Readings for Easter Sunday, 4/8/12:
Acts 10:34-43, Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24, 1 Corinthians
15:19-26, John 20:1-18, or Mark 16:1-8
Acts 10:34-43:
- Peter is speaking to Cornelius and his
friends and relatives in Caesarea. Cornelius had been visited by a
messenger from God telling him to invite Peter to his home and here him
speak.
- "God shows no partiality". Do
we get that? Believe it? Preach it? Live and practice it?
- "preaching peace by Jesus
Christ" Ah, the gospel message is a message of peace. Too much of our
Christian history works to counter that claim. We struggle on!
- A mini-sermon, all the facts needed to
share the good news packed into one little blurb - this is Peter's quick
pitch, at the opportunity he's been given.
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24:
- Note that this is virtually the same
selection from Psalms as on Palm
Sunday, with slightly different verses. Included in Easter's reading,
but not in Palm Sunday's: "the Lord has punished me severely, but he
did not give me over to death." Hm. I don't like to think about God
punishing us. But the verse's significance on Easter is powerful. The cup
was not taken from Jesus - he drank it. And yet, he lives.
- Even still, it's hard to focus on any
scripture passage on Easter Sunday other than the gospel lesson of the
Resurrection, isn't it?
1 Corinthians 15:19-26:
- "If for this life only we have
hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied." A striking
statement. I'm not sure how to react - I guess I don't exactly share
Paul's perspective. I think we're so wrapped up in thinking about what
awaits us after this earthly life, that we forget what Christ means for us
right now, on earth. My hope for Christ in this life is powerful stuff!
- "The last enemy to be destroyed is
death." I'm a big fan of John Cobb and process
theology. I remember reading that for process theologians, some could
not get over the "ultimate evil of personal death." Conceptions
of afterlife are tricky things. How can death be destroyed for you? When I
was younger, I used to ask my pastor/mentor, Rev. Bruce Webster,
if heaven wouldn't be a boring place. He, a math major in college, could
draw some sort of graph to show it would be ok!
John 20:1-18:
- I have to admit, as a woman, I get a
kick out of the way the men behave here, versus the way Mary Magdalene
acts. The men run there, almost competitively, after hearing Mary's
report, and then they return home, apparently not too impressed or curious
to figure out what's going on. It's Mary who is there to begin with to
care for the tomb, Mary who sheds tears for Jesus, Mary who remains at the
tomb long enough to encounter the risen Christ, Mary who is the first to
spread the good news. You go girl!
- "Rabbouni!" What would you say
if you had a change to come face to face with a lost loved one again?
- I just can't let loose of the sense of
the importance of Mary staying at the tomb. She is honest with her
emotions, and holds still, stays in place, soaks it in. She gets to see
Jesus, the fruits of her devotion. Don't hurry through Easter, but rest at
the empty tomb!
Mark 16:1-8
- Ah, Mark. Eight verses for the
resurrection. Of course, there are verses 9-20, but many scholars think
this is an add-on, doubtfully from Mark, likely added later to compensate
for Mark's alarming brevity.
- "and they said nothing to anyone,
for they were afraid." Good thing they get over their fears and at
least tell the disciples, else this would have really been a different
Easter story altogether!
- Note even Mark's description of who the
women find in the tomb, as compared to the other gospels. Mark seems to
describe a man, very simply, dressed in a white robe. Matthew, on the
other hand, has an earthquake, and an angel descending from heaven with
dazzling white clothing. Matthew is bells and whistles. Mark is "just
the facts".
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