Why Easter Matters!

When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples  So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.

Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”  “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.)  When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?”“Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.

Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”

Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)

Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given me?”

John 18:1-11 (NIV)

Why Easter Matters!

The Greatest Claim Ever Made!

“I and the Father are one.” John 10:30

Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I Am!” John 8:58

“Don’t you know me? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” Jn 14:9

Michka:

That’s a great idea, no denying it. Christ has his rank among the world’s great thinkers. But Son of God, isn’t that farfetched?

Bono:

No, it’s not farfetched to me. The secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: he was a great prophet, had a lot to say along the lines of other great thinkers, like Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn’t allow you that. He doesn’t let you off that hook.

Christ says: No. I’m not saying I’m a teacher, don’t call me teacher. I’m not saying I’m a prophet. I’m saying: “I’m the Messiah.” I’m saying: “I am God incarnate.” And people say: No, no, please, just be a prophet. A prophet, we can take. But God in flesh is simply outrageous!

So what you’re left with is this: either Christ was who He said He was the Messiah or a complete nutcase. I mean, we’re talking nutcase on the level of Charles Manson. I’m not joking here. The idea that the entire

course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me, that’s farfetched.

The Greatest Problem Ever Faced

“Woe is me! For I am undone because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of Hosts.” Isaiah 6:5

The Greatest Sacrifice Ever Offered

“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. When they drink it, they will stagger and go mad because of the sword I will send among them. To make them a ruin and an object of horror and scorn, a curse.” Jer. 25:15-18

The Greatest Sacrifice Ever Offered

“They will drink the wine of God’s fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of

his wrath.” Rev. 14:10

The Greatest Purpose in Life“So here’s what I want you to do, with God’s help: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing

what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.

Instead, fix your attention on God.”Romans 12:1-2 (Message)

We don’t go to church because we have it all together

We go to church to get it all together!

Leader:

What are we to make of this day?When graves are opened...When the dead awaken...When life refuses to be contained...

Response:

Then nothing is impossible!Hope is never destroyed andLove is never conquered.

Pastor:

We celebrate today, Almighty God, because You have made it clear that death does not have the last word; Because You have filled us again with hope and faith and courage; Because You have united us as one Body, rooted in the community of saints, and given us the ministry of reconciliation.

Response:

Open our minds to believe what we cannot explainOpen our hearts to hope for what we cannot see;Open our hands to do what must be done to bring light and love to the world.

Let Resurrection Life fill us today and always!

Leader:

Almighty God, resurrection is not what we expect in our world. On the face of things, life seems to be under threat... bombing in Belgium, starvation in Africa and war in the middle east. Our earth is broken, our families are falling apart, our nation is a political battleground, and the light of our future is growing dim.Response:

We need the stone to be rolled away again.

Leader:

Forgive us and all who have failed to honor and celebrate life, mercy and compassion. Forgive us and all who have allowed relationships to become less important than riches or recognition. Forgive us and all who continue to exalt our needs and desires over those of others, and who are prepared to kill to prove it. Forgive us and all who have grown blind to all the signs of resurrection that beckon us still to receive Christ.

Response:

We need the stone to be rolled away again.We need life to break out within us again.We need love to consume us again.Resurrect us today, O Lord, and make us agents of life wherever despair and loneliness hold people captive, for Jesus sake. Amen.

Leader: Christ the Lord is risen today!

Response: He is risen indeed!

Leader: Let's celebrate this irrepressible life; let's open our hearts to the joy and wonder of infinite possibility, of unquenchable hope, of eternal and everlasting resurrection.

Response: We celebrate, we raise our voices and our hearts in worship and thanksgiving to the God who lives.

Leader: Resurrection happened because Christ was first prepared to die for us. Defying death, He refused to release His hold on life and love. So now, as He encouraged us, we choose to remember Him so that we too can truly live in Him. On the night before He died Jesus took bread and blessed it. Then He broke it and gave it to His disciples saying:

pastor: This is my body, broken so that you may be forgiven. Eat it and remember Me.After the meal Jesus took a cup and blessed it. Then He gave it to His disciples saying:This is my blood, shed so that you may know life. Drink it and remember Me.

Leader: So, now, Lord of Life, we share in this sacrament of grace, we celebrate together, and we remember You. And we will continue to do this until resurrection has flooded the whole earth.

Response:

Amen.

Leader: May this bread and this cup become for us in this moment your life-giving body and blood, and may we who share this meal, be united with you, and with one another, in mission and ministry to do all that we can to bring your life to the world.

Response:

Amen.

Leader: We thank You, O God, for Your life, revealed in Jesus, renewed in resurrection and available to us now.Response: Thank You for touching us again with Your life through bread and wine; For joining our lives with Yours through Jesus; And for renewing our hearts through your Holy Spirit.

Leader: Filled with life, we now offer ourselves to be

life-bringers in the world. Touched by resurrection we pledge to confront despair death wherever we find it. Filled with hope we embrace the call to go and make Jesus known at every opportunity.