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CONTINUITY ANNOUNCER
Sunday Worship comes from the chapel of Rugby School.听 The service is led by the Head Master, Peter Green, assisted by Deputy Head Sally Rosser and members of the school.听 The preacher is the Chaplain, the Revd Richard Horner.听 The theme of the service is 鈥淓aster People鈥� and it begins as the choir sings the introit, 鈥淭he Lord is Risen鈥� by Barry Rose.

CHOIR
鈥淭he Lord is Risen鈥� 鈥� Barry Rose

PETER GREEN (HEAD MASTER)
Good morning and welcome to Rugby School.听 Here in the Chapel, the heart of the school, our community of 800 girls and boys, with their teachers, gathers regularly for worship and reflection - to pray, to sing, to be challenged and inspired.听

You join us at the beginning of a new term.听 As ever, there is much to look forward to in the weeks ahead 鈥� including the prospect of public exams for many.听 But as we throw ourselves into the activities of a busy boarding school, we pause for a while to celebrate together.听

Easter, of course, falls during the school holidays.听 So it鈥檚 our custom here to celebrate in two stages.听 At the end of the Spring term, we commemorate the crucifixion.听 Last term ended right here in this chapel as we read the stories of Jesus鈥� death, we blew out the candles, veiled the cross and left the chapel in darkness.

And where last term ended, this new term began - back here in the chapel as we restored its light and life, and celebrated the good news of resurrection - new life, new hope, a new future.

Christians are Easter People, living every day in the joyful knowledge that Christ is risen from the dead; and where he has led, we may follow.听 For a disciple of Jesus, every day is a day of resurrection:

HYMN听The day of resurrection!听听(tune: Ellacombe)

PETER GREEN
Alleluia!听 Christ is risen!
ALL
He is risen indeed!听 Alleluia!

PETER GREEN
Blessed are you, Lord our God, redeemer and king of all; to you be glory and praise for ever!
From the waters of chaos you drew forth the world, and, in your great love, made us in your image.听
Now, through the deep waters of death you have brought your people to new birth, raising your Son to life in triumph.
May we, the firstfruits of your new creation, rejoice in this new day, and may the light of Christ dawn in our hearts as we bring our sacrifice of thanks and praise to you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
ALL
Blessed be God for ever!

(UNANNOUNCED)
CHOIR听ANTHEM: JUBILATE IN C 鈥� CV STANFORD

SALLY ROSSER
In our first Bible reading, the Apostle Paul writes to the young Christians in the city of Corinth.听 Like young Christians everywhere - and old ones too for that matter - the Corinthians didn鈥檛 always stay focussed on matters of true importance.听 They were drawn into pointless arguments about religious customs and practices.听 They bickered and squabbled, losing sight of the unity to which they鈥檇 been called.听 St Paul calls them back to the basis of their faith, the death and resurrection of Christ.听 He describes Jesus as the 鈥渇irst fruits鈥� 鈥� and goes on to remind his readers that Christ鈥檚 rising from the dead is the guarantee of their own resurrection.听 Where he has led, we shall follow.

BART HOBSON听 - Reading - 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, 12-23
Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2 By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.
3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Peter and then to the Twelve. 6 After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have died.
12 And if Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.
20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the first fruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.

SALLY ROSSER听
God鈥檚 promise is that we, as Easter People, may share in Jesus鈥� resurrection 鈥� if we are willing to share too in his death.听 The 17th century poet Thomas Campion expressed the quiet, confident joy of that knowledge, in his poem 鈥淰iew me Lord鈥�.听 It has been set to music by the contemporary composer Richard Lloyd, a former pupil of this school:

CHOIR听View me, Lord 鈥� Richard Lloyd

SALLY ROSSER听
In our next Bible reading, a well-known passage from John鈥檚 Gospel, we hear some of Jesus鈥� words of comfort and reassurance to his disciples, delivered shortly before his death.听 He promises them that his new life will be their new life too; where he is going, they can surely follow.听 This throws them into a panic, because they think they don鈥檛 know where he is going.听 How can they follow?听 But it鈥檚 not what you know, he reassures us, it鈥檚 who you know.听 He is the first fruits; his life is our new life.

