Worship Notes for Sunday, April 8, 2012 Easter
Christ is risen indeed! The days of mourning and sorrow are past for Christ has risen from the grave. Great exuberance is expressed in the songs and readings of Resurrection Sunday. Some traditions refrain from the use of the word “Alleluia!” during the season of Lent, which is one reason why so many of the carols and songs of Easter make use of “Alleluia!” as a joyous refrain.We start the service with the bold assertion that “I Know that My Redeemer Lives.” Christ the Lord is Risen Today and Christ Is Risen! Hallelujah! continue the statement of our hope and confidence in the risen Lord. There are many Easter carols in existence comparable to the number of Christmas carols, and it has been one of our desires to learn some of the best of these lesser-known gems.
The Corporate Prayer of Confession from I Corinthians 15 reminds us that even though we speak of the resurrection of Christ, we often live our lives as if we did not truly believe it. In Christ Alone we are confronted with the sufficiency of the work of Christ and the power of living in the light of the resurrection.
Our Scripture passage from Luke 5 proclaims the authority that Christ has to forgive sins—an authority confirmed by the death of death in the cross and resurrection of Christ, the Second Adam. The Communion Hymns, There is No Greater Portrait and When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, both draw our attention to the cross and the work of salvation that Christ accomplished there.
Our final hymn, Christ the Lord Is Risen Again, is an energetic 12th century German Carol rejoicing in the ransom and restoration found in the cross and the “breaking of every chain” in Christ’s resurrection. The Benediction Response, He is Risen!, is a recent hymn text that looks forward to the spreading of the Gospel message to all nations.
