DATES: Sunday 3rd April to Sunday 1st May 2022
WHAT WE WANT FOR PEOPLE: That they would hear and receive the good news of the gospel! That they would know with great clarity and simplicity what Jesus did on the cross, how he rose again, ascended into heaven, is now seated at the right hand of the Father and is going to return! This event is the centrepiece of our faith through which we are being transformed and upon which we build our lives.
Easter is the liturgical high point of the Christian calendar. During it, we remember & celebrate not just the crucifixion & resurrection of Jesus, but also his Spirit-empowered life, ministry, and ascension. This series focuses on this season through the preaching of the whole Gospel passion narrative —beginning with Jesus’ enthronement, moving through his ministry, death and resurrection before culminating in his ascension, the final act of God’s atoning story.
BOOK/THEME: Luke and Hebrews
RESOURCES:
Article from Joseph Greene, Tyndale Theological Seminary on The Spirit in the Temple
Weekly Breakdown
Week 1: Enthroned - 3rd April 2022
Luke 1:32-33
What we want for our people: We want our people to grasp in the first week of our Easter campaign to focus on what Jesus did through his death and resurrection. So that no matter what happens from this point, they know the purpose of the plan. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit’s plan was eternal, to rule over all creation, it was to establish His throne and Kingdom that will never end. We want to highlight the key attributes of Christ: Son of the Most High, given the throne of King David, ruler over the kingdom that will never end, giving our congregation the “reason for the season” of Easter. To end focusing on the return of the King as the final instalment when the Kingdom is established forever.
Click here for Connect Notes.
Week 2: Holy Ground - 10th April 2022
Luke 1:35, Luke 3:22, Luke 4:14-30
What we want for our people: This week we want to highlight the role of the Holy Spirit and focus on the Spirit empowered life of Christ. I know at Easter we normally focus on Jesus, but in this series, we want to show that it wasn’t just Jesus up to something, the Father, the Son and the Spirit were all involved in this incredible event that was about to change everything! It was Jesus empowered by the Holy Spirit that brought the victory and gave us the ability to live a spirit empowered life: the same power that rose him from the dead lives in us.
Week 3: Good Friday - This is Victory - 15th April 2022
Luke 22 and 23
What we want for our people: We want our people this week to hear and receive the good news of the gospel! That they would know with great clarity and simplicity what Jesus did on the cross, how he rose again, ascended into heaven, is now seated at the right hand of the Father and is going to return! This event is the centrepiece of our faith through which we are being transformed and upon which we build our lives.
Week 3: Easter Sunday - This is Life - 17th April 2022
Luke 24: 13-35 [Road to Emmaus]
What we want for our people: This week, we’re highlighting the Road to Emmaus story as it is unique to Luke’s gospel. We’re emphasising the thwarting of evil and confronting the very real sense of disappointment people were feeling considering Jesus’ death. We see how Jesus reveals the full salvation story of God, throughout scripture, culminating in the communion moment, with Jesus himself as the host. We want our people to understand that the thwarting of evil was confronting and brought a very real sense of disappointment. And in that place of discouragement, Jesus didn’t rebuke them but brought truth with love that brought hope.
Click here for Connect Notes.
Week 4: Immersed - 24th April 2022
Luke 24:1-12 [discovering the empty tomb]
What we want for our people: This week we want our people to understand the story of the women at the tomb and the death and resurrection of Christ as a template for baptism. We want them to not stay in death but to know the plan of God for restoration of life!
Week 5: Ascension - 1st May 2022
Luke 24:50-52/Acts 1:6-11, Hebrews 4:14-16
What we want for our people: We want our people to understand that the Easter story doesn’t stop when Jesus dies and rises from the dead. You are invited into the death of Jesus through repentance and water baptism. The power of the ascension story is vital to understanding the mission of God. Jesus had to go (ascend into the holy of holies) so that we might live in the power of the Spirit ourselves. We want our people to feel empowered that the ascension gifts are the passing of the baton, now it’s our turn! The book of Acts which we will study next is the fulfilment of the mission of Jesus by his people.
Click here for Connect Notes.
