Worship Elements for Easter Sunday, April 8

This Sunday, we celebrate with exceeding joy the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. In recent history, Christmas has received greater attention among the religious holidays. But for the first Christians, Easter was the most important event in all of history. While we celebrate Easter on a particular day each year, we also celebrate Easter every Lord’s day.

It has been our tradition at Uptown to greet one another with the Paschal Greeting on Easter Sunday, and to also use it liturgically for the Call to Worship and the Benediction. The Paschal Greeting is initiated with the phrase “Christ is risen!” and the response is “He is risen indeed!” The origin of this greeting is found in Luke 24, which is also the text for the sermon. After his resurrection, Jesus meets two of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. They do not recognize him, and though they have heard reports that his tomb was empty, they seem unsure of the implications. Jesus reveals himself to them as the risen, living Lord, and vanishes. These disciples are so overjoyed that they run to Jerusalem to proclaim to the other disciples that “the Lord has risen indeed!” (v. 34)

For the Call to Worship and the Benediction, the pastor initiates the Paschal Greeting and the congregation responds three times. 

THE WORD

Scripture : Luke 24:1-48

Sermon: “The Declarations of the Resurrection”
Preacher: Rev. Dave Kulp

SONGS

Worship Leader: Jeremy D. Goodwyne

Every Ditch, Every Valley (Song of Ascent)
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Christ the Lord is Ris’n Today
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Mighty to Save
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In Christ Alone
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Who Will Roll Away the Stone
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Christ is Risen
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