Easter Sunday Worship

Please note:

This script cannot exactly reflect the transmission, as it was prepared before the service was broadcast. It may include editorial notes prepared by the producer, and minor spelling and other errors that were corrected before the radio broadcast.

It may contain gaps to be filled in at the time so that prayers may reflect the needs of the world, and changes may also be made at the last minute for timing reasons, or to reflect current events.
Radio 4 Easter Day Eucharist
Chester Cathedral
Sunday, 5th April 2015
Radio 4 Opening Announcement:
BBC Radio 4. The first female bishop in the Church of England, the Right Reverend Libby Lane, gives her inaugural Easter sermon on our Sunday Worship live now from Chester Cathedral. The celebrant is the Dean, the Very Reverend Professor Gordon McPhate and the service opens with the traditional Easter hymn “Jesus Christ is risen today!

THE GATHERING
All stand to sing the hymn
Choir & Congregation – HYMN – Jesus Christ is risen today

GREETING
The Dean
 Grace, mercy and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ be with you
and also with you.

WELCOME
The Dean
Good morning and a very warm welcome to the heart of this community which has been worshipping Christ for a thousand years.

Many Anglicans, many Christians, across the UK, are giving particular thanks today, because in some special way this Easter morning captures the freshness and joy of that first Easter.

There’s something genuinely new and life-giving in the air!

We look forward to hearing Libby Lane’s first Easter sermon as a bishop.

But our central focus is on our Lord Jesus Christ himself.

This season has a unique place in our church’s year, focusing our attention on the central beliefs of the Christian faith, and reminding us that our Easter faith is more than simply that God raised Jesus from the dead – it is also that Jesus has been taken into Glory, and the Holy Spirit has been poured out into the world.

Alleluia! Christ is risen.
He is risen indeed Alleluia!

Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
He has given us new life and hope.
He has raised Jesus from the dead.
God has claimed us as his own.
He has brought us out of darkness.
He has made us light to the world.

 All sit or kneel
PRAYERS OF PENITENCE

The Dean
Christ our passover lamb has been sacrificed for us.
Let us therefore rejoice by putting away all malice and evil
and confessing our sins with a sincere and true heart.

 [short silence]

Like Mary at the empty tomb,
we fail to grasp the wonder of your presence.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Like the disciples behind locked doors,
we are afraid to be seen as your followers.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.

Like Thomas in the upper room,
we are slow to believe.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

Bishop Libby
ABSOLUTION
May the God of love and power forgive you and free you from your sins, heal and strengthen you by his Spirit and raise you to new life in Christ our Lord.
AMEN

All stand
GLORIA
Choir

COLLECT

The Dean
Let us pray.
Lord of all life and power, who through the mighty resurrection of your Son overcame the old order of sin and death to make all things new in him: grant that we, being dead to sin and alive to you in Jesus Christ, may reign with him in glory; to whom with you and the Holy Spirit be praise and honour, glory and might, now and in all eternity.
AMEN
All sit

THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
THE NEW TESTAMENT

Reader Graham Hodson
 A reading from the first letter of John (4. 7-12)

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

 This is the word of the Lord.
 Thanks be to God.

All stand

GRADUAL HYMN

Choir & congregation – Love’s redeeming work is done.
 SAVANNAH Charles Wesley (1707-88) Foundery Collection (1742)

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Sung
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Jesus said, ‘I am the resurrection and the life.
Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live,
 and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.
 Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

HOLY GOSPEL

Reader – girl chorister
 Hear the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark. Glory to you, O Lord.

When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. They had been saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?’ When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you.’ So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.

This is the Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, O Christ.

SERMON
All sit

The Rt. Revd. Libby Lane,
Bishop of Stockport.

