Holy Week & Easter

King of my life, I crown Thee now / Thine shall the glory be
Lest I forget Thy thorn-crowned brow / Lead me to Calvary
Lest I forget Gethsemane / Lest I forget Thine agony
Lest I forget Thy love for me / Lead me to Calvary

We sang these words at the close of our worship service on April 10, as a reminder that the joy of Palm Sunday gives way to the sorrow of Holy Week. The same Jesus who is greeted with palms and fanfare goes on to die, "for us and for our salvation," as the Nicene Creed puts it.

For the first time in three years, we will gather together for a Maundy Thursday meal. Join us on April 14 at 6pm in the FPC Fellowship Hall, and bring a main dish, side, salad, or dessert to share (drinks will be provided). After we eat, we will remember Jesus' Last Supper by sharing in communion together. Then we will gather in the sanctuary for a worship service centered around the cross (beginning around 7:30pm). We will leave the service in darkness as a reminder of Jesus' entombment and descent to the dead. Then we will wait. Because the good news is, Sunday's coming.

Yours in Christ,
Blake

Join us for Easter Worship on April 17:
Sunrise Worship
7:00am at Bridge Park
Traditional Worship
11:00am in the FPC Sanctuary

The Six Great Ends of the Church

The way of Christ is a way of resurrection — a way of hope, joy, and new life by the Holy Spirit’s power and to the Father’s glory. This is what Christianity is all about! This is what God calls us, as Christians, to be all about as we bear witness to the continual inbreaking work of God in this wounded and weary world. I like the way the great missionary Lesslie Newbigin said it: “I am neither an optimist nor a pessimist. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.”

To help us live this truth together, I will soon begin preaching through the “Six Great Ends of the Church.” For generations, we Presbyterians have summarized our reason for existence with these purpose statements, found in our Book of Order. The Six Great Ends are:

• The Proclamation of the Gospel for the Salvation of Humankind

• The Shelter, Nurture, and Spiritual Fellowship of the Children of God

• The Maintenance of Divine Worship

• The Preservation of the Truth

• The Promotion of Social Righteousness

• The Exhibition of the Kingdom of Heaven to the World

While I am not usually one to cite the Book of Order on Sunday mornings (as it doesn’t often make for the most engaging reading), I do find these statements to be helpful and faithful descriptions of the body of Christ. Come and study them with us. Join us for worship and life together either in-person or online. Let’s rise up, remember, and rejoice in the good news of the gospel: Christ is risen! He is risen indeed.

Sermon Scriptures*

• 4/18/2021 - 1 Peter 2:4-10 (Introduction)

• 4/25/2021 - Romans 10:1-15 (First great end)

• 5/02/2021 - 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 (Second great end)

• 5/09/2021 - Hebrews 9:1-14 (Third great end)

• 5/16/2021 - 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5 (Fourth great end)

• 5/23/2021 - Isaiah 58:1-11 and/or James 1:19-27 (Fifth great end)

• 5/30/2021 - Philippians 2:5-11 or Revelation 21:1-5 (Sixth great end)

Yours in Christ,
Blake

*This list is always subject to change!

Easter Worship

An Order of Worship for the Lord’s Day
April 12, 2020
Resurrection of the Lord

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Prelude

“Christ the Lord is Risen Today” – performed by Michael Collings

Call to Worship – Psalm 118:1, 19-24

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
    his love endures forever!
Open for me the gates of the righteous;
    I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord
    through which the righteous may enter.
I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
    you have become my salvation.
The stone the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this,
    and it is marvelous in our eyes.
The Lord has done it this very day;
    let us rejoice today and be glad.
Lord, save us!  Lord, grant us success!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
    From the house of the Lord we bless you.

Opening Prayer

Glory to you, Father: on this day you won victory over death, raising Jesus from the grave and giving us eternal life.
Glory to you, Lord Christ: for us and for our salvation you overcame death and opened the gate to everlasting life.
Glory to you, Holy Spirit: you comfort us and empower us and lead us into the truth.
Glory to you, O Blessed Trinity, now and forever. Amen.

Opening Song

“Christ the Lord is Risen Today”

Prayer of Confession

Almighty God, in raising Jesus from the grave, you shattered the power of sin and death.  Yet we confess that we remain captive to doubt and fear, bound by the old ways that lead to death.  We overlook the poor and the hungry and pass by those who mourn; we are deaf to the cries of the oppressed and indifferent to calls for peace; we despise the weak and abuse the earth you made.  Forgive us, God of mercy.  Help us to trust your power to change our lives and make us new, that we may know the wonder of abundant life given in Jesus Christ, the risen Lord.  (Silent confession)

Assurance of Pardon

God of mercy, we no longer look for Jesus among the dead, for he is alive and has become the Lord of life.  From the darkness of sin and death, raise us with him and renew your gift of life within us.  Increase in our minds and hearts the risen life we share with Christ, and help us to grow as your people toward the fullness of eternal life with you, through Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Children’s Message

Scripture Reading – John 20:1-18

Sermon – Resurrection Wonder

Hymn of Response

“Behold Our God”

Affirmation of Faith – The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father; through him all things were made.  For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became truly human.  For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried.  On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.  He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets. 

