Welcome to worship this morning, introduced for us by
the bells of Peebles Old Parish Church. The Old
Parish is linked with Eddleston and Stobo and
Drumelzier Parishes, and as we welcome the
members of our three churches, we also are joined by
people from near and far - as far as the other side of
the world.
It’s not enough that the tomb is empty. It’s not
enough to proclaim, “Christ is risen!” It’s not enough to
believe in the resurrection. At some point we have to
move from the event of the resurrection to
experiencing the resurrection. Experiencing
resurrected life begins with recognising the risen
Christ among us. That is the gift of Easter and it is
also the difficulty and challenge described throughout
our readings and reflections during the Easter season.
Our first hymn today is “When morning gilds the skies"
3rd Sunday of Easter
Hymn: When morning gilds the skies
PRAYER
Living God,
long ago, faithful women
proclaimed the good news
of Jesus' resurrection,
and the world was changed forever.
Teach us to keep faith with them,
that our witness may be as bold,
our love as deep,
and our faith as true.
You gave us your only-begotten Son
Lamb of God the Father
to save us from the grave.
Holy and righteous God,
you raised Christ from the dead
and glorified him at your right hand.
Let the words of scripture,
fulfilled in Jesus your Son,
burn within our hearts
and open our minds to recognise him
as we encounter him on the way. Amen.
THE LORD'S PRAYER
LESSON
Luke 24; 36b-48
While they were talking about this, Jesus himself stood among
them and said to them, "Peace be with you."
They were startled and terrified, and thought that they were seeing
a ghost.
He said to them, "Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise
in your hearts?
Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and
see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have."
And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.
While in their joy they were disbelieving and still wondering, he said
to them, "Have you anything here to eat?"
They gave him a piece of broiled fish,
and he took it and ate in their presence.
Then he said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you
while I was still with you--that everything written about me in the law of
Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled."
Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures,
and he said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer
and to rise from the dead on the third day,
and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in
his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
You are witnesses of these things
HYMN: The strife is o'er
REFLECTION
PRAYER
O God, your Son remained with his disciples after his resurrection,
teaching them to love all people as neighbours.
As his disciples in this age,
we offer our prayers on behalf of the universe
in which we are privileged to live
and our neighbours with whom we share it.
Creator God, we pray for the world, where people hunger after justice, freedom and
peace, but where people are hungry, homeless and destitute. In love and mercy,
help us to feed and care for your lambs.
Lord in your mercy, Hear our Prayer
Under the guidance of your Holy Spirit, help all people, and leaders with power and
influence, to put aside bias and prejudice, so we may understand diversity is part of
the richness of our common humanity, become more compassionate and cultivate
the habit of caring and neighbourly love and service.
Lord in your mercy, Hear our Prayer
Lord God, we pray for your church that we, your followers and friends may be filled
with the spirit of the living God, bursting with new life and enabled to feed the
physical, emotional and spiritual hunger of people around us.
Lord in your mercy, Hear our Prayer
Holy Spirit, we remember those standing in our forthcoming elections, that their
policies may be wise, just and fair.
We pray for neighbours, friends and families, those ill in body and
mind, anxious or afraid, depressed and despairing, those lonely,
abused and grieving.
Lord in your mercy, Hear our Prayer
Loving God, we pray for those who have died and are now enfolded in the love and
peace of your kingdom.
Jesus Christ is the light of the world, a light no darkness can quench. We
commend to your everlasting care those who have died and those who mourn. We
think of all those who have lost loved ones in these days of Covid. Especially today
we pray for Queen Elizabeth and her family in their time of parting. May treasured
memories of Prince Philip, and the faith he held, succour and strengthen them in
these days.
Open our hearts to your power moving
around us and between us and within us,
until your glory is revealed in our love of both friend and enemy,
in communities transformed by justice and compassion,
and in the healing of all that is broken. Amen.
HYMN: Ye servants of God
THE BLESSING and BENEDICTION
Loving Lord,
take us forward, now, with our eyes fixed upon the
empty Cross and the empty Tomb
seeking ahead of us the risen Christ.
And the blessing of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be
with you this day and in all the days to come. AMEN