DIY Sunday Service Kit - Easter 2023 - 'Ransom! Matthew 28 v 20'

Welcome to Easter Day worship with the DIY Sunday Service Kit!

In  2 Timothy 1:6-10 Paul writes:

"For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 

So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. 

He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 

but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."

We have GREAT reason to be ever so grateful for that last bit ... so let's get straight to worshipping the One Who has brought life and immortality to light for us through the Gospel of His perfect life, His atoning death and His life-giving resurrection from the dead ...

Here's a hint  of where we are going with this, then a hymn to get our worship started follows after that.

Today we mainly give thanks for so great a salvation ...

Lord and loving Heavenly Father we give you thanks today for your great patience towards us in our human weakness, sin and failure.

We turn again to you from the sins, the acts of wilful rebellion and disappointing failure that have peppered our lives in the last week.

We ask you once more, by virtue of your blood shed on the Cross, to cleanse us from our errors and our faults, our sins and our rebellious failures.

We take comfort again in your unfailing love which shows such immense grace and patience towards us and all who turn from sin to place eternal trust in you, and we praise you for the covenant loyalty you continue to show towards s as your imperfect people.

Fill our hearts today we pray with songs of your redeeming grace.

Fill our minds today with thoughts of your love and your care.

Establish our personalities as people grateful for your grace, moulded by your mercy and battled in repentance and baptism which lead to life.

And build in our hearts we pray a compassion that becomes like yours for those who are lost, who stand in need of your grace and salvation, giving us feet to follow in the ways of the One Who reached out His hands and His life to bring ransom and redemption to those who will turn from sin to put their trust in Him.

Build amongst us we pray communities of the people of God, fellowships of those bound together in their life in the Spirit and buzzing with a passion for Christ's cause and Kingdom.

And build your church here and throughout your world today we pray.

For Jesus' sake.

Amen.

Click the Bible for today's Bible reading

The video of the sermon recording is here:

Let's pray

At the beginning of his great treatise on faith and salvation written to the first century church in Rome the apostle describes his grace and apostleship to preach the Gospel we've been looking at today and He describes the Gospel in these terms. It is:

"... the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake."

And then Paul writes these astonishingly re-assuring words:

 "And you also are among those Gentiles who are called to belong to Jesus Christ."

Lord and loving Heavenly Father, grant us today the assurance of faith in you, your life, death and resurrection, that Paul sought to in the early Roman church.

Take our hearts and minds often to the things we've considered today, and make us people of resurrection faith and hope.

We ask for Jesus' sake.

AMEN.

If you'd like to join us in giving to propagate this faith, please click the offering bag below to go to our giving link.

May God bless you as you seek to live for Him today and every day.