Acts 10:34-43 (NRSV)
Peter began to speak to the gentiles: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ--he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
Psalm 118 (BCP., p.760)
1 Corinthians 15:1-18 (NRSV)
I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you--unless you have come to believe in vain.
For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them--though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.
John 20:1-18 (NRSV)
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbouni!" (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, `I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'" Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said these things to her.
Blog Reflection
Alleluia! Christ is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Beloved Christians, today we sing Jesus Christ Is Risen Today and Hail Thee Festival Day! We gather in large numbers to celebrate what the Scriptures, Tradition and faith have celebrated throughout the Centuries. The choirs are singing hymns and anthems while the organ and other instruments are being played with brilliance and jubilation. Easter dinners and parties with family and friends celebrate the arrival of Easter and the long awaited ending of Lent and Holy Week. What a beautiful and wonderful day.
That first Easter morning must not have been a happy one in the beginning for Mary and the other women. They came to the tomb to bring spices and fresh linens. They must not have known that Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea had already done those things at Jesus' burial. Imagine the horrified look on their faces when they found the tomb empty. Imagine the look on their faces when they were met by the angels as is recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke who told them, "He is not here. He is risen!"
What about those disciples? They were told on any number of occasions that Jesus would be crucified and on three days rise again. The mighty Peter who said that he would follow Jesus wherever He went, denied Him three times. Now, Peter is looking into an empty tomb, turned away and went home "for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead."
As Christians who claim to believe in the Resurrection, where do we find the evidence of such around us? We celebrated Lent and Holy Week. Here we are on Easter Day. It is hard to find evidence of the Resurrection in our politics and news. Gun violence still runs rapid with no additional legal protections. Racism is a wild animal that preys upon teenagers, women and men in our police departments, schools, colleges and churches. Bills are written, debated and fast tracked to give a license to discriminate on the basis of "religious liberty" to deny basic human services to LGBTQ people, Muslims, Jews and others who do not fit the criteria of Christianists. "Religious Liberty" is worth defending if one agrees with their version. If one does not, then Christianists and Dominionists are being persecuted by making martyrs of themselves only. Is it any wonder that Christians are viewed as standing at the empty tomb with the disciples and wondering what really happened? Is it any wonder that many just cannot believe in the awesome Christian Faith that many of us embrace and love?
On this Easter Day, we renew our Baptismal Vows in communion with other Christians around the world. To the questions, "Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?", and "Will you strive for justice and peace among all persons, and respect the dignity of every human being?" we collectively and individually answer, "I will, with God's help."
Today, as Christians we celebrate our Lord Jesus Christ risen from the dead. Now, let us celebrate by living as Easter People. May we be an Easter People calling for an end to violence, prejudice, oppression and become ambassadors for the Risen Christ by doing all we can to make it so.
Amen.
Alleluia! Christ is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia!
Prayers
Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus
Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of
everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the
day of the Lord's resurrection, may be raised from the death
of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for Easter Day. The Book of Common Prayer, p.222).
Grant, O God, that your holy and life-giving Spirit may so
move every human heart [and especially the hearts of the
people of this land], that barriers which divide us may
crumble, suspicions disappear, and hatreds cease; that our
divisions being healed, we may live in justice and peace;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for Social Justice. The Book of Common Prayer, p.823).
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