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EASTER SUNDAY

Our passages for Easter with the possible exception of Isaiah 25, are familiar Easter stories that retell Christian faith that centers around the resurrection of Jesus Christ. What is remarkable about them is their simple forthtelling qualities-they don’t seek to defend or explain or prove anything; they simply hold out stories and invite us to enter them and view the resurrection of Jesus through the believing and even unbelieving eyes of early witnesses. On this great Sunday allow these texts to tell the old, old story in a way that also can nourish and propel our faith. Enjoy-he is risen!

Acts 10:34-43-Breaking Up . . . Breaking Out . . . Breaking Free . . .

This episode reveals a pivotal point in the larger saga of how the gospel burst the culture-bound wineskins of Judaism to spill out into the gentile world. Here Peter, clearly shaken from recent portentous events, announces his ah- hah: God is not culture-bound, but welcomes everyone. The homily which follows is an excellent example of what C.H. Dodd described as the early apostolic kerygma: (1) God anointed Jesus; (2) Jesus’ mighty deeds confirm the in-breaking of God’s Kingdom; (3) the death and resurrection of Jesus; (4) the attestation. The sermon concludes with Jesus now as judge of all, predicted by the prophets, and the forgiveness of sins given in his name.

Isaiah 25:6-9-A New Day

The literary form of this lesson is a psalm of thanksgiving but placed within an eschatological setting. The previous chapter (24) ends on a bleak note: the host of heaven and the earth are utterly broken; there is no hope for rulers or the ruled, for the punishment of God has violently shaken everything seemingly beyond repair. Then the vision takes a new direction: from the blast of judgment comes a new melody-on the ruins of disaster God begins again. The images are powerful-that of a feast with wines aged to perfection and rich food and the end of things that bring pain and destruction such as deathly shrouds and Death. The poem shouts joy and hope-God will wipe away tears and reproach so that the end will exceed the beginning so that the only appropriate response will be, "Lo, this is our God!"

1 Corinthians 15:1-11-The Resurrection

This is an early Christian creed that serves to remind Christian believers that Christ’s resurrection is basic to the gospel message. Paul recalls for his recipients, the "tradition" (vs. 3 handed on, a technical term for passing on of an oral tradition) about Jesus Christ that he has received and faithfully seeks to pass on. The entire chapter, which stresses the nature and reality of Christ’s resurrection, is meant to serve as a basis for individual resurrection.

John 20:1-18-Two Stories About the First Easter

How do people arrive at Easter faith? Through what door/s do we enter the Church? John seems to understand that more than one exists. For example, in this Sunday’s lesson we are offered two possible responses to the resurrection of Jesus: unflinching belief in an empty tomb (vs. 1-10) and a more mystical way-

hearing our name called (vs.11-18). In the first story, Peter and the other guy footrace to the tomb and finding it empty, at least one walks away with Easter faith: "he saw and believed" (v. 8). The other story has Mary Magdalene weeping before the empty tomb-even the appearance of angels doesn’t set her faith to singing. That is, until she hears her name called out in the familiar sounds that she identifies as her Lord (v.16). See and believe or hear and believe? Two doors to Easter faith.

Mark 16:1-8-Another Account of the Resurrection Story

Here is another account of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and one that certainly has the ring of truth in it. That is, the story is not a polished account like John’s gospel-telling; rather this marcan story is quite abrupt and conflicting and confusing. Some women come to the tomb with a pressing question: "Who will roll away the stone for us . . ." (vs. 3). Quite naturally, the appearance of a young man sitting in the crypt with the Easter proclamation quite startles and chills the women who run off gripped by astonishment and fear. The story ends in a troubling way-perhaps we’re missing the rest of the story-for the final piece we hear of these women is the opposite of the young man’s instructions to tell out the good news. Instead, these early witnesses in Mark’s account run off "and they said nothing to any one, for they were afraid.