Easter Celebration Service
April 20, 2025 9:30 p.m.
Livestream begins at 9:25 am.
John 1:29, Psalm 145:17-18
Easter Reading
Were You There
And Can It Be?
Resurrection Eggs
John 11:25-26
“Death at a Funeral”
Luke 7:11-16
My Redeemer Lives
Christ The Lord is Risen Today (He is Not Dead)
How Deep The Father’s Love For Us
God's Parting Blessing:
God go before you to lead you, God go behind you to protect you,
God go beneath you to support you, God go beside you to befriend you.
Do not be afraid.
May the blessing of God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit be upon you
Do not be afraid. Go in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Amen
No Sunday School
Luke 7:11-16
11 Soon afterward, Jesus went to a town called Nain, and his disciples and a large crowd went along with him. 12 As he approached the town gate, a dead person was being carried out--the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her. 13 When the Lord saw her, his heart went out to her and he said, "Don't cry." 14 Then he went up and touched the coffin, and those carrying it stood still. He said, "Young man, I say to you, get up!" 15The dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother. 16 They were all filled with awe and praised God. "A great prophet has appeared among us," they said. "God has come to help his people."
Introduction
I. Death of a Son
II. The Collision at Nain
A. The Faith of the Centurion
B. To the City of Nain (map)
C. The death of a widow’s only son
III. Do you Believe in Life after Death? – Hebrews 4:15-16
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
A. Don’t cry
B. Get up
C. Hebrews 2:14-15, John 11:25-26
14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil—15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"
IV. Death at a Funeral (1 Corinthians 15:51-57)
51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." 55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
· H.C. Q & A 42
Q. What does God forbid in the eighth commandment?
A. God forbids not only outright theft and robbery, punishable by law. 1 But in God’s sight theft also includes all scheming and swindling in order to get our neighbor’s goods for ourselves, whether by force or means that appear legitimate,2such as inaccurate measurements of weight, size, or volume; fraudulent merchandising; counterfeit money; excessive interest; or any other means forbidden by God.3 In addition God forbids all greed4 and pointless squandering of his gifts.5 1 Ex. 22:1; 1 Cor. 5:9-10; 6:9-10 2 Mic. 6:9-11; Luke 3:14; James 5:1-6 3 Deut. 25:13-16; Ps. 15:5; Prov. 11:1; 12:22; Ezek. 45:9-12; Luke 6:35 4 Luke 12:15; Eph. 5:5 5 Prov. 21:20; 23:20-21; Luke 16:10-13
Application
Love > Grow > Serve
,The Nursery is staffed today. Thank you Sue Pedelty and Kinnick Brown. Please sign your child in.
Golf Mondays are back! Starting Monday, April 21st, with a tee time of 5:30 pm. Meet in Mason City at the Highland Golf Course.
ting our 2025 Graduates on May 4th. If you have someone graduating, please send me a picture and information about the graduation. Who, What, Where, etc.
FYI, Coffee N Chat will be on April 30th, so please mark it on your calendars.
Water & Woods Fish Fry! May 10th, 2025, from 5:00 pm until gone! Mark your calendars!
The volunteer sign-up sheet for VBS is located at the connection center.
The church email has changed to secretary@rollingacrescrc.org. Please update your church directory.
Hal Berding’s Funeral Service will be on Monday, April 28th, 1:30 pm at the Surf in Clear Lake.
Save the Date: Youth Basic Bible Camp is August 3rd - August 7th.
The 2025 Hammers & Heels event for Habitat for Humanity is almost upon us!! The Surf Ballroom will be the venue for this fundraising extravaganza. Our very own Rolling Acres Design Team is busy fashioning another exciting entry, and we were hoping you could help us retain the coveted People's Choice Award. Please follow the link below to donate before May 1st!! We hope you can attend, too, and enjoy the fellowship, food, and auction, as well as the runway show to cheer on our RA design! Buy your tickets at Hy-Vee or online at Habitat's website. HERE IS THE LINK TO DONATE/VOTE FOR OUR ENTRY! Thank you! https://habitatnci.charityproud.org/Fundraising/P2P/15060
MAY MARKS THE MONTH to bless our missionary families, the Klompiens (Nepal) and the Helfers (South Africa), with our financial support for them. Thus far this past year, Rolling Acres has given $1,316 to their ministries. Let's see how much we can gather to bless them in the next several weeks, shall we? Just put the amount to earmark for "Missionary Families" in the memo line of your check or Venmo gift. Bless YOU as you bless THEM!
