# St. John's United Church of Christ — April 5, 2026 (Easter Sunday) **Sermon:** "Fulfilling Imagination" — Rev. Caroline E. Saxton **Lenten Series:** The Work of Imagination **Video:** [Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4) ## Liturgical Context ### Christian Liturgical Calendar Today is **Easter Sunday — the Resurrection of the Lord**, the most important day in the Christian calendar. The fifty-day Season of Easter begins today and continues through Pentecost. The liturgical color is **white/gold**, symbolizing resurrection joy, victory, and the light of Christ. This is the culmination of the Lenten journey and Holy Week. ### Jewish Calendar 18 Nisan 5786. This falls during **Passover (Pesach)** — specifically the intermediate days (Chol HaMoed). Passover began at sunset on April 1, 2026 (15 Nisan). The deep connection between Passover liberation and Easter resurrection is central to this day. ### Ecumenical & Global Observances - Easter Sunday is celebrated across all Christian traditions worldwide - Eastern Orthodox Easter falls on a different date in 2026 due to the Julian calendar ### Lectionary Readings (Revised Common Lectionary — Year A) - **Old Testament:** Acts 10:34-43 (or Jeremiah 31:1-6) - **Psalm:** Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 - **Epistle:** Colossians 3:1-4 (or Acts 10:34-43) - **Gospel:** John 20:1-18 (or Matthew 28:1-10) *Today's service used Philippians 2:12-18 and John 20:1-18.* ### Lenten Series: "The Work of Imagination" This Easter sermon concludes the Lenten series exploring "The Work of Imagination." The series journey included: Sacred Turning, Rooted Resistance, Disruptive Blessings, Holy Confrontations, Accountable Leadership, True Allegiance, Sacred Protest (Palm Sunday), and today — Fulfilling Imagination. ### Connection to Today's Message Easter fulfills the entire Lenten journey of imagination. The resurrection reveals that what empire deems impossible — life from death, hope from despair, love outlasting violence — has happened. Mary Magdalene's encounter with the risen Christ transforms grief into proclamation, and she delivers the first Easter sermon: "I have seen the Lord." ## Order of Worship *Please stand in body or in spirit* ### Gathering #### Gathering Music [0:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=0s) — Prelude #### Trinitarian Invocation [26:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=1590s) — "We worship in the name of God, creator, Christ, and Holy Spirit. Amen." #### Unison Welcome [22:43](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=1363s) — "No matter who you are or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here" #### Announcements [23:11](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=1391s) - Church grounds cleanup — Saturday, April 11th at 9:00 am - Thank you for generous Lenten offerings: Peru adoptive school program, pediatric healthcare in Africa, UCC disaster relief ministries. Collecting through April. #### Call to Worship [26:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=1597s) Come into God's presence. You who imagine and you who seek. You who disrupt and you who repair. > **By the spirit we gather in hope.** Come into God's day of resurrection. You who have known grief. You who long for new life. You who carry alleluia in your heart. > **In Christ we gather at the empty tomb.** Come into God's presence singing for joy and for justice, bringing prayer and worship, your most faithful acts of resistance. > **To God be the glory. We gather to praise.** #### Opening Hymn #194 [27:26](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=1646s) — "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today" #### Opening Prayer [31:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=1863s) God of life, you breathe the resurrection into our world and you promise that life will triumph over death. On this day of celebration, awaken our spirits to signs of new life and symbols of grace in our world, in our relationships, and in our own hearts. Lead us by the witness of Mary Magdalene and the faith that drew her to the garden. With her, let us proclaim, "We have seen Jesus." Give us the courage and the joy to share this good news in word and in deed. We pray this in the name of Christ who is risen indeed. Alleluia. Amen. #### Passing of the Peace [32:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=1922s) — "May the peace of Christ be with you." — "And also with you." ### Word #### Prayer for Illumination [33:31](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=2011s) God who breathes meaning and inspiration into our sacred scriptures, who crafts stories of redemption, liberation, and love. May these words help us celebrate the world you are making new. May we be emboldened to join you in this resurrection work, bringing heaven to earth as we follow the risen Christ in love and justice. Amen. #### Scripture Reading — Philippians 2:12-18 [34:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=2069s) — Read by lector ![[Philippians 2#12]] ![[Philippians 2#13]] ![[Philippians 2#14]] ![[Philippians 2#15]] ![[Philippians 2#16]] ![[Philippians 2#17]] ![[Philippians 2#18]] #### Anthem [36:43](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=2203s) #### Children's Message [39:54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=2394s) — Roxanne Davenport **Theme: Jesus Knows Your Name** The children's message focused on Mary Magdalene's encounter at the empty tomb. Mary went in grief and darkness, not recognizing the risen Jesus until he spoke her name — "Mary." That moment of recognition through her name illustrates how personal Jesus' love is. Names are important. When someone remembers your