FROM DESPAIR TO REJOICING
A Celebration of Christ’s triumph Over Sin and Death
Like the popular Christmas service, “Nine lessons and Carols” this Easter
liturgy consists of an arrangement of Bible readings and hymns. It begins with
the sadness and despair of the women who came to Christ’s tomb on Easter
morning, and witnesses the transformation of that despair to rejoicing as the
disciples realize that Christ is not dead, but has risen in triumph over sin,
death and the grave. Bible readings are from the KJV-2011 revision.
Contents:
Organ preludes
Processional Hymn: "Jesus
Christ, Our lord most Holy"
INVOCATION AND BIDDING PRAYER
The Dean: Let us begin our
worship in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
O Jesus, Victor Over the
Grave, Destroyer of Death, Lord of Life Everlasting: Endless praise, glory,
majesty, adoration by men and angels be to You, O Son
of God and Savior of our souls, that on the first Easter Day You did rise from
the sealed sepulcher to prove Thyself the living God, our eternal
Redeemer! Bring the radiance of Your
resurrection to many hearts and homes through a firm, joy-filled faith!
Show those who have surrendered to doubt or disbelief, that though the wages of
unforgiven sin are death and exclusion from heaven,
in Your endless mercy You did die on the cross and
then victoriously come forth from the tomb to grant us the full assurance of
our redemption and entrance into heaven! Help us, as we stand in spirit
before the open grave, to realize that our confidence in Your
resurrection can banish sorrow, worry, doubt, pain of affliction, and fear of
death! O Christ, our risen Redeemer come to us, abide
with us, and preserve us for the radiance of the celestial Easter with
You! We ask these everlasting blessings by Your
triumph over death and join together in the words which Christ himself has taught
us — Our Father…
All: Our Father, which
art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, in
earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our
trespasses, As we forgive those that trespass against us; And lead us not into
temptation, But deliver us from evil, for Thine is
the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
The Dean: May The
Almighty God bless us with his grace: Christ give us the joys of everlasting
life: and unto the fellowship of the citizens above may the King of Angels
bring us all.
All: Amen.
Hymn: “O
Sacred Head, Now Wounded” four verses
First
Lesson.
Creation, and God’s warning to Adam.
Genesis 1:1&26-28,
Genesis 2:8-9, 16-17 & 21-22.
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth…
And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our
likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds
of the air, over the cattle, over all the earth, and over every creeping thing
that creeps upon the earth. So God created man in his own image… And the
LORD God planted a garden eastward in
Hymn: “When
I Survey the Wondrous Cross”
Hymn: “Behold
the Savior of mankind”
Second Lesson.
The fall of Adam, and God’s
promise of a Savior.
Genesis 3:1,4,7, and 8-15
Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the
field which the LORD God had made… And the serpent said to the woman, You will
not surely die: For God knows that in the day you eat of it, then your eyes
will be opened, and you will be as gods, knowing good and evil. And… she took
some of its fruit, and ate, and gave some to her husband who was with her; and
he ate. And both of their eyes were opened, and they knew that they were naked;
and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons… and Adam and
his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of
the garden. And the LORD God called to Adam, and said to him, Where are
you? And he said, I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid,
because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told you that you were
naked? Have you eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you that you should not
eat? And the man said, The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of
the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said to the woman, What is this that
you have done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And
the LORD God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, you are cursed
above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon your belly you will
go, and dust you will eat all the days of your life: And I will put hostility
between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; it will bruise
your head, and you will bruise his heel.”
Hymn: “All
Mankind Fell in Adam’s Fall”
Hymn: “Rock
of Ages, Cleft for Me”
Third Lesson.
God’s promise to Abraham,
that in his seed all nations shall be blessed.
Genesis 22:15-18.
And the angel of the LORD called unto Abraham out of
heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn, says the LORD, for
because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only
son: That in blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your
seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore;
and your seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in your seed shall all
the nations of the earth be blessed.”
Hymn: “How
Firm a Foundation, Ye Saints of the Lord”
Hymn: “My
Faith Looks Up to Thee”
Fourth Lesson.
The significance of Christ’s
death, as the atonement for our sins.
Romans 5:12,15, Isaiah
53:4-11
“As sin entered into the world by one man, and death
by sin; so death passed upon all men, for all have sinned… But the free gift is
not like the fall. For if through the sin of one many died, the grace of God,
and the gift through the grace which is by one man, Jesus Christ, has
much more abounded to many.” // “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was
bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and
with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have
turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us
all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is
brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb,
so he opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who
shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living:
he was stricken for the transgression of my people. And he made his grave with
the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence,
neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he
has put him to grief: when you shall make his soul an offering for sin, he
shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD
shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall
be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he
shall bear their iniquities.”
Hymn: “Love
Divine All Love Excelling”
Hymn: “O
Savior, Precious Savior”
Fifth Lesson.
Jesus foretells his death and
resurrection.
John 16:19-20, John 18:1-8,
& 12-13
Now Jesus… said, A little while, and you shall not see
me: and again, a little while, and you shall see me? Truly, truly, I say unto
you, That you will weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and you shall
be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy… I will see you again,
and your heart will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” // “When
Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples over the brook Cedron, where there was a garden, into which he entered,
with his disciples. And Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place: for Jesus
often went there with his disciples. Judas then, having received a band of men
and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, came there with lanterns and
torches and weapons. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon
him, went out, and said to them, Who are you seeking? They answered him, Jesus
of Nazareth. Jesus said to them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed him,
stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went
backward, and fell to the ground. Then he asked them again, Who are you
seeking? And they said, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus answered, I have told you that
I am he: therefore if you want me, let these others go their way:” //
“Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound
him, And led him away to Annas first; for he was
father in law to Caiaphas, who was the high priest
that same year.”
