Easter Day 2020

Sunday 12 April: Easter Day

Today, we meet from our own homes, at 10.30 a.m. via Zoom meeting ID: 664-485-330. You’ll also need a password code, which you can get from Revd Andrew Dowsett in advance by calling or texting him on 07783-760-012.

The first Easter day was truly disorienting. Perhaps this year, we might enter into the Great Story more fully than ever before…

This has become for the Church a day of great rejoicing, on which we light candles from the new Paschal Candle, and renew our baptismal vows. This year, we cannot light candles from the Paschal Candle, but might nonetheless light a new candle in our homes. You may also like to have to hand a glass or shallow bowl of water, for the renewing of our baptismal vows.

We begin with the Service of Light

Christ yesterday and today,

the beginning and the end,

Alpha and Omega,

all time belongs to him,

and all ages;

to him be glory and power,

through every age and for ever. Amen.

This is the day when our Lord Jesus Christ passed from death to life.

Throughout the world Christians celebrate the awesome power of God.

As we hear his word and proclaim all that God has done,

we can be confident that we shall share his victory over death

and live with him for ever.

The president lights the Easter Candle, saying

May the light of Christ, rising in glory,

banish all darkness from our hearts and minds.

The light of Christ.

Thanks be to God.

All light their candles

We join in the great Easter Acclamation, and the Gloria

Alleluia. Christ is risen.

He is risen indeed. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Glory to God in the highest,

and peace to his people on earth.

Lord God, heavenly King,

almighty God and Father,

we worship you, we give you thanks,

we praise you for your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father,

Lord God, Lamb of God,

you take away the sin of the world:

have mercy on us;

you are seated at the right hand of the Father:

receive our prayer.

For you alone are the Holy One,

you alone are the Lord,

you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,

with the Holy Spirit,

in the glory of God the Father.

Amen.

Now we pray the Collect, the prayer for this Sunday

Let us pray that we may walk in the risen life of Christ in glory.

God of glory,

by the raising of your Son

you have broken the chains of death and hell:

fill your Church with faith and hope;

for a new day has dawned

and the way to life stands open

in our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Amen.

We listen to God’s word to us

Reading          Acts 10:34-43

Then Peter began to speak to them: ‘I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.’

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

Gospel reading           John 20:1-18

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.’ Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went towards the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.’ When she had said this, she turned round and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’ Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, ‘Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to him in Hebrew, ‘Rabbouni!’ (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, ‘Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.”’ Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord’; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

This is the word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.

The angels asked, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? For whom are you looking?’

Does not being able to gather with other Christians to celebrate Easter make you weep? Then weep! And, what else, in all this strangest of times, has caused you to weep?

Through our tears, how might we meet Jesus in a new way?

Peter declared that Jesus went about doing good. What have we learned about going about doing good in these days, when we can only go about at all under restrictions?

Having heard and received God’s word to us, we join in reaffirming our baptismal faith

In baptism, God calls us out of darkness into his marvellous light. To follow Christ means dying to sin and rising to new life with him. Therefore I ask:

Do you reject the devil and all rebellion against God?

I reject them.

Do you renounce the deceit and corruption of evil?

I renounce them.

Do you repent of the sins that separate us from God and neighbour?

I repent of them.

Do you turn to Christ as Saviour?

I turn to Christ.

Do you submit to Christ as Lord?

I submit to Christ.

Do you come to Christ, the way, the truth and the life?

I come to Christ.

May almighty God who has given you the desire to follow Christ

give you the strength to continue in the way.

The president stands before the water of baptism and says

Praise God who made heaven and earth,

who keeps his promise for ever.

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give thanks and praise.

Almighty God, whose Son Jesus Christ

was baptized in the river Jordan,

we thank you for the gift of water

to cleanse us and revive us.

Saving God,

give us life.

We thank you that through the waters of the Red Sea

you led your people out of slavery

to freedom in the Promised Land.

Saving God,

give us life.

We thank you that through the deep waters of death

you brought your Son,

and raised him to life in triumph.

Saving God,

give us life.

Bless this water, that your servants who are washed in it

may be made one with Christ in his death and in his resurrection,

to be cleansed and delivered from all sin.

Saving God,

give us life.

Send your Holy Spirit upon them,

bring them to new birth in the household of faith

and raise them with Christ to full and eternal life;

for all might, majesty, authority and power are yours,

now and for ever. Amen.

Saving God,

give us life.