ELLIE MUSTON 鈥� Reading -听 John 14:1-13

Jesus said,
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father鈥檚 house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.鈥�
5 Thomas said to him, 鈥楲ord, we don鈥檛 know where you are going, so how can we know the way?鈥�
6 Jesus answered, 鈥業 am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.鈥�

PETER GREEN
The hymn 鈥淟ord enthroned in heavenly splendour鈥� wonderfully captures the connection between Jesus鈥� resurrection and ours.听 He is the 鈥渇irst-born from the dead鈥�.听 His heavenly splendour awaits us at our death and rebirth, but also shines all around us as we live each day as Easter People.

HYMN听 - Lord, enthroned in heavenly splendour听听 Tune: St Helen.听 (Not St Helena!)

SERMON - CHAPLAIN
There鈥檚 been a lot of speculation in the press about the new James Bond movie.听 Filming is due to start this month.听 I鈥檓 very excited, because I鈥檓 a huge fan.听 In fact I鈥檓 pretty sure I鈥檝e seen all the James Bond films, twenty-four of them so far.听

However, it may be that there are one or two I鈥檝e missed over the years.听 So I suppose it鈥檚 possible that there鈥檚 a film I haven鈥檛 seen in which James Bond gets into a situation of mortal danger, and just at the very end he doesn鈥檛 escape.听 He鈥檚 beheaded by a razor-edged frisbee, or laterally bisected by a laser beam; the smooth-voiced villain cackles manically and strokes his white cat, and the credits roll up the screen.听 It鈥檚 possible, I suppose.

No, let鈥檚 face it, it鈥檚 not possible.听 If we know anything about James Bond, we know that he always makes a miraculous escape against all the odds in the last five minutes of the film.听 He skis over a cliff to certain death 鈥� but a union jack parachute opens up to waft him gently to the valley floor.听 He dives from the burning oil-rig or leaps his motorbike over his knife-wielding pursuers, pausing only to grab a beautiful girl with whom he then shares a glass of champagne, while dropping into a nearby fish tank the red telephone on which his irate boss is trying to call him.

It鈥檚 totally predictable 鈥� you鈥檙e not going to get any surprises from 007.

Perhaps you feel like that about Easter.听 It comes round every year, some time in March or April, and, quite frankly, the plot is pretty similar each time.听 Our hero gets betrayed, put on trial, falsely convicted, deserted by his friends, flogged by Roman soldiers, nailed to a wooden cross, and left out to die in the heat of the sun.听 Sure enough - he dies.听 His body gets taken down and placed in a tomb.听 They think it鈥檚 all over.听 But wait 鈥� that鈥檚 not the end of the story.听 Three days later some of his followers go to look for his body, and instead of finding him dead and cold, he鈥檚 alive again!听 They get to talk to him, touch him, share meals with him, their lives are transformed, and they start a religious movement which would spread to encompass a third of the world鈥檚 population.

The events themselves were extraordinary.听 But the retelling of them each year is totally predictable.听 So why do we bother?听 Why do we read those harrowing stories about Jesus鈥檚 death, why do we cover the cross with a funeral shroud and close the doors and put out the lights?听 Why do we then, read the resurrection story, light the candles, and unveil the cross?听 We know that Jesus didn鈥檛 stay dead, so why make any fuss about his death at all?听 How can we Christians pretend to be sad on Good Friday, when we know exactly what we鈥檙e going to be saying on Easter Day?

The answer is - because it鈥檚 not just about Jesus, it鈥檚 about us too.听 Yes, it鈥檚 totally predictable that at this time of year we will remember that Jesus died.听 Yes, it鈥檚 totally predictable that we will remind ourselves that his death was not the end, but that he was raised to life again.听
And I鈥檒l tell you what else is totally predictable 鈥� that you and I are going to die one day too.听 Hopefully at a fine old age, after a lifetime of happiness, surrounded by your loved ones, with a nice cup of tea in one hand and a copy of the Church Times in the other.听 Quite possibly in some other, less happy, way 鈥� and sudden untimely death is never far from the world news or from our own lives.

