WS Online – 12 April 2020

WS Online - 12 April 2020
12 April 2020

Interactive service outline for Church at Home

Welcome

Welcome to our fourth week of WS Online. By this time, we are slowly getting used to isolation, doing church on a screen, worshipping God in our living rooms, bedrooms, and kitchens. However, we are also getting used to something special: people from all around the world joining us for worship, who otherwise cannot be together with us in person. We are now a worldwide online community. So, whether you are from Strathfield or Santiago, welcome to today’s Easter Sunday service.

This service is designed in such a way to accommodate for both families and groups worshipping together but also for those who wish to follow along by themselves. Our online Sunday School materials are available here: https://wsccc.org.au/children-strathfield/

We encourage you to set aside 1 hour to worship through this service. We want you to interact with this service as much as possible as we sing, pray, read Scripture, partake in offering and hear God’s Word explained to us. If you are in a group, ways to engage in active worship of our God include taking turns reading His Word together, singing songs out loud and praying the prayer points together.

Please join us either through our service video below or an interactive service outline for your reading.

Service Video

Interactive Service Outline

Our call to worship

As we begin today’s service please read with us from Psalm 120:7,

Put your hope in the LORD because God is filled with a love that never fails. He is the God who will fully save us.

Opening prayer

Dear God,

You are the God who made us, loves us, saves us. Be with us wherever we are today. Speak to us, change us, comfort us.

Amen

Opening songs

Let’s sing our opening song that celebrates Christ’s resurrection.
Christ is Risen

Our second song focuses on the hope that we have in Jesus. Born Again

Announcements

While we currently exist in part as an online community, we remain a local community that desires to meet together, serve each other, and carry out Christ’s Great Commission. Here are some items of news for us as a church family.

  • New Series in Ephesians – join us next Sunday as we kick off our new sermon series in the book of Ephesians: The gift of life in Christ.
  • Online Giving – We give thanks for the continued generosity of our members in supporting the work of the church and our missionaries. If you would like to find out more about how you can give online during this time, please visit our website: https://wsccc.org.au/giving/
  • We encourage everyone to continue to take the COVID-19 virus situation seriously and to take necessary precautions to limit the spread of the virus. As a church, we continue to follow the guidelines set by our government. The latest updates from the Diaconate are available here: https://wsccc.org.au/covid-19-updates/
  • Pastoral Care and Practical Help – We understand that this can be a difficult time for many in our church family. If you would like to speak to someone or are looking for some practical help, we want to do what we can to support you. Please feel free to contact any of the pastors or deacons.

Congregational Prayer

We are now going to devote some time to speak to God about what is happening in our world. Let us pray to Him now:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you for Easter Sunday, when we remember that you sent your son Jesus into our world and that Jesus died on a cross to save us. But we give you thanks that Jesus did not stay in the grave, but you raised him back to life.

We remember that Jesus is the light that came into our world, and the darkness could not overcome him. We remember that Jesus conquered the grave, and that death can hurt us no more. We remember that Jesus is love, and that drives away every fear.

Today there are so many things to be afraid about. For some of us who have lost our income streams, and we are thinking about how we can pay our bills or our rent. For others of us who are lonely, wondering how much longer can survive in social isolation. Many of us are exhausted, working from home, home-schooling, enduring long lines in stores.

The Australia that we now live in is almost unrecognizable. Our plans for 2020 have mostly been changed or cancelled. We don’t know what tomorrow will look like. And our health is so fragile, and can be taken away by a careless cough, a sneeze, a hug.

But this is why we cling to you on Easter Sunday. If you can raise Jesus from the dead, if you can wipe away our sins, our guilt, our shame, if you can one day raise us from the dead to be with you forever in a place where there are no tears, no sickness, no pain, then we can trust in you.

We can trust in you to heal our loved ones, to provide for our daily needs, to help our scientists come up with a vaccine, to protect our healthcare workers, to give wisdom to our leaders.

And though we are in social isolation, because of Jesus we are never in isolation from you. You are the God who is with us. And we are always with you in Jesus.

In Jesus’ name we pray,
Amen.

Bible reading

The reading for today comes from Matthew 28:1-10 (NIV).

28 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.

2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.

5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

Sermon

Today we’ll hear from Rev. Andrew Bardsley, as he speaks from Matthew 28:1-10 on the topic of “Jesus has Risen”

Please listen here to the recording: https://wsccc.org.au/s9/sermons/

Offering Song

We come to a time in the service when we have the opportunity to worship God through offering, in giving back to the Lord a portion of what he has given to us. Even though we cannot all meet together in one building, we have still made our commitment to financially support our pastors, missionaries, and ongoing church expenses. 

Because an offering bag cannot be passed around, please make your electronic offerings to church via these accounts. 

  • General fund: BSB 082 080. Acc 48 243 6244. Name: WSCCC. 
  • Mission fund: BSB 082 080. Acc 52 856 0495. Name: WSCCC. 
  • Building fund: BSB 082 451. Acc 73 932 0475. Name: WSCCC. 

You can also give online through this link: https://tithe.ly/give?c=1291374

Our offering song is  – Grace Awaiting Me

Offering Prayer

Dear God, thank you for your daily provision for us. Make our hearts more like your own generous heart and we ask that the money collected would be used to grow your kingdom and bring you glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Closing prayer and benediction

Please continue to contemplate all you have heard from Scripture today, and please take the opportunity this week to share with your family and friends.

As we approach the coming week, let’s finish with Paul’s blessing from 2 Corinthians 13:14

May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all evermore.

Connect with us!If you’d like to get in touch with us, join a small group online, or find out more about Christianity, fill out a response card here: Response Form.