The 6th Sunday of Easter is the Sunday before Ascension Day. In this act of worship we will be considering Jesus' post-Resurrection appearances and the things that, for us, are "convincing proofs" (Acts 1:3) that Christ is Alive and still with us as in our daily lives.
Opening Words of Scripture:
Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. (Matthew 28:20)
Hymn - Singing the Faith (StF) 319 - Christ Triumphant - https://youtu.be/4LmVws3Kk98
Prayer of Adoration:
Blessed are you, Lord Jesus Christ, son of the Father,
In obedience you laid down your life upon the cross
and in God's power you have been raised from the dead
and given the name that is above all names.
We open our mouths to join our voices with the tongues of saints and angels
declaring "Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father."
Risen Saviour,
we worship and adore you,
bringing before you the offerings of our love.
In this time of worship, we ask that you would make your presence known to us
that we might be convinced again that you are the ever-present God
who walks before us, beside us and behind us in all our life's paths.
Breathe your Spirit upon us once more, that we might know your peace
and open our mouths to declare anew
"Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of the Father."
All glory, honour, power and praise be yours,
now and for ever. Amen
Prayer of Confession (based on My Lighthouse - Rend Collective 2013)
Let us confess our sins in penitence and faith.
(Silence)
Sometimes I wrestle with doubts about you,
yet you hold me in your love and calm the storm within.
Sometimes when you are silent, I question that you are there
yet you hold me in your love and give peace amidst the trouble.
Sometimes when I cannot see the way ahead, I give way to fear
yet you hold me in your love and fill my mouth with songs of faith
When I am in danger of travelling in the wrong direction
be a lighthouse shining in the darkness and showing me the way.
When I feel overwhelmed by the waves and the sea
wrap your arms around me and carry me safe to shore.
Loving God,
when I fail, you do not leave me,
when I fall, you are close to lift me,
when I question, you reassure me.
Thank you that in Christ, you offer forgiveness, renewal and reconciliation. Amen
Hymn - option 1 - My Lighthouse- Rend Collective - (you may wish to view this hymn rather than sing it) - https://youtu.be/reAlJKv7ptU
option 2 - (StF 364) O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing - https://youtu.be/X-dEfvz6Vms
Engaging with Scripture
Reading 1: 1 Corinthians 15:1-8
Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.Reading 2: Acts 1:1-3
In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
Reflection
After all those years, having listened to so many different stories from the Apostles and others, Luke came to the conclusion that once the time came for Jesus' appearances to stop, the disciples had evidence enough to sustain them for the rest of their lives.
Jesus had "presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive." (v3)I wonder, do you have a favourite resurrection appearance story?
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| Table of Resurrection Appearances from http://www.evidencesforchristianity.org/resurrection-appearances.html - please note that the use of this material in no way endorses other content on this website |
Perhaps we can take some comfort from the fact that in the different stories, we see different people responding in different ways and being convinced by different things.
I am not an expert in the procedures of court-rooms, and I beg the pardon of those who have more experience than my watching of Kavanagh QC or other such programmes! My understanding, though, is that in any court case, the "convincing proof" is usually built from the testimony of different witnesses. It doesn't come because each witness tells exactly the same story (indeed that would arouse suspicion in most sensible people!) - no it comes because there is something authentic that ties together the different accounts each told from their own perspective and their own viewpoint.
That, I think, is how we should approach the various accounts of Jesus' resurrection.
Paul's account, has something of the barrister's summing up about it. As anachronistic as it is, we might imagine him in full court array, raising himself up to his full height as he seeks to drive home his point to the judge, jury and onlookers!
"I put it to you, members of the jury, that we have heard the witness statements of Cephas, and of the Twelve. I could have brought before you five hundred others who have all seen and can all give testimony, but I limited myself to James, the Apostles and indeed indulged the court with my own account.
In the light of all this, I ask you to judge the truth of what I tell. That Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised according to the Scriptures and that he appeared.
On this, I rest my case."
In the Gospel writers' accounts, we have been offered a variety of witness statements to Jesus' resurrection. It is the combined witness of these accounts that pieces together the mystery of what happened in Jerusalem into a story that we can rely upon.
Over the years, writers have attempted to expand those accounts further and to build an even more watertight case for the truth of Christ's resurrection, and this may be of value to those who think in this way. [for example Frank Morison - Who Moved the Stone (1930), John Wenham - The Easter Enigma (1984) and Lee Strobel - The Case for Easter (2004)]
Wenham, for one though, admits that this approach has its limits - his conclusion begins:
Such is the story. Many of the details are of course uncertain. Imagination and reasoned conjecture inevitably play a part in trying to picture things as they were ...But nevertheless suggests
piecing together the different accounts has made it possible to follow with tolerable certainty the main course of events, though of course the full story would have been considerable more complex.
