The Celebration of Easter - The Resurrection of Our Lord Year A 2020 - St Anne's Anglican Church ...

The Celebration of Easter
                          The Resurrection of Our Lord Year A 2020
Lighting the New Fire, Renewal of Baptismal Vows, and Holy Communion for the church remotely gathered.

                                              LIGHTING THE NEW FIRE
This year the service begins at the place of the Maundy Thursday watch
 - the place that was in darkness gives birth to our paschal flame.

Today we celebrate life over death.
Today we celebrate the flame that lives again.
Aware that the resurrection changes forever who we are
and gives courage to our living faith.

The BLESSING OF THE NEW FIRE:

O God, through your son you have given your people
the brightness of your light:
Sanctify this New Fire and grant that in this Paschal Feast
we may so burn with heavenly desires,
that with pure minds we may attain to the festival of everlasting light,
through Jesus Christ, the light of the world. Amen.

THE BLESSING OF THE PASCHAL CANDLE
The Celebrant traces the sign of the cross on the candle.

Christ yesterday and today
the beginning and the end,
Alpha and Omega
all time belongs to him,
and all the ages;
to him be glory and power
through every age and forever. Amen.

The Celebrant lights the Paschal Candle from the New Fire, saying:

Come, liberating Christ, rise to meet us!
Hear our wounded cries in the travail of the earth;
banish the darkness of our fears;
release us from the tomb of powerlessness
into empowered living
in the light of your liberation. Amen.

The Celebrant holds up the Paschal Candle, saying:
The Light of Christ.
       Thanks be to God!

The paschal candle is put in place and the altar and sanctuary candles are lit.
Loving God, accept our sacrifice of praise:
        our offering of this Easter candle in your honour.
Let it mingle with the lights of heaven,
        burning to lighten the darkness of this world.
Christ is our Morning Star,
        rising to shed your peaceful light on all creation.
Christ is alive and glorified with you and the Holy Spirit,
        for ever and ever. Amen.

THE LITURGY OF RENEWAL
At the baptismal font.
As we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ,
we give thanks for the promise of Christ to be with us always.
Christ be with us in our birthing, in our living, and in our dying.

Through our observance of Lent,
we have reflected on God’s gift of life.
We now remember our baptism in Christ,
giving thanks for the waters of birth,
for playfulness, for refreshment, for cleansing, and for life.

Mindful of our baptismal commitment
to turn to Christ, to repent of our sins, to renounce evil,
we recommit ourselves to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with our God.

Water is poured into the font.
My sisters and brothers, we ask God to bless this waters as we recall our baptism.
May God renew us and keep us faithful to the Spirit we have all received.

Gracious God,
be with us as we recall the wonder of our creation
and the greater wonder of our redemption.

Bless this water:
it makes the seed to grow; it refreshes and makes us clean.
You have made of it a servant of your loving kindness:
through water you set your people free,
and quenched their thirst in the desert.

With water the prophets announced a new covenant
that you would make with us.
By water, made holy by Christ in the Jordan,
you made us anew in the bath that gives new life.

Let this water remind us of our baptism into the death and resurrection of Christ. Amen.

As we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
we remember that through the paschal mystery
we have died and been buried with Him in Baptism,
so that we may rise with Him to a new life within the family of his Church.

Now that we have completed our observance of Lent,
we renew the promises made at our Baptism,
affirming our allegiance to Christ, and our rejection of all that is evil.

Those who are baptised are called to worship and serve God.

From the beginning,
believers have continued in the apostle's teaching and fellowship,
in the breaking of bread,
and in the prayers.

I ask you now to renew your baptismal words responding to these questions with the words:
        We will, with God’s help.

Will you commit yourself to this life?
      We will, with God's help.

Will you forgive others as you have been forgiven?
      We will, with God's help.

Will you seek to love your neighbour as yourself, and strive for peace and justice?
      We will, with God's help.

Will you accept the cost of following Jesus Christ in your daily life and work?
      We will, with God's help.

With the whole Church will you proclaim by word and action the Good News of God in Christ?
      We will, with God's help.

The collect:
God of terror and joy,
you arise to shake the earth.
Open our graves and give us back the past;
so that all that has been buried
may be freed and forgiven,
and our lives may return to you. Amen.

                                         MINISTRY OF THE WORD
Fr Mark:
The Lord be with you.
     And also with you.

The Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Matthew, chapter 28, beginning at the 1st verse.
     Glory to you Lord Jesus Christ.

   After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went
28:1

to see the tomb. 2And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from
heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing
white as snow. 4For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. 5But the angel said to the
women, ‘Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6He is not here; for he
has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7Then go quickly and tell his disciples, “He
has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.”
This is my message for you.’ 8So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his
disciples. 9Suddenly Jesus met them and said, ‘Greetings!’ And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and
worshipped him. 10Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee;
there they will see me.’

