GOSPEL Mark 16: 1-8 Christian Love in Action 5th April 2015 The Resurrection Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they went to the tomb. 3 On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?” 4 But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside. 5 When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, 6 but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. 7 Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.” 8 The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened. NLT Resurrection - Points to ponder 1. Love, not anger, brought Jesus to the cross. Golgotha came as a result of God's great desire to forgive, not his reluctance. Jesus knew that by his vicarious suffering he could actually absorb all the evil of humanity and so heal it, forgive it, redeem it.. Richard J. Foster 2. Goodness is stronger than evil; Love is stronger than hate: Light is stronger than darkness: Life is stronger than death. Victory is through Him who loves us. Archbishop Desmond Tutu 3. The crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus are the assurance that there is a force at work in the world to transform even the most crushing defeat into divine victory. We are thus freed from having to succeed; we have only to be faithful. We are freed from having to produce results; we have only to live as seeing the invisible. We are freed from despair. We have only to trust the One in and through and for whom all things exist. Walter Wink EASTER DAY Welcome to Worship 9.30am 11.00am 11.00am 11.15am Holy Holy Holy Holy Communion, Communion, Communion, Communion, St Peter’s, Thornbury All Saints, Bradford St Mary’s, Black Torrington Holy Cross, Highampton Readings Isaiah 25: 6-9 1 Corinthians 15: 1-9a Mark 16: 1-8 Collect God of glory, by the rising of your Son you have broken the chains of death and hell: fill your Church with faith and hope; for a new day has dawned and the way to life stands open in our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. At Holy Communion we invite communicant members of other Christian churches to come forward to receive the sacraments. If you would prefer to receive a blessing, please kneel at the rail with your hands at your sides. If you require gluten free wafers, please inform the person on duty at the door. Priest-in-Charge: Revd. Kathy Roberts Tel: 01409 231 279 Mob: 0771 757 5554 email: rectory@black-torrington-benefice.org.uk www.black-torrington-benefice.org.uk e-mail: enquiries@black-torrington-benefice.org.uk Benefice Diary for April INTRODUCTION TO THE READINGS FOR TODAY. ISAIAH 25:6-9. God's victory over death is the theme of this brief selection, as is appropriate for the day on which we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. The whole section of The Book of Isaiah from which it is taken, chapters 24-27, are thought to be from a period several hundred years later than the 8th century in which the prophet Isaiah lived. Such additions to the work of Israel's great prophets were quite common, enhancing the value of the whole as sacred scripture. Christians of the lst century after Christ found this passage especially worthy of remembering. Its words were repeated in Revelation 21:4 and interpreted with deepened faith because they knew that Jesus Christ had risen from the dead. 1 CORINTHIANS 15:1-11. This passage contains the earliest description of the resurrection. It was written by Paul no more than twenty years after the actual event. We have no way of making it correspond fully with the narratives of the four gospels. What Paul does is to state the meaning of the resurrection for himself. Believing the resurrection was the foundation of his faith and his apostleship. MARK 16:1-8a. No one knows why Mark's Gospel ended here so abruptly, nor why later editors added two other obviously artificial endings, 16:8b and 9-20. Mark gave a very personal account of the discovery of the empty tomb. Could he have left this signature of himself as the young man in white and in 14:51-52? Please note: Thurs 9th 7.30pm Sat 11th. 10.00am 5-7.00pm Sunday 12th 9.30am 11.00am NO Morning Prayer this week Ladies Supper, The Torridge Inn,Black Torrington Saturday Church, Bradford Village Hall Benefice Rota Meeting, Bradford Village Hall, All Welcome a short Evening Prayer and bring and share supper Holy Communion, St Peter’s, Thornbury Iona Holy Communion, St Mary’s, Black Torrington joined by All Saints, Bradford Kathy will be installed as a prebendary of Exeter Cathedral and Dean of Women’s ministry at a service of Evensong on Monday 20th April at 5.30pm in the Cathedral. Those who would like tickets to attend, please let Sheila Grabham know, so that seating can be reserved for you in the Cathedral and as there will be hospitality following the service for guests, it would be helpful for the Cathedral to have an idea of numbers to be catered for. TRIP TO SOUTH AFRICA, OCTOBER 2015 A trip to South Africa at the beginning of October is being planned. Further details to be found in Connected. If anyone is interested, please speak to me by Easter Sunday so that bookings can be made. Kathy Comments by Rev. John Shearman, PLEASE PRAY FOR: In a month’s time the UK will go to the polls in one of the most hotly contested elections in living memory. Yet many Christians are ambivalent about it. Some people think that politics and faith don't mix, but that misunderstands God's nature. The Lord's Prayer is a politically loaded prayer. We ask that the reign of God would come to fruition here on earth as it is in heaven. By playing our part in the democratic process we are making a difference and making possible the advancing of Christian values in our society. In a pastoral letter from the House of Bishops in February, the Bishops urge Christians to consider the question how can we “build the kind of society which many people say they want but which is not yet being expressed in the vision of any of the parties?” The letter also encourages church members to engage in the political process ahead of the General Election and to put aside self-interest and vote for ‘the common good’: “The privileges of living in a democracy mean that we should use our votes thoughtfully, prayerfully and with the good of others in mind, not just our own interests.” Benjie Inniss RIP Rupert Ley, John Marks, Phil Gibbs Mission Community: Revd Kathy Roberts and the Black Torrington Benefice Those on the Electoral Roll at St Mary’s: Peter Roberts, Wendy Stratton, Russell Taylor- Luxton, Joan Trengove. Wendy Taylor- Luxton, This Easter Sunday pray for a renewal of hope in the Middle East and an end to the violence that has swept across the region The funeral for John Marks will take place at Exeter Crematorium on Wednesday 8th April at 3.15pm. There will be a service of thanksgiving at Burdon Grange on Friday 10th April at 3pm. All are welcome to attend . Please take this pewsheet home with you as a reminder of events and topics for prayer