Brothers and sisters, I ask you to profess the faith of the Church.

Do you believe and trust in God the Father?

I believe in God, the Father almighty,

creator of heaven and earth.

Do you believe and trust in his Son Jesus Christ?

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,

who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,

born of the Virgin Mary,

suffered under Pontius Pilate,

was crucified, died, and was buried;

he descended to the dead.

On the third day he rose again;

he ascended into heaven,

he is seated at the right hand of the Father,

and he will come to judge the living and the dead.

Do you believe and trust in the Holy Spirit?

I believe in the Holy Spirit,

the holy catholic Church,

the communion of saints,

the forgiveness of sins,

the resurrection of the body,

and the life everlasting.

Amen.

Each member of the congregation is invited to renew their commitment to Christ by dipping their finger in water and making the sign of the cross with it on their forehead.

The president says

Almighty God,

we thank you for our fellowship in the household of faith

with all who have been baptized in your name.

Keep us faithful to our baptism,

and so make us ready for that day

when the whole creation shall be made perfect in your Son,

our Saviour Jesus Christ.

Amen.

May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith,

that you may be rooted and grounded in love

and bring forth the fruit of the Spirit.

Amen.

Prayers of Intercession

In joy and hope let us pray to the Father.

That our risen Saviour may fill us with the joy of his

glorious and life-giving resurrection

we pray to the Father.

Hear our prayer.

That isolated and persecuted churches

may find fresh strength in the good news of Easter

we pray to the Father.

Hear our prayer.

That God may grant us humility

to be subject to one another in Christian love

we pray to the Father.

Hear our prayer.

That he may provide for those who lack food, work or shelter

we pray to the Father.

Hear our prayer.

That by his power war and famine may cease through all the world

we pray to the Father.

Hear our prayer.

That he may reveal the light of his presence to the sick,

the weak and the dying,

to comfort and strengthen them

we pray to the Father.

Hear our prayer.

That, according to his promises,

all who have died in the faith of the resurrection

may be raised on the last day

we pray to the Father.

Hear our prayer.

That he may send the fire of the Holy Spirit upon his people,

so that we may bear faithful witness to his resurrection,

we pray to the Father.

Hear our prayer.

Heavenly Father,

you have delivered us from the power of darkness

and brought us into the kingdom of your Son:

grant that, as his death has recalled us to life,

so his continual presence in us may raise us to eternal joy;

through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Rejoicing in God’s new creation,

as our Saviour taught us, so we pray

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins

as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation

but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power,

and the glory are yours

now and for ever.

Amen.

Conclusion

Alleluia. Christ is risen.

He is risen indeed. Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.

Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

He has given us new life and hope

by raising Jesus from the dead.

God has claimed us as his own.

He has brought us out of darkness.

He has made us light to the world.

Alleluia. Christ is risen.

He is risen indeed. Alleluia.

Go in the peace of Christ. Alleluia, alleluia.

Thanks be to God. Alleluia, alleluia.

Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England, material from which is included in this service, is copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2000.

Common Worship: Times and Seasons, material from which is included in this service, is copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2006.

Palm Sunday 2020

Sunday 5 April 2020: Palm Sunday

Today, we meet from our own homes, at 10.30 a.m. via Zoom meeting ID: 664-485-330. You’ll also need a password code, which you can get from Revd Andrew Dowsett in advance by calling or texting him on 07783-760-012.

Today, churches traditionally parade with palms. This year will be very different. We have provided a palm cross for you. If you can get outside for daily exercise, you might like to go for a ‘palm procession prayer walk’ around the neighbourhood at some point today. If you can’t, you might do so in your mind’s eye.

As we come to worship at a familiar time, if not a familiar building, you might like to light a candle, a reminder that Christ the light of the world is with us. Take a moment to still yourself. We then begin with the Prayer of Preparation, which reminds us that God knows our desires—to join with others today, if we could; to receive bread and wine, which, physically, we cannot; to be of service to our neighbour…

Prayer of Preparation

Almighty God,

to whom all hearts are open,

all desires known,

and from whom no secrets are hidden:

cleanse the thoughts of our hearts

by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,

that we may perfectly love you,

and worthily magnify your holy name;

through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Now we come to Confession, confessing our need for God. We confess for ourselves, and on behalf of our neighbours; and receive God’s mercy. Doing so is the antidote to judging others in anger.