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
      Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

The Sermon
Fr Mark will preach from St James – a period of silence will follow the sermon.

THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
The response to the prayers is:

Lord, in your mercy,
        Hear our prayer.

After the last petition.

We pray for God’s kingdom as Jesus taught us:
      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 for ever. Amen.

THE GREETING OF PEACE

This is the Good News -
the grave is empty, Christ is risen.
      HALLELUJAH!

This is the Good News - the light shines in the darkness
and the darkness can never put it out.
      HALLELUJAH!

This is the Good News - once we were no people,
now we are God's people.
      HALLELUJAH!

Christ is our peace,
we now share with each other.

We are the body of Christ.
      His spirit is with us.

The peace of the Lord be always with you.
      And also with you.

The people share a sign of God’s peace with those at home with you, and those on Zoom.

Your mics will be on for a moment - say hello, wave and use the chat box!!

THE THANKSGIVING

The Lord be with you.
        and also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
       we lift them to the lord.
 Let us give thanks to the lord our god.
        It is right to give our thanks and praise.

All glory and honour be yours always and everywhere,
mighty creator, ever living God.
We give you thanks and praise for your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ,
Who by the power of your Spirit was born of Mary
and lived as one of us.

From the nothingness of slavery
you called a people into being
gathering them from shattered exiles and distant lands,
into the flesh and blood of living hope.
In Jesus you confronted the powers that killed and oppressed,
you spoke to those considered dead
and helped them to stand again.
He gave himself tortured and forsaken
but could not be confined by death.
In the garden he speaks our name,
in the breaking of the bread he shows himself among us
And in the light of resurrection he calls up to take up his work.

Therefore with angels and archangels
and with all the company of heaven
we proclaim your great and glorious name
forever praising you and saying:
   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.

Merciful God we thank you for these gifts of your creation,
this bread and this wine,
and pray that by your Word and Holy Spirit,
we who eat and drink them may be partakers
of Christ’s body and blood.

On the night he was betrayed Jesus took bread;
and when he had given you thanks
he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying,
Take, eat. This is my body given for you.
Do this in remembrance of me.

After supper he took the cup,
and again giving you thanks
he gave it his disciples saying,
Drink from this, all of you.
This is my blood of the new covenant
shed for you and for many

for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.

Therefore we do as our Saviour has commanded:
proclaiming his offering of himself
made once for all upon the cross,
his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension,
and looking for his coming again,
we celebrate, with this bread and this cup,
his one perfect and sufficient sacrifice
for the sins of the whole world.
We proclaim the mystery of faith:
         Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again.

Renew us by your Holy Spirit,
unite us in the body of your Son
and bring us with all your people
into the joy of your eternal kingdom;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
with whom, and in whom, in the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
we worship you, Father, in songs of never-ending praise:
         Blessing and honour and glory and power
         are yours for ever and ever. Amen.

The Minister breaks the bread.
As this broken bread was once many grains,
which have been gathered together and made one bread:
         so may your Church be gathered from the ends of the earth into your kingdom.

The gifts of God for the people of God.
        Let us draw near in faith,
        and feed on Christ in our hearts with thanksgiving.

Please hold silence as the altar is cleared and ablutions are completed.

Risen Christ,
Whom we have seen with our eyes
and touched with our hands;
the word of life
in whom our joy is complete:
send us out
to declare your truth,
your unshakable faith
in the world you love.
        Most loving God
        you send us into the world you love
        give us grace to go thankfully and with courage
        in the power of your spirit.

The NOTICES

THE BLESSING AND DISMISSAL
God who has called you is faithful:
Go into the world with joy!
Forgive generously. Love extravagantly. Live abundantly.
And the blessing of God,
Father, Son and holy Spirit,
be with you now and always. Amen.

Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Alleluia!
       In the name of Christ. Alleluia!

Christ is risen.
        He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Christ is risen.
        He is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Christ is risen.
        HE IS RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA!

Audio Notes:
Celebrant: Deb
Gospel/Sermon: Mark
Responses: Rod and Kay (everything in bold)

Audio On: Deb, Mark, Rod and Kay throughout.
Greeting of Peace: Unmute all immediately following ‘and also with you’ until altar is prepared.
Then mute all again but for Deb, Mark, Rod and Kay.

This service drawn from the Australian Liturgical Commission and A Prayer Book For Australia
which is copyright 1995, The Anglican Church of Australia Trust Corporation, under the imprint Broughton
Books. Reproduced with permission. Thanksgiving Preface and Collect Prayers for an Inclusive Church,
Canterbury Press, 2008. Scripture quotations are from The New Revised Standard Version of the
Bible copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches in the
USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.