4-27-25 Liturgy

Main Theme:  Cultivating our lives to align with the resurrection reality.

Opening
Goal: Focus our attention on Jesus and be open to what He wants to do & say in our gathering.

Suggested Practice:
Read Psalm 136:1-9 aloud and take a moment to thank God for His enduring love.

Worship
Goal: Make Jesus central in our gathering. This could be done through songs, prayerful scripture reading, communion, etc.

Suggested Practice:
Choose 2 songs to sing together (or listen to) that celebrate Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

Possible Options:

• Crown Him with many Crowns (YouTube)
• Worthy is the Lamb (YouTube)
• How Deep the Father’s Love for Us (YouTube)

____[Dismiss the Kids/Youth]____

Sharing
Goal: To know each other's stories.

Suggested Practice A:
Select one person to answer the following question:

• When was a time where your previous experiences and expectations didn’t match your new reality? (For example: a health issue, a financial issue, a relationship, a job opportunity etc.) How did you process such an occurrence? How did you learn to live in your new reality?

Suggested Practice B:
Select one person to answer the following question:

• When was a time where your friend or family member’s previous experiences and expectations didn’t match their new reality? (For example: a health issue, a financial issue, a relationship, a job opportunity etc.) How did they process such an occurrence? How did they learn to live in their new reality?

Suggested Practice C:
Break into groups of 3 people. Answer the following questions:

• What are you thankful for this week?
• What has stressed you out this week?

Give the groups 10 minutes to answer the question. Encourage everyone to share.

Discussion
Goal: Learn how to follow Jesus in everyday life.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand that the resurrection changes the course of history and ushers in a new order/reality.
• Explain this new order/reality of the resurrection.
• Describe how to align our lives with the reality of the resurrection.

Suggested Practice A:
Possible Questions:

1. What is happening in our world, country and lives that is causing us to resonate more with the “occupied tomb” than the “empty tomb’?
2. What is the impact of these events on our current experience and expectations for our world, country and lives?
3. As you reflect on your life, have you ever experienced the removal of a seemingly impossible barrier?
4. What is the new order/reality of the resurrection? How does the resurrection change our expectations, focus and role as followers of Jesus?
5. How do we align our lives with the reality of the resurrection?

Suggested Practice B:
Read Luke 24:1-12 together. What do you notice? What questions do these words provoke? What does this passage reveal about being a follower of Jesus?

____[Kids/Youth Rejoin Adults]____

Prayer
Goal: Respond appropriately to what Jesus is doing & saying in our gathering.

Suggested Practice A:
Break into groups of 3 people and ask everyone to identify someone in their life that is resonating more with the “occupied tomb” than the “empty tomb”. Spend 5 minutes or so praying for God to transform their expectations and current experience.

Suggested Practice B:
Choose one person in your Small Church to sit on a chair in the middle of the group. Ask the person if they have any specific prayer requests for their own life, the lives of their family/friends or an area of concern. Take 5 minutes or so to surround this person and pray into the areas identified.

Communion
Goal: Remember Jesus' death and resurrection. Receive strength & joy that He is with us. Renew our hope for Jesus' return and the restoration of creation.

Suggested Practice:

• Distribute bread and juice.
• Read Luke 22:19-20.
• Read the following statement…“the body of Christ has been given, broken for us and the entire world. This bread reminds us that He paid a debt that He did not owe so that we wouldn’t have to pay a debt that we did owe”.
• Eat the bread.
• Read the following statement…“The blood of Christ has been poured out, shed for us and the entire world. This juice reminds us that we have a permanent and unbreakable relationship with Him and that death has no power over us and no power over creation”.
• Drink the juice.

Blessing
Goal: Focus our attention on Jesus and consider what He wants to do & say this coming week.

Suggested Practice:
Read 1 Corinthians 15:19-26 aloud and thank God that we have a present and future hope. Pray that all those in your Small Church would bring a sense of hope to everyone they meet this week.