As we gather, we recognize that we live, work, pray, and play
in the traditional lands of
the Cowichan Tribes and Coast Salish People. 
We continue to commit ourselves to the work of reconciliation and
relationship-building with our First Nations neighbours.   

 

 Call to Worship:

Christ our Passover has been sacrificed for us;            
therefore, let us keep the feast.  

 

Opening Hymn:  Jesus Christ is Risen Today

Public Domain

Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!
Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
Who did once upon the Cross, Alleluia!
Suffer to redeem our loss.  Alleluia!   

Hymns of praise then let us sing, Alleluia!
Unto Christ, our heavenly King, Alleluia!
Who endured the Cross and grave, Alleluia!
Sinners to redeem and save.  Alleluia!  

But the pains which He endured, Alleluia!
Our salvation have procured, Alleluia!
Now above the sky he’s King, Alleluia!
Where the angels ever sing, Alleluia!   

 

Gathering  

Alleluia! Christ is risen.

The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!

May his grace and peace be with you.

May he fill our hearts with joy.  

 

Almighty God,
to you all hearts are open, all desires known,
and from you 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. 

 

The Gloria

Gloria, Gloria, in excelsis Deo!
Gloria, Gloria, alleluia, alleluia!  
Glory to God, glory to God, glory in the highest!
Glory to God, glory to God, alleluia, alleluia!  

 

Collect of the Day  

Lord of life and power,
through the mighty resurrection of your Son,  
you have overcome the old order of sin and death,
and have made all things new in him.
May we, being dead to sin, and alive to you in Jesus Christ,
reign with him in glory, who, with you and
the Holy Spirit, is alive, one God, now and forever. Amen. 

 

The Proclamation of the Word  

First Reading:   Isaiah  65:17-25 

The Word of the Lord.

Thanks be to God.    

 

Psalm  118:1-2, 14-24 

Give thanks to the Lord who is good; the mercy of the Lord endures for ever.

Let Israel now proclaim, ”The mercy of the Lord endures for ever.”  

The Lord is my strength and my song, and has become my salvation.

There is a sound of exultation and victory in the tents of the righteous:

”The mighty hand of the Lord has triumphed!
The mighty hand of the Lord is exalted!
the mighty hand of the Lord has triumphed!”

I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.    

The Lord has punished me sorely, but did not hand me over to death.

Open for me the gates of righteousness;
I will enter them; I will offer thanks to the Lord.

”This is the gate of the Lord; those who are righteous may enter.”

I will give thanks to the Lord who answered me
and has become my salvation.

The same stone which the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.

This is the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvellous in our eyes.

On this day the Lord has acted;
we will rejoice and be glad in it.  

 

Holy and mighty God,
your Son’s triumph over sin and death
has opened to us the gate of eternal life.
Purify our hearts that we may follow where
he has gone and share in the radiance of his glory.
We ask this for the sake of our risen Lord. Amen.  

 

 2nd Reading:   Acts 10:34-43               

The Word of the Lord.                

Thanks be to God.   

 

Gradual Hymn: Alleluia! Alleluia! Give Thanks

Copyright Protected.  Unable to Post Lyrics.

 

God be with you.

And also with you.  

The Good News of
Jesus according to  John 20:1-18 

Glory to you, Jesus Christ. 

 

The Gospel of Christ,

              Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. 

 

 

Sermon:  The Venerable Brian Evans  

May the words of my mouth and
the meditations of our hearts be ever acceptable to you O Lord.  Amen.

Fifty-Seven Words that Change the World           
 “Rescue Us”
And lead us not into temptation.
But deliver us from the evil one. 

Attending the Good Friday Service, it would be very easy to leave that time of “Surveying” the cross of Jesus, thinking, Rescue Us!            

At the same time, right now in this time in history, there are a goodly number of people in the world thinking those very same thoughts. ‘Rescue Us.’  

•          Rescue me.

•          Rescue my family.

•          Rescue my community.

•          Rescue our economy.

•          Rescue the world. 

On Wednesday of this week, listening to CBC Radio (which at the moment were focusing on the situation in Ukraine and the Russian incursion), their focus turned to—not only the amount of refugees from the Ukraine—they shared the number of refugees at this moment in the world – estimated to be over 90 million.            

The same day, the numbers were released on the number of deaths from drug overdoses:

174 in BC alone, for an average of over 6 per day.   

I am sure, this is not the message you were hoping to hear when you left home this morning!             I am sure you were hoping to hear words like:

•          Jesus Christ Is Risen Today

•          When morning guilds the skies

•          Christ the Lord is Risen, our joy has no end

•          Yours be the glory, risen, conquering Son

•          The Strife is over, the battle done. 