(Wenham - The Easter Enigma (Carlisle: The Paternoster Press, 1996) page 122)As we have seen, for Luke, the evidence was sufficient and he delivers his verdict in the opening verses of his second book, The Acts of the Apostles.
Jesus had "presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive." (v3)What about us? On what does our faith in Christ rest? How do we tell our story of faith?
The witness to Christ's living presence is still being written; as each of us tells our story of how Jesus has changed our lives. Somewhere along the line we have lost the art of sharing testimony in our acts of worship. Taking the opportunity to share what God has been doing is an important part of our Methodist heritage; very few people realise for example that in our worship book Communion services the sermon is sometimes followed by "there may be a time of quiet reflection or testimony." (see page 213 of Methodist Worship Book) In telling our stories, we each add a further piece to the story of Christ. In telling our stories we may add something that provides the convincing proof to another. We should not underestimate the power of our testimony.
Sharing testimony is something we have been asked to consider by Barbara Glasson and Clive Marsh during their year in office as President and Vice President of Methodist Conference 2019-20. https://www.methodist.org.uk/about-us/the-year-of-testimony/
Perhaps, today, we can each consider the stories we have to tell and the ways in which we can tell them. Glasson and Marsh have some suggestions on how to construct and tell our story of God's work in our lives which I summarise below:
- Prepare and ponder the story you wish to tell. Reflect on it and map it out, so that it is part of you.
- Remember it is YOUR story not some-one else's so tell it in ways that are authentic for you.
- Don't worry if your story is funny or profound. "Tell it like it is!"
- Your story will "include a 'new-life' experience" - some moment where God's presence has been known in a fresh way. This "may not mean 'happy ending'" but could be a story of how God "may have helped you to 'live with' some tough stuff which isn't resolved.
- They suggest that speaking "from your scars not from your wounds": in other words that we should keep ourselves safe by telling stories after we have processed what happened if necessary by seeking professional help. We don't give testimony so that others can help us to sort out the mess - we give testimony of what God has already done for us.
- Our stories should be honest, told in ways that communicate who we are - but they should not emphasise ways in which we are still hostile to others: we are speaking of what God has done for us, not necessarily of what others have done to us.
- Lastly, we should try to enjoy telling our stories.
(Barbara Glasson and Clive Marsh - So what's the story? - (London: Darton, Longman and Todd, 2019) page 56)
It is as we tell our story, and give testimony to Christ's presence in our lives, that we add our experience to that of the saints through the ages. In telling our story we may offer to others the proof of God's love that may convince them too to put their faith in the Risen Christ. "So, What's the Story?" Amen
You may wish to take some time at this point to reflect on what story you could tell of God's presence with you during these weeks of 'lockdown.'
In what ways have you been surprised at God's presence?
In what ways have you struggled to know God's closeness?
Are there issues in your life that have begun to be resolved in the stillness of 'social distancing?' - Perhaps you have learnt something about the importance of being solitary as a spiritual discipline.
You may have experienced some things coming to the surface that have been long buried - as mentioned above these may not be ready to share yet - but in your own reflections you may wish to pray and ask God to show you how you should react to what you are learning about yourself.
Prayers (from https://www.churchofengland.org/more/media-centre/coronavirus-covid-19-guidance-parishes/coronavirus-covid-19-liturgy-and-prayer)
Let us pray to God,
who alone makes us dwell in safety:
For all who are affected by coronavirus,
through illness or isolation or anxiety,
that they may find relief and recovery:
Lord, hear us,
Lord, graciously hear us.
For those who are guiding our nation at this time,
and shaping national policies,
that they may make wise decisions:
Lord, hear us,
Lord, graciously hear us.
For doctors, nurses and medical researchers,
that through their skill and insights
many will be restored to health:
Lord, hear us,
Lord, graciously hear us.
For the vulnerable and the fearful,
for the gravely ill and the dying,
that they may know your comfort and peace:
Lord, hear us,
Lord, graciously hear us.
We commend ourselves, and all for whom we pray,
to the mercy and protection of God.
Merciful Father,
accept these prayers
for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.
Hymn - StF 303 - I Know that My Redeemer Lives - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yk4BUl0dX0Y
Blessing
May
the story of Christ’s resurrection
inspire
us to tell our own stories of God’s new life
and
may the blessing of God
Father,
Son and Holy Spirit
remain
with us all. Amen.
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