These are extraordinary times. Though we are unable to gather together for worship this morning due to the precautions surrounding COVID-19, we still have an opportunity to worship at home, and as we each do so, we do so together, united in spirit as we seek God together. Follow through this post, pausing to think about each reading, listening to each song, praying at the appropriate times, and listening to the recorded message, for a personal or family worship time at home.

Prayer

Lord Jesus,

As we come from the darkness and grief of Good Friday,
Remembering that You died for our sin,
We rejoice in this Resurrection Sunday -
You are alive! Death could not hold you, the God of life!

So on this day,
We do rejoice,
For You are alive and reigning
And with us today!

Give us the hope that brings today!

In Your name we pray,
Amen.

He is Alive!

Luke 24:1-8

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb. They went in but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood by them in dazzling clothes. So the women were terrified and bowed down to the ground. “Why are you looking for the living among the dead?” asked the men. “He is not here, but he has risen! Remember how he spoke to you when he was still in Galilee, saying, ‘It is necessary that the Son of Man be betrayed into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and rise on the third day’ And they remembered his words.”

Christ the Lord is Risen today - we sing Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!

Reader 1: “The Lord has risen!”
Reader 2: “He has risen indeed!”
Reader 1: “The Lord has risen!”
Reader 2: “He has risen indeed!”
Reader 1: “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? Death has been swallowed up in victory!”
Reader 2: “Christ has risen indeed!”
Reader 1: “Jesus said, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.’”
Reader 2: “Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Reader 1: “The Lord has risen!”
All: “He has risen indeed! Alleluia!”

For joy awakes as dawning light, when Christ's disciples lift their eyes.
Alive He stands, their Friend and King; Christ, Christ He is risen.
Christ is risen, He is risen indeed! Oh, sing hallelujah.
Join the chorus, sing with the redeemed; Christ is risen, He is risen indeed.

We rejoice that we have a living Saviour, whom death cannot hold. Christ is Risen indeed!

Christ lay in bonds of death, sacrificed for our sins.
He is now arisen and has brought life to us;
therefore we shall be joyful, praise God and be thankful to Him
and sing hallelujah. Hallelujah! (Martin Luther)

We see Christ crucified for us,
But alive forevermore, and so sing along to Come Behold The Wondrous Mystery:

Slain by death the God of life
But no grave could e’er restrain Him
Praise the Lord; He is alive!
What a foretaste of deliverance
How unwavering our hope
Christ in power resurrected
As we will be when he comes

What is your only comfort in life and death?
That I am not my own,
but belong with body and soul,
both in life and in death,
to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ.

He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,
and has set me free from all the power of the devil.
He also preserves me in such a way that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head;
indeed, all things must work together for my salvation.

(Heidelberg Catechism Q. 1)

Whatever our circumstances,
Whether we live or face death,
Christ is our hope.

Listen to “Christ our Hope in Life and Death”:

What truth can calm the troubled soul?
God is good, God is good
Where is His grace and goodness known?
In our great Redeemer's blood
O sing hallelujah! Our hope springs eternal
O sing hallelujah! Now and ever we confess
Christ our hope in life and death

Prayer Time

If Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins… If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone. But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead… he must reign until he puts all things under his feet.” (1 Corinthians 15:17-25).

Exalted Lord Jesus,

You are alive, and You are reigning! Your resurrection is the greatest of news for our faith. Your resurrection guarantees the forgiveness of our sins, our hope for eternity, our security that we belong to You who reigns. If we belong to the One who raises the dead, we have incredible hope in this world where death is a reality; we need not fear it anymore. You are restoring all things, making all things new. So in this world affected and infected by all sorts of hard and evil things, we can still move forward, look forward, to seeing Your best yet to come.

So Lord, give us courage in these hard days,
Give us patience when we can’t wait for the better to come,
Give us peace in our anxious moments,
Give us strength in our weak moments,
Give us wisdom in our unsure moments,
Remind us of Your Gospel in every moment,
So that our hope is in what You’ve done in Your great saving power
To free us from our sin, to make us alive, to keep us safely home
By Your amazing grace.

We need You, Lord, and thank You that You are abundantly available…

In this time, bring specific prayer requests to God…

Thank You for Your great, resurrection power at work in us today.
In Jesus’ living name, we pray,
Amen.

In this time, we are reminded that our world is broken, and we look forward to God making it new again;
We keep our eyes fixed on Him, who reigns - He is worthy of our love, honour, and praise.

The song “Is He Worthy?” invites us to join together to recognize the world’s brokenness and God’s goodness. It is a “call and response” song. The leader sings the first part of the line - a question - and everyone responds with a short phrase. From your own home, sing along with the responses (or the whole song!)

The responses are as follows:
Verse 1: “We do” (ie, Do you feel the world is broken? IT IS).
Verse 2: “It is“
Verse 3: “He does”

The song comes from Revelation 5:9-10: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slaughtered, and you purchased a people for God by your blood from every tribe and language and people and nation. You made them a kingdom and priests to our God…”

Message

Turn to John 20:1-21. If you have a Bible with you, please read through the passage first; if not, click here to read it.

How might you be anxious or fearful in these times?
How might this time be a “new normal” for you?
How do we see our Saviour alive and still rejoice?

We have every hope and purpose for today and tomorrow because Jesus lives.

As We Go…

Now may the God of peace,
Who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus -
The great Shepherd of the sheep -
Through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

Equip you with everything good to do his will,
Working in us what is pleasing in his sight,
Through Jesus Christ,
To whom be glory forever and ever.
Amen.

Giving

You can give by e-transfer at kingsborobaptist [at] gmail.com. As well, you can mail or drop off offerings at Kingsboro Baptist Church, 3055 East Point Road, Kingsboro, PE, C0A 2B0. We have set up a box there at the entrance for you to put your offering envelopes.