Welcome to the CHS Vientiane Worship Service Resources
We invite you to take time this Sunday, in families or very small groups of friends, to responsibly share space to worship God together. If you are on your own, please be assured we are together in the Spirit and if you have needs, or just want to share concerns, please don't be afraid to reach out and share these with the CHS community. Contact details can be found on our church website at: http://www.the-chs.org/
~ Pastor Tony
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Call to Worship
Leader: Surprising events.
All: He is not here.
Leader: The stone has been rolled.
All: He is not here.
Leader: The tomb, it lies empty.
All: He is not here.
Leader: The women have told us.
All: He is not here.
Leader: Christ is risen!
All: He is not here.
Leader: The stone has been rolled.
All: He is not here.
Leader: The tomb, it lies empty.
All: He is not here.
Leader: The women have told us.
All: He is not here.
Leader: Christ is risen!
Scripture Sentence
We
are here to give you the good news,
that
God has fulfilled the promise
by
raising Jesus from the dead.
(Acts 13: 32, 33)
Collect
Lord
of life and power,
through
the mighty resurrection of your Son,
you
have overcome death
and
opened the gate of everlasting life.
Grant
that we, being dead to sin
and
alive to you in Jesus Christ,
may
reign with him in glory,
who
with you and the Holy Spirit is alive,
One
God, now and for ever.
Amen.
Opening Hymn of
Praise
Jesus Christ is risen today (MP 357)
1 Jesus Christ is risen today,
hallelujah!
our triumphant holy day,
who died once, upon the cross,
suffer to redeem our loss.
2 Hymns of praise then let us sing,
unto Christ, our heavenly King,
who endured the cross and grave,
sinners to redeem and save.
3 But the pains which He endured,
our salvation have procured,
now in heaven above He’s King,
where the angels ever sing:
Confession
Our
heavenly Father
thank
you that you love us and care for us all the time.
We
know that this week we have not always lived the way you tell us.
We
have done wrong things and not done all the good things we should have done.
Only
you can save us,
so
please forgive us
and
help us to live as your friends.
We
ask this in Jesus’ name.
silence
Forgiving
Father,
You
hear the cries of the soul.
Assure
us that there is no length to which You will not go,
no
emptiness, darkness or depth which You will not enter,
to
find, comfort, embrace and raise us up.
We
lay before You our brokenness:
burdens
of the heart and fragile memories.
May
we take to heart the words of Jesus:
‘Your
sins are forgiven’.
May
almighty God have mercy upon us,
grant
us pardon and remission of all our sins,
time
for the amendment of life,
and
the grace and comfort of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
Creed
We believe in God the Father,
Maker of all things.
We believe in his Son Jesus Christ,
Lord and Saviour of the world.
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
giver of life and
light.
We belong to the Church,
God’s family everywhere.
Amen.
Bible Readings
Psalm: Psalm
118:1-2; 14-24
First reading: Acts
10:34-43
Second reading: Colossians
3:1-4
Gospel: John
20:1-18
Children’s Song
Lord, I lift Your name on high (MP 881)
Lord, I lift Your name on high,
Lord, I love to sing Your
praises;
I’m so glad You’re in my life,
I’m so glad You came to save
us.
You came from Heaven to earth
to show the way,
from the earth to the cross
my debt to pay;
from the cross to the grave,
from the grave to the sky,
Lord, I lift Your name on high.
Prayer for / with the children
We praise you and we bless you
our risen Lord Jesus, King of glory,
for in your rising from the
dead the power of your love
breaks open the earth and frees
life from death.
As the angel rolled away the
stone from the prison of the tomb,
so release those held prisoner
by the bad things that happen to them.
To you, Lord Jesus, whose life
brings surprises beyond our wildest imagining,
be honour and glory, now and
for ever.
We praise you and we bless you,
our risen Lord Jesus, King of glory,
for your rising from the dead
overturns our expectations of life
and even your closest friends
could not see the truth before them.
As the angel helped them to
understand you had risen again
and helped take away their
fear,
so help us to know that you are
with us and working amongst us
especially through the
difficult times that sometimes overtake us.
Keep us, our families and
friends safe and well through this coronavirus crisis.
To you Lord, Jesus,
whose ways astonish far beyond
what we were expecting,
be honour and glory, now and
for ever.
Amen.
Sermon
Song
Led like a lamb to the slaughter (MP 402)
1 Led like a lamb to the slaughter,
in silence and shame,
there on Your back You carried a world
of violence and pain;
Bleeding, dying, bleeding, dying.
You’re alive,
You’re alive,
You have risen!
Alleluia!
And the power
and the glory
is given,
Alleluia!
Jesus, to You.
2 At break of dawn, poor Mary,
still weeping she came,
when through her grief she heard Your voice,
now speaking her name.
Mary! Master! Mary! Master!
You’re alive . . .
3 At the right hand of the Father,
now seated on high,
You have begun Your eternal reign
of justice and joy.