‘Kyrie’ Confession

God be gracious to us and bless us,

and make your face shine upon us:

Lord, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

May your ways be known on the earth,

your saving power among the nations:

Christ, have mercy.

Christ, have mercy.

You, Lord, have made known your salvation,

and reveal your justice in the sight of the nations:

Lord, have mercy.

Lord, have mercy.

Absolution

The Lord enrich you with his grace, and nourish you with his blessing;

the Lord defend you in trouble and keep you from all evil;

the Lord accept your prayers, and absolve you from our offences,

for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

Amen.

Now we pray the Collect, the prayer for this Sunday.

Collect prayer for today

True and humble king,

hailed by the crowd as Messiah:

grant us the faith to know you and love you,

that we may be found beside you on the way of the cross,

which is the path of glory.

Amen.

Having prepared ourselves, we listen to God’s word to us, and respond in conversation.

Reading          Philippians 2:5-11

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

who, though he was in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God

as something to be exploited,

but emptied himself,

taking the form of a slave,

being born in human likeness.

And being found in human form,

he humbled himself

and became obedient to the point of death—

even death on a cross.

Therefore God also highly exalted him

and gave him the name

that is above every name,

so that at the name of Jesus

every knee should bend,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue should confess

that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Gospel reading           Matthew 21:1-11 and 26:14-27:66

Traditionally, we have had two readings from the Gospels on Palm Sunday: the Gospel of the Palms at the beginning of the service, and the long telling of the Gospel of the Passion. We would encourage you to read this longer passage, Matthew 26:14-27:66, in your own time today, or over the coming days. For now, we shall hear the Gospel of the Palms, from Matthew 21:1-11.

When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, just say this, “The Lord needs them.” And he will send them immediately. This took place to fulfil what had been spoken through the prophet, saying,

‘Tell the daughter of Zion,

Look, your king is coming to you,

humble, and mounted on a donkey,

and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’

The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; they brought the donkey and the colt, and put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting,

‘Hosanna to the Son of David!

Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Hosanna in the highest heaven!’

When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, ‘Who is this?’ The crowds were saying, ‘This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.’

How does it feel to be emptied, to be humbled?

(How) have we seen Jesus come to us, in these days, in unexpected ways?

How might we make do with whatever is to hand to proclaim him our king this day? What creative ways can we come up with between us? Might we colour-in paper palms and place them in our window, cut leaves from our garden to decorate our house, make leaf-shaped biscuits to share with family, read a story*?

*In A.A. Milne’s The House at Pooh Corner, ‘Chapter Six in which Pooh invents a new game and Eeyore joins in’, the donkey Eeyore is bounced into the river and can only wait until he is rescued. A good story to revisit in isolation today, about finding simple pleasure in life, and finding ourselves bounced into unexpected situations.

What is Jesus directing us to do today?

Having heard and received God’s word to us, we join in affirming our shared faith.

Affirmation of Faith

Let us declare our faith in God.

We believe in God the Father,

from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.

We believe in God the Son,

who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love.

We believe in God the Holy Spirit,

who strengthens us with power from on high.

We believe in one God;

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Prayers of Intercession

We take time to pray for the needs of the world, the life of the Church, our community, and all those on our hearts this day.

Today, we are not able to receive bread and wine physically, but we receive them spiritually, if we desire to do so (remember the Prayer of Preparation). And so we take a moment to do so, saying the Post Communion Prayer.

Post Communion Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ,

you humbled yourself in taking the form of a servant,

and in obedience died on the cross for our salvation:

give us the mind to follow you

and to proclaim you as Lord and King,

to the glory of God the Father.

Amen.

As we conclude, receive this blessing:

May the Father,

who so loved the world that he gave his only Son,

bring you by faith to his eternal life.

Amen.

May Christ,

who accepted the cup of sacrifice,

in obedience to the Father’s will,

keep you steadfast as you walk with him the way of the cross.

Amen.

May the Spirit,

who strengthens us to suffer with Christ,

that we may share in his glory,

set your minds on life and peace.

Amen.

And the blessing of God almighty,

the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

be among you and remain with you always.

Amen.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

In the name of Christ. Amen.

Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England, material from which is included in this service, is copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2000.

Common Worship: Times and Seasons, material from which is included in this service, is copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2006.

Fifth Sunday of Lent 2020

Sunday 29 March 2020: Fifth Sunday of Lent,

Passiontide begins

Today, we meet from our own homes, at 10.30 a.m. via Zoom meeting ID: 664-485-330. Don’t forget that the clocks sprung forward an hour to British Summer Time during the night.

