Freelton Strabane United Church

To live our discipleship with integrity and grace.

Horseshoe Falls Regional Council

Easter Sunday

Sunday, April  5th 2026

Minister:  Rev. Will Wheeler, B.A. M. Div. 905-659-3380  E-mail: [email protected]

 Music Director Joan Simpson       

 Call to Worship

One: This is the Good News the grave is empty Christ is risen

All Hallelujah

One: this is the Good news the light shines in the darkness and the darkness can never put it out.

All Hallelujah

One: This is the good News Once we were no people now we are God’s people

All Hallelujah

One: Christ is our peace,

All: the indestructible peace we now share with each other. 

Hymn Jesus Christ is Risen Today 155

One: The Angels sing and rejoice. They proclaim that hearts are healed and the weeping is done

All The earth shouts joy and new life begun Christ the Lord is Risen

Lighting of the Christ Candle

One: We have travelled through the weeks of Lent Owning all that we box up inside of us. All the fear the regret the hurt.  The key to unlock those boxes has been placed but until this moment we have not been able to turn the key. 

All:  Christ is risen, and the keys are turned. The boxes have sprung open and we are given the ability to transform, to blossom to have the faith and courage to name what we have kept boxed up and set it all free. 

Song: (232 )

  Joyful, Joyful we adore thee, God of Glory, Lord of Love

Hearts unfold like flowers before thee, opening to the sun Above. Melt the clouds of sin and sadness, drive the dark of doubt away

giver of immortal Gladness, fill us with the light of day.

O

One The empty cross is a cross of Transformation

All The empty tomb is an empty shell left at the birth of new life.

One The burden of sin lifted and changed.  Transformed.

All Darkenss to light.  That which has burdened us is changed by the light of God’s love found in the empty tomb and the risen Christ.  

One: The stone is rolled away and the burden is lifted, Jesus the light of the world has risen  

All, The stone is rolled away and the burden is lifted, Jesus the light of the world has risen  

Prayer

One: Lord God, early in the morning when the world was young , you made life in all its beauty and terror; you gave birth to all that we know.

Hallowed by your name.

All Hallowed by your name.

One Early in the morning, when the world least expected it, a newborn child crying in a cradle announced that you had come among us, that you were one of us. Hallowed by your name

All Hallowed by your name

One early in the morning, surrounded by respectable liars, religious leaders, anxious statesmen and silent friends, you accepted the penalty for doing good for being God: you shouldered and suffered the cross.

Hallowed by your name 

All Hallowed by your name

One early in the morning, a voice in a guarded graveyard and footsteps in the dew proved that you had risen, that you had come back to those for those who had forgotten denied and destroyed you. Hallowed be your name,

All Hallowed by your name

One this morning in the multi-coloured company of your church on earth and in heaven we celebrate your creation, your life, your death and resurrection, your interest in us so we pray together

All Lord , Bring new life, where we are worn and tired; new love where we have turned hard-hearted; forgiveness where we feel hurt and where we have wounded; and the joy and freedom of your Holy Spirit, where we are prisoners of ourselves.

Silent prayer

One To all and to each, on his community and on his friends, where regret is real, Jesus pronounces his pardon and grant us the right to begin again. Thanks be to God

All Amen 

Sermon

There is an old saying that all Roads Lead to Rome.  Rome of course at one time the center of the known world.  Today it just means that to get to the destination one can choose there path. Unless you are Going to Waterdown where well there is no good way.  There are many roads that lead to today to this center moment of our faith.   Easter has a rather interesting history.  Sometimes we may forget that Jesus was a devout Jew and he was celebrating the Passover with the disciples.  For the next 295 years the celebration of the risen Christ was honoured at the same time as Passover.   There is some debate which was the more important celebration Easter vs Pentecost.   At the First Council of Nicaea it was decided to move Easter away from Passover for various reasons both political and theological.    It was established that Easter would be considered a movable feast. Easter is set to be celebrated on the first Sunday following the full moon after the Spring Equinox. The earliest Easter can be is March 25 and latest is April 25.   The last time Easter was on March the 25^th was 1818 and the next time will be 2285. The last time Easter was on April 25 was in 1943 and the next time that will happen is 2038. 

I read that the 106th Archbishop of Canterbury has been named the Most Reverend Sarah Mullally.  The first women to be named the Archbishop of Canterbury. 

 In her first sermon as the Archbishop she says

  “Over the last week I have walked the ancient pilgrim path from St Paul’s Cathedral in London to Canterbury Cathedral. Each day my heart and spirits were lifted immeasurably by the people young and old we encountered, even though my aching feet and limbs tell a different story! 

As I have walked, I have been aware that I make this journey both on a personal level, as my ministry moves from being Bishop of London to the Archbishop of Canterbury, but more significantly, I make this journey with others and in the footsteps of the past.

Thomas Becket, one of my predecessors as Archbishop of Canterbury, made this same pilgrim journey over 850 years ago. Today, I think of the many thousand unknown Christians who have trodden these same paths since. And not just on this ancient land, but all across the world, people walk the pilgrim paths of faith each and every day.

Of course, even if you’re following a path, the way can be unknown. Where it leads isn’t always clear, but we can trust in God’s hand guiding us - and in God’s promises.

In the darkest hour of the night when the world slept in grief for the lost son of God. In the cool of a cave, air heavy with the scent of spiced wrapping a Spirit slips into a cold body and there in that moment an intake of breath and the words whispered,  “All is forgiven.”  Angels containing joy remove wrappings and the world wakes to a new day. The pale thin rays reaching for a new day.

The Sun barely cresting the horizon, air still clinging to the cold of night, the cold of death as they make their way to a sealed tomb.  The dew baptizing their feet as they walk through the garden, the morning scent of flowers replaced by funeral spices.  The women came to the tomb expecting to perform a loving ritual a final farewell, and in a moment it was as if the very rocks themselves sang the praise of God. Deep base notes that quaked the very ground.  For they expected a sealed tomb. They expected a great stone.   

The Angel sitting on the rock feet swinging rhythmically dancing the folds of the glistening white robes 

Holy words  “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. ⁶He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. ⁷Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’

How can it be, can it be?   In joy in disbelieve they ran back only to encounter Jesus right there, right there before them! 

We come to this day, out of habit, expecting the ritual, the story told, the sacrament shared, The Sanctuary beautifully flowered,  We come to this day with expectations of family, of turkey and ham and chocolate,   Easter is much more than all of that.

Easter is a deep knowing of how much we are loved by God. Easter is hope for a new beginning.  Easter is that which defines our faith. Easter becomes our strength our resolve our faith our calling to be followers of a Risen Lord.

Easter is bigger than just one day.  Today becomes the defining moment in who we are.

Rejoice and sing Rejoice and praise the Lord Rejoice for Christ the Lord is Risen today!

 Easter is the shedding of the foil of burdens that we carry to reveal the sweetness of the Gift given in resurrection.  Should we contain this movement of the Spirit of God?  No! Can we contain this movement of the Spirit of God? 

It is the unexpected God surprise in you. 

Easter is about the defeat of death,  Easter is the shedding of the foil of burdens that we carry to reveal the sweetness of the Gift given in resurrection. Easter is a reminder of our journey of faith, the renewal of God’s promise to us. 

For that first quaking of the earth as the stone rolled aside continues to rumble beneath our feet today.   

Arise and shine for your light has come.

For what is expected cannot be expected anymore for God has done the unexpected.

Jesus burst the tomb and in his passing grabs our hand gleefully telling us that all has changed in this moment. 

Of course, even if you’re following a path, the way can be unknown. Where it leads isn’t always clear, but we can trust in God’s hand guiding us - and in God’s promises.

Our journey, our pilgrimage of faith is Today begins.  think of the many thousand unknown Christians who have trodden these same paths of faith  since that morning.  .   all across the world, people walk the pilgrim paths of faith each and every day. For all paths lead to the divine within. God with in us. 

For today we are not alone,  in death we will not be alone and in the life we are given today we will not be lone thanks be to God. 

Offering

 Prayer May our gifts give testimony to the risen Christ. As we share in his ministry of healing and reconciliation, pour out your spirit in our midst that we may be equipped and empowered to carry out your purposes. We cannot keep the good news to ourselves; teach us how to pass it on Amen.

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