 -OR-  

The great liturgical Easter greeting:

Alleluia! Christ Is Risen.

The Lord Is Risen Indeed. Alleluia!

May His Grace and Peace Be With You.

May He Fill Our Hearts With Joy. 

I’m also fairly certain we were not ready for the title for this Easter Message today:

Rescue Us And Lead Us Not Into Temptation

But Deliver Us From The Evil One 

Except, if you have been journeying along with us here at St. John the Baptist over the past 6 weeks, you may have been prepared.  

For, we have been speaking of the “petitions” we pray in the words of the Lord’s Prayer.   And, we all know what would come after 'forgiveness for our debts', which we gave consideration to last week. 

 -OR-            

We may have left, on Good Friday, thinking, “Why the Cross”.  

Then, to arrive, figuratively speaking, with Mary, at the tomb this morning—only to discover the stone has been rolled away. 

I believe, we all need to step back to that moment.            

Then, to think how she may have been received by the disciples, when announcing, ‘Jesus has been taken away’.            

We have just heard, once again this year, how the scene is played out.            

Yet, we do need to turn attention to Mary’s reaction, when she looks into the tomb—only to discover two angels sitting inside. She turns, and sees Jesus standing there, except at that very moment—she did not recognize him.            

Mary was sure it must be the gardener, or some other person.  

THEN 

Then, Jesus speaks: “MARY!”            

She turns and says “RABBOUNI!” (which means Teacher).  

Reading Darrell Johnson’s book, 'Fifty-Seven Words That Change The World', my personal journey with Christ, as it had been molded- affected-  by these words, my confidence in ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ has once again been confirmed.            

In this prayer, Jesus gives us the gift of himself.            

In this prayer, once more, we have been affirmed in the knowledge of knowing Jesus is the answer.   

 

         We pray:

•          Your name be hallowed.
  Jesus shows up.

•          Your kingdom come.
  Jesus comes as our ambassador.

•          Your will be done.

•          Give us this day our daily bread.
  AND we are fed not only in body, but also our soul.

•          Cancel our debts. Good Friday.
   As our debts are cancelled, so too, we cancel the debts of others.

•          Rescue us from the Evil one.
  Jesus shows up on this Easter day.
  We have been rescued from the Evil one. 

In these past few weeks, or if only today, you are praying the words commonly known as ‘the Lord’s Prayer’, we trust we can all see, and experience, the fullness--completeness--of these words in prayer for whole life.            

AND,

To know the answer to ‘Why the Cross’, and ‘Why the Empty Tomb?’  

Today, in our Scriptures, Paul reminds us: the last enemy to be destroyed is death  

Today, we celebrate, Christ is risen. We have gathered in astonishment and joy.   We have been set free from the bonds of death.  

Today, we have been forgiven our debts.  

Today, the world remains amazed as were Mary, Peter and all others, the “STONE” has been rolled away.  

Today, we rejoice in the risen Lord.  

Today, we have been delivered from the evil one.  

Alleluia! Christ is risen! 

 

 

************

The Apostles Creed:

Let us confess the faith of our baptism, as we say:  

I believe in God, the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord.

He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.
He 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,
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again to judge the living and the dead.  

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.    

 

The Prayers of the People   

Let us pray:
that all the world might share in the
glorious freedom of the sons and daughters of God
which the risen Christ has won for us, saying:
“Risen Savior, grant our prayer.”  

For the creation that God birthed with love and redeemed with compassion;
may all things in heaven and earth render God fitting praise.
As we rejoice in Christ’s triumph, we ask:
“Risen Savior, grant our prayer.”  

For those who have been reborn in Christ through these life-giving waters of faith;
may they hold fast to the life of grace.
As we rejoice in Christ’s triumph, we ask:
“Risen Savior, grant our prayer.”  

For the church universal, which has renewed its baptismal covenant;
may all believers cling to the peace of Christ triumph.
As we rejoice in Christ’s triumph, we ask:
“Risen Savior, grant our prayer.”  

For all families that gather on this feast to share a family meal;
may all homes be blessed with joy and love with family and friends.
As we rejoice in Christ’s triumph, we ask:
“Risen Savior, grant our prayer.”  

For all who rejoice in the feast of the Lamb;
may our celebration of eucharist free us to be
servants of the gospel of life.
As we rejoice in Christ’s triumph, we ask:
“Risen Savior, grant our prayer.”  

For those who have died in the peace of Christ;
may the faithful departed rise at God’s word to the glory of the resurrection.
As we rejoice in Christ’s triumph, we ask:
“Risen Savior, grant our prayer.” 

 

Loving God,
may we never cease to praise you for the gift of redemption.
Receive the prayers of your church in the name of Christ,
the first-born of the dead. Amen.   