Thank you, Gary A., for sharing the flowers from Mary’s Celebration with us on Sunday.
Want to make our guests feel welcome? Please put on a name tag. They are available at both entrances. Thanks!
Reminder: If you are the last person leaving the church after any event or activity, Please remember to clean up; i.e. tables, chairs, and kitchen, turn off the lights, shut the windows, and lock the doors. Thank you Management
If you unhook the chairs in the sanctuary, you must hook them up again! this is a safety issue. Thank you.
Would you like access to the devotional offered by the church, please call 641-424-1369 or email the church secretary at racrcsec@msn.com.
Have you checked out Missionary Corner? There are updates from our missionaries, the Klompien's, and the Hefler's. Copies are available for reading. Please take one and see how they have been sharing Christ’s love and mission
Reminder if you borrow tables and chairs from the church, please remember to follow equipment borrowing procedures. Upon return, please make sure all items are clean and in good order.
There are activity bags available for the children, during worship service. They are located next to the coat rack in a bin.
Hal Berding passed away last Saturday. Please keep Geri Berding and her family in your prayers. Christian condolences to Robert Miller, Dane, Grant, and family. Robert’s mom, Dolores, passed away Tuesday afternoon. Keep all in prayer. Al Lewerke: the surgery went well, but he is in a lot of pain. Pray for some relief. Please pray for those who cannot attend on Sunday, like Phyllis Lau. Pray for our Youth Bible Camp, that it will minister to the youth in our Classis. Pray for Calvin University that they cultivate the next generation of servant leaders. Pray for our missionary family, the Helfers, as they minister to the people of South Africa. Remember Israel and Ukraine, and pray for peace.
Luke 24:1-12
Cut out five circles, and draw the following faces on one of each of the circles: happy, sad, surprised, angry, and afraid. Tape one circle to the top of the craft sticks.
Easter is a pleasant day, isn't it? (Pause for responses.) It’s the day we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. It’s interesting to think about what Jesus’ friends might’ve been feeling on that day.
We all know our faces show the way we feel. Sometimes we try to hide it, but we’re not always so great at hiding how we feel. Today, I don’t want you to hide it. As I tell the story, I want you to show on your faces how the people in the story feel about what is happening. (Invite five kids to stand in front of the class, and have each child hold one of the signs. They’ll hold their signs up when they think the emotion will be present. Explain that more than one emotion could be present. The children in the audience will show on their own faces what emotion they might feel. If they want to show more than one emotion, they can alternate the emotions on their faces repeatedly.)
It was early in the morning on the first day of the week when some women went to visit the tomb where their friend, Jesus, had been buried. He had been crucified and died on a cross. (This might be a time kids show sad faces. Point out the signs and the kids’ faces. Pay attention to any unique responses so you can quickly pause and let the child briefly explain.)
He was buried in a borrowed tomb and the women were going to put spices on His body. (Pause.)
When they arrived at the tomb, the women discovered that the stone that had covered the entrance had been rolled away. (Pause.)
When they looked inside the tomb, they had the biggest surprise of all. The tomb was empty! They thought someone had stolen Jesus’ body. (Pause.)
Suddenly, two men in bright shining clothes came and stood beside the women. In their fright, they bowed down with their faces to the ground. (Pause.)
The men spoke to the women and said, "Jesus is not here; He has risen! Don't you remember what He told you when He was in Galilee?" (Pause.)
Then the women remembered what Jesus had told them, and they were no longer afraid. Their fear turned to happiness, and they went back and told Jesus' disciples what they had seen and that Jesus had risen, just as He had told them He would. What a happy day! (Pause.)
You and I have reason to be happy today. We’re happy because we know that Jesus rose from the grave and that He lives forever. But we’re also happy because we know that the Bible tells us that "Whoever believes in Him will not perish, but will have everlasting life." Now that is something to be happy about, isn't it? (Invite kids to show their happy faces by holding up the sign.)
Dear Father, we’re happy today because Jesus rose from the grave and lives forever. We are also happy because we know that those who believe in Him will also have everlasting life. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.