::: Download the 5.12.2013 Worship Study Guide
::: Download the 5.12.2013 Bulletin
::: Download the 5.12.2013 WepcKids Parent Bulletin
::: Listen to the 5.12.2013 Sermon
image :: Holy Women at the Tomb of Christ, Annibale Carracci (Italian, c.1590)
Preparation for Worship ::: Raised to Life
“Let us not mock God with metaphor, analogy, sidestepping, transcendence; Making of the event a parable, a sign painted in the faded credulity of earlier ages: Let us walk through the door. Let us not seek to make it less monstrous, for our own convenience.” (John Updike, from “Seven Stanzas at Easter”)
“It is the virgin birth, the Incarnation, the resurrection which are the true laws of the flesh and the physical. Death, decay, destruction are the suspension of these laws. I am always astonished at the emphasis the Church puts on the body. It is not the soul she says that will rise but the body, glorified.” (Flannery O’Connor)
Call to Worship ::: I Corinthians 15:20-22; Heidelberg Catechism 45
Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by man came death, by Man has come the resurrection of the dead. As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive.
How does Christ’s resurrection benefit us?
First, by His resurrection He has overcome death, so that He might make us share in the righteousness He obtained for us by His death. Second, by His power we too are already raised to a new life. Third, Christ’s resurrection is a sure pledge to us of our blessed resurrection.
Lord Most High (Harris & Sadler, 1991) [bandcamp track=3621189435 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=venti]
None Other Lamb (Christina Rossetti, 1892) [bandcamp track=798046000 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=venti]
Sermon ::: Mark 16:1-8
When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. 5 And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. 6 And he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.” 8 And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.
Were You There? (African- American Spiritual) [bandcamp track=1660184081 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=venti]
We Confess Our Sin Together
Almighty God, by the power of Your Spirit You raised Jesus from the grave and crowned Him Lord of all. We confess that we have not bowed before Him or acknowledged His rule in our lives. We have often persisted in ways that lead to death, and failed to give Him glory. Forgive us and raise us from sin, that we may be Your faithful people, obeying the commands of our Lord Jesus Christ, who rules the world and is Head of the Church, His Body. Amen.
Words of Encouragement ::: I Corinthians 15:54-57
Death has been swallowed up in victory. “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Grateful for Your Love (Ellie Holcomb, 2011)
Old Testament Reading ::: Job 19:25-27
I know that my Redeemer lives,
and that in the end He will stand on the earth.
And after my skin has been destroyed,
yet in my flesh I will see God;
I myself will see Him
with my own eyes—I, and not another.
How my heart yearns within me!
How Deep the Father’s Love For Us (Stuart Townend, 1995) [bandcamp track=3490451272 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=venti]
O Love That Will Not Let Me Go (George Matheson, 1882) [bandcamp track=1697014903 bgcol=FFFFFF linkcol=4285BB size=venti]