The Bulletin for the Second Worship Service. Unfortunately, there will not be a video for the Second Service this week.
This week’s Gospel lesson gives us the story of the walk to Emmaus. Has there ever been a time when you felt you were walking with Jesus? Did you know he’s walking with you right now?
As the flowers spring to life, the birds burst into song, and new color seems to be all around us, we think of the new life and rebirth of the Resurrection. The tomb is empty. Eternal life awaits us.
This Easter Sunday we are having a combined service, starting with special music at 9:30 am, with Worship and Holy Communion to follow at 10:00 am. Immediately after the service we will continue the celebration with a brunch and Easter egg hunt for the kids in the Fellowship Hall. All events are open to everyone.
Here are the Readings and Announcements for Easter Sunday.
The Bulletin and link to the video for the Service (note: there are two video links given below. at the time of this posting, it’s not clear which is the correct one, so…start with one, if that doesn’t work, try the other one).
Like the woman at the tomb in today’s Gospel lesson, we are sometimes confused, awe struck, maybe even a bit frightened of the Easter message. He is Risen! God loves us so much that he sent Jesus to die for our sins. Wow. For me? Really?
Once again, we start Holy Week with the celebration of Jesus entering Jerusalem to cheering crowds and the waving of palm fronds. And yet, we know the rest of the story. The creation of Holy Communion on Maundy Thursday. The betrayal in the garden. The anguish, suffering, and death on Good Friday.
As we come closer to the end of our Lenten journey, we hear the story of Jesus, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, and of Jesus bringing Lazarus back from death. It is a story of love, of faith, of power that is stronger than death. Now, we move forward toward Jerusalem, toward Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and the Cross, and ultimately to Easter and the promise of life that it holds for all of us.
In this week’s Gospel reading we have the verse that show up on signs during football games, John 3:16. It is a wonderful verse, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that everyone who believes in him may not perish but have everlasting life.” It’s interesting, though, that this week’s reading includes the next verse too, “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
God loves us. He cares about us. As a friend, Jimmy, says, there is nothing we can do, or not do, that will make God stop loving us.
We aren’t being condemned. We’re being saved. There’s a big difference.