Welcome to a Gathering of EChurch@Wartburg
On This Glorious Resurrection Sunday!
Here is our Order of Worship
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.
Scripture Reading: Luke 22:63-71 (NASB Bible Gateway)
Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking Him and beating Him, and they blindfolded Him and were asking Him, saying, “Prophesy, who is the one who hit You?” And they were saying many other things against Him, blaspheming.
Jesus before the Sanhedrin
When it was day, the Council of elders of the people assembled, both chief priests and scribes, and they led Him away to their council chamber, saying, “If You are the Christ, tell us.” But He said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe; and if I ask a question, you will not answer. But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” And they all said, “Are You the Son of God, then?” And He said to them, “Yes, I am.” Then they said, “What further need do we have of testimony? For we have heard it ourselves from His own mouth.”
We will be featuring Wade Burleson’s Resurrection Sunday message next week.
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 our hearts
-he who gives his light to all creation, and who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.
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Easter should be the first day of the year, don’t cha think? Goes well with Spring Cleaning too 🙂
On a slightly, slightly related note.. Another funny thing I learned is that Handel originally performed and meant his piece the Messiah to be on Easter. Now we think of it as sort of an end of year/Christmas thing. Maybe that should be in the beginning too.
Seraph wrote:
The First Passover – The New New Year
Exodus 12: 1ff Now the LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you. “Speak to all the congregation of Israel, saying, ‘On the tenth of this month they are each one to take a lamb for themselves, according to their fathers’ households, a lamb for each household.… “
JYJames wrote:
Indeed.. But for some reason, I noticed that Jews celebrate their new year now around Sept/Oct.
That was a beautiful and powerful message Deebs. Thankyou for putting all the pieces together. Jesus is my life and my soul.
Many thanks for keeping my family in prayer these past few weeks. To lose both parents 9 weeks apart has been very hard on everyone. My son is really having a hard time. He was very close to his grandparents. Then we lost a cousin of mine very unexpectedly last Sunday morning. I think my family is still in shock over the loss of the cousin. But our faith in God is still very strong. We are praying every day for each other and constantly keeping in touch. Several of us are celebrating my mom’s legacy of being a good cook by fixing some of her recipes for our Easter meal today. I think we all learned that never hesitate to call your loved one or friend. It may be the last time you get to talk to them. Happy Easter to my parents up in Heaven and my cousin.
Thank you, Deebs, for providing the resource of EChurch. I listened to it this morning while finishing my work day. When I got home, off the road (I’m an over the road truck driver), I was able to make it to a local church. (Second visit, but probably won’t be returning). While I enjoyed being in a building with other believers, Wade’s message had a greater impact on my ability to connect with God.
It’s now a lot harder for me to connect with people at a church. I have become an outsider as a result of the questions I have been asking, after being affected by a 9Marks type “membership required” situation at the church I had been attending for over 4 years. I had been a part of the music ministry until this past July when the leaders put forward rules for participating in the future. I was the only person who would not become a signatory member, so I can no longer help lead worship. The problem is that the leaders act, and react, just like is described in all of your articles about 9Marks. It is also apparent to me that even trying to discuss things rationally is seen as troublesome.
I’m having a hard time reconciling my desire to help them see the problems involved in being an affiliate and my freedom to go find another place to worship. My extended family, along my wife and children, still attend the church I was a part of. I feel I was led to your website in order to find out about all the “horror stories” involved. How do I know what to do with the information to affect change?
I suppose I could go the legal route as I am not bound by the “informed consent” limitations that a signatory member faces. But my hope, (“long term goal?”)is for the church to grow, and for true reconciliation. Is that even a possibility when nobody seems to know that the church is a 9Marks affiliate?
@ David:
Thanks for your comment. What a shame that the church you have been attending is being influenced by 9Marks. So glad you are enjoying EChurch.