As we come to worship at a familiar time, if not a familiar building, you might like to light a candle, a reminder that Christ the light of the world is with us. Take a moment to still yourself. We then begin with the Prayer of Preparation, which reminds us that God knows our desires—to join with others today, if we could; to receive bread and wine, which, physically, we cannot; to be of service to our neighbour…

Prayer of Preparation

Almighty God,

to whom all hearts are open,

all desires known,

and from whom no secrets are hidden:

cleanse the thoughts of our hearts

by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,

that we may perfectly love you,

and worthily magnify your holy name;

through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Now we come to Confession, confessing our need for God. We confess for ourselves, and on behalf of our neighbours; and receive God’s mercy. Doing so is the antidote to judging others in anger.

‘Kyrie’ Confession

God be gracious to us and bless us,

and make your face shine upon us:

Lord, have mercy.

May your ways be known on the earth,

your saving power among the nations:

Christ, have mercy.

You, Lord, have made known your salvation,

and reveal your justice in the sight of the nations:

Lord, have mercy.

Absolution

The Lord enrich us with his grace, and nourish us with his blessing;

the Lord defend us in trouble and keep us from all evil;

the Lord accept our prayers, and absolve us from our offences,

for the sake of Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

Amen.

Now we pray the Collect, the prayer for this Sunday.

Collect prayer for today

Gracious Father,

you gave up your Son out of love for the world:

Lead us to ponder the mysteries of his passion,

that we may know eternal peace

through the shedding of our Saviour’s blood,

Jesus Christ our Lord.

Having prepared ourselves, we listen to God’s word to us. You’ll find both readings in full below, along with a pastoral letter from the Bishop of Durham, and some questions to reflect on together.

Reading          Romans 8:6-11

To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For this reason the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law—indeed it cannot, and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you.

Gospel reading           John 11:1-45

Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who anointed the Lord with perfume and wiped his feet with her hair; her brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent a message to Jesus, ‘Lord, he whom you love is ill.’ But when Jesus heard it, he said, ‘This illness does not lead to death; rather it is for God’s glory, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.’ Accordingly, though Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus, after having heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was.

Then after this he said to the disciples, ‘Let us go to Judea again.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Rabbi, the Jews were just now trying to stone you, and are you going there again?’ Jesus answered, ‘Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Those who walk during the day do not stumble, because they see the light of this world. But those who walk at night stumble, because the light is not in them.’ After saying this, he told them, ‘Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I am going there to awaken him.’ The disciples said to him, ‘Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will be all right.’ Jesus, however, had been speaking about his death, but they thought that he was referring merely to sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, ‘Lazarus is dead. For your sake I am glad I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.’ Thomas, who was called the Twin, said to his fellow-disciples, ‘Let us also go, that we may die with him.’

When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, some two miles away, and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to console them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’ Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’ Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’ She said to him, ‘Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.’

When she had said this, she went back and called her sister Mary, and told her privately, ‘The Teacher is here and is calling for you.’ And when she heard it, she got up quickly and went to him. Now Jesus had not yet come to the village, but was still at the place where Martha had met him. The Jews who were with her in the house, consoling her, saw Mary get up quickly and go out. They followed her because they thought that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came where Jesus was and saw him, she knelt at his feet and said to him, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.’ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, he was greatly disturbed in spirit and deeply moved. He said, ‘Where have you laid him?’ They said to him, ‘Lord, come and see.’ Jesus began to weep. So the Jews said, ‘See how he loved him!’ But some of them said, ‘Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?’

Then Jesus, again greatly disturbed, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. Jesus said, ‘Take away the stone.’ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, ‘Lord, already there is a stench because he has been dead for four days.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?’ So they took away the stone. And Jesus looked upwards and said, ‘Father, I thank you for having heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I have said this for the sake of the crowd standing here, so that they may believe that you sent me.’ When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with strips of cloth, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‘Unbind him, and let him go.’

Many of the Jews therefore, who had come with Mary and had seen what Jesus did, believed in him.

A pastoral letter from the Bishop of Durham

‘Dear Sisters & Brothers,
‘Today is Passion Sunday, the gateway to Passiontide where our focus turns towards the suffering of our Lord Jesus as we journey with him towards Holy Week and the cross and, in time, to the Resurrection.  In all honesty, something of the rhythm of Lent has been lost for me over the past two weeks. So much has happened in our nation, and we as the Church of England have had to play our full part in helping others as much as we can to respond wisely to the very hard situation that we all face. We are in this together, as a nation and around the globe. So there has been much work taking place, locally and nationally, happening at a fast rate and changing by the day.

