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    Apr 19, 2020

    Sunday Service - 4/19/2020

    Sunday Service - 4/19/2020

    Passage: 1 Corinthians 15:1-11

    Speaker: Rev. Vivian McCarthy, Pastor

    Have you ever noticed that we frequently repeat our most important stories? Whether they are personal or family stories or the Greatest Story Ever Told, we repeat them over and over and over again, reminding us of who we are.

    Second Sunday of Easter

    April 19, 2020 - 10 am

     Call to Worship

          L:  Saints of God, in whom do you trust?
          P: Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth!
          L:  Grace, mercy and peace to you in the name of the Creator, the Christ, and
                the Holy Spirit.
          P:  Amen!

    Hymn  Easter People, Raise Your Voices  UMH #304

    Easter people raise your voices, sounds of heaven in earth should ring.
    Christ has brought us Heaven's choices; heavenly music let it ring
    Alleluia!  Alleluia!  Easter people let us sing.
     
    Fear of death can no more stop us from our pressing here below.
    For our Lord empowered us to triumph over every foe
    Alleluia!  Alleluia!  On to victory now we go.
     

    Unison Prayer

    God of might and right, we come to worship you, in need of spiritual reenergizing so that we may serve you now and in every opportunity that will come to us.  Strengthen us in all good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    Proclamation and Response

     Scripture Reading                 1 Corinthians 15:1-11(CEB)                                                     

    Brothers and sisters, I want to call your attention to the good news that I preached to you, which you also received and in which you stand. 2 You are being saved through it if you hold on to the message I preached to you, unless somehow you believed it for nothing. 3 I passed on to you as most important what I also received: Christ died for our sins in line with the scriptures, 4 he was buried, and he rose on the third day in line with the scriptures. 5 He appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve, 6 and then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at once—most of them are still alive to this day, though some have died. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8 and last of all he appeared to me, as if I were born at the wrong time. 9 I’m the least important of the apostles. I don’t deserve to be called an apostle, because I harassed God’s church. 10 I am what I am by God’s grace, and God’s grace hasn’t been for nothing. In fact, I have worked harder than all the others—that is, it wasn’t me but the grace of God that is with me. 11 So then, whether you heard the message from me or them, this is what we preach and this is what you have believed.

    Hymn  Were You There  UMH #288

    Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
    Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
    Oh…..sometimes, it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
    Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?
     
    Do you know that he 'rose for you and me?
     
    Do you know that in him we're made alive?
     

    Meditation: Were You There When He Kept Showing Up?    Pastor Vivian

    Listen to the sermon here

    I won’t speak for you, but I’ve been wondering.  How many of you are feeling drained?  I think that every person I have spoken to in the last week has said something to the effect that staying at home has been really stressful.

    • Maybe it’s the constant need to adapt to new ways of doing things.
    • Maybe it’s because the computer just isn’t working the way they say it will.
    • Maybe it’s because the kids can’t play with other kids and just get away from their parents for a few minutes.
    • Maybe it’s because being with our family members or housemates or the dog has become just a little too close after 36 days of being at home.
    • Maybe it’s trying to go to school or work online.
    • Maybe it’s endless and constant Zoom meetings.
    • Maybe its worry about whether your job or your paycheck or your investments will still be there in the next week or two.
    • Maybe it’s just being so unsure and especially worried about catching a deadly virus from a shopping cart or a box or a sneeze.

    I imagine it must have been something like this for the disciples – even days and weeks after the Resurrection.  First, they had to come to grips with the fact that Jesus got up.  They had to begin to believe it themselves.  Let’s listen for just a moment to what happened on Easter evening when the disciples were hiding because they were afraid that they were next on the list to be prosecuted by the Jewish authorities. 

    24 Thomas, one of the Twelve, wasn’t with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples told him, “We’ve seen the Lord!”

    But Thomas replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands, put my finger in the wounds left by the nails, and put my hand into his side, I won’t believe.”

    26 [Eight days later,] his disciples were again in a house and Thomas was with them. Even though the doors were locked, Jesus entered and stood among them. He said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here. Look at my hands. Put your hand into my side. No more disbelief. Believe!”

    28 Thomas responded to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!”

    29 Jesus replied, “Do you believe because you see me? Happy are those who don’t see and yet believe.”

    I often wonder if Thomas was the most authentic or transparent of the disciples.  He admitted that he was having trouble believing “where he had not seen.”

    For us, in our “git’ er done” way of thinking and doing things, we know the rest of the story, so we think it’s over – right?  After all, Easter decorations are now at least 50% off and we are on to the next holiday! 

    The resurrection story actually goes on in the scriptures for 40 days.  Every teacher knows that you can’t tell the students something once and think they’ve got it forever.  Back in the dark ages when I was learning how to be a teacher, they told us we had to repeat and review learning so that the student could internalize the material.  Maybe God took those 40 days after the resurrection to help the world internalize this most important learning in history – that Jesus rose – he got up – he is risen.

    In the passage from letter to the Corinthians that Barbara read to us a few minutes ago, Paul lays out the story, step by step, reminding the hearers that the ancient scriptures (and I would add Jesus himself) told us to expect exactly what happened. 

    Have you ever noticed that we frequently repeat our most important stories?   Whether they are personal or family stories or the Greatest Story Ever Told, we repeat them over and over and over again, reminding us of who we are.

    One more thing we might not think of immediately is that the Jewish leaders didn’t give up.  They wanted to squash that rebellion like a bug.  They attacked the Christian community that was developing into the church – again and again.  They did everything they could think of to undermine the resurrection.

    So, during those 40 days, Christ made multiple appearances, and the evidence of resurrection accumulated. 

    I began this meditation by comparing the stress and suffering of these present days with that of the disciples who were struggling with the stress and suffering following Jesus’ death and even his resurrection.  It was faith that held them up.  It may not have been faith that came easily – some of the disciples and perhaps many of the early followers needed time to let it sink in and to grow.  They needed assurance.  Some even needed proof.  But however it came, the time came when the disciples and the early followers became the apostles and the church – the church based not just on a great teacher but based on the miracle of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ – God’s supernatural gift to the world.  My faith is built on nothing less!

    Joys and Concerns
          Prayers of the People

    Song  Cornerstone1

    My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
    I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly trust in Jesus' name.
     
    My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' blood and righteousness.
    I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly trust in Jesus' name.
     
    Christ alone; cornerstone
    Weak made strong; in the Saviour's love
    Through the storm, He is Lord
    Lord of all
     
    When darkness seems to hide His face, I rest on His unchanging grace.
    In every high and stormy gale, my anchor holds within the veil.
    My anchor holds within the veil.
     
    Christ alone; cornerstone
    Weak made strong; in the Saviour's love
    Through the storm, He is Lord
    Lord of all
    He is Lord
    Lord of all
     
    Christ alone; cornerstone
    Weak made strong; in the Saviour's love
    Through the storm, He is Lord
    Lord of all
     
    Christ alone; cornerstone
    Weak made strong; in the Saviour's love
    Through the storm, He is Lord
    Lord of all
     
    When He shall come with trumpet sound,
    Oh, may I then in Him be found;
    Dressed in His righteousness alone, faultless stand before the throne!

    Announcements

    • Financial Letter – payroll and duties reduced by 10% -- information was emailed out on Friday
    • Church phones – will be out for a while – all calls are routed to my cell phone – please leave a message if I don’t pick up right away.

    Benediction                                                                                                                                  

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