Easter At Home

Easter is going to be different in light of the global pandemic. Yet, the world is hungry for hope. So as social distancing efforts might prevent us from gathering together physically in worship and celebration, we can still gather together spiritually.

To that end, we have put together an Easter service that you can do at home on your own or with whoever you are hunkered down with.

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Prayer:

We confess, Holy Spirit, that our hope is often more in our retirement than in the resurrection. For you remind us of our hope when you write, “For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.”

Book of Common Prayer:

Almighty God, you alone can change the evil hearts and sinful affections of people. Help your people to love like you command, and to desire the things you promise. The world may change and bring fear, but let your children’s hearts be fixed where true joy is found. Praise be to you our glorious God, to the Lord Jesus Christ who lives and reigns at your right hand, and to the Holy Spirit who is the seal of our inheritance, the blessed three in one, forever and ever, amen. This Easter season we remember that because Jesus suffered, died, and rose again, we have a great hope. The resurrection is what gives us hope! Because we have an eternal hope, we can forgive and seek reconciliation, we can endure suffering and shame, we can eagerly await the day when Jesus comes back again to make all things new!

For contemplation and discussion:

Think about something that you find hope or peace in, something that you run to when you find yourself stressed. Confess before God and others where you find your hope. Pray that you will be a people unified in our hope of the resurrection and the promise of new life.

Accompanying Scripture:

Romans 5:12-21

Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—

¹³ To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. ¹⁴ Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.

¹⁵ But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! ¹⁶ Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. ¹⁷ For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

¹⁸ Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. ¹⁹ For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

²⁰ The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, ²¹ so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.