Order of Worship
Call to Worship
Easter Litany
Leader: Christ is risen!
People: Christ is risen indeed!
Leader: Christ is risen!
People: Christ is risen indeed! Alleluia
Christ The Lord is Risen Today
Christ the Lord is risen today, alleluia
Sons of men and angels say, alleluia
Raise your joys and triumphs high, alleluia
Sing ye heavens and earth reply, alleluia
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Lives again our glorious King, alleluia
Where O death is now thy sting, alleluia
Dying once He all doth save, alleluia
Where thy victory O grave, alleluia
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Love’s redeeming work is done, alleluia
Fought the fight the battle won, alleluia
Death in vain forbids Him rise, alleluia
Christ has opened paradise, alleluia
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Soar we now where Christ has led, alleluia
Following our exalted Head, alleluia
Made like Him, like Him we rise, alleluia
Ours the cross, the grave, the skies, alleluia
A Reading of the Easter Story
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” – Matthew 28:1-10 NIV
The Lord’s Prayer
Our Father,
who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
How Great Thou Art
Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder
Thy power throughout the universe displayed
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Then sings my soul my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
Then sings my soul my Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art, how great Thou art
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And when I think that God, His Son not sparing
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in
That on the cross my burden gladly bearing
He bled and died to take away my sin
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Chorus
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When Christ shall come, with shouts of acclamation
And lead me home, what joy shall fill my heart
Then I shall bow, in humble adoration
And there proclaim my God how great Thou art
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Chorus
Generosity Moment
Every year our Easter offering goes beyond the walls of HP Pres to spread the hope of the resurrection. We’re helping to reach people no one else is reaching by planting churches in communities around our country and even around the world. One such church is New Life Brazilian Church in Plano, Tx, which is working to reach a community of professional Brazilian rodeo cowboys who live in the Decatur area.
This year, every dollar you give today will help us plant new churches locally and globally. You can give online at hppres.org/give, or by texting HPPRES to 833-343-4801. Click to give today.
Easter Message
Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ
Baptisms
King of Kings
In the darkness, we were waiting without hope, without light
‘Till from heaven You came running, there was mercy in Your eyes
To fulfill the law and prophets, to a virgin came the Word
From a throne of endless glory, to a cradle in the dirt
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Praise the Father, praise the Son, praise the Spirit, three in one
God of Glory, Majesty, Praise forever to the King of Kings
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To reveal the kingdom coming, and to reconcile the lost
To redeem the whole creation, You did not despise the cross
For even in your suffering You saw to the other side
Knowing this was our salvation, Jesus for our sake You died
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Chorus
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And the morning that You rose, all of heaven held it’s breath
‘Till that stone was moved for good, for the Lamb had conquered death
And the dead rose from their tombs, and the angels stood in awe
For the souls of all who’d come to the Father are restored
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And the church of Christ was born, then the Spirit lit the flame
Now this gospel truth of old shall not kneel, shall not faint
By His blood and in His name, in His freedom I am free
For the love of Jesus Christ, who has resurrected me
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Chorus
Benediction
Leading in Worship
- Bryan Dunagan – Senior Pastor
- Caleb Hardy – Worship Leader
- Jay Lee – Exectuvie Pastor
- Ramie Martinez – Worship Leader
- Teresa Murray – Director of Early Childhood
- Savannah Pace – Associate Director of High School
Was Jesus Really
Raised from the Dead?
Easter isn’t good news if it isn’t really true. Many in our day believe the resurrection is really just a sentimental way of talking about hope and spring and newness of life. There have been times in my life when I wondered whether any of this was really true. In college, I took a course called The Death of God, which summed up the strongest arguments against the historical resurrection of Jesus. It challenged my faith to its core, but the journey through those doubts actually led to a stronger and deeper confidence in an actual, historical, bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ.
One of the most compelling evidences is that women were the first witnesses of the resurrection. Women’s low social status in the first century meant that their testimony was not admissible evidence in court. If you were making up this story, there’s no way women would be the first witnesses. Among them was Mary Magdalene, a woman who was demon possessed before Jesus changed her life. This was about the least likely candidate in the entire New Testament to be the first witness of the empty tomb. The best possible explanation for why women are recorded as discovering the empty tomb first is that’s how it happened, and they couldn’t bring themselves to alter the true story.
Some skeptics argue that Jesus’ disciples made the resurrection up to advance their own agenda. The only problem with that is the disciples—as a matter of historical record—faced persecution, suffering, and ultimately death for claiming they had seen the risen Jesus. People will die for all kinds of things, but not for something they know to be a lie. No one gives their life for a metaphor. The most compelling explanation is that the tomb really was empty, and 500 eyewitnesses saw the risen Jesus, and simply could not ignore the truth. The church did not create the resurrection; the resurrection created the church.
-Bryan Dunagan
Senior Pastor
Further reading:
- The Reason for God – Tim Keller
- Mere Christianity – C.S. Lewis
- Surprised by Hope – N.T. Wright
- The Case for Christ – Lee Strobel
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