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Science-Engaged Worship at Easter

 Judith Harbinson

The affirmation of science as a gift from God can be actively incorporated into the church’s collective worship throughout the liturgical year

At Easter we reflect on Christ, the firstborn over all creation and the firstborn from among the dead (Colossians 1:15-20), who has reconciled all things in creation to himself.  

Easter offers us an opportunity to consider our stance towards the material world with an attitude of curiosity, reverence and humility, as All things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:16-17). 

Sharing collects on scientific themes during collective worship is one way to affirm these truths. We’ve written some below that you can integrate into your own Easter worship, or use as a template for creating your own.

Palm Sunday Helen Billam 

Lord God, King of Kings, to whom all things in heaven and earth give glory:

In Your love for us You chose humility over wealth and power.

You entered the city not as a king but as a saviour.

We pray this Palm Sunday that we may fully embrace Your gift of science, not as a tool to bring us power and control, but as a precious gift to be used in service of one another,

That we may learn more about Your marvellous creation

even as we accept that there are mysteries beyond our understanding.

 In the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Good Friday Prof Tom McLeish

Crucified Lord 

Whose act of sacrificial love brought Heaven and Earth athwart,

and released your power and promise to heal and renew,

Give us courage so to follow in the way of the Cross, 

That we may also participate in acts of your New Creation

Through Jesus Christ our Lord

Amen.

Four Sundays of Easter Revd Dr Lucas Mix 

Easter Sunday

Risen Lord, in your life, death, and resurrection, we find ourselves confronted with a new creation, the restoration of our first state and the anticipation of our final hope; grant that we, following in your footsteps, may see in nature the perfection you intended, in life the movement of your Spirit, and in death an opportunity; plant within our hearts the seeds of resurrection, so that, in this life and in the next, we may find the fulfilment of nature, the fulfilment of life, and the true meaning of our existence. May we know you as you were, as you are, and as you ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Second Sunday of Easter

Risen Lord, in your mercy you revealed your wounds to Thomas, and in seeing he believed; open our eyes to see your presence in the world, in the order of the cosmos, in the breath of life, and in your Holy Spirit; grant that we, with Thomas, may always seek, always ask, and always follow you; grant us wisdom to perceive and patience to persevere; and grant us faith that we may, in knowledge and uncertainty, draw ever nearer to the truth that you reveal: the knowledge of and love of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Third Sunday of Easter

Risen Lord, in your mercy you revealed your new creation in bread and wine; you became flesh and blood, not once but twice, that we in our ignorance might believe; grant that we, with your disciples, may know you in the breaking of the bread; grant us such clarity of vision that we may perceive your truth in the laws of physics, in the flesh of Jesus, and in your body, the Church; and so open our hearts, that we may see these are not three truths, but one, through the triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Risen Lord, in your mercy you revealed your love for us, that we are the people of your pasture and the sheep of your fold; created in your image and drawn by your word, we have the gifts of memory, reason, and skill; help us to know you through these gifts, to turn our senses and our minds to understanding your creation; uphold us in our search, rewarding curiosity with knowledge, knowledge with love, and love with greater curiosity, so that we may become better disciples, better stewards, and better reflections of your glory, through Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

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