Grace and peace to you from God.
Good Friday … Good Easter … All’s Good
It’s a bit of roller-coaster weekend, this one we’re about to embark on … supper together … a betraying kiss in the garden from a friend … a trial of sorts … a rooster … “no, I’ve never met him before” … a bloke called Barabbas … crucify him crucify him … a cross, some nails, a green hill outside a city wall … “my God my God why have you forsaken me?” … “it is finished.”
One of the prayers we will use in worship this Good Friday says this –
Friday is sacred and labelled as “Good” because of what you came to do for us on the cross, Lord Jesus;The Pharisees and scribes remember that the one that had just been killed claimed he would rise again after three days. So a guard is placed on the grave, but three days later comes an announcement from that resting place of death – he is not here; he has been raised.
die for our sins only to rise again from the dead.
Today we ponder your words from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
On account of this cry, Lord Jesus,
you remind us that you know our human pain and abandonment;
Continually remind us that nothing, not even death itself,
can separate us from your love for us.
Friends, this weekend, roller-coaster as it might seem … through all sorts of emotions and twists and turns … is a good weekend. The message you will hear in our churches this weekend, from pulpits, from pastors and lay-worship leaders, will be the proclamation of the Gospel – Christ on a cross for sinners, for the forgiveness of sins.
Together with the Easter morning acclamation – he is risen; he is risen indeed, alleluia! – it is all good news and raises those who hear it to new life.
May you hear this message again and live!
Celebrating the Easter Weekend in the LCNZ
Here’s what’s happening in terms of worship during this holy weekend in our churches around Aotearoa. If you’re holidaying around the country and away from home, consider setting aside some time to worship somewhere else –
Botany
Maundy Thursday 7.00pm Service (foot-washing, stripping of the altar)
Good Friday 7.00pm The Supper / reflection on the way to the cross (at Formosa Camp Site)
Easter Sunday 10.00am Service at Botany (lighting of the paschal candle)
North Shore
Easter Sunday 5.00pm Easter Worship
Mountainside
Maundy Thursday 6.45pm Passover Service
Good Friday 10.00am Passion Narrative
Easter Sunday 10.00am Easter Worship (followed by Easter Egg Hunt for the kids)
St Matthew Lutheran Church Hamilton
Good Friday 9.00am Divine Service with Holy Communion
Easter Sunday
8.45am Fellowship Breakfast
10.00am Divine Service with Holy Communion
Whakatane Lutheran Church
Good Friday 9.30am Divine Service with Holy Communion
Easter Sunday 9.30am Divine Service with Holy Communion
Kawerau Lutheran Church
Good Friday 11.00am Divine Service with Holy Communion
Easter Sunday 10.00am Divine Service with Holy Communion
Tauranga Lutheran Fellowship
Easter Sunday 10.00am Divine Service with Holy Communion
WhanganuiGood Friday Easter walk with other churches around Whanganui East
Easter Sunday 9.00am Easter Worship
Marton / Halcombe
Good Friday 9.00am Community Good Friday walk (starting at Living Hope, continuing to Roman Catholic Church, the Gospel Chapel, The Square, finishing at Elim for refreshments)
Easter Sunday
9.00am Worship with Holy Communion
11.00am Worship with Holy Communion (Halcombe)
Manawatu
Maundy Thursday 7.00pm Worship with Holy Communion
Good Friday 9.30am St Lukes Palmerston North
10.00am Trinity Feilding – Ecumenical Event at the Civic Centre
Easter Sunday 9.00am Trinity Feilding (with Holy Communion)
10.30am St Lukes Palmerston North (with Holy Communion)
Wairarapa
Good Friday 5.00pm Fellowship Tea and Worship (66 Park Road, Carterton)
Wellington
Maundy Thursday 7.30pm Worship with Holy Communion
Good Friday 10.00am Worship
8.00pm Good Friday Vespers – Membra Jesu Nostri (Buxtehude) as part of the Bach Cantata Vespers series of worship services offered at St Pauls
Easter Sunday 10.00am Worship with Holy Communion
Upper Moutere / Hope
Maundy Thursday 7.00pm Worship
Good Friday 9.30am Worship
Easter Sunday 9.30am Worship
Christchurch
Maundy Thursday 7:30pm Informal Holy Communion and stripping of the altar
Good Friday
9:00-9:55am Christ’s Passion service
10:00-noon Annual “Journeying with the Cross” inter-church pilgrimage via 4 Burwood churches (starting at 212 Burwood Road; finishing with hot cross buns at St Paul’s, 130 Burwood Road; offering received for Christchurch Women’s Refuge)
Easter Sunday
6:30-7:00am “Son Rise” Celebration
7-8:30am Easter BBQ Breakfast
9:00am Easter Celebration with Holy Communion
Nau Mai / Haere Mai
Last Sunday the members of St Pauls Wellington welcomed Pastor Robert and Lynette Wiebusch back to New Zealand. Robert and Lynette are offering a short locum ministry at St Pauls Wellington (including the Wairarapa) from Sunday 1st April to Sunday 15th April. And welcome also to Pastor Martin and Liz Schirmer who have arrived in Auckland just in time for the busy Easter weekend. They will serve in locum ministry from now until the end of May. May the Lord bless your time and your ministry amongst us.
Call News
On Sunday, St Pauls Wellington issued a call to Pastor Vince Gerhardy (Caboolture, Queensland) to be their next pastor. The call committee at Mountainside has been interviewing possible candidates with a view to conducting their next call meeting sometime after Easter. Please continue to pray for the Spirit’s leading and guidance on these call processes.
Bach Cantata Vespers
8.00pm Good Friday – St Pauls Wellington
If you’re around Wellington over the Easter weekend, why not come along to the special Bach Cantata Vespers for Good Friday at St Pauls?
Membra Jesu Nostri
Dietrich Buxtehude
Ensemble Abendmusik
Lisette Wesseling, Anna Sedcole & Rowena Simpson sopranos
Emma Drysdale alto & Mark Whitfield counter-tenor
John Beaglehome tenor
Timothy Hurd bass
Richard Apperley director
Lord, In Your Mercy: Hear Our Prayer
Can I suggest the following for inclusion in your prayers –
- The people of Fiji in the wake of flooding and storms
- Protection of lives and property here in New Zealand as we prepare to experience the same weather system that has affected Fiji
- Pastors, worship-leaders, musicians and anyone with the responsibility of leading us through a wonderful weekend of worship
- Pastor Vince Gerhardy as he considers the call to St Pauls Wellington
- All Kiwis – as they pause and holiday this weekend – that somehow, somewhere they might get an idea of what the weekend’s really about and catch a glimpse of the Lord Jesus who has died and risen again for them
- Those who are about to be joined to Christ and his death and resurrection through Holy Baptism – that they and we all may continue to daily die to sin and be risen to new life with him
God be with you.
+MARK
President – Lutheran Church of New Zealand
