sermons & Illuminations

First Reading: Acts 10:34-43
Easter is here! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed, alleluia! We shout “alleluia,” literally “praise God,” as we celebrate the resurrection and its promise of victory over death.  In our first reading from the Acts of the Apostles, the evangelist Luke tells how Christianity reached out  from its beginnings as a tiny Jewish movement to welcome all humankind. That story begins in these verses as we see Peter taking the gospel for the first time to a gentile family, the household of the centurion Cornelius, a ranking Roman army officer, a good man, and a believer, Peter assures him and his family that Jesus was sent by God to all humanity, was crucified, raised from the dead, and now saves us and forgives our sins in God’s name.

Psalm: Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24
This ancient hymn sings Israel’s joyful thanks to God for victory over its enemies. Our Jewish brothers and sisters traditionally read it during Passover, which began on the evening of Wednesday, April 1, and continues through sunset on Thursday, April 9. Christians may also imagine an allusion to Jesus in the prophetic words that the Psalmist intended to speak of King David: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.”

Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-4
Even in difficult times, Christ is with us, this short letter assures the persecuted Christians of Colossae in Asia Minor. Just as Jesus was raised from the dead, Christians are connected in baptism and raised through life in Christ, its author writing in Paul’s name assures the people. Its verses urge the people to endure their difficulties with patience and the strength that comes from God’s glorious power expressed through Jesus – not in a distant second coming but in the here and now.

Gospel: Matthew 28:1-10
In Matthew’s account of the resurrection, two women – Mary Magdalene and Mary – go to the tomb alone at dawn. Suddenly there is an earthquake, and a bright angel descends, shows the women the empty tomb, and tells them that Jesus has been raised from the dead. The angel tells the women to go back and tell the other disciples the good news. Then, suddenly Jesus appears and greets them. They fall at his feet to worship him, and he tells them to go back and tell everyone to go to Galilee and see Jesus there.