurrection and the life for us and all whom you have made. 
Be the resurrection and the life for those caught in the grip of sin and addiction. 
Be the resurrection and the life for those who feel forsaken. 

Be the resurrection and the life for those who live as if you do not. 
Be the resurrection and the life for those who do not believe they need resurrection and life. 
Be the resurrection and the life in churches that believe they are dying,
and in successful churches who don’t know they are dead.

Be the resurrection and the life in us who know the good but fail to do it,
who have not been judged but still judge, who know love but still live for self,
who know hope but succumb to despair. 

Be the resurrection and the life for those dying of malnutrition and hunger. 
Be the resurrection and life for those imprisoned unjustly and those imprisoned justly. 
Be the resurrection and life for those who live under regimes
that seek to crush all who proclaim resurrection and life. 

Be the resurrection and the life for those in the throes of sickness that leads to death. 
Be the resurrection and the life in families where the weak are maltreated by the strong. 
Be the resurrection and the life in marriages that are disintegrating. 

Be the resurrection and the life for women trafficked and enslaved by the forces of wickedness. 
Be the resurrection and the life for those whose lives are snuffed out in the womb. 
Be the resurrection and the life for anyone anywhere who knows suffering and death in any form,
and for Creation itself, which groans in travail. 

Be the resurrection and life in the life we share and the fellowship we enjoy,
that filled anew with the wonder of your love and the power of your grace,
we may go forth to proclaim your resurrection life to a world in the grip of death and yet on the verge of redemption,
a redemption promised by you and assured by what occurred on the first Easter morn. 

Amen.

Easter Prayer: Book of Common Prayer link

How blessed is this day, when earth and heaven are joined and humankind is reconciled to God!
May the light of Jesus shine continually to drive away all darkness.
May Christ, the Morning Star who knows no setting, find his light ever burning in o
ur hearts
-he who gives his light to all creation, and who lives and reigns for ever and ever. 

Amen.

Comments

EChurch@Wartburg – 4.20.14 — 4 Comments

  1. @ jackleeknows:

    E church is for those who cannot attend, sometimes because the church had them perp-walked out for asking a question seeking an explanation of some point of theology in a pastor’s sermon, or because they have a special needs child that makes the pastor uncomfortable. It is for those who find that none of the churches in their community preach a gospel they can believe. It is for those who cannot stomach the preaching at your church, given the attitude you have that seems acceptable in your church. And for many others.

    The blog writers and many, perhaps most, of the commenters and readers attend church regularly. For myself, we have church at home, attend a local church regularly and participate, and I frequent the Echurch as well. So get off your “churchier than thou high horse” and recognize a service to the hurting, some of whom have literally been pushed out of a church they were in (aka physically escorted off the premises, for daring to ask a question or having a special needs child).