After the sermon, a short silence is observed


Choir – Now the green blade riseth
John Macleod Campbell Crum

THE APOSTLES’ CREED
All stand
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
creator of heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died, and was buried;
he descended to the dead.
On the third day he rose again;
he ascended into heaven,
he is seated at the right hand of the Father,
and he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION
All sit or kneel
Canon Jane
We pray for the church as we celebrate Christ’s resurrection. We pray for all Christian communities that they may experience a renewed spirit of commitment and faith. Wherever there is religious persecution, darkness or despair, may the golden dawn of the resurrection transform all things.
Lord of life
Fill us with your love

We pray that in a world which we have filled with violence and hostility, the joy of resurrection may be made known. We pray for love in response to hatred, for trust in place of suspicion, and for reconciliation where there are tensions and conflict. We pray especially for all the troubled places of the world.
Lord of life
Fill us with your love

We pray for our local communities – our schools, businesses and homes. May the light of Easter illumine the shadows of our relationships so that the love which conquers death may bind us together in a spirit of mutual respect and understanding.
Lord of life
Fill us with your love

We pray for those who are ill, those who are lost, those who are weary or sick in body or mind. We pray for those who are frightened or who are without faith to sustain them. We pray for all victims of natural disasters. Give your Easter peace to all who are in need that they may find life and wholeness in your saving strength.
Lord of life
Fill us with your love

We remember those who have died, those whose faith sustained them in life. May we too rediscover the hope which makes us fully alive and attuned to the power of your risen Son.

Merciful Father,
accept these prayers for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

The Dean
In a moment we will share the peace together, the peace which Jesus brought through his rising again on Easter Day. Our service now moves on from the reading of the word of God, preaching about it and praying through it, to the receiving of the bread and wine as a reminder of his death – until He comes again.

All stand
THE LITURGY OF THE SACRAMENT
PEACE
The Dean
 The risen Christ came and stood among his disciples and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ Then were they glad when they saw the Lord. Alleluia.
The peace of the Lord be always with you
and also with you.

Let us offer one another a sign of peace.

A small group to share the peace verbally at altar or lecturn mic

OFFERTORY HYMN

Choir & Congregation – Alleluia, Alleluia! hearts to heaven


LUX EOI Christopher Wordsworth (1807-85) Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900)

The Dean - table
 Yours, Lord, is the greatness, the power,
the glory, the splendour, and the majesty;
for everything in heaven and on earth is yours.
All things come from you,
and of your own do we give you.


EUCHARISTIC PRAYER

The Lord be with you
and also with you.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
It is right to give thanks and praise.

It is indeed right, our duty and our joy,
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
almighty and eternal Father,
and in these days of Easter
to celebrate with joyful hearts
the memory of your wonderful works.

For by the mystery of his passion
Jesus Christ, your risen Son,
has conquered the powers of death and hell
and restored in men and women the image of your glory.
He has placed them once more in paradise
and opened to them the gate of life eternal.

And so, in the joy of this Passover,
earth and heaven resound with gladness,
while angels and archangels and the powers of all creation
sing for ever the hymn of your glory.

Choir
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of power and might,
Heaven and earth are full of your glory. Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.

The Dean
 We praise and bless you, loving Father,
through Jesus Christ, our Lord;
and as we obey his command, send your Holy Spirit,
that broken bread and wine outpoured
may be for us the body and blood of your dear Son.

On the night before he died he had supper with his friends
and, taking bread, he praised you.
He broke the bread, gave it to them and said:
Take, eat; this is my body which is given for you;
do this in remembrance of me.

When supper was ended he took the cup of wine.
Again he praised you, gave it to them and said:
Drink this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant,
which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.
Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.

So, Father, we remember all that Jesus did,
in him we plead with confidence his sacrifice
made once for all upon the cross.
Bringing before you the bread of life and cup of salvation,
we proclaim his death and resurrection until he comes in glory.

Great is the mystery of faith:
Christ has died:
Christ is risen:
Christ will come again.

Lord of all life, help us to work together for that day
when your kingdom comes
and justice and mercy will be seen in all the earth.


Look with favour on your people,
gather us in your loving arms
and bring us with the Blessed Virgin Mary and all the saints
to feast at your table in heaven.

