Hymn of the month for Easter: O Sons and daughters of the king

Tune:  Gelobt sei Gott


Tune:  O filii er filiae


O Sons and Daughters of the King
By: Attr. Jean Tisserand
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

O sons and daughters of the King,
Whom heavenly hosts in glory sing,
Today the grave has lost its sting!
Alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

That Easter morn, at break of day,
The faithful women went their way
To seek the tomb where Jesus lay.
Alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

An angel clad in white they see,
Who sit and speaks unto the three,
"Your Lord will go to Galilee."
Alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

That night the apostles met in fear;
Among them came their master dear
And said, "MY peace be with you here."
Alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

When Thomas first the tidings heard
That they had seen the risen Lord,
He doubted the disciples’ word.
Alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

"My pierced side, O Thomas, see,
And look upon my hands, my feet;
Not faithless but believing be."
Alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

No longer Thomas then denied;
He saw the feet, the hands, the side;

No longer Thomas then denied;
He saw the feet, the hands, the side;
"You are my Lord and God!" he cried.
Alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

How blest are they who have not seen
And yet whose faith has constant been,
For they eternal life shall win.
Alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

On this most holy day of days
Be laud and jubilee and praise:
To God your hearts and voice raise.
Alleluia! Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!

Author: French, 15th cent.
Tune: O Filii Et Filiae
1st Published in: 1674

Song of the month for Easter: O Praise the name of the Lord

2018 Lenten Resources

In 2018 Lent begins on Ash Wednesday on 14 February 2018(St Valentines Day) and East Sunday falls on 1 April 2018 (April Fools Day) this occurence gives rise to a number of creative suggestions for Lent and Easter themes, including Foolish Love, Loving Foolishly, Out of the ashes comes love for fools.....

Following are some resources that may assist you and the people you serve in their Lenten and Easter journey

Worship Resources
Lutheran Church of Australia - Midweek Lent worship 
LCMS Lenten Worship resources
Lutheran World Relief 2018 Lent seasons of hope homilies
For the love of the world worship and study ideas 

Lent devotions and studies
Lenten Study 2018 - We are Lutheran (ELCA Nebraskan synod)
Luther Seminary Lenten Study 2018 - through the night of doubt and sorrow

Lutheran Church of Australia - International Mission's Lent prayer guide

Lutheran Hour Ministries - 2018 Lenten devotion 
North American Lutheran Church 2018 Lenten Devotions

Publishers Lent Resources

Concordia Publishing House Lent and Easter Resources
Augsburg Fortress Lent Resources
Solapublishing Lenten Resources

Individual resources
2018 devotional - Lovers and Fools
Online Lenten devotion - When love looks like ashes
Dethroning Mammon: Making Money Serve Grace: The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Lent Book
A place for God Lenten Devotional
The Glory of the Cross Lent Devotional
The crucified is my love
In the shaddow of the cross
Journey to calvery
The art of Lent
Word made art 

Holy Humour Sunday

The idea of setting aside one Sunday has a long and rich history in many Christian traditions.

G.K. Chesterton once wrote:
“Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly.
Never forget that the devil fell by force of gravity.
He who has the faith has the fun

Laughter Sunday (also known as Holy Humour Sunday, Hilarity Sunday, God’s Laughter Sunday, Bright Sunday or Holy Fools Sunday) has its roots in a number of different Christian traditions.

Churches in 15th century Bavaria used to celebrate the Sunday after Easter as Risus Paschalis (‘God’s Joke,’ or ‘the Easter laugh’).  Priests would deliberately include amusing stories and jokes in their sermons in an attempt to make the faithful laugh.  After the service, people would gather together to play practical jokes on one another and tell funny stories.  It was their way of celebrating the resurrection of Christ – the supreme joke God played on Satan by raising Jesus from the dead.

The observance of Risus Paschalis was officially outlawed by Pope Clement X in the 17th century.  Perhaps people were having too much fun.

