Thursday, April 20, 2006

What letdown? Worship after Easter

This week in staff meeting we prayed for all the worship leaders who poured their heart and soul into worship during Lent, Holy Week, and Easter Sunday, and may enter the Eastertide season with weariness. We pray for their strength and focus as they prepare for vibrant and meaningful worship in the wake of Easter.

It’s true that Easter is seen by some as the peak or climax of the liturgical year, and in some ways it is. And yet the sustained celebration of Christ’s victory, and the anticipation of commemorating Christ’ ascension and the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost, gives us cause for prayer, song, proclamation and praise that is as fervent as ever.

This comes through in “Alleluia! Jesus Is Risen” from Sing! A New Creation, which we sang to start our staff meeting this week, and with whose words we led our latest web highlighter:

Walking the way,
Christ in the center
telling the story to open our eyes;
breaking our bread,
giving us glory:
Jesus our blessing, our constant surprise.

Jesus is risen and we shall arise:
Give God the glory! Alleluia!

From Marc Nelesen:

Monday after Easter 2005

Yesterday I awoke to a brilliant blue sky.

You painted the heavens in colors and hues

that are as fresh as the new life of the day.

The sun’s early light pushed back the night’s cold and frost,

a new life was certainly emerging.

I awoke and smiled.

“He is risen” I said.

And then I realized it;

I have services to lead,

And my joy began to fade.

My Christ is risen and alive

and I am yet in the tomb.

There are people who are coming.

They come not with griefs in hand

to pour out like burial spices.

they come not with the expectation of

seeing a dead man

wrapped in burial gauze. 

On Easter Sunday morning,

they come looking for an Angel,

wishing to feel an earthquake

and yearning for burial strips

without bloodstains. 

In the absence of these sightings

their Christ may not rise.

Maybe an angel came and rolled stony hearts.

Maybe God rocked their expectations

and gave them something new.

Today, however, Easter has resumed.

The light of yesterday’s sky is still shining

and my Christ keeps emerging from the tomb.

~ Marc Nelesen
March 28, 2005

Posted by Nathan Bierma on 04/20 at 01:00 PM
Leadership • Worshipers • (0) Comments • (0) Trackbacks • Permalink

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