We…and most of the world in the past few weeks… have experienced our own Good Friday… a time of darkness, despair, and dying… and we have waited through our own Holy Saturday, wondering if or when things will change for the better. In so doing, we have, perhaps without even being aware of it, walked the path with Jesus to the cross and the tomb. But that journey was not over for him… or for us! Easter Sunday rose with glory… and so did he! He is risen! Today is a day to celebrate!

To help us do that, we’ve reversed our usual order of service today. Begin with the message from Jo Ann and Tony, and then move onto the worship video prepared by Shawn and the worship team. Gather some bread and drink to take communion along the way. And prepare your heart to celebrate. Our Friend is alive!

Message

Jo Ann and Tony help us understand what the meaning of Easter was for Jesus’ friends…. how they went from anguish to awe… and how they celebrated when they discovered, slowly, that the resurrection changes and redeems EVERYTHING.

Worship

He is risen! He is risen indeed!

This is a glorious call to worship – not just because we declare it on Easter Sunday, but because we can declare it together every day.

But life doesn’t always feel like a victorious declaration. In fact, there are times when it feels like the lights have gone out and darkness claims the victory.  

But resurrection comes out of death.  

We are closing out the worship set today with a special song called Egypt.

It is such a powerful story of how God steps into our “Egypt”, our slavery, bondage, and pain, and delivers us through the seas and settles us in a land filled with His goodness and promises.  

This is what Jesus has done for us. By coming to earth and living among us, He stepped into our Egypt, parted the waters by tearing apart the veil that separated us from God, and leads us to a land filled with so much of His goodness that it’s hard to contain it all. Let’s all sing together, “All hail King Jesus!”


Closing Prayer