Note: The hymn numbers are from “Singing the Faith” the current hymnbook of the Methodist Church, you will need to look them up if your Church uses a different book. I have also put links into YouTube for the hymns, my choice might not be yours, so by all means look for alternatives.
Bible Reading: Psalm 116
I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy.
Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.
The cords of death entangled me, the anguish of the grave came over me;
I was overcome by distress and sorrow.
Then I called on the name of the Lord: “Lord, save me!”
The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion.
The Lord protects the unwary; when I was brought low, he saved me.
Return to your rest, my soul, for the Lord has been good to you.
For you, Lord, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
I trusted in the Lord when I said, “I am greatly afflicted”;
in my alarm I said, “Everyone is a liar.”
What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me?
I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.
I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his faithful servants.
Truly I am your servant, Lord; I serve you just as my mother did; you have freed me from my chains.
I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord.
I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people,
in the courts of the house of the Lord—in your midst, Jerusalem.
Praise the Lord
Hymn 446: I will offer up my life in Spirit and truth Watch on You tube
Prayer Creator God, who breathed the world into existence, who called men and women to lead your people in paths of righteousness, who spoke your word through prophets, who loved the world so much that you sent your only son, who showed us the way, the truth and the life through his ministry, we come and we worship you. When all felt to be lost, you raised him from the dead and revealed your glory to the early Church. We can not understand, but we who live centuries later worship believe and worship you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen
God of love, you have led us into the ways of light, forgive us when we have chosen to walk in the darkness, forgive us for when we have not acted with love, when our words have hurt others and even when our thoughts have been impure. We pray that you will cleanse us through the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen
Collect for the day
God of life and love, your Son made himself known to his disciples in the breaking of the bread. Open our eyes that we may see him in his redeeming work, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
Bible Reading Acts 2: 14a, 36-41
Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say.
“Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day
Whenever I see the fields of rapeseed, I am reminded of the Methodist Association of Youth Clubs London weekend that happened during mid-May each year. The MAYC colours were green and yellow and as we travelled by coach from Yorkshire to London, I used to be thrilled to see the green and yellow fields, it always made me believe that God had his hand on what was happening. I remember the very first London Weekend I attended in 1979, I came home and thought “life will never be the same again” a feeling I’ve had many times since.
As Peter addresses the crowd on the Day of Pentecost, the infant Church is in a vulnerable place, God has poured out his Spirit on them and now the vital next stage is how they respond. This is the one point where the Church stands on the threshold of growth, or it dies for once and for all, the work of Jesus comes to an end. Jesus has already commissioned Peter to lead his Church, this is Peter’s response, no empty talk, no blundering, but this is where the work begins.
I believe that we are at a pivotal time in the life of the 21st century Church. The main agenda of my training at theological college was “the Church is dying, you are the folk to turn that around” as and when we emerge from the end of this experience in 2020, we will either be stronger and ready to work with God on the next stage of his mission, or we will have weakened and the church will be more vulnerable than ever.
Challenge:
Look back at the last five weeks since all of this began, how is God using you during this time, has your faith changed? Has your faith strengthened? What have you to be thankful for in this experience?
Hymn 548 Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine Watch on You tube
Or Watch on You tube A Gospel Choir, made me smile!
Epistle 1 Peter 1: 17-23
Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God
You may have heard me recall this experience before. As a teenager and Sunday School teacher, I encouraged my class of thirteen year olds who were forever complaining about Church worship to be creative and come up with something new, we sat for the best part of three quarters of an hour and came up with five hymns (of our choosing) two prayers, two bible readings and a sermon (much shorter and snappier than we were used to hearing) I remember feeling deflated, in the end, there was nothing new.
As Peter addresses the early Church, he encourages them not simply to continue to do the old, tried and tested, the things that meant doggedly sticking to what has gone before, because surely if our forefathers did it then it is surely right. He reminds them that they are born anew, different people because of what they have experienced, alive and Spirit led.
The baptism of John at the beginning of the ministry of Jesus was about repentance, dying to our old selves and rising anew, cleaned, purified in God, not simply our old selves washed, but new in the sight of God. Here, Peter is calling early Church to die to their old selves and rise renewed in Christ.
- Peter refers to people living in reverent fear during their time in the wilderness.Think for a moment about what causes you to fear during this time. Our fear of catching the virus, our fear for others we know, our fear of loneliness, isolation, of being able to face the world again when we have freedom of movement.
Prayer
In these days of lock down and isolation where life feels to be difficult and lonely for so many, try to be still and silent for a few moments.
Pray for the Church of Christ, that we might be Easter people, filled with the love of God, seeking to work in his way in the world today, pray for an end to divisions and a new Church grown in love and unity.
