LEFC Guide to Worship at Home
Resurrection Sunday
April 12, 2020
$ Introduction
$ Home Worship Guide
$ More
Links to Helpful Resources
Introduction
Dear
Church Family,
This may
well be the strangest Easter we will ever experience as a congregation.
For
128 years, our church family has gathered together in person and celebrated the
resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ in the same place. But this year, we have
to do it apart and in our own separate places. It won’t be the same this time, but the truth of the resurrection has not
changed! Jesus Christ has returned from the dead, and that is worth
celebrating no matter where we are.
We
have prepared another ten step guide for you to use in family worship on
Resurrection Sunday. I will be recording a Resurrection Sunday video message
and posting it to YouTube and Facebook. We’re also planning a special Family
Fellowship Meeting on Zoom, and you and your family are invited!
[NOTE:
I will be there on Zoom at 10:45am to help anyone who needs a little practice
to get set up. This technology is new to many of us.]
The
words for Worship in Unity this week will be very familiar to you if you’ve
ever been at LEFC on Resurrection Sunday. It is called the “Easter Acclamation”
and is used in many different Christian traditions throughout the world:
“Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!”
Sing!
The truth of Jesus’ resurrection is well worth raising your voice in song. Some
of the most glorious worship songs in the history of the church are about the
resurrection. We’ve only picked a few for this guide, but there are many more.
You might want to find a playlist on your favorite music service and turn up
your speakers all day long. My current favorite is “His Heart Beats” by Andrew
Peterson [YouTube,
Spotify]. I’m sure there will be great music on
Christian radio and television this weekend, as well.
What
time are you going to gather your household this weekend to worship the risen
Lord Jesus Christ?
In His
Grip,
-
Pastor Matt
Home Worship Guide
1. Worship in Unity
Leader:
Christ is Risen!
Family: He Is Risen Indeed! (Repeat 3x with
increasing confidence and joy.)
**Option:
If you have multiple children in the home, assign a different child as the
leader for each repetition. Point to each child when it is their term to lead.
Remind the family to get louder each time. Some younger families may want to
repeat the Easter Acclamation many more times. Make it fun!
2. Call to Worship
This
is Resurrection Sunday. Have someone read 1 Peter 1:3-12 with wonder in their
voice.
**Option:
Take some time this weekend to create a piece of art that expresses the meaning
of this great holiday and how it makes you feel. Draw, paint, sculpt, or
fashion together something about the Cross and/or the Empty Tomb. During the
Family Fellowship Meeting on Zoom, we will have a time for Show and Tell to share your piece of resurrection-themed art.
Have
someone pray and ask God to bless your time of worship at home.
3. Worship in Singing
As a
household sing “He Lives” by Alfred Ackley (1933).
**Option.
During our Family Fellowship Meeting on Zoom, we are going to attempt together
to sing “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today” by Charles Wesley
(1739) with all (except for our worship leader’s) mics on “mute.” You might
want to practice singing it as a family beforehand. We normally sing the first
4 verses on Resurrection Sunday (Wesley’s original had 11 verses!).
4. Worship in Praise and Testimony
Have
each family member share something they are praising God for today, maybe a
short story of something the Lord has done in their life recently.
**Option:
Have each family member finish this sentence: “Because Christ Is Risen Indeed,
___________________.” During
our Family Fellowship Meeting on Zoom, we’re going give everyone a chance to
share their completed sentences.
5. Worship in Bible Memorization
As a
family recite our “Hide the Word” verse for this Spring: Matthew 28:18-20.
“Then
Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been
given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them
to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to
the very end of the age.”
**Option:
Write it out on a whiteboard, chalkboard, or big piece of paper. Erase or cover
key words and try to say it without them. How much can you do without looking?
6. Worship in Prayer
Take
prayer requests and pray for each other.
Read
the prayer guide together and pray for the rest of the church family and the
requests listed.
7. Worship in the Word
Watch or
read Pastor Matt’s short message: “Afraid Yet Filled With Joy.”
Some
families (especially with teens) may want to watch/read the message on their
own and then have a Bible study and discussion together during this time.
How do
you envision applying the truth of Matthew 28 to your life this week?
8. Worship in Singing
Sing “Because He Lives” by Bill & Gloria Gaither
(1971).
9. Worship All Week
Have
someone pray a prayer of commissioning for your family as you end this time of
gathered worship and face a week of new opportunities and new challenges to
serve the Lord, the church, and the world in His Name.
10. Participate in LEFC Family Fellowship
Meeting on Zoom.
- See
one another’s faces and hear each other’s voices.
- Show
and Tell. Share your resurrection-themed art.
- Hear
your brothers and sisters complete this sentence: “Because Christ Is Risen Indeed,
___________________.”
- Sing
“Christ the Lord is Risen Today” together with our mics on “mute.”
- Pray
for one another live and online.
More Links to Helpful Resources:
How To Talk to Children About the Coronavirus by
John Piper
Corona Cannot Prevail Against Her by David Mathis
COVID-19
Resources from the EFCA
Free Resources for Online Learning During
Extended Time at Home:
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