Second Sunday Of Easter
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series III, Cycle C
The Church Year Theological Clue
The method of counting the Sundays between Easter Sunday and Pentecost provides the theological clue to worship and preaching during the Easter season. Easter, as a unitive event, which combines the death and resurrection of Jesus in its celebration, is the pivotal Sunday of the church year; the resurrection is imperative in the gospels and in the life of the church and the lives of its members. The resurrection assures believers of something that is entirely new, something beyond the experience of living in this world, life in a new type of existence, the everlasting realm over which God reigns. The "newness" begins in this life as people, through God's grace, believe that Jesus is the risen Lord, but that "new life" continues beyond the grave; it is not for this life only, as Paul pointed out to the Corinthian congregation, "If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied." With the resurrection, heaven is not only assured, but forgiveness is effected and human beings are reconciled with the God who created them.
The Sundays of the Easter season, which used to be called the Sundays after Easter, are now titled the Sundays of Easter, indicating that this is the pivotal Sunday of the church year and a 50-day celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord. The Gospels for the Day, in all three years/cycles of the lectionaries, concentrate on some event of, or connected to, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The good news of Easter - "Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!" echoes loudly on each Sunday of this season and continues to reverberate on every Sunday of the church year. Something of the Second Sunday after Easter, which was named quasi modo geniti in the old lectionary (from the introit, which began, "As newborn babes ... desire the sincere milk of the word,"1 Peter 2:2 and Psalm 81), identified this Sunday as the Ogdoad, the day of the new creation through the resurrection of our Lord. And the church year, when understood, does not allow the church to diminish, forget, or ignore this central fact of salvation; it keeps the resurrection central to the worship, thinking, and the life experiences of the people of God.
The Prayer Of The Day
The miracle of rebirth in baptism emerges in the Prayer of the Day in The Book Of Common Prayer, although baptism is not mentioned specifically: "Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Ghost, one God, for ever and ever. Amen." Most of the collects for this day make mention of living out the Easter faith in the daily activities of life. And none of the prayers picks up the Gospel for the Day, John 20:19-31, "Doubting Thomas." Incidentally, this Sunday had a second name in the classic church year and lectionary, "Thomas Sunday," which would only be sustained in Year/Cycle C of the "new" lectionary.
The Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 111 (E) - This psalm is appropriate for this, or any other, Sunday in the Easter season. It expresses the kind of joy and thanksgiving which the faithful should reflect in their worship and lives during Easter. It is especially well-suited to the continuation of the Easter theme.
Great are the deeds of the Lord! They are studied by all