‘There is a lot of emotion surfacing at the moment and I feel it too. The first is fear; that natural fear of what is happening and lies ahead; fear for our own families and friends; fear for ourselves. Then there is sadness; sadness for those whose loved one’s funerals and their own grieving have been disrupted; sadness for those who have had to postpone weddings and baptisms; sadness that our schools have had to close; sadness at not being able to visit people as we long to do.  For many of us, there has also been the more uncomfortable sense of anger; anger at the virus; anger at those ignoring guidance and stripping shelves bare needlessly. There is also pity; pity for those who are suffering badly; pity for those who are dying and those bereaved. Finally, there is pride; pride in our NHS and the amazing staff; pride in our Emergency Services and Armed Services; pride in all those working in Government and the civil service to handle this at breakneck speed. I am immensely proud of the clergy, lay leaders and others who have responded so amazingly quickly and adapted in a whole host of ways to keep the church worshipping and praying in our homes. I am proud of the way you are praying, caring, supporting, volunteering and seeking to be the body of Christ in ways we have never experienced before so broadly.

‘Thank you for all you have done, are doing and will continue to do.

‘I recognise that the coming weeks will be very difficult indeed. There is much more sadness ahead before we begin to come through the other side of this pandemic. So pray honestly; lament, rage, cry out, thank, intercede and keep looking to our Lord who will keep saying to us, ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.’ (Isaiah 43v1)

‘The gospel reading for today from John 11 begins with the reality of death. It includes the fear of death. It has Thomas rather bravely, and yet grimly, committing to die with Jesus if that is what following him means. It then goes into the extraordinary story of how Jesus responds to both Mary and Martha’s grief at the loss of their beloved brother Lazarus. Jesus then raises Lazarus from the dead. In the midst of this we have Jesus declaration, ‘I am the resurrection and the life’, that hope that lies at the heart of our faith’. In the weeks ahead there will be sadness at loss. There will be a need to be like Thomas, sticking with Jesus even though the outlook looks grim. There will be a need to comfort those who have lost loved ones. There will be suffering and pain. Most who catch the virus (and it is likely to be most of us at some point in the coming months) will recover; we might not even be that ill ourselves. But we already know that it will be a very tough battle for a significant number, and it will end in death for some. So just as Passiontide begins with this story of Jesus bringing hope so too we will need to travel this road knowing that God travels it with us. We will need to hold onto our Easter hope and the truth of the resurrection. There will be much Good Friday and Holy Saturday but Easter is coming and beyond the great day of resurrection that is yet to be.

‘My sisters and brothers you are in Bishop Sarah and my prayers. Thank you for being faithful to Jesus. Hold fast to God. Fear not. Trust in the one who is the resurrection and the life.’

+Paul

‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.’

Are you anxious about the virus, and its potential impact—physical, emotional, financial—on you or on those you love?

What might it mean, to set the mind on the Spirit?

How might we share the peace of Christ with those who are anxious?

Having heard and received God’s word to us, we join in affirming our shared faith.

Affirmation of Faith

Let us declare our faith in God.

We believe in God the Father,

from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.

We believe in God the Son,

who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love.

We believe in God the Holy Spirit,

who strengthens us with power from on high.

We believe in one God;

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Prayers of Intercession

We take time to pray for the needs of the world, the life of the Church, our community, and all those on our hearts this day.

Today, we are not able to receive bread and wine physically, but we receive them spiritually, if we desire to do so (remember the Prayer of Preparation). And so we take a moment to do so, saying the Post Communion Prayer.

Post Communion Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ,

you have taught us that what we do for the least of

our brothers and sisters

we do also for you:

give us the will to be the servant of others

as you were the servant of all,

and gave up your life and died for us,

but are alive and reign, now and for ever.

As we conclude, receive this blessing:

Christ crucified draw you to himself,

to find in him a sure ground for faith,

a firm support for hope,

and the assurance of sins forgiven;

and the blessing of God almighty,

the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,

be among you and remain with you always.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.

In the name of Christ. Amen.

Common Worship: Services and Prayers for the Church of England, material from which is included in this service, is copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2000.

Common Worship: Times and Seasons, material from which is included in this service, is copyright © The Archbishops’ Council 2006.