First Reading:
Acts of the Apostles 10:34-43
It is an ancient tradition to read from The Acts of the
Apostles during Eastertide. Acts is the second volume of the evangelist Luke. At
this point in the story, the apostle Peter has had a strange dream in which a
voice had told him “What God has made clean, you must not call profane.” At the
same time, a Roman Centurion named Cornelius had a dream to seek out Peter and
invite him to his home. When Peter arrives, Cornelius, a Gentile, welcomes him,
and Peter begins to speak, which is today’s reading. Immediately after this,
the Holy Spirit falls down on Cornelius and his family, and the Jesus movement
makes a major advance—the Gentiles will be as welcome in this movement as Jews.
The speech contains an accusation that “the people of Israel….put him to death
by hanging him on a tree.” We know the story is more complicated than that. It
was certain Jewish religious authorities who goaded Pilate to send Jesus to a
Roman-executed death.
34 Then
Peter began to speak to [Cornelius and his household]: “I truly understand that
God shows no partiality, 35 but in
every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 You know the message he sent to the people
of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all. 37 That message spread throughout Judea,
beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 38 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. 39 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; 40 but God raised him on the third day and
allowed him to appear, 41 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. 42 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. 43 All
the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives
forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Or this
First Reading:
Isaiah 65:17-25
This reading comes near the end of Isaiah, echoing two
passages from earlier in the book, Isaiah 25:6-10 and 11:6-9. It is a grand
apocalyptic vision of a renewed creation living fully within the dream of God.
This new creation hearkens back to Israel’s creation myth with people living
extraordinarily long lives and all the curses of life accumulated over the
years reversed (except for the serpent!) In Christian terms, this is the fully
resurrected life both for humanity and the whole creation.
17 [Thus
says the Lord God], I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the
former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I
am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a
delight. 19 I will rejoice in
Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be
heard in it, or the cry of distress. 20 No
more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old person
who does not live out a lifetime; for one who dies at a hundred years will be
considered a youth, and one who falls short of a hundred will be considered
accursed. 21 They shall build
houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit. 22 They shall not build and another inhabit;
they shall not plant and another eat; for like the days of a tree shall the
days of my people be, and my chosen shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 23 They shall not labor in vain, or bear
children for calamity; for they shall be offspring blessed by the Lord—and their descendants as well. 24 Before they call I will answer, while they
are yet speaking I will hear. 25 The
wolf and the lamb shall feed together, the lion shall eat straw like the ox;
but the serpent—its food shall be dust! They shall not hurt or destroy on all
my holy mountain, says the Lord.
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
Psalm 118 has long been associated with Holy Week and
Easter. Verses 1-2, 19-29 were appointed
for the procession of palms a week ago. Thanksgiving for God’s “steadfast love”
is the overall theme. The psalm then
goes on to recount the deeds of steadfast love that call for gratitude. Verses
14-24 have so long been associated with Easter that it is hard to hear them in
anything other than a Christian resurrection context. The “cornerstone” verse is used by Jesus in
Mark (12:10) and Matthew (21:42) and by the apostle Peter in Acts (4:11).
1 Give thanks to the Lord,
for he is good; *
his mercy
endures for ever.
2 Let Israel now proclaim, *
“His
mercy endures for ever.”
14 The Lord is
my strength and my song, *
and he
has become my salvation.
15 There is a sound of exultation and victory *
in the
tents of the righteous:
16 “The right hand of the Lord
has triumphed! *
the right
hand of the Lord is exalted!
the right
hand of the Lord has triumphed!”
17 I shall not die, but live, *
and
declare the works of the Lord.
18 The Lord has
punished me sorely, *
but he
did not hand me over to death.
19 Open for me the gates of righteousness; *
I will
enter them; I will offer thanks to the Lord.
20 “This is the gate of the Lord;
*
he who is
righteous may enter.”
21 I will give thanks to you, for you answered me *
and have
become my salvation.
22 The same stone which the builders rejected *
has
become the chief cornerstone.
23 This is the Lord’s
doing, *
and it is
marvelous in our eyes.
24 On this day the Lord
has acted; *
we will
rejoice and be glad in it.
Second Reading:
1 Corinthians 15:19-26
In Chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians, Paul speaks more about
his understanding of the resurrection than in any of his letters. The Christians in Corinth were skeptical at
some level. Paul begins the chapter by
reminding them of what he has taught (15:3-11).
In verses 12-19, he argues for the resurrection by use of logic. Todays’ reading is his grand summary, putting
the resurrection in the context of the whole story of God. Even Paul, however, cannot escape the reality
that believers still die, and so he declares, “The last enemy to be destroyed
is death.” The destruction of death was seen by many early Christians (as well
as many still today) as the great purpose of the death and resurrection of
Jesus.
19 If
for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be
pitied. 20 But in fact Christ has
been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died. 21 For since death came through a human being,
the resurrection of the dead has also come through a human being; 22 for as all die in Adam, so all will be made
alive in Christ. 23 But each in his
own order: Christ the first fruits, then at his coming those who belong to
Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when
he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler
and every authority and power. 25 For
he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
Or this
Second Reading:
Acts of the Apostles 10:34-43
For commentary, see above.
Gospel Reading:
John 20:1-18
There is no actual story of the resurrection; there is
only the empty tomb. In all four Gospels, it is women who are the first
witnesses to the empty tomb, chief among them Mary Magdalene. In the Eastern
Orthodox tradition, Mary is accorded the title “apostle” because of this. Another commonality of most post-resurrection
stories of Jesus is his identification by the wounds he carries on his body.
Did Mary not recognize Jesus because his resurrection body was quite different?
Or is he “disguised as the gardener? Or is she still in shock? We do not know.
What we do know is that the sound of his voice calling her name triggers her
recognition.
1 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. 2 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.” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple set out
and went toward the tomb. 4 The two
were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb
first. 5 He bent down to look in
and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and
went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head,
not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the
tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he
must rise from the dead. 10 Then
the disciples returned to their homes. 11 But
Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into
the tomb; 12 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. 13 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.” 14 When she had said this, she turned around
and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 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.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 17 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.’” 18 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.
Or
this
Gospel Reading:
Luke 24:1-12
There is no story of the resurrection available to us,
only that of the discovery of the empty tomb.
The four Gospel writers all agree the first witnesses to the empty tomb
were women, chief among them Mary Magdalene. In the Eastern Orthodox tradition,
Mary is accorded the title “apostle” because of this. Luke adds the names of
Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and “the other women,” presumably those
identified at Luke 8:1 as having been among Jesus’ followers and who “provided
for them out of their resources.” Only Luke adds the detail that the [male]
disciples did not believe the women when they told of their discovery.
1 But
on the first day of the week, at early dawn, [the women] came to the tomb,
taking the spices that they had prepared. 2 They
found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but
when they went in, they did not find the body. 4
While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling
clothes stood beside them. 5 The
women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to
them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has
risen. 6 Remember how he told you,
while he was still in Galilee, 7 that
‘the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the
third day rise again.’” 8 Then they
remembered his words, 9 and
returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the
mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But these words seemed to them an idle
tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But
Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen
cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.
The readings are taken from The
New Revised Standard Version of the Bible © 1989 by The Division of
Christian Education of The National Council of Churches of Christ in the
U.S.A. The Psalm is the translation of The
Book of Common Prayer. Commentary on the readings is Copyright © 2016,
Epiphany ESources, 67 E. Main St., Hornell, NY
14843, www.epiphanyesources.com. All rights reserved. Permission given to copy for
group study. Bulletin inserts are available. Please see our website
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