Resurrection People 04.12.20

Call to Worship

On this glorious Resurrection Day,
we have come to celebrate
the greatness of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
On this day, we proclaim Jesus Christ as Lord.
My sisters and brothers, let us rejoice: Alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia,       
Jesus is Lord of all the earth,
He is the King of creation.

On this most holy of days,
the One whom men had thought to destroy
has risen triumphant from the tomb!
My sisters and brothers, let us rejoice: Alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia,
Jesus has died and is risen. 

On this holy day,
we celebrate our new life in the Risen Christ;
through the death of Jesus,
the weight of our sin has been lifted from us;
through His glorious resurrection,
we have become sons and daughters of God.
My sisters and brothers, let us rejoice: Alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia,
come, let us praise the living God,
joyfully sing to our Savior.

Gracious God, you loved the world so much that you sent your only son to save the world through him. We worship you and thank you for the gift of life now and the promise of new and everlasting life through your mercy. Living Christ, by your death and resurrection you have restored us to life and replaced our fear with hope. We love you and follow you into the world as your disciples, eager to serve and love as you taught us. Holy Spirit, you comfort and strengthen us each day. Guide us in our lives, in what we do and say, in what we think and imagine, and in how we interact with others. May we outwardly live as one of your “resurrection people” in this world. Through Christ our Lord who lives in us, AMEN.

We welcome again Kevin Schutte, who is leading our conversation this week as he did last week.. Kevin, his wife Kelli, and children Abbie and Jeremy were members of Discovery Church for many years. Kevin planted and pastors Pathway Community Church in Olathe, Kansas, and is a Christian Reformed denominational leader of Mission Shaped Congregations.

Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see King Jesus, to reach out and touch him, and say that we love him. Open our ears, Lord, and help us to listen, open our eyes, Lord, we want to see King Jesus.

Matthew 28:1-10

After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Questions for discussion: 

Questions for discussion: 

John 20:19-23

Questions for discussion: 

Prayer (by Ted Loder)

Lord of such amazing surprises
      As you put a catch in my breath
             And wings on my heart,
I praise you for this joy,
      Too great for words
             But not for tears and songs and sharing;
For this mercy
     That blots out my betrayals
          And bids me come again,
              To limp on,
    To hop-skip-and-jump-on,
                     To mend what is broken in and around me;
                          And to forgive the breakers;
For this YES
      To life and laughter,
          To love and lovers,
             And to my unwinding self;
For this kingdom
       Unleashed in me and I in it forever,
               And no dead ends to growing,
                    To choices,
                        To chances,
                           To calls to be just;
        No dead ends to living,
              To making peace,
                  To dreaming dreams,
                     To being glad of heart;
For this resurrection madness
      Which is wiser than I
          And in which I see
               How great you are,
                     How full of grace.
Alleluia!

Children’s Worship

Gift Offering

For financial gifts, use your bank’s online payment option to send a gift to Discovery, or have someone address an envelope (a good opportunity for digital natives) and place the stamp on it. Checks can be mailed to:

Discovery Church
7245 Eastern Ave SE
Grand Rapids, MI 49508

Please specify “general fund” or “missions fund” on the memo line.

Or, use this form to give online via the Christian Reformed Church’s site (our denomination). Be sure to choose Michigan- Grand Rapids- Discovery CRC from the drop-down list. You can give via credit card or automatic bank withdrawal. A 3% fee will be charged to Discovery.

For gifts of encouragement, write a note or draw a picture for someone who may need encouragement at this time. Have someone address the envelope and place a stamp on it. Or deliver it in person (keep that six foot social distance) to a neighbor or loved one.

For gifts of art, share a picture or video of your response to today’s service with us on Instagram (@discoverycrc) (parents permitting).

Benediction

As Christ burst forth from the tomb, may new life burst forth from us and show itself in acts of love and healing to a hurting world. And may that same Christ, who lives forever and is the source of our new life, keep your hearts rejoicing and grant you peace this day and always. Amen.

Digital Prayer Pad

Prayer requests will be sent to Sara, our administrator, who will compile and distribute them to the congregation via email throughout the week as usual.

© Discovery CRC, Grand Rapids Web Design - Simpler Site LLC