EASTER DAY.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1103, 17 April 1911, Page 6

EASTER DAY.

THE CHURCH SERVICES, Easter Day, tlio great festival of tho Resurrection, was observed in the customary manner in. the various churches yesterday. There wore, largo congregations at tho communion and other services, the well-known faster hymns and anthems were, sung, and tho Easter faith in its various phases was a very general subject for consideration in tho pulpits, .blaster has been observed in tho Church from very early times in commemoration of tho resurrection of. Christ.. It corresponds with tho Jewish Passover, which in tho Authorised Version of tho Bible is called once by the namo of taster, lhe name appears several times in the earlier versions. JJustcr is observed by tho Anglican, Roman Catholic, Greek, and Lutheran Churches','and by many anions tho non-liturgical Churches wh& do not generally regard the Church year, lho esteem in which it is held is indicated by its ancient title "The Great Day."

ANGLICAN. St. Paul's Pro-Cathedral was very tastefully decorated with white flowers, palms, and ferns lor tho Easter services, and tho early communion services were very largely attended, thero being also a large number of communicants at tho 11 a.m. service, when thy vicar (tho Rev. T. 11. Sprott) gave au appropriate sermon based on Luko .xxiv, 31, "The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon." Mr. Sprott stated that the Christian consciousness was based upon tho belief in the resurrection of Christ. The Christian consciousness was something quite different from the Buddhist or Mohammedan consciousness, for instance. ' It stood for the conviction that right in the end must triumph over wrong, that lovo was greater than hate, that there was life beyond the grave, that sin could be forgiven, that truth was more persistent than falsehood. In these dei>ressing days of doubt many ncoplo who" were not convinced of the truth of tho actual resurrection of Christ wero anxious to return their hold upon those (;rent moral ideals which formed the content of the Christian consciousness apart from belief-in the resurrection, but it was doubtful if one could hold an estate after he had lost the title deeds cf it. Supposing tho universe to be a rational system, it was hard to believe that the highest moral ideals of humanity were due to delusion. Jlr. Sprott proceeded to refer to tho resurrection narratives, and gave reasons and illustrations to show that they bore tho stamp of truth. The services at St. Peter's Church, Upper Willis Street, yesterday were very largely attended. The church, which had been decorated with flowers and greenery by lady members of the congregation on Saturday, presented a very bright appearance, and tho Easter music was heartily rendered by choir and congregation. Thero wero four celebrations, of tho Holy Communion, tho communicants numbering nearly 500. Tho vicar (Archdeacon Harper) ■ preached appropriate' sermons. At the evening servico tho church was crowded in every part. Special Easter services were held at St. Mark's Church yesterday. At the 11 a.m. servico the Rev. A. M. Johnson preached a sermon on the Resurrection of Christ, his text being "As I Live yo Shall Live Also." The church was decorated with flowers and evergreens, in honour of the Easter festival. Thero was a very large number of communicants. ■

METHODIST. The Rev. J. G. Chapman, who has succeeded tho Rev. S. J. Serpell as minister of the Tarariaki Street 1 Methodist Church, occupied the pulpit for tho first timo yesterday morning. Mr. Chapman preached from the 15th Chapter of I Corinthians, "For if tho dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:' And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye , are yet in your sins. Then they also which aro fallen asleep in Christ aro perished." The preacher said it was of supreme importance to find out whether Christ did or did not rise from tho dead. He wished to regard the congregation as a kind of jur'y, r l>9foro which, ho would set the evidence to be found in the Scriptures. The preacher proceeded to quote the evidence from tho timo Christ predicted that he would die, and foretold his rising again on the third day. In spite of the huge stone rolled and sealed before the entrance to the tomb, on tho third day, Easter Sunday morning, the soldier guards found the seals broken, and tho stone rolled away. Tho chief priests were dumbfounded when the soldiers reported to them that Christ had risen from tho tomb. 'Die soldiers were bribed to say that the friends of Jesus camo whilst they sleptan'd stole the body away. AVas it not strange that the soldiers should all sleep at once, and, if they slept, how did they know what happsned? Again, what motive had Christ's followers to steal the body away? There was no reason for the diseiples to steal the body. Tho preacher proceeded to trace the evidence of Christ having risen, referring to the doubt of the disciples until Jesus stood in their midst, and the convincing of St. Thomas by the nailwounds in the Master's feet. Death, concluded Mr. Chapman, was not an enemy, but a friondi 'who emancipated the-spirit...and set...it ..free.>to enter tho larger life. The message of Easter was: "We die unto sin, and we ri=o to live unto God." -

PRESBYTERIAN. There were largo congregations at all the services at St. John's Presbyterian Church yesterday and in the evening the church was densely crowded, liaster hymns were sung both mornirfg and evening and suitable Easter anthems were rendered by the choir,,, J.n the morning the Kev. ]3r. Gibb preached an impressive sermon. The knowledge of Christ, he said, was gained (1) by acquaintance with the facts of the earthly life of Jesus; (2) by faith, which is the eye- of the soul; (3) by a continual spiritual experience including; consciousness of forgiveness and cleansing and a new relationship to Gotl; (4) by a- character which is a moral centre and inspiration. Christ had come with knowledge, that acquired, was direct, immediate, personal—a surer, more reliable knowledge by far than that acquired from the testimony of the senses. The- external testimony to the Resurrection was very strong, but , it , was not sufficient to produce an absolutely invincible conviction. That came only with the testimony as verified by the believer's experience of Christ, manifested in his spiritual life and moral character. At St. Andrew's Church thorn were special Easter services, both morning and evening. The Rev. J. Gibson Smith preached at both services. In the morning he took for his text the words: "I have been' crucified with Christ, yet I live, and yet no longer J, but Christ liveth in me." In the evening the preacher took his text from the third chanter of the Epistle of St. Paul to the Fhilippians: "That 1 may know Him and the power of His Resurrection." Both discourses were listened to by large congiegations.

ROMAN CATHOLIC. In all the Roman Catholic churches tho usual Easter services were held yesterday. Archbishop Redwood sang Pontifical High Mass at the Buckle Street. Chapel in the morning, and preached the sermon. At the Mass, Father Schaefer was deacon, and Father Taylor sub-deacon. At tho Hill Street Basilica solemn High Mass was sung in the morning by Monsignor Fowler, of Sioux City. In tho evening Pontifical vespers were sung by Archbishop Redwood, who was assisted by Father Hickson (deacon) and Fathtr Peoples (sub-deacon). At Vespers at St. Anne's Church, Newtown yesterday evening Monsignor Fowler preached on tho Resurrection, basing his sermon on tho twenty-fourth chapter of St. Luke.

MISSIONS TO SEAMEN. The Missions to Seamen Church was most tastefully decorated for the Easter services yesterday, when a large congregation was present at each service. Mr. B. G. House preached in the morning, taking for his text John xx., 20: "Jesus faith unto him, Thomas, because Ihou hast seen me, tho'u hast believed: blessed are they that havo not seen, and .vet have believed." At tho evening service Mr. C. Burdekin preached from Luke xxiv. verso G: "Ho is not here, but is risen." Mr. J. S. Cummings read tho lessons, and Miss Mueller.sang the solo, "There is a Green Hill far Away." Snecial hymns wore suns by the choir and conefegation, Mr. W. Gardner presiding at 1 the organ.