Prayers 4 4 2010
*Happy Easter! He is risen! He is risen, Indeed! We have witnessed the triumphant entry of Jesus the new king only for him to be betrayed, arrested, tried, convicted and crucified on Good Friday. Before his death, he gathered his disciples to celebrate the Passover at which time, Jesus taught them to commemorate the sacrifice God will make in his life for the salvation of our lives. As promised, on the third day of his death, Jesus Christ rose from the grave defeating the finality of death forever. We welcome you to this new day—a Day of Resurrection for Christ Jesus and for each one of us when that day comes in Christ’s reign!
*At the 11:30 Cantonese Service today, they will celebrate new life by sponsoring a Sidewalk Tea following that service at 12:45; you are cordially invited to attend too
Prayer Concerns
*Faye Wong received a pacemaker on Tuesday to help regulate her blood circulation with the hope of resolving some of her health issues
*Anne Lee’s daughter Theresa who has thyroid cancer; surgery is scheduled for this Wednesday
Read John 20:1-18
Prayer of God’s People
O God, we come to you on this first day of the week, as did your disciples so long ago. We are here to show our love and gratitude to you, as did they. When they came on that first Easter morning, they were worried and afraid. They feared you had left them forever, and that all they had worked for was in vain. They thought that death had taken you, and they would never see you again. But they got a surprise instead: when they arrived at the tomb, you were gone, and two in dazzling clothes asked why they sought the living among the dead.
They remembered what you had told them, that your Son must be handed over into the hands of sinful people, and be executed, and rise on the third day. These women rushed back to tell their friends, the friends of Jesus. When the women reported this to the frightened eleven, they thought it was an idle tale. But Peter ran to the tomb and looked in and saw the empty cloths, and was filled with wonder.
Fill us again with the wonder of this day, O God. Count us among those whose hearts are filled with the marvel of your power, with the presence of your Spirit, with the faith of those who first saw and believed. Let us smell the flowers in the garden, see the light of your wisdom and love, taste and see that you, our God, are good.
As our good and life-giving God, we pray for those in our communities who are in need of your presence and reassurance. We thank you, Lord for how you care for Faye Wong and the miracle of modern medicine of a pacemaker to help with her circulation. Bless her with rest and recovery and strengthen David her loving husband who cares for her and their extended family. We pray for the confidence in knowing that you watch over every one of your creations. Continue to bless Anne Lee’s daughter Theresa at this time of cancer treatment and upcoming surgery that may lead to restored health. We pray for…
May we rise with you who even now dwells in our midst. May we soar on your wings, you who fly from the tomb into life. May we stand once more, awestruck, at the wonder of your resurrection. May we hear you say to us, as you said to your disciples then, “Peace be with you.” May we experience your presence more richly than ever before as we offer up our thanksgiving and praise on this Easter Day. Trusting in your presence in our midst, we pray as our Lord taught us to say together, “Our Father…”
The Lord’s Supper
Christians do not believe that human beings are only bodies, nor do they believe that they are souls who, for the time being, have bodies. Christians affirm, rather, that human beings are embodied. Embody means giving something intangible, physical form. What others call “the soul” and “the body,” Christians call the “breath of God” and “dust.” God’s breath, perhaps intangible and invisible brought tangible dust to life. As living human beings, God’s creations, the breath of God and dust form an inseparable unity. There is no such thing as the “real me” apart from the “embodied me.”
When Jesus broke bread and drank the cup in the upper room, he demonstrated that God whom we often think is intangible and invisible is known tangibly in the birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus is embodied—the breath of God and dust; like we are too. But the difference is that on this day of resurrection, we believe that Christ has defeated death and he is the first example of this in his resurrection. The promise that we have is that as often as we eat of this bread and drink of this cup, we believe that in God’s time, we too will experience death no more.
Bread—Ashang
Cup—Don
Closing Prayer—Ashang
Benediction
Spread the message: Christ is alive!
Live the good news and live longer in Christ.
Now may the grace of Jesus Christ,
the love of God,
and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.
Amen.