name, it means you are special to them. Jesus knows all of our names. He loves us, cares about us. Easter is about love — love that forgives and lasts forever. God's love gives us hope and joy. When we feel alone or sad, Jesus calls us by name. > "This day isn't just about happy endings. This day is about love. Love that forgives and love that goes on and lasts forever." — [45:54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=2754s) *Children's Corner with Miss Shanny followed the message — [47:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=2859s)* #### Gospel Reading — John 20:1-18 [47:54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=2874s) — Read by Rev. Caroline E. Saxton ![[John 20#1]] ![[John 20#2]] ![[John 20#3]] ![[John 20#4]] ![[John 20#5]] ![[John 20#6]] ![[John 20#7]] ![[John 20#8]] ![[John 20#9]] ![[John 20#10]] ![[John 20#11]] ![[John 20#12]] ![[John 20#13]] ![[John 20#14]] ![[John 20#15]] ![[John 20#16]] ![[John 20#17]] ![[John 20#18]] #### Sermon Prayer [51:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3061s) — "Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on us. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable to you, oh God, for you are our rock and our redeemer. Amen." #### Meditation — "Fulfilling Imagination" [51:20](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3080s) — Rev. Caroline E. Saxton ### Sermon: "Fulfilling Imagination" We gather to celebrate the good news of Christ's resurrection. Alleluia. We gather to give thanks that death does not have the final word — because fear gives way to love that refuses to give up hope. Love that refuses to stay buried. [51:42](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3102s) In the darkest hours, just before dawn, Mary Magdalene goes to the tomb. She finds it empty and runs to tell Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. They come to see too, yet they don't stick around. They return to the place where they were staying. Mary Magdalene, though, doesn't leave. [52:09](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3129s) As dawn breaks and the sun rises, she remains. She witnesses the transformation from graveyard into garden — the moment when the world is reborn. Mary has been there through it all, bearing witness with the other women to the horror of the crucifixion, Jesus' death on the cross. She returns to the tomb, to the place where Jesus' body has been laid. The stone is rolled away and his body is gone. She does not run away from her grief or flee the ache of loss. Instead, she remains present. And it is to her that Jesus appears. To she who Jesus speaks. And she gives the first Easter sermon. [53:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3183s) **Today we experience fulfilling imagination.** The work of imagination has been our theme this Lenten season. We've considered the world as it is and the world as God would have it to be, drawing on the wisdom of the prophets — the mantle that Jesus himself embodies. **The Lenten Journey of Imagination:** [53:25](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3205s) - **Sacred Turning** — returning to God - **Rooted Resistance** — faced with the temptations of this world - **Disruptive Blessings** — Jesus turns things upside down, challenging the order of this world - **Holy Confrontations** — changed by forming relationships with people who are not like us - **Accountable Leadership** — listening to the voice of the Good Shepherd rather than self-interest - **True Allegiance** — made in the divine image, we belong not to empire but to God - **Sacred Protest** (Palm Sunday) — crying out for salvation - **The Upper Room** — celebrating Passover, remembering God's liberating power and love - **Empire's Shadow** — terror and fear as Jesus was crucified [54:39](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3279s) That first Easter day dawned in dread and darkness. Grief hanging heavy in the air. We read from John's account of the resurrection featuring the witness of Mary Magdalene. The synoptic gospels describe a group of women visiting the tomb together. But here in John, it's only Mary. Just Mary. She is the one who comes. And when the other disciples leave, she stays. She weeps and she grieves and she seeks Jesus' body, wanting to protect it, to honor her Lord. [55:21](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3321s) Jesus appears and he speaks her name — "Mary" — and she turns. Then recognition dawns. **This is resurrection.** We discover what Jesus has promised is true. The grave will not hold him, for he has been raised. > [55:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3344s) "Resurrection does not erase trauma. It transforms it. The wounds remain, but they no longer define the story. Resurrection begins with relationship — with being seen, known, and sent." [56:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3360s) Jesus' enduring presence transforms Mary and empowers her to become a prophetic voice to the disciples, turning them and us toward living hope. It's important to note that she does not stay in the garden — for she has work to do: preaching and proclaiming the good news of the resurrection. What empire has deemed impossible has happened. The promise made in ages past at last has come to be and changes our destiny. > [56:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3401s) "So here with Jesus and Mary, we experience fulfilling imagination." [56:49](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3409s) One of my favorite Easter hymns is "Now the Green Blade Rises." References to new life and growth remind us that in Jesus' resurrection, love refuses to stay buried. We are called from fear