But there aren鈥檛 going to be any surprises, Pope or pauper, we鈥檙e all going to die, whether we like to think about it or not.听 And we don鈥檛 like to think about it, let鈥檚 be honest.听 But this season of Easter, by its very predictability, forces us to confront that uncomfortable fact.听 And in the face of such an uncomfortable but totally predictable fact, what do we want?听 I鈥檒l tell you what I want 鈥� I want a totally predictable outcome.听 I want to know that when my years on earth are finished, that will not be the end, but that there is something more, something better, in store for me.听

As a Christian I consider myself a follower of Jesus Christ 鈥� a follower in both senses of the word.听 A follower in that I try to obey his teaching, but also in that I believe I will follow him on the journey through death into new life, and that for me death will not be the end.听 Christ the first fruits.听 Christ the glorious firstborn from the dead.听 So I have come to value the total predictability of Easter, because above and beyond the change and chance, the frailty and forgetfulness of human life, it points me to a glory which is unchanging and everlasting.

So let the villains scheme and cackle; let them stroke their cats; I know there will be a happy ending.
The ancient responses known as the Easter Anthems celebrate this good news.听 The choir will sing these words now, words from the Bible, to a setting by John Scott:

CHOIR - THE EASTER ANTHEMS

BART
Let us pray
May Christ our risen Saviour fill us and all his people with the joy of his glorious and life-giving resurrection.
Jesus, Lord of life:听
In your mercy, hear us.

ELLIE
May his followers who are isolated and persecuted find fresh strength in the good news of Easter.
Jesus, Lord of life:
In your mercy, hear us.

BART
May God grant us humility to serve one another in Christian love.
Jesus, Lord of life:
In your mercy, hear us.

ELLIE
May he provide for those who lack food, work or shelter.
Jesus, Lord of life:
In your mercy, hear us.

BART
By his power, may those who suffer through war and famine be aided and comforted.
Jesus, Lord of life:
In your mercy, hear us.

ELLIE
May he reveal the light of his presence to the sick, the weak and the dying, to comfort and strengthen them.
Jesus, Lord of life:
In your mercy, hear us.

BART
According to his promises, may all who have died in the faith of Christ鈥檚 resurrection follow him through death to life eternal.
Jesus, Lord of life:
In your mercy, hear us.

ELLIE
Heavenly Father,
you have delivered us from the power of darkness
and brought us into the kingdom of your Son:
grant that, as his death brings us new life,
so his continual presence in us may raise us to eternal joy;
through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

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.

PETER GREEN
Our service draws to its end with some joyful acclamations based on a song from the 17th century; a short reading from the Bible; and a stirring hymn to send us out to love and serve - in the name of Jesus, our leader, pioneer, and brother - the first fruits of God鈥檚 harvest, the glorious firstborn from the dead.听

PETER GREEN :
Alleluia!听 Christ is risen!
ALL
He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

TIM COKER
The whole bright world rejoices now
All: With laughing cheer!听 With boundless joy!
The birds do sing on every bough:
Alleluia!听 Alleluia!

Then shout beneath the racing skies
With laughing cheer!听 With boundless joy!
To him who rose that we might rise:
Alleluia!听 Alleluia!

To Father, Son and Holy Ghost
With laughing cheer!听 With boundless joy!
Our God most high, our joy, our boast:
Alleluia!听 Alleluia!

TIM COKER听 Reading听 Revelation 1:4-7
Grace and peace to you from him who was, and who is, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.
To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father 鈥� to him be glory and power for ever and ever!
听鈥淟ook, he is coming with the clouds,
听听听 and every eye will see him!鈥�

(Unannounced)
HYMN Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;

CHAPLAIN
May Christ who calls you to follow him through death into the glory of resurrection life, strengthen you to live each day in faith, love and joy; and may the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, rest upon you this day and for ever more.听 Amen.

ORGAN VOLUNTARY - Now thank we all our God by Sigfrid Karg-Elert.

听