5
Resurrection - sharing prayers of praise in celebration of life
Sharing Friendship 30 minutes
As people arrive light refreshments are served. This week’s ‘table ornament’ which will
become the focus for prayer and reflection is a crown of thorns which on closer
examination appears to be a nest of eggs.
This needs some thought in advance - encourage someone from the group to
take responsibility for this. Put together
a crown of thorns - the opening in the middle of the crown of thorns is made to
look like a bird’s nest. Nestling in the
nest are four mini chocolate Easter
eggs. The idea for this piece again
comes from Made Flesh - the Art Exhibition at the University of
Gloucestershire. Mike Lafferty’s piece
was inspired by Bocaccino’s painting of the Virgin with a Goldfinch. It will later become the focus for our
prayers of praise. Do not explain what
the piece is until the appropriate moment until it is time for sharing
reflections on the Bible.
Have a small bowl prepared with a miniature ‘crown of
thorns’ fastened around the rim - this will be used to pass the eggs
around. In the middle of the bowl write
the words Risen Lord Jesus, give us hope
and joy and peace. This can be done
as artistically or as simply as you like - the simplest way of all would be to
write the words on a slip of paper or post it note and attach it to the centre
of the bowl.
Prepare clusters of mini-eggs for each person to take
home for Easter.
Once the group is settled and everyone has arrived the
leader can gather the group together and begin to focus the conversation a
little more.
·
go round the circle and invite each person
to recall some of the things that they have been doing over the last week, and
share anything special that has happened.
·
go round the circle a second time and
invite people to recall anything they have done over the course of Lent in
response to the thoughts and prayers that we have shared together.
Sharing Reflections on the
Bible 30 minutes
Over the last four
weeks our prayers have been shaped by the concern we share for a world that is
too often divided, for a church that is too often in conflict with itself; they
have been shaped by the failings and sense of betrayal that we all share in some
measure, and by the grief we share in the face of death. This evening’s prayers are going to be shaped
by the experience of Resurrection. Together we shall be sharing prayers of praise in celebration of life.
Read John 20:1-31 - this lends itself to a dramatised reading.
What do you make
of these stories of the first Easter?
What are they saying that can feed into our time of prayer as we share
in prayers of praise in celebration of
life?
Allow the group simply to share their responses to
these questions - as leader you might look out for some of these points ...
Points to look out for in John 20
· the first experience of resurrection is in
the very place where grief and sadness had only recently been experienced - in
fact, it is still dark, grief and sadness are still in the air [1]
· the first reaction Mary has is one of
bewilderment [2]
· even though Peter sees and believes he does
not understand [9]
· it is as Mary is weeping that she turns
round and sees Jesus, but she mistakes him for a gardener [11,13,14]
· it is when Jesus addresses Mary by name
that she turns and recognises him [16] - it is not the emptiness of the tomb,
or the witness of others, but the encounter with the risen Christ that
transforms Mary’s weeping into the confidence that made her the first one
commissioned by Christ to go and tell others the Good News of resurrection
[16-18]
· the disciples meet the risen Jesus at the
moment of fear (19)
· the words the risen Jesus speaks into that
time of fear are ‘Peace be with you’.
(19, 21, 26)
· it is the crucified Christ who is risen
(20, 27)
· the presence of the risen Christ brings joy
in the place of fear (20)
· the resurrection experience of meeting the
risen Christ is not simply an inner experience ... it results in having
something to do (21)
· the task that is given to those who meet
with the risen Christ cannot be accomplished on their own ... but only in the
power of the Holy Spirit (22)
· meeting with the risen Christ leads on to a
sharing of forgiveness (23)
· the blessing of resurrection was a real
experience for the first disciples ... the blessing is no less real for those
who have not seen but have come to believe: indeed, Jesus goes so far as to
suggest that it is more real (26-29)
· that believing opens up a whole new way of
living, a new experience of life (30-31).
Allow a good period of time sharing reflections on
this passage.