Through Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all honour and glory are yours, O loving Father,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

All sit or kneel

LORD’S PRAYER

Rejoicing in God’s new creation,
as our Saviour taught us, so we pray:

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours
now and for ever. Amen.

BREAKING OF BREAD

We break this bread to share in the body of Christ.
Though we are many, we are one body,
because we all share in one bread.

AGNUS DEI

Choir
O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.
O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, grant us thy peace.

The Dean

 God’s holy gifts for God’s holy people.
 Jesus Christ is holy, Jesus Christ is Lord,
 to the glory of God the Father.

A small group to receive the bread and the wine during beginning of Motet

COMMUNION MOTET
Choir
Dic nobis Maria, quid vidisti in via?

[Tell us, Mary, what did you see on your way?
The tomb of Christ, who is alive, and I saw the glory of his rising;
Angels standing as witnesses, the shroud and linen cloth.
Christ my hope has risen: He has gone to Galilee before you.
Alleluia. ]
Giovanni Bassono (1558-1617)

Choir & Congregation – This joyful Eastertide
VREUCHTE George Ratcliffe Woodward (1848-1934) David’s Psalmen (1685)

POST COMMUNION PRAYER
The Dean
 Let us pray.

God of Life, who for our redemption gave your only-begotten Son to the death of the cross, and by his glorious resurrection have delivered us from the power of our enemy: grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him in the joy of his risen life; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.


The Dean
Thank you for joining us here in Chester Cathedral on this momentous and very special Easter Day for our diocese. In a moment Bishop Libby will give the dismissal. The Lord is risen and what better way to mark that than through the energising music of Handel in our final hymn – ‘Thine be the glory, risen conquering Son’!

THE DISMISSAL
All stand
RECESSIONAL HYMN

Choir & Congregation – Thine be the glory
Edmund L Budry (1854-1932) MACCABEUS translated by Richard B Hoyle (1875-1939)
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

BLESSING
Bishop Libby
God the Father, by whose love Christ was raised from the dead,
open to you who believe the gate of everlasting life.
Amen.

God the Son, who in rising from the grave has won a glorious victory, give you joy as you share the Easter faith.
Amen.
God the Holy Spirit, whom the risen Lord breathed into his disciples, empower you and fill you with Christ’s peace.
Amen.

 And the blessing of God almighty, the Father, the Son and
 the Holy Spirit, be among you and remain with you always. Amen.

The Dean
 Go in peace to love and serve the Lord. Alleluia, Alleluia.
 In the name of Christ. Amen. Alleluia, Alleluia.

ORGAN VOLUNTARY
Carillon de Longpont (24 Piéces en style libre) Louis Vierne (1870-1937)

Please note:

This script cannot exactly reflect the transmission, as it was prepared before the service was broadcast. It may include editorial notes prepared by the producer, and minor spelling and other errors that were corrected before the radio broadcast.

It may contain gaps to be filled in at the time so that prayers may reflect the needs of the world, and changes may also be made at the last minute for timing reasons, or to reflect current events.

Easter Day 8.10am Chester Cathedral
1John 4:7-12 and Mark 16:1-8

‘Very early, on the first day of the week, just after sunrise they came …’.

There is something very special about Easter morning, rising, like these women - Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James and Salome - and returning to the story we laid down, like Jesus’ body, on Good Friday. In the footsteps of these women, many of us will have relived Holy Week and Good Friday, listening to the words of Scripture, and, in prayer and action, reengaging with the events of Jesus’ passion and crucifixion. And we have waited through Holy Saturday for this moment, when ‘very early, on the first day of the week, just after sunrise’, we come.

This story becomes our story. And we know something of the experience the women have been living through. We have all known what it is to be awake through the night waiting for the first hint of morning so we can begin the day, because anything is better than waiting any longer feeling hopeless and helpless.