Pray for the people of the world, at a time when we are forced to stay at home, remember those who have no homes, those who have to go out to supply their basic needs like water and sanitation. Remember those whose homes have been destroyed and pray for the rulers of nations as they make difficult decisions
Pray for our own country, our government, our NHS workers and all those in key roles in our nation, putting their own health at risk, so that others can be looked after. People who face the pandemic so soon after having their homes and livelihoods destroyed by the recent floods only eight weeks ago.
Pray for people who find themselves isolated, remembering particularly those who find themselves in dark places, separated from those they love particularly at difficult times in their lives. Remember the people on our prayer list this week.
Pray for those who have lost loved ones, remembering the many people who died due to causes other than the pandemic. Remember those who are not getting the opportunity to say goodbye and can’t have funeral services to celebrate the lives of those they have lost.
Finally, pray that God will strengthen you to cope with this difficult time and that you may feel the power of his risen life in you today. Amen
The Lord’s prayer:
Hymn Lord Jesus in the days of old Watch on You tube (organ accompaniment only)
Lord Jesus, in the days of old
Two walked thee in waning light;
And loves blind instinct made them bold
To crave thy presence through the night
As night descends, we too would pray
O leave us not at close of day!
Did not either hearts within them burn?
And, though their Lord, they failed to know,
Did not their spirits inly yearn?
They could not let the stranger go.
Much more must we who know thee pray:
O leave us not at close of day!
Perchance we have not always wist
Who has been with us by the way;
Amid day’s uproar we have missed
some word that thou has had to say.
In silent night, O Saviour dear,
We would not fail they voice to hear.
Day is far spent, and night is nigh;
Stay with us, Saviour, through the night;
Talk with us, touch us tenderly,
Lead us to peace, to rest, to light;
Dispel our darkness with thy face,
Radiant with resurrection grace.
Nor this night only, blessed Lord,
We, every day and every hour,
Would walk with thee Emmaus-ward
To hear they voice of love and power;
And every night would by thy side
Look, listen, and be satisfied.
James Ashcroft Noble (1844-96)
Gospel: Luke 24: 13-35
Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; but they were kept from recognizing him. He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast. One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.” He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread.
The above hymn wasn’t selected to be part of Singing the faith, which I think is sad because I think the words are lovely.
The image above on the left was painted by Janet Brooks Gerloff an American artist born in Kansas USA in 1947 the one on the right is a 19th century painting by Robert Zund a Swiss landscape painter.
The two pictures depict very different images of the same story, the one on the left showing two dark characters, mouring the loss of a very dear friend, the one who would deliver them, there is a feeling that all is lost, hope is gone, Jesus is dead. The risen Christ is depicted almost in a ghostly style, which troubles me, I believe that Christ is alive, in human form once again, not a ghost, but a real man, so the illustartion causes me to feel uneasy.
The picture on the right is very different and at first glance, it maybe makes you feel much more upbeat, but I struggle equally with this image. Christ clad in white is sharing his message with them, unlocking the truth and they are hanging on his every word, looking at him, the sun is shining,there are nice fluffy clouds in the pale blue sky and in the distance you can just make out Emmaus. My problem with this picture is that it is just a bit too good to be true.
The two on the road are grief stricken, they are in a dark place, they have a seven miles walk home and are deep in conversation. The stranger who joins them appears not to know what has been going on in Jerusalem, they weren’t sure whether or not to belive the things they’d heard about the resurrection. Even though the teaching of Jesus is inspiring, they still don’t realise that it is he.
The thing that always strikes me about this story is the journey, they walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus burdoned by all that had happened, they are people walking into the darkness. When they recognise who Jesus is, he is taken away from them. Their response? They head straight back to Jeusalem, my guess is that this time there is a spring in their step, planning what they going to tell the others. They are transformed through their experience.
Sometimes in our darkest hours, we feel the physical presence of Jesus walking alongside us and we can not fail to be transformed by him.
- Think about those times in your life when life has felt to be a struggle and how you have been lifted up by those around you and by God’s love.
- Think about occasions in your life when you have felt the power of God’s transforming love and just wanted to share your excitement with others.
Hymn 293 All heaven declares Watch on You tube
Prayer
Lord have mercy on us,
Come and heal our land.
Cleanse with your fire, heal with your touch,
Humbly we bow and call upon You now.
O Lord, have mercy on us,
O Lord, have mercy on us.Keep us, good Lord,
under the shadow of your mercy
in this time of uncertainty and distress.
Sustain and support the anxious and fearful,
and lift up all who are brought low;
that we may rejoice in your comfort
knowing that nothing can separate us from your love
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.