We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.  We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.  We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Prayers of the People

We give you thanks, Father, for the hope we have in Jesus, who died but is risen and rules over all.  We praise you for his presence with us by the Holy Spirit.  And we rejoice that, because he lives, we can too. And we can look for resurrection wonder with faith that nothing can separate us from your great love made known in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Confident in your love for us, we lift up our prayers for:

• Our family, friends, and church family from whom we are separated this morning…

• Our neighbors in need in Jackson County and Western North Carolina…

• Those currently infected by the coronavirus, and those who care for them…

• Healthcare staff providing medical care, scientific experts working for a vaccine and a cure, and all who are working double-time so that we may live…

• Children out of school, employees out of work, parents who are homeschooling, folks who are lonely, and all who find their lives upended by the coronavirus…

• Public officials making difficult decisions about closings and quarantines, and those who feel burdened by those decisions…

• Christians across the globe who endeavor to share the gospel and bring healing, justice, and peace…

We trust that you hear these prayers and even our sighs too deep for words.  And we pray now as Jesus taught us:

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Tithes and Offerings

With gratitude for the gospel, we share our time, talents, and resources with the Lord. 
(You may give financially by visiting www.sylvapres.org/giving, or by dropping a check off at the church or sending one to FPC at P.O. Box 2152, Sylva, NC 28779.  Thank you!)

Offertory

“Rejoice, the Lord is King” – performed by Margaret Hale

Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
Praise Him all creatures here below!
Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts!
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Amen.

Closing Song

“Because He Lives” — arranged by Duncan Lemay

Benediction

May the peace of the risen Lord Christ go with you, wherever he may send you. 
May he guide you through the wilderness, protect you through the storm. 
May he bring you home rejoicing at the wonders he has shown you. 
May he bring you home rejoicing once again into our doors.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  
Amen.

On Easter Day

“On Easter Day” by Malcolm Guite

As though some heavy stone were rolled away,

You find an open door where all was closed,

Wide as an empty tomb on Easter Day.

Lost in your own dark wood, alone, astray,

You pause, as though some secret were disclosed,

As though some heavy stone were rolled away.

You glimpse the sky above you, wan and grey,

Wide through these shadowed branches interposed,

Wide as an empty tomb on Easter Day.

Perhaps there’s light enough to find your way,

For now the tangled wood feels less enclosed,

As though some heavy stone were rolled away.

You lift your feet out of the miry clay

And seek the light in which you once reposed,

Wide as an empty tomb on Easter Day.

And then Love calls your name, you hear Him say:

“The way is open, death has been deposed,”

As though some heavy stone were rolled away,

And you are free at last on Easter Day.

Holy Week & Easter Sunday

Next week marks the beginning of Holy Week, when the church journeys with Jesus through his last days to the cross and empty tomb. Here is a list of events coming up at First Presbyterian Church:

• April 14 - Palm Sunday Worship at 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary

• April 18 - Maundy Thursday Dinner at 6:00 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall

• April 18 - Maundy Thursday Worship around 7:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary

• April 21 - Easter Sunrise Worship at 7:00 a.m. in the church pavilion (with breakfast to follow in the Fellowship Hall)

• April 21 - Easter Traditional Worship at 11:00 a.m. in the Sanctuary

Here are some helpful resources to guide you from the Presbyterian Mission Agency:

• Maundy Thursday

• Good Friday

• Easter Sunday & the Resurrection of the Lord

• The Season of Easter

May the ever-living God, who as an example of humility for the human race to follow caused our Savior to take flesh and submit to the Cross, graciously grant that we may heed his lesson of patient suffering
and so share in the light of his Resurrection and Life. Through Christ our Lord, amen.

Happy Easter!

“Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary.”

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.”

— John 20:11-18

“As the risen and ascended Lord, Jesus does not now sit in heaven with his arms folded waiting for us to do something religious that he can affirm (an image from Karl Barth). Jesus is not our cheerleader from the heavens hoping we will get faith and ministry right. Neither does Jesus want to get more involved in our ministries. Why would he? Our ministries are not redemptive. We don’t raise the dead, forgive the sinful, heal the sick or bring in the reign of God.
Rather, Jesus has his own resurrected ministry to do — raising the dead, forgiving the sinful, healing the sick, bringing in God’s reign (note the present tense!) — and he wants us in on it! ”

— Andrew Purves, "The Resurrection of Ministry"

                        I have seen the Lord!