We know what it is to be kept awake by grief, by pain, anxiety, guilt, by anger, disappointment, by fear. We know what is to be kept awake by love: being up all night nursing a sick child; sitting by the bedside of a loved one, holding their hand as death approaches; worrying through the dark hours about having let someone down, about what could have been done differently, about ‘if onlys’.

We know what it is when dawn is a relief. When first light means we can get on and do something. These women, perhaps after such a sleepless night, arose and got together to do what they could. They chose to demonstrate their love in tender, practical action, action that had been denied them previously by the sudden violence of Jesus’ death and the need to lay him to rest before the Sabbath started. They had known the goodness of God’s love enfleshed in Jesus, and seen that love made real in his intimacy with those whose bodies were diseased, disfigured, weighed down. And they felt it honoured Jesus, reflected his love, to find comfort in the physicality of caring for his body.

But in the cold, emerging light as they hurried towards the place where Jesus’ body had been buried it seems they worried about logistics – who would move the stone? A concern, it turned out, that was unnecessary - for they arrived to face not the broken stillness of Jesus’ lifeless body, but disturbance and disruption; to discover that all they had anticipated had been overtaken by something entirely unexpected. Their certainties were thrown into confusion. No wonder they were dumbfounded.

Their love had brought them to this place. And now the opportunity to show that love by caring for his body had gone. ‘Do not be alarmed’ they are told. I’m not sure ‘Do not be alarmed’ really does the enormity of the circumstances for these bewildered women justice. Alarm would be the very least of it I would think. Maybe this ‘young man in white’ had missed the training session on pastoral care in emergency situations. They’d had only a couple of days to process the devastation of Jesus’ death, and it was, I expect, the anticipation of necessary rituals that help to accept and accommodate such grief had kept them together. But here was information, and the evidence of their own eyes, that nothing was as they thought. ‘You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is not here … Look, here is the place where they laid him’.

And then they receive instruction: ‘Go and say to his disciples “He is going ahead of you … you will see him, as he told you”’. But, without further explanation or comfort, instead they ran away.

‘And they said nothing to anyone for they were afraid’. Yet these were not fearful women. They had remained with Jesus when the men had dispersed at his arrest. They had been at the cross until Jesus died. They had followed to see where his body was laid. They had faced down the political and religious authorities to accompany Jesus through his passion and death and burial. These were not fearful women, but women who together were strong and compassionate and faithful and determined.

Love is a very powerful motivator. Their love had made them brave, but now it seemed there was nothing left to love. Even Jesus’ body was gone and the manifestation of love they’d intended was redundant. Love had brought these remarkable women back to the tomb that first Easter morning, but now, in the midst of their confusion, they ran and said nothing.

Except, of course, at some point they must have stopped running and told their story because it is their story we’ve heard this morning, their story that is recorded and honoured in Scripture, their story that gives account of the greatest demonstration of love ever known. ‘This is what love really is’, we heard in the letter of John, ‘not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his son … to atone for our sin’. And the story of that first Easter morning from Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, shows us the dumbfounding extent of God’s love.

‘He has been raised’ the women are told. And eventually it is that good news that filters through to them, and renews their courage. Jesus was not where they expected because he is alive, victor over death and sin, and he’s gone ahead to where he promised, to be with us always. God’s love, made flesh in Jesus of Nazareth, experienced the fear we all know and overcame it.
These women, the first to witness the empty tomb are not listed among the disciples nor named as apostles, but, in their faithful following of Jesus to the bitter end and in the fulfilment of their commission to go and tell, they are both. And without their ministry we would not know. For in their account is the news that confirms and completes the story of God’s great love made known in Jesus. Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, did tell their story, and so we know that the risen Jesus is the completion of God’s love and that ‘perfect love casts out fear’.

Let us rejoice to hear their story again this morning. Today they are the model for our Easter celebration: let us be loving and courageous in telling our stories of God’s love at work in our lives, especially perhaps when we too have known grief or pain, anxiety or guilt, anger, disappointment or fear; and then let us, after the example of these women, embody that love in action.