 

Distance-Sharing of The Peace  

The Peace of the Lord be Always with You.

And, also with you.

 

The Celebration of the Eucharist. 

Offertory Hymn: Joyful! Joyful! We Adore Thee!

Public Domain

Joyful, joyful we adore thee, God of glory, Lord of love;
hearts unfold like flowers before thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness, drive the dark of doubt away;
giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day.  

All thy works with joy surround thee, earth and heaven reflect thy rays;
stars and angels sing around thee, centre of unbroken praise.
Field and forest, vale and mountain, flowery meadow, flashing sea,
chanting bird and flowing fountain call us to rejoice in thee.  

Thou art giving and forgiving, ever blessing, ever blest,
well-spring of the joy of living, ocean depth of happy rest!
Thou our Father and our Mother, all who live in love are thine;    
teach us how to love each other, lift us to the joy divine. 

 

Prayer over the Gifts

God our strength and salvation,
receive all we offer you this day, and grant
that we who have confessed your name,
and received new life in baptism,
may live in the joy of the resurrection,
through Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.   

 

Eucharistic Prayer #2      

May God be with you.

And also with you.  

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them up to God. 

Let us give thanks to God our Creator.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

Eternal God, Source of all being,
we give you thanks and praise for your faithful love. 

You call us into friendship with you and one another to be your holy people,
a sign of your presence in the world.  

When those we trust betray us, unfailingly you remain with us.
When we injure others, you confront us in your love
and call us to the paths of righteousness.

You stand with the weak, and those, broken and alone,
whom you have always welcomed home,
making the first last, and the last first.

Therefore, we raise our voices with angels and archangels,
forever praising you and singing: 

Holy, holy, holy Lord,     
God of power and might,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.  
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.  

Blessed are you, O Holy One:
when Hagar was driven into the wilderness,
you followed her and gave her hope.
When Joseph was sold into bondage,
you turned malice to your people’s good.  

When you called Israel out of slavery,
you brought them through the wilderness into the promised land.
When your people were taken into exile,
you wept with them by the river of Babylon, and carried them home.  

Restore us, O God, let your face shine! 

At the right time, you sent your Anointed One to stand
with the poor, the outcast, and the oppressed.
Jesus touched lepers, and the sick, and healed them.
He accepted water from a woman of Samaria,
and offered her the water of new life.
Christ knew the desolation of the cross,
and opened the way for all humanity into
the redemption of your reconciling love.  

On the night he was betrayed, Jesus,
at supper with his friends, took bread, gave you thanks,
broke the bread, gave it to them, and said,
“Take and eat: this is my body which is given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.” 

After supper, he took the cup of wine,
and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them,
and said, “Drink this, all of you:
this is my blood of the new covenant which is shed for you,
and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me.”  

Loving and Holy One,
recalling Christ’s death and resurrection,
we offer you these gifts,
longing for the bread of tomorrow,
and the wine of the age to come.

Therefore, we proclaim our hope.   

Dying you destroyed our death,
rising you restored our life.
Lord Jesus, come in glory. 

Pour out your Spirit on these gifts,
that through them, you may sustain
us in our hunger for your peace.

We hold before you all whose lives are marked by suffering,
our sisters and brothers.
When we are broken and cast aside, embrace us in your love.  

Restore us, O God, let your face shine! 

Through Christ, with Christ, and in Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all honour and glory are yours,
O Source of all life, now and forever. Amen. 

 

The Lord’s Prayer  

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.
Save us from the time of trial,
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.

 

The Breaking of the Bread

Jesus says, I am the bread of life,
whoever eats this bread will live for ever.

Lord, our hearts hunger for you;
give us this bread always.  

Lord, we died with you on the cross.

Now we are raised to new life.  

We were buried in your tomb.

Now we share in your resurrection.  

Live in us, that we may live in you. 

The gifts of God for the people of God.

Thanks be to God. 

 

The Administration of Communion 

 

Communion Interlude:  Let All Things Now Living 

Copyright Protected. Unable to Post Lyrics.  

 

Prayer after Communion

God of life, bring us to
the glory of the resurrection
promised in this Easter sacrament.
We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, the risen Lord. Amen   

 

The Doxology

Glory to God,

whose power, working in us,
can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine.
Glory to God from generation to generation,
in the Church, and in Christ Jesus, forever and ever.  Amen.  

 

The Blessing

Announcements 

 

Closing Hymn:  That Eastertide With Joy Was Bright

Copyright Protected. Unable to Post Lyrics

Dismissal  

Go forth into the world,
rejoicing in the power of the Spirit.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thanks be to God.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!    

 

We continue to pray for the people of Ukraine.

The recording ends.  

 

Songs/Hymns words used by permission CCLI License #2750542