In the Orthodox tradition, people would gather on Easter Monday to tell jokes and funny stories, and to dance and eat together.

Other traditions celebrate Laetare Sunday (also known as ‘Mothering Sunday’) on the fourth Sunday in Lent.  “Laetare” simply means ‘rejoice,’ and comes from the opening collect for that day: ‘Rejoice with joy, you that have been in sorrow.'  On this Sunday, the usual Lenten purple vestments and altar cloths are replaced by rose-coloured ones instead.  Flowers (not normally present during Lent) are also brought into the sanctuary.

Some resource relating to Holy Humour Sunday include:

Article:  God has given me cause to laugh by Paul Thigpen

Sermons and sermon material for Holy Humour Sunday

Background and other information relating to Holy Humour Sunday

Service Order

Worship resources from Re:Think

Richard Fairchild resources

Video: Did Jesus rise from the dead?

Spoken Word - The Bible - spoken truth- spoken Gospel

The spoken word is like rap...but gentler....
Dai Woolridge - spoken on the bible engages people with not only what the bible is...but it's impact on our lives and our world....

Watch the video


Endorsements
 “When I heard Dai Woolridge perform his spoken word, I was  more than just impressed. I felt that he had mastered the ability to use this particular art form as an instrument that would captivate an audience, on the one hand, and communicate a clear message of the Gospel, on the other.”  Tony Campolo – Professor of Sociology at Eastern University

“Dai Woolridge’s spoken word pieces are excellent – engaging, entertaining, thoughtful,intelligent and moving.”
Graham Kendrick – Worship Leader

The Spoken word also offers resources for Christmas, Easter, blessed and remembrance...

For more details visit http://spoken-truth.com/the-book/

Easter Sunday sermon: He is Risen....life is changing

The Easter Sunday sermon from the Portland-Heywood Lutheran Church, He is Risen....life is changing can be heard here
Reading:  Mark 16:1-14

Video: Easter Story - Lego style

Video: it changes everything

This Changes Everything from Central Films on Vimeo.

Video: God's story Easter

God's Story: Easter from Crossroads Kids' Club on Vimeo.

Easter video: I'm alive from One time Blind

Easter Video: From the Lutheran Church in Palm Harbor

Easter Video: Why? Easter

Free Ebook: 50 Reasons why Jesus came to die

The most important questions anyone can ask are:
Why was Jesus Christ crucified?
Why did he suffer so much?
What has this to do with me?
Finally, who sent him to his death?
The answer to the last question is that God did. Jesus was God's Son. The suffering was unsurpassed, but the whole message of the Bible leads to this answer.
The central issue of Jesus' death is not the cause, but the meaning.
That is what 50 reasons why Jesus came to dies is about.
John Piper has gathered from the New Testament fifty reasons in answer to the most important question that each of us must face:
What did God achieve for sinners like us in sending his Son to die?

You can obtain 50 reasons Jesus came to die as a pdf book from here

Action Bible - Easter Story FREE kindle book

The Action Bible Easter Story is a great way to share the Easter Story with kids who are familiar with illustrations from Marvel and DC Comics...  
Sergio Cariello an illustrator with Marvel and DC Comics brings the story of Jesus to life. 

This is a great resource for parents and churches to help children know about the miracle of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection using this tool. 

Congregations why not let your members know about this great tool to help the young people in your church engage with the Easter story through a tool they are familiar with...

Whether you have a kindle, an ipad or android or you only use the web...using the relevant free kindle apps...you can obtain this ebook for free for a short period of time before Easter 2014...

Free Easter animation Bible reading videos

The Bible Society of Australia offers 3 free Bible Readings in a downloadable video.....
Jesus Crucifixion
Jesus Death
Jesus is Alive
to view the videos and download them visit http://www.biblesociety.org.au/discover-the-bible/for-kids/the-easter-story-animations

They also offer lesson plans and packs that can be used with the videos