Place the crown of thorns/nest on the low table in the
middle of the circle or in some other prominent place. Up until this moment it has simply been a
table ornament.. Allow the group to make
their own responses to the piece before explaining what it is. The following questions may be helpful in
prompting a response?
What do you see in
this piece? What does it say to you?
Allow the group time to make their responses and then
share the artist’s thoughts on his piece of work.
Our thanks to
[name the person responsible for making the arrangement] for re-creating an
original piece of art which was exhibited as part of an exhibition at the Art
School of the University of Gloucestershire.
The exhibition, entitled Making Flesh was supported by the University Chaplaincy and
the Greenbelt Christian Arts festival whose home is now at Cheltenham
every August bank holiday week-end.
Mike Lafferty’s
original crown of thorns / nest stood on a white plinth in the middle of the
exhibition space. Beside it was a
caption which read:
The Dream of the
Gold finch’s Nest. Legend says a
goldfinch pulled a thorn from Christ’s head and to this day the birds retain
the mark of the blood.
Mike Lafferty
shared four thoughts which had come to him as he reflected on the work he
created:
·
The
Dream of the Gold finch’s nest was inspired by Bocaccino’s The Virgin with
a Goldfinch
·
The
world we are born into, despite initial warmth, is surrounded by pain and
sorrow
·
Instruments
of torture support our lives - the arms industry sustained by the pension
funds, investments and savings accounts
we depend on makes us all culpable.
·
Our
everyday lives are surrounded by Christian symbols which for most of the time
we ignore
Making Flesh was
an exhibition first shown in the Summer in the Chapel on the Francis Close
Campus of the University of Gloucestershire.
A second exhibition with the same theme and many of the same pieces was
put on at the Art School at the Pittville Campus of the University of
Gloucestershire in the Autumn.
As Lent draws
towards its close and Holy Week is nearly upon us it speaks of the pain and
agony Christ endured on the way to the cross.
It speaks also of the hope of new birth and of new life which comes only
through that pain. It prompts us to
think that the world we are born into is surrounded by pain. And yet at the very moment when we are
surrounded by the sharpest pain there is the promise of new life.
Sharing Prayer 30 Minutes
Play some quiet, reflective music. Make sure that the Crown of Thorns / nest is
on the table in the centre of the circle, or in some appropriate place. Place the small bowl with its mini crown of
thorns around the rim next to the larger piece.
In the middle of the bowl write the words Risen
Lord Jesus, give us hope and joy and peace.
These may be written on a piece of paper stuck on the bowl.
Jesus said,
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.
How difficult it
can be to believe when there is no opportunity to see.
How many there are
who doubt.
To them Jesus
says, Peace be with you. Do not doubt
but believe.
Read John 20:24-27.
It is the
crucified Christ who bears the marks of the nails and says, Peace be with you.
It is the crucified
Christ who is risen and says, Do not doubt but believe.
Read John 20:28-29
Blessed are those
who have not seen and yet have come to believe.
Take one egg from the large nest on the central table
and place it in the small bowl. Hold the bowl for a moment.
In the first week
of Lent we came together in Friendship
- sharing prayers of concern for a world of need. Think again of that world of broken
relationships, violence and abuse, that world of barriers and divisions of
faith and religion, of culture and gender, of politics and race. Think again of that world of hunger, that
world of need, crying out for a healing touch, the look of friendship,
forgiveness and love.
As you receive
this bowl hold it for a moment and mention a concern you have for prayer in the
world - and then say: Risen Lord Jesus,
give us hope and joy and peace. Then
pass the bowl round the circle of prayer.
The Crucified
Christ is risen and says ...
In the world you
face tribulation. But take courage; I
have overcome the world. [John 16:33]
Take a second egg from the nest and place it on the
small bowl.
During the second
week of Lent our thoughts turned to Conflict
and we spent time sharing prayers of longing for a church too often divided.
