Having the Identity of a Servant: Easter

This service was created as a part of a Lent series though it could be used alone. For the rest of the series go to "Having the Identity of a Servant: Series Homepage". 

St. Francis of Assisi famously said “Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words.” What he is getting at is that the truth of the gospel—that Jesus came to seek and save the lost—is frequently communicated to others in the actions of our lives, whether or not we live in a way that shows our love of God and of our neighbor. However, there are times when it is necessary to use words to proclaim the message of salvation, and indeed it is an act of service to share the gospel message. It is, in fact, unwise to separate acts of service from the message of the gospel. If you try, you may end up with nice social actions done outside the context of the world-transforming hope of the gospel, or empty hollow words that bear little fruit.

Especially on Easter Sunday there should be a focus on the words and actions of the gospel coming together in and through our own lives. As a community, we celebrate the salvific work of God and commit to sharing the good news with the world. This week’s sermon text, John 20:1-18, has a profound yet simple testimony: “I have seen the Lord!” Where do we see the Lord today? When the Lord reveals himself to us, through scripture, creation, words of people, books, music, etc, we should also testify, “I have seen the Lord!” Other readings from the lectionary for today remind us that we are called to give account to the hope that we have. Easter equips us with both the words and actions to give such an account.  

GOD GATHERS US 

Opening Song

“Low in the Grave He Lay” ^Lowry
“See, What a Morning” ^{Getty, Townend}

Call to Worship

Have you seen him? 
I have seen the Lord! 

Christ is risen! 
Christ is risen, indeed. 
Alleluia! 

Greeting

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 
—2 Corinthians 13:13

WE RESPOND

Opening Responses

O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
God’s steadfast love endures forever! 

The LORD is my strength and my might;
     God has become my salvation.

There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous:
“The right hand of the LORD does valiantly;
    the right hand of the LORD is exalted;
     the right hand of the LORD does valiantly.”

I shall not die, but I shall live
     and recount the deeds of the LORD.

The stone that the builders rejected
     has become the chief cornerstone.
This is the LORD’s doing;
   it is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day that the LORD has made;
     let us rejoice and be glad in it.
—Psalm 118: 1, 14–17, 22–24 

Possible Songs:  
“Christ the Lord is Risen Today” ^Wesley
“Mfurahini, haleluya/Christ Has Arisen, Alleluia” ^Kyamanywa

Call to Confession

Christ is risen! 
Christ is risen, indeed. 
Alleluia! 

The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians, “Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. For since death came through a human, the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human, for as all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ. But each in its own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ.”
—1 Corinthians 15:20–23

With gratitude for the gift of salvation let us humbly go before God and confess the sin that necessitated Christ’s self-sacrifice. Let us pray, beginning with a time of silent reflection. 

Prayer of Confession

[Silence]

Holy and Almighty God, 
out of the silence we come to you. 

We come with gratitude in our hearts 
for the gift of your son, Jesus Christ, 
who died so we may live. 

We come fully recognizing our unworthiness. 
That even today, as we celebrate the gift of the resurrection,
we have sinned, and we will sin. 

We come to you 
realizing just how often we fail to put you first, 
   even though we proclaim you Lord of all; 
realizing how we can sing your praises in one breath
   and use your name to curse in the next; 
realizing that though we claim the title, Christian, 
   we fail to be a Christ follower, 
   we fail to be your disciple,
   we fail to follow your example, a humble servant,
      willing to extend love to all people, 
      regardless of any societal labels. 

We come to you, aware of our shortcomings, 
asking for your Holy Spirit to work in us, 
convict us of our sin, 
so that we may become more like you. 
Amen. 
—Joyce Borger, Reformed Worship, © 2024 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike. Used by permission.

Assurance of Pardon: Acts 10:34–43

[After the assurance is read, the following words can be spoken]

People of God, your sins are forgiven. 
Greet each other with the good news of Christ’s resurrection. 

The Peace

Christ is risen! 
Christ is risen, indeed. 
Alleluia! 

Song of Thanksgiving

“¡Oh, qué bueno es Jesús/Oh, How Good is Christ the Lord” ^{Puerto Rican folk hymn} 
 

GOD SPEAKS TO US

Children’s Message

I have a question for you this morning: Have you seen Jesus? Maybe you are thinking, “No, Jesus has never appeared to me in a vision like he did for Paul, or walked along the road with me like he did with his disciples. Jesus hasn’t miraculously healed me or fed me or helped me catch fish.” That’s all true. But did you know there are other ways we “see” God? Some of us may “see” God when the adults in our lives hold us and comfort us when we are sad. Some of us may “see” Jesus when teachers at church or school tell us about him. Some of us may “see” the Holy Spirit when we are worshiping and feel very close to God. 

Where do you see God? 
—Bethany Besteman, Reformed Worship, © 2024 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike. Used by permission. 

Prayer for Illumination 

Holy God, 
we rejoice in the light of this Easter morning 
and we come now with gladness to the reading of your word. 
May the light of the world that we celebrate this morning 
fill our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, 
driving away any lingering darkness 
and equipping us for lives of service. 
Amen. 
—Bethany Besteman, Reformed Worship, © 2024 Calvin Institute of Christian Worship, Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-ShareAlike. Used by permission. 

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 65:17-25, Acts 10:34-43, John 20:1-18

Sermon: “I Have Seen the Lord”
 

WE RESPOND

Sung Response: “Good Christians All, Rejoice and Sing” ^Alington

Profession of Our Church’s Faith: Apostle’s Creed

Response of Praise and Prayer

“Cristo Vive/Christ is Risen” ^Martinez
 

GOD SENDS US OUT TO SERVE

Sending

People of God, 
the world is looking for the Savior 
and it is our task to testify through our words and actions
“We have seen the Lord!”

Now go out into the world, as Christ’s faithful servants, 
a living testimony of God’s grace. 

Blessing/Benediction 

May the God of love, who showed us love
strengthen us in our love for others.

May Christ, who shared his life
grant us grace, that we might share ours. 

And may the Holy Spirit dwelling in us
empower us to be Christ’s ambassadors,
wherever we go and to whomever we meet. 

Amen. Hallelujah! 
—Source unknown

Closing Doxology: “Halle, halle, halle” ^Caribbean or some other Alleluia type burst of praise. 

HOW SHALL WE RESPOND THIS WEEK? 

Feasting 
-The time of fast is over, now we come to the feast of the lamb. Traditionally, Easter marks the end of times of deprivation and the beginning of a time spent celebrating and “feasting” on God’s goodness. How can you “taste and see that God is good” this week? 

Prayer
-In your prayers this week, pray for any missionaries you know or that your church supports. Pray that they will have the courage to share the good news of the gospel boldly and pray for opportunities to do so as well in your own life. 
-After you pray for missionaries, pray that same prayer for yourself. 

Around the Kitchen Table
-If you have been using a "Christ chair" decide whether you want to decommission it this week or leave it up during the season of Easter. If the former, talk with household members about how the chair helped keep the reminder of Christ in your midst during the Lent season. What symbolic additions to the chair were meaningful to you? If you decide to leave it up, make a plan for how you might symbolically mark the upcoming Sundays through the chair. What lessons do the stories of Jesus post-resurrection have to offer us about servanthood?

Ideas for Including Children and Teens
-At dinner time or any other time of family devotions throughout the week, ask each other “Where have you seen Jesus today?”
-Jesus taught us how to love and serve others. Think of concrete ways to love and serve those you see everyday. Check in tomorrow to see how it went. What could you do as a household/family together as an act of love and service?