When someone is in their final days, those who are close to the person often lean and listen hard to their final words. As Jesus hung on the cross, the Scriptures record Him saying seven final phrases that those who were gathered near Him listened to and recorded. What do they mean for us today, and why should we still listen to them?
This was the final week of the “Final Words” series, as well as Easter. As we gathered we looked at the final phrases of Jesus from the cross (John 19:30 and Luke 23:46) as He declared that it was DONE. It was a great day together celebrating, remembering, and proclaiming the sufficiency of Christ’s work on the cross and the transforming power of that work.
Service Flow (Song links go to amazon.com where they can be purchased for .99 and DRM free):
Christ the Lord is Risen Today (arr. from HymnCharts Band)
Greet/Welcome/Announce
Video: Jesus Receives All the Honor (Amena Brown from bluefishtv.com)
Mighty to Save (Morgan/Fielding)
Everlasting God (Brown/Riley)
Jesus Messiah (Tomlin, Carson, Cash, Reeves)
Dramatic Reading: On the Way to the Cross (via the Skit Guys. They also have a video version.)
Message
Prayer
Choir
Baptism (5 between the two services)
Offering w/ video “Easter Drawing”
Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) (Tomlin, Giglio, Excell, Rees, Newton)
In Christ Alone (Townend, Getty)
Dismiss
It was a wonderfully marvelous day and celebration. Both services were full which gave a nice feeling. The worship team put extra work in at practice, and it showed as we led on Sunday. The music was great and we (the congregation) were able to worship in song with joy together. We came out of Mighty to Save right into the chorus of Everlasting God. The videos and dramatic elements helped to reinforce the story of Christ’s resurrection, and the message was very clear about the importance of accepting what Christ had done.
During the time of prayer, people were given a chance to respond to the gospel. We had a number of people respond to the gift of salvation and that Christ has done it all. It was great, too, to hear the stories of those whose lives have been transformed by Christ and were announcing their new life through baptism, just as the angels announces that Christ was risen on that morning so long ago. There was a great spirit (and the Holy Spirit) present.
Even though, in many ways, every Sunday is a celebration of Christ’s resurrection when the church gathers, it’s great to be able to have a time each year to really focus in on that and celebration it. I’m thankful for all who put so much work into telling the story this past Sunday, and I’m thankful for all who came to hear and celebrate.
He is risen! He is risen indeed! I hope that your experience was just as meaningful. To check out other experiences, head over to Sunday Setlists at fredmckinnon.com.