Glory, glory, glory, glory.
You’re alive . . .
Offering
(Please do bear in
mind that as long as we are still able to, CHS is continuing to support various
projects and people in need and needs will likely increase during this
time. You may want to set aside some money in an envelope every Sunday
and bring these to church when we next meet back at ARDA.)
Dedication of our Offering
We bring our offerings to you,
acknowledging that all your
gifts
are given for our own growth
and for the service of
humankind…
Receive them and our worship.
Accept us and show us the gifts
we do not know we have to
offer,
in the strong name
and by the wisdom of Jesus
Christ our risen Lord.
Amen.
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession
Let us pray.
Holy God,
in diverse and rich ways we
feel ourselves to be truly blessed.
Creation’s beauty is a
sacrament:
through the sky’s shifting
clouds, the majesty of mountains,
the rhythmic sound of waves
flowing and ebbing,
we see the unseeable God;
in silver moon and vermillion
sunset,
in the singing of the birds at first light,
and nature’s abundance of bud
and flower,
we thank You for the blessing
of fruitful beauty,
of creation’s rising.
Response: Bless the Lord, O my soul and
worship His holy name.
We celebrate and pray for the
witness
of Your church throughout the
world,
in all its colour, diversity
and difference.
May the Body of the Risen
Christ reflect the selflessness of Jesus;
may it be a place of
contemplation and compassion.
God of the soul,
in the stillness of this
domestic sanctuary,
we bring to You
the suffering of the world.
Present in every aching heart,
Jesus is love and peace.
We are mindful of those broken
by life events:
by hardships, injury,
unkindness or abuse.
We pray for all who work in
caring professions:
for the services which seek to
sooth and heal
the sicknesses of body, mind or
spirit.
Present in every darkness,
may the Risen Christ burn
brightly
bringing light, renewal and new
life.
Response: Bless the Lord, O my soul and
worship His holy name.
Eternal God,
dwelling deep within us,
bless this country of Laos and
the countries we have left to come here
For our leaders and all in authority
Particularly at this time, in
the midst of a global pandemic
We pray for political leaders
faced with making life and death decisions
on behalf of the people they
govern.
Guide all who shape our common
life.
May we play our part in helping
to build
a future, a society, in which
the stranger is welcomed,
the vulnerable are valued and
protected,
human rights are honoured, and
creation itself nurtured.
May we commit ourselves to
overcome violence against neighbour,
cruelty to living creatures and
careless destruction of the planet.
Christ of the cosmos,
rise again in us.
Response: Bless the Lord, O my soul and
worship His holy name.
We remember the bereaved,
those who are dying,
those suffering in body, spirit
or mind.
In reflective silence,
we call to mind those whom we
love,
we remember their smiles, the
joy they have brought us.
We give thanks for people of
peace,
co-pilgrims of all faiths,
spiritual leaders across myriad
cultures,
for all who worship in temple,
mosque, synagogue and church,
for all who make that journey
inwardly,
for all who seek renewal,
rebirth and
the miracle of inner
resurrection.
We pray that by your grace and
mercy
those who seek you shall find
Jesus,
who is the Way, the Truth and
the Life.
God of Eternity,
surrounded by that great cloud
of witnesses,
we pray for our loved ones
departed,
mindful that Your Church is
one,
for this life and always.
These prayers we offer in
Jesus’ Name, and in His words
we would sum up all our
prayers, saying together…..
Lord’s Prayer
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 forever.
Amen.
Closing Song
Thine be the glory (MP 689)
1 Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son,
endless is the victory Thou o’er death hast won;
angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away,
kept the folded grave-clothes where Thy body lay.
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son,
endless is the victory, Thou o'er death hast won.
2 Lo! Jesus meets us, risen from the tomb;
lovingly He greets us, scatters fear and gloom;
let the Church with gladness hymns of triumph sing,
for her Lord now liveth; death hath lost its sting.
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son,
endless is the victory, Thou o'er death hast won.
3 No more we doubt Thee, glorious Prince of life;
life is nought without Thee: aid us in our strife;
make us more than conquerors, through Thy deathless
love:
bring us safe through Jordan to Thy home above.
Thine be the glory, risen, conquering Son,
endless is the victory, Thou o'er death hast won.
Blessing
Christ was raised from the dead
Christ was raised from the dead
by the glorious power of the
Father.
Set out then on a new life with
Christ.
And the blessing of God
almighty,
the Father, the Son and the
Holy Spirit
rest upon us and remain with us
always.
Sending
Leader: Mary told Peter,
All: Jesus is alive.
Leader: Peter told the disciples
All: Jesus is alive.
Leader: The disciples told their families
All: Jesus is alive.
Leader: We can tell our families,
we can tell our neighbours
All: Jesus is alive.
Leader: It’s Easter morning
Jesus is with us
All: Jesus is alive!
Leader: Go in peace to love and serve the Lord,
All: in the name of Christ.
Amen.
All song lyrics taken from:
From Mission Praise