to courage, from silence to witness, from resignation to radiant hope. That is what resurrection invites — turning toward life. > [57:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3437s) "We trust in love's endurance. We show up for one another and practice solidarity with the harmed and the hurting. Resurrection is not the end of suffering, but God's new beginning inside it. Love that is stronger than fear. Hope born from grief." [57:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3457s) Rome's power was built on fear and death. Jesus rising exposes its limits. Indeed, love outlasts every empire, every system of domination and control, every attempt to silence or shame. Jesus' love has not been conquered. It has been transformed. The seed that was buried has risen from the ground and new life is blooming. **Quote — Valerie Kaur:** > [58:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3487s) "What if this darkness is not the darkness of the tomb, but the darkness of the womb? Remember the wisdom of the midwife: Breathe. Then push." [58:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3504s) For us as Christians, this is a helpful reminder that out of darkness comes light and life. The tomb in Jesus becomes less a place of death and more a place of life — more like the womb. There is something new being born here. [58:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3524s) When Mary goes to the tomb, it is empty. Jesus is not there. His body bears the scars. Yet he is not dead. He is risen. He is alive. > [58:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3537s) "Jesus' resurrection changes the rules. Death doesn't have the final word. Love wins. Love always gets the last word." [59:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3548s) **On Easter, we experience the fulfillment of imagination.** Resurrection is not a one-time event. It's still happening — in us, through us, around us. It might be quieter, yet no less important: to live and love boldly, fearlessly, endlessly — to love like Jesus. [59:35](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3575s) We turn away from death toward life. We orient ourselves toward love. And Jesus instructs us on how to live: practicing forgiveness and compassion, justice and peace, grace and mercy. > [59:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3593s) "When we talk about being resurrection people, it's because we have experienced the life-giving, life-saving power of Christ — that love keeps rising no matter what. It's not about avoiding pain. It's being present through it. It's not about death. It's about love." [60:15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3615s) So may we bless the signs and symbols of new life all around us — the birds that are singing, the flowers that are blooming, the seeds we are planting — and encourage one another to live as Easter people. To practice love and encouragement, mutual care and joyful perseverance. May we give thanks to God for fulfilling our imagination with Jesus' resurrection. Amen. ### Personal Reflections #### What spoke to me: #### Questions raised: #### Challenges/Convictions: #### Liturgical Context Reflections: ### Applications #### This week I will: #### People to pray for: #### Follow-up study: ### Connections ## Sharing of Joys and Concerns [60:56](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3656s) ### Prayer Requests #### Amanda — [61:31](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3691s) - **Prayer:** Husband Doug is having double knee replacement surgery on Monday - **Joy:** Today is her parents' 56th wedding anniversary — they are celebrating in heaven #### Sarah — [62:24](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3744s) - **Joy:** Tomorrow is officially college decision ("Must Day") — new adventures ahead #### Erin — [62:54](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3774s) - **Prayer:** April is Autism Awareness/Acceptance Month. A reminder that a diagnosis does not dictate dignity or love. Those with autism spectrum disorder are made in the image of God and loved by God and by community. Acceptance should extend year-round to all with disabilities. #### Virginia — [64:04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3844s) - **Prayer:** A close friend and chosen family member was in the ICU. Virginia, as power of attorney, had to make the difficult decision to take her off life support per her wishes. She passed away peacefully on Good Friday. Prayers for Virginia as she navigates grief and all the logistics that follow. #### Henry — [65:33](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3933s) - **Prayer:** For the resurrection of democracy in America #### Denise — [66:02](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3962s) - **Joy:** Friend Jen, who has metastatic breast cancer, had a PET scan showing tumors are shrinking. Oncologists are pleased — first positive news in a while. #### Linda — [67:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=4021s) - **Joy:** The Zigger family welcomed a beautiful baby boy on Thursday. Leanne's daughter Brena and her husband — everyone is doing well. A gift of new life right around Easter. #### Courtney — [67:45](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=4065s) - **Prayer:** In the midst of one of the hardest seasons of her life, praying for the astronauts on their way around the moon — an exciting, hopeful, safe thing to think upon. For the safety of those in orbit and the hopeful signs their trek produces for us all. #### Sharon Mayor — [68:29](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=4109s) - **Prayer:** Having surgery tomorrow at Hershey — a somewhat complicated, longer