Think again of conflict that has arisen within a local church, between local
churches, within a denomination, between denominations. Think of that inner conflict which tears us
apart when our words go up, but our thoughts remain below and we realise that
words without thoughts never to heaven go.
As you receive
this bowl hold it for a moment and mention a concern you have for prayer in the
church - and then say: Risen Lord Jesus,
give us hope and joy and peace. Then
pass the bowl round the circle of prayer.
When you receive the bowl once more hold it in your
hands and say ...
The Crucified
Christ is risen and says ...
I give you a new
commandment that you love one another.
Just as I have
loved you, you also should love one another.
By this everyone
will know that you are my disciples,
if you have love
for one another. [John 13:34-35]
Now take a third egg and place it in the bowl.
During the third
week of Lent our thoughts turned to
Betrayal and we spent time sharing prayers of confession for our own
betrayal of Jesus. Take this cup away
from me, was our prayer. Yet not what I
want but what you want.
As you receive
this bowl hold it for a moment and in the silence of your own heart speak your
own prayer of confession, and then say aloud the words Risen Lord Jesus, give us hope and joy and peace. Then pass the bowl round the circle of
prayer.
When you receive the bowl once more hold it in your
hands and say,
The Crucified
Christ is risen and says ...
Receive the Holy
Spirit. If you forgive someone’s sins
they are gone for good.
If you don’t
forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?
Peace I leave with
you;
my peace I give to
you.
I do not give to
you as the world gives.
Do not let your
hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
[John 20:22-23 and John 14:27]
Take the fourth egg from the nest and place it in the
bowl.
Last week we
thought of Death and spent time
sharing prayers of love with those who are bereaved. Think again of that journey which takes us
through so many mixed up emotions - of shock and denial, of guilt and
bargaining, of anger and bitterness, of sadness and grief.
As you receive
this bowl hold it for a moment and mention the name of someone who has been
bereaved - and then say: Risen Lord Jesus, give us hope and joy and
peace. Then pass the bowl round the
circle of prayer.
The Crucified
Christ is risen and says ...
Peace be with you.
Do not let your
hearts be troubled.
You believe in
God: believe also in me.
In my Father’s
house are many dwelling places.
If it were not so,
I would have told you.
I go to prepare a
place for you.
And if I go and
prepare a place for you,
I will come again
and will take you to myself,
so that where I am
there you may be also.
Peace be with you.
[John 20:19, John 14:1-3, John 20:26]
Now we know that
death is not the end.
Now we can be sure
that nothing is hopeless.
In a troubled
world of broken friendships,
of conflict,
betrayal and death,
the crucified
Christ is risen.
He is here.
He makes the
difference to our lives.
He gives us
hope and joy and
peace.
Even now we can
look beyond Lent and celebrate Resurrection
- sharing prayers of praise in
celebration of life ...
Play the fifth
prayer meditation, Resurrection, from Jesus
forever the same, the third part of the Video, Jesus: today, tomorrow, forever?
Pause for a few moments of silent reflection
Take the trade badge in your hands.
Are they the
scales of justice badly out of balance?
Or is it a cross?
Is it a cross
weighed down by the burdens of injustice?
The Cross is
empty.
Christ is risen.
And still he says,
Peace be with you.
Jesus provided
many more God-revealing signs
than we have had
time to explore.
We’ve shared our
friendship,
our reflections on
the Bible, and
our prayers.
As Holy Week, Good
Friday and Easter draw nearer
we still have a
story to tell.
Let’s tell that
story so that people may believe
that Jesus is the
Messiah, the Son of God,
and in the act of
believing, have real and eternal life.
[adapted from John 20:30-31 in The
Message]
Let’s join in
saying The Lord’s Prayer together.
After a short pause, play some quiet music once
more. Have copies of the prayer
meditation Resurrection ready for
people to take home. Invite people to a showing of Jesus for Today some time in Holy Week, or over Easter week-end. Present everyone with a cluster of mini-eggs
to take home for Easter.