Home Church Resources – Easter 3 – Sunday 26th April

Theme: ‘Moments of Revelation’

Preparation


Opening

Opening Hymn: CP141 Christ the Lord is risen again

 

A prayer of approach
Risen Saviour, risen Lord,
we come to you today.
We come to share in your story.
We come to feast with you.
We approach your throne with the knowledge
that you died for us and rose again.
Hallelujah, risen Lord Jesus.
Hallelujah. Amen.


Readings

Psalm 30.1-5, 11-12

response: I will exalt you, O Lord my God

Two disciples walk back from Jerusalem to their home in Emmaus. They are in despair about the death of Jesus. Jesus appears and walks beside them, but they do not recognise him. He teaches them from the Scriptures and they see who he is when he breaks bread with them.


Material for Reflection

For reflection:

  • When were you last able to gather around a table or meal or even a camp fire to tell and listen to stories ?
  • If you were to tell your own story, where would you begin ?
  • Where is Jesus in your story ?

Audio Reflection : on today’s Gospel

If you weren’t able to print out the Emojis before the service you can use them online here.

God is good all the time, all the time God is good.

 

Song: Unending Love – Amazing Grace


Poem:
A Walk Rainer Maria Rilke transl from the German by Robert Bly

My eyes already touch the sunny hill,
going far ahead of the road I have begun.
So we are grasped by what we cannot grasp;
it has its inner light, even from a distance-
and changes us, even if we do not reach it,
into something else, which, hardly sensing it, we already are;
a gesture waves us on, answering our own wave….
but what we feel is the wind on our faces.


Prayer

Prayers of intercession based on the today’s gospel

Living Lord, we bring to you the needs of the world:
We pray for those who consider themselves to be strangers
and outcasts –
= Help us always to welcome the stranger, whatever the cost,
not sitting comfortably and ignoring people we think don’t fit in,
not taking the easy way.
= May our homes and churches be places of welcome,
hospitality and love, that all may have the chance to recognise and see you
in the warmth of those around them, and especially now where we have to find different ways of sharing these things.

We pray for countries where food is in short supply most especially those hit by two waves of locust devastation lost in the news stories –
= May we farm sustainably and eat sensibly, and shop responsibly, so there is enough to feed the whole planet.
= May we not look only after ourselves but seek to offer the same opportunities to all, ‘leaving no one behind’.
= Help us not to be selfish, but always to consider others.
Lord, we long for the day when all in society will be of equal worth.
May we be a part of making that happen.

We pray for those who are lonely and have no one to eat with them, especially now in these days of isolation –
= May we seek and find fresh ways to open our doors to our neighbours, so that love and friendship can flourish, and all can enjoy the feast.
We ask in Jesus’ name.
Amen.

Collect for today:

Risen Christ you filled your disciples with boldness and fresh hope: strengthen us to proclaim your risen life and fill us with your peace, to the glory of God the Father. Amen.

Affirmation of Faith:

We declare our faith in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ:
Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures;
He was buried;
He was raised to life on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures;
afterwards he appeared to his followers and to all the apostles:
this we have received and this we believe. Amen.
based on 1 Corinthians 15.3-7


Closing

Closing Hymn: 148  Jesus lives ! thy terrors now

The Blessing

Organ Voluntary