Order Of Worship
Call to Worship & God's Greeting
Whom Shall I Fear God of Angel Armies
Hymn of Heaven
Bless to be a Blessing
Hammer & Heels
Congregational Prayer
Children's Message
“The Lift of Love”
Galatians 6:2
Scripture and Message
“The Face of Fear ~ Joseph of Arimathea”
John 19:30-42
Lord Reign In Me
Sending and God's Parting Blessing
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
Have a Great Week!
Sermon Outline
“The Face of Fear ~ Joseph of Arimathea”
John 19:30-42
30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. 31 Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers, therefore, came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. 35 The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken," 37 and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have pierced." 38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. 40 Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.
Introduction – Story - Eastertide
I. The Cross of Christ Changes Joseph of Arimathea
II. The Cross – Overcomes Fear
A. Taking a position before men, more than position before God
B. Valuing the praise of men more than the praise of God
III. The Cure for Fear
· John 3:14-15
14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.
· Perfect love drives out fear
Application
Love > Grow > Serve
Kid's Bulletin
"A New Commandment"
John 13:31-35
Get Ready: Gather props for roles that kids will be able to identify, such as an artist, a firefighter, a fisherman, a musician, and a teacher. If you don’t have a partition, hang a bed sheet that you can walk behind to switch roles.
Do This :SAY: I’ve prepared a fun game for us to play today. It’s a guessing game. Here’s how we play. I’ll put on a costume and pretend to have a specific role or job, and then you’ll have to guess who I am. Ready?
Choose a role and then perform actions the person might perform if they were in that role. Take props from behind the partition to add to your persona until the kids guess who you are. Once the kids have guessed correctly, ask them how they knew who you were.
Let kids take turns repeating the same process with new roles, while the other children guess who they are. Allow them to use the props for other roles they think of, as well.
This game makes me think of our Bible passage for today. Jesus was teaching His friends, the disciples. He was getting ready to go to heaven and He wanted them to be ready, too. He told them, “You can’t go where I’m going. But when I leave, I want you to love others as I have loved you. Then they’ll know you’re My disciples.”
Like in our game, you knew I was a [remind children of a role you played] because I [remind children of the actions you did and what you looked like].
Jesus says when we love others like He loved others, they’ll know we’re His friends. Would you like people to know you’re Jesus’ friend? We’ll think more about that today.
PRAY: God, we want others to know we’re Jesus’ friends. Help us to love others like Jesus loved. In Jesus name, Amen.