Hymn: “All
Glory Be to God on High”
Hymn: “Redeemed,
Restored, Forgiven”
Sixth
Lesson.
Christ’s
trial, crucifixion and death.
John
18:24, 28-31, John 19:7-12, 16-18 & 31, 33, 34.
Now Annas had sent him bound unto Caiaphas
the high priest.… Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas
unto the hall of judgment: and it was early;… Pilate then went out unto them,
and said, What accusation do you bring against this man? They answered and said
unto him, If he was not an evildoer, we would not have brought him to you. Then
Pilate said to them, You take him, and judge him according to your law.
Therefore the Jews said unto him, It is not lawful for us to put any man to
death:” // “We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made
himself the Son of God. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was more
afraid; And went again into the judgment hall, and said to Jesus, Where are you
from? But Jesus gave him no answer. Then Pilate said to him, Will you not
answer me? Do you not realize that I have power to crucify you, and have power
to release you? Jesus answered, You could have no power at all against me,
unless it was given to you from above: therefore he who delivered me unto you
has the greater sin. And from that time Pilate sought to release him: but the
Jews cried out, saying, If you let this man go, you are not Caesar’s friend:
whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.… Pilate then delivered
Jesus unto them to be crucified. And they took him, and led him away. And he
went out, bearing his own cross, to a place called the place of a skull, which
in Hebrew is called Golgotha: Where they crucified him, and with him two
others, one on either side, and Jesus in the middle… Now since it was the day
of preparation, to prevent the bodies from remaining on the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath
day was a high day,) the Jews requested Pilate to have their legs broken, and
the bodies taken away… But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was already
dead, they did not brake his legs: But one of the soldiers pierced his side
with a spear, bringing forth a sudden flow of blood and water.”
Hymn: “Praise
to the Lord, the Almighty”
Hymn: “All
praise to God Who Reigns Above”
Seventh Lesson.
The women find the tomb
empty.
Matthew 28:1-8
“At the end of the sabbath, as the first day of the
week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the
sepulcher. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord
descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and
sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
And the guards shook for fear of him, and became as dead men. And the angel
answered and said to the women, Fear not: for I know that you seek Jesus, who
was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place
where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen
from the dead… And they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy; and ran
to tell his disciples.”
Hymn: “From
All that Dwell below the Skies”
Hymn: “Jesus
Christ is Risen Today”
Eighth Lesson.
John describes what he saw at
the tomb, and afterwards.
John 20:2-9, 19-20 &
24-29
“Then Mary ran, and came to Simon Peter, and to the
other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, They have taken away the
Lord out of the sepulcher, and we do not know where they have laid him.
Therefore Peter, and that other disciple, left and went to the sepulcher. They
both ran together: and the other disciple outran Peter, and arrived first at
the sepulcher. And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes
lying there; yet he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came following him, and
went into the sepulcher, and saw the linen clothes lying there, And the napkin
that was around his head, was not lying with the linen clothes, but folded in a
place by itself. Then also that other disciple, who arrived first at the
sepulcher, went in and he saw, and believed. For they did not yet know the
scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.… Then the same day at
evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the
disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their
midst, and said to them, Peace be unto you. And when he had said that, he
showed to them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad… But
Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not
with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore told him, We have seen
the Lord. But he said to them, Unless I see in his hands the print of the
nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into
his side, I will not believe. And after eight days his disciples were again
within, and Thomas with them: then Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood
in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then he said to Thomas, Reach here
your finger, and examine my hands; and reach here your hand, and thrust it into
my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto
him, My Lord and my God. Jesus then said to him, Thomas, because you
have seen me, you have believed: blessed are those who have not seen, and yet
have believed.”
Hymn: “I
Know that My Redeemer Lives”
Hymn: “All
Hail the Power of Jesus name”
Ninth
Lesson.
The
Apostle Paul testifies to Christ’s resurrection.
1Corinthians
15:1-8, 11, 20-22, & 25-26
“Brethren, I proclaim unto you the gospel that I
preached to you… For I proclaimed unto you first of all that which I also
received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And
that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the
greater part remain unto this day, but some have fallen asleep. After that, he
was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me
also, as of one born out of due time… that is what we preach, and what you
believed.… Christ has risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of those
who slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of
the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive… He
must reign, until he has put all enemies under his feet, and the last
enemy that shall be destroyed is death.”
All: Praise be to God
Hymn: “Worship
Christ The Risen King”
The
Dean: The Lord be with you.
All:
And with thy spirit.
The
Dean: Let us pray.
O God, who assures us of forgiveness through the
yearly remembrance of the resurrection of your only son, Jesus Christ: Grant
that as we joyfully receive him as our redeemer, so we may with sure confidence
behold him, when he shall come to be our judge; who lives and reigns with thee
and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end.
All:
Amen.
The
Dean:
May
he who by his triumph over sin, death and the devil has given us all the sure
hope of eternal life, grant you the full assurance of his peace and mercy; and may
the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, be upon
you and remain with you always.
Hymn: “Crown
Him with Many Crowns”
Organ Voluntaries:
Organ Postlude