surgery with three procedures. Prayers for the surgery and recovery. ### Pastoral Prayer [69:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=4141s) Holy and living one, we indeed give you thanks and praise this day. This reminder that the grave could not hold you, that love burst through every chain to rise again. We give thanks for the community that we have formed here — a community that cares and encourages and lifts up. As you have heard, oh holy one, the prayers of our hearts and our lips, sustain us, be with us, abide with us, and help us to see the signs of you at work among us. Signs of new life indeed, in the midst of grief and sorrow and celebration, you are there. So help us to turn to you as you call our name, to call one another's name, and to walk with you and with one another through all that may be in store. On this Easter day, we give thanks indeed. We pray these things in Jesus' name. ### The Lord's Prayer (Debts) [70:31](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=4231s) ## Response ### Invitation to Giving [71:05](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=4265s) "Giving thanks for the ways that God breaks every chain and fulfills our wildest imagination, we offer ourselves and our gifts back to God for the building of the kingdom of heaven on earth." ### Offertory [71:23](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=4283s) ### Prayer of Dedication [75:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=4500s) Generous God, we bring our gifts before you and your church like tiny seeds from a dandelion. Send out these gifts on the mighty wind of your spirit, bringing growth, bearing fruit, and nourishing both our faith community and our neighbors. May each gift of every size bloom with your holy imagination. Amen. ## Holy Communion [75:37](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=4537s) ### Invitation to the Table Friends in Christ, scripture teaches us that one of the first things Jesus did after his resurrection was to eat with his friends. It was also one of the last things he did before his arrest. There is power at the table. There is grace at the table. There are plenty of chairs for all at the table. > "When we break bread with each other, we recognize each other's humanity. When we share a common cup, we acknowledge one another's desire for connection." Here at the table, you are fed and seen. Here at the table, you are welcomed and loved. Here at the table, you are safe and loved. Come all of you, with every part of you. The risen Christ who knows you and calls you by name wants to share a meal with you. So come. ### Sursum Corda [76:41](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=4601s) — "God be with you." — "And also with you." — "Lift up your hearts." — "Let us give thanks to our generous, imaginative God." ### Great Thanksgiving [76:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=4613s) Today is such a joyous occasion as we celebrate and remember the resurrection of Jesus who humbled himself to participate in the world and shared himself to transform it. He who modeled service and sacrifice calls us to do the same. He who taught us rooted resistance, holy confrontation, and sacred protest invites us to be nourished before carrying out our work of imagination. ### Sanctus [77:25](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=4645s) — "Holy, holy, holy Lord God of power and might. Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest." ### Words of Institution [77:43](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=4663s) Knowing you have equipped us with all we need for the work ahead, we remember the night you gathered your friends to eat together in the midst of their fear and yours. It was a common meal transformed into elements of grace to be shared, remembered, and celebrated by generations upon generations. **The Bread:** [78:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=4688s) — You took a simple loaf of bread, blessed it, broke it, shared it, saying: "Take, eat, do this in remembrance of me." **The Cup:** [78:31](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=4711s) — Then you took a cup of wine, blessed it, passed it, saying: "Drink from it all of you, for this is love poured out for you and for many." ### Mystery of Faith [78:50](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=4730s) — "Christ was executed. Christ is risen. Christ will come again." ### Communion Prayer [79:10](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=4750s) Gracious God, we have walked with you through temptation, heard you disrupt societal values, witnessed a holy confrontation, listened as you revealed true leadership, observed you navigate questions of allegiance, watched you ride into Jerusalem on a donkey, and witnessed the miracle of resurrection. Be with us today as we eat with you at this table. Jesus, you believe in the life-changing power of a shared meal. Grant us the courage and strength to ensure God's table is everyone's table. Holy Spirit, you are our great sustainer. Stretch us to find new ways of making sure those who are hungry become fed. Amen. ### Distribution [80:23](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=4823s) — Communion by passing plates of bread and trays of juice, holding elements until all are served. **Breaking of the Bread:** [85:17](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=5117s) — "This is the body of Christ, bread of heaven, broken and shared for you. Take and eat and know that God is good." **The Cup:** [90:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=5403s) — "Let us drink now the blood of Christ, the cup of blessing, the cup of new life. Let us drink and know that God is good." ### Prayer of Thanksgiving [90:27](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=5427s) Holy imaginative God, may we believe like Mary, running from this place shouting, "I have seen the Lord." For here in this place, we see your image reflected in the eyes of all we made contact with today. We feel your presence in the gathering of your people. We hear your blessing in the voice of our neighbor. Let us not keep silent, but take all that we have seen and heard and share it with those who long to know your peace. Amen. ## Sending ### Closing Hymn #206 [91:18](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=5478s) — "Christ Is Risen, Shout Hosanna" ### Affirmation of Faith [93:52](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=5632s) We believe in the resurrection. We believe in new life and fresh starts. We believe people change and situations change. We believe love and justice can transform the world. We believe Jesus is alive and well, stoking our imaginations to conceive new ways of bringing the kingdom to earth. We believe the good news is food for the hungry, healing for the sick, water for the thirsty, and freedom for all the oppressed. We believe the resurrection of Jesus gives us hope for tomorrow. We will live, work, play, and sleep in holy anticipation for the good things God will accomplish among us. As we continue to follow the way of Jesus, we dare to dream, to imagine a better world made right in Christ. ### Benediction [95:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=5703s) Beloved siblings in Christ, may the good news of the resurrection buoy your spirit today and every day. May you find the strength to face the powers of hate and cruelty. And may you embody love to all you encounter. For love shall usher in the renewal of all things on the wings of joy. Go in peace and gladness. Christ is risen. ### Closing Song [95:30](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=5730s) — "Thank you God for Easter story. Christ is risen. Love has won. Death with all its power and fury can't defeat what you've begun. Thank you God that there is nothing stronger than the love you give. We rejoice, a new world coming — in our risen Christ we live." ### Postlude [96:08](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=5768s) ## Key Quotes > "Resurrection does not erase trauma. It transforms it. The wounds remain, but they no longer define the story." — [55:44](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3344s) > "Jesus' resurrection changes the rules. Death doesn't have the final word. Love wins. Love always gets the last word." — [58:57](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3537s) > "What if this darkness is not the darkness of the tomb, but the darkness of the womb?" — Valerie Kaur, quoted at [58:07](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3487s) > "When we talk about being resurrection people, it's because we have experienced the life-giving, life-saving power of Christ — that love keeps rising no matter what." — [59:53](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=3593s) > "When we break bread with each other, we recognize each other's humanity. When we share a common cup, we acknowledge one another's desire for connection." — [76:03](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=4563s) > "Christ was executed. Christ is risen. Christ will come again." — [79:01](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbvOlferfu4&t=4741s) ## Hymns ### Hymn: Christ the Lord Is Risen Today (No. 194) **Author:** Charles Wesley (1739) **Tune:** EASTER HYMN (from *Lyra Davidica*, 1708) **Status:** Public domain **Verse 1:** Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia! Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia! Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia! Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia! **Verse 2:** Love's redeeming work is done, Alleluia! Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia! Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia! Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia! **Verse 3:** Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia! Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia! Once he died our souls to save, Alleluia! Where's thy victory, boasting grave? Alleluia! **Verse 4:** Soar we now where Christ has led, Alleluia! Following our exalted Head, Alleluia! Made like him, like him we rise, Alleluia! Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, Alleluia! ### Hymn: Christ Is Risen! Shout Hosanna! (No. 206) **Author:** Brian Wren (1986) **Tune:** HYMN TO JOY by Ludwig van Beethoven (1824), adapted by Edward Hodges (1842) **Status:** Text © 1986 Hope Publishing Company **Verse 1:** Christ is risen! Shout hosanna! Celebrate this day of days! Christ is risen! Hush in wonder; all creation is amazed. In the desert all-surrounding, see, a spreading tree has grown. Healing leaves of grace abounding bring a taste of love unknown. **Verse 2:** Christ is risen! Raise your spirits from the caverns of despair. Walk with gladness in the morning. See what love can do and dare. Drink the wine of resurrection, not a servant, but a friend; Jesus is our strong companion. Joy and peace shall never end. **Verse 3:** Christ is risen! Earth and heaven nevermore shall be the same. Break the bread of new creation where the world is still in pain. Tell its grim, demonic chorus: "Christ is risen! Get you gone!" God the First and Last is with us. Sing Hosanna, everyone! ## Related Notes - **Next Sunday:** [[2026-04-12]] — Holy Humor Sunday & Thomas (2nd Sunday of Easter) - **Lenten Series:** "The Work of Imagination" — this sermon is the culmination