Through the letter box, Worship Service, Sunday 12 April

Worship
If you’re not familiar with the melody of this wonderful old hymn, then please reflect on the meaning & significance of the words.

Blessed Assurance
Blessed assurance Jesus is mine
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Saviour all the day long.

Perfect submission, all is at rest,
I in my Saviour am happy & blest;
Watching & waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

This is my story……..

Bible Reading: Luke 24:1-3

Sermon on the Mat: Jesus, the Ultimate Superhero
‘They found the stone rolled away from the tomb but when they entered they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.’

No matter what life may throw at us. Regardless of how difficult & testing the way ahead might sometimes be.

Irrespective of the struggles of this present hour, where COVID 19 dominates the landscape of every day life, right across our globe. Know this, Jesus, the great I am of God’s eternal Kingdom, has got it all in hand. Not because I say so but because the evidence of an empty tomb says so.

An empty tomb which proves the point that, try as one may, it’s impossible to keep a good man down. Especially a man of the calibre of God’s own Son. The One who went into battle against the armies of hell, the underdog, only to surface three days later the ultimate Superhero. A Superhero, take note, who chose the way of apparent defeat in order to secure the greatest victory ever recorded in the history of mankind. Here’s how Paul puts it in Colossians 2:13-15 –

‘Think of it! All sins forgiven, the slate wiped clean, that old arrest warrant cancelled & nailed to Christ’s cross. He stripped all the spiritual tyrants of their sham authority at the Cross & marched them naked through the streets.’ MSG.

Incidentally some may be taking issue with my choice of the word Superhero when describing Jesus & all that He has accomplished for ‘the love of us all!’ Some may see it as, slightly irreverent or applying only to fictional heroes & heroines. Not so, as the following definition I hope will serve to prove. Superhero –

‘A person who does heroic deeds & has the ability to do them in a way that a normal person couldn’t. So in order to be a Superhero, you need a power that is more exceptional than any power a normal human being could possess & you need that power to accomplish good deeds.’

We’re talking here about the power of the Holy Spirit. The greatest power of all. The power that healed the sick, that caused the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the lame to walk, the hungry to be fed, the dead to be raised back to life. The very same power by which Jesus, Himself was raised from the dead, never again to die. Giving hope to the world, a world more than ever in need of a Saviour. A Saviour whose arms, whether in life or in death, remain ever open to save us!

Happy Easter to you all.

‘Christ is Risen!
He is risen indeed!!’

An Easter Blessing
May the celebration of resurrected life
bring new hope to your being.
May the victory over earthly death
turn your eyes to the promises of heaven.
May the empty tomb help you
to leave your sorrows at the foot of the cross.
So that God’s hope, promises & forgiveness reign in you life
forever. Amen.

Please pray for –

• The complete recovery of our prime minister, Boris Johnson.
• The ongoing safety of all ‘front line’ & emergency workers, as they continue to respond to the needs of those caught up in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic.
• For God’s mercy to prevail, as we look to Him, in faith, to overcome this terrible disease & its catastrophic consequences upon the peoples of the earth.