Sunrise Service

Easter Sunrise 2026

Christ yesterday and today,

the beginning and the end,

Alpha and Omega,

all time belongs to him,

and all ages;

to him be glory and power,

through every age and for ever. Amen.

This is the day when our Lord Jesus Christ passed from death to life.

Throughout the world Christians celebrate the awesome power of God.

As we hear his word and proclaim all that God has done,

we are confident that we shall share his victory over death and live with him for ever.

May the light of Christ, rising in glory,

banish all darkness from our hearts and minds.

The light of Christ.

Thanks be to God.

Do not abandon yourselves to despair,

for we are Easter people and alleluia is our song.

Alleluia! Christ is risen

He is risen indeed. Alleluia!

Let us open our lives to God and ask for his forgiveness and grace:

For those times when we have seen your resurrection

as a past event rather than a present encounter:

Lord, have mercy.

Lord have mercy

For those times when we have been blind to your presence:

Christ have mercy.

Christ have mercy

For those times when we have failed to live as those who have risen with Christ:

Lord, have mercy.

Lord have mercy

May the God of resurrection

of life and death and rebirth

Fill us with light and life.

Amen.

(Reader 1)

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:

sky and seas; plants and trees;

bodies of light in the sky;

creatures of the land, water, and air;

man and woman.

Gen. 1:1, 30-2:2 (Reader 2)

In the beginning God created the heavens

and the earth. . . . And it was so.

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed

in all their vast array.

By the seventh day God had finished the work

he had been doing;

so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.

(Song) See, What a Morning

See, what a morning, gloriously bright

With the dawning of hope in Jerusalem

Folded the grave clothes, tomb filled with light

As the Angels announce, "Christ is risen.”

See God's salvation plan

Wrought in love, borne in pain, paid in sacrifice

Fulfilled in Christ, the Man

For He lives, Christ is risen from the dead.

See Mary weeping, "Where is He laid?"

As in sorrow she turns from the empty tomb

Hears a voice speaking, calling her name

"It's the Master, the Lord, raised to life again.”

The voice that spans the years

Speaking life, stirring hope, bringing peace to us

Will sound 'til He appears

For He lives, Christ is risen from the dead.

One with the Father, Ancient of Days

Through the Spirit who clothes faith with certainty

Honour and blessing, glory and praise

To the King crowned with power and authority.

And we are raised with Him

Death is dead, love has won, Christ has conquered

And we shall reign with Him

For He lives, Christ is risen from the dead.

(Reader 1)

Early in the morning, surrounded by respectable liars,

religious leaders, anxious statesmen, and silent friends,

you accepted the penalty for sin, for standing in our place:

You shouldered and suffered the cross,

and with the words, “It is finished!” you put an end to our hopeless state of death, giving instead the promise of salvation and life.

Phil. 2:6-8 (Reader 2)

Consider the heart of Christ Jesus: “Who, being in very nature

God, did not consider equality with God something to be

grasped, rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very

nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being

found in appearance as a human being, he humbled himself

and became obedient to death — even death on a cross!”

(Song) In Christ Alone

In Christ alone my hope is found;

He is my light, my strength, my song;

this cornerstone, this solid ground,

firm through the fiercest drought and storm.

What heights of love, what depths of peace,

when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!

My comforter, my all in all,

here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone, Who took on flesh,

fullness of God in helpless babe!

This gift of love and righteousness,

scorned by the ones He came to save.

till on that cross as Jesus died,

the wrath of God was satisfied

for ev'ry sin on Him was laid —

here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,

light of the world by darkness slain;

then bursting forth in glorious day,

up from the grave He rose again!

And as He stands in victory,

sin's curse has lost its grip on me;

for I am His and He is mine —

bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,

this is the pow'r of Christ in me;

from life's first cry to final breath,

Jesus commands my destiny.

No pow'r of hell, no scheme of man,

can ever pluck me from His hand;

till He returns or calls me home,

here in the pow'r of Christ I'll stand.

(Reader 1)

Early in the morning,

a voice in a guarded graveyard,

empty cloths and footsteps in the dew

proved that you had risen,

that you had come back to those and for those

who had forgotten, denied, and destroyed you.

Acts 2:24, 32 (Reader 2)

God raised Jesus from the dead,

freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible

for death to keep its hold on him. God has raised this Jesus to

life, and we are all witnesses of the fact.

1 Pet. 1:3

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

In his great mercy he has given us new birth

into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from

the dead.

Time of Prayer for our City

The Lord’s Prayer

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name;

your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.

For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours,

now and for ever.

Amen.

(Reader 1)

Early in the morning,

the body of believers gather together,

one in faith and hope,

one in purpose:

To believe in and worship you,

the one Lord, Jesus Christ,

To live forgiven and thankful lives,

and to celebrate your victory over death

and the promise of eternal life.

1 Corinthians 15:57 (Reader 2)

But thanks be to God!

He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Peace

On this day of new beginnings,

we celebrate the promise of peace.

May the peace of Christ be always with you.

And also with you

Thine be the Glory

Thine be the glory, risen conquering Son
Endless is the victory Thou o'er death hast won
Angels in bright raiment rolled the stone away
Kept the folded grave clothes where Thy body lay

Thine be the glory, risen conquering Son
Endless is the victory Thou o'er death hast won

Lo Jesus meets us risen from the tomb
Lovingly He greets us, scatters fear and gloom
Let the church with gladness hymns of triumph sing
For her Lord now liveth, death hath lost its sting

Thine be the glory…

No more we doubt Thee glorious Prince of life
Life is nought without Thee, aid us in our strife
Make us more than conquerors through Thy deathless love
Lead us in Thy triumph to Thy home above

Thine be the glory…

The Blessing

How blessed is this day, when earth and heaven are joined

and humankind is reconciled to God!

May the light of Jesus shine continually

to drive away all darkness.

May Christ, the morning star

who knows no setting, find his light ever burning in our hearts!

The blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy

Spirit, be upon you, those you love and those you pray for this

day and for evermore. Amen

The Dismissal

Go in the peace of Christ. Alleluia! Alleluia!

Thanks be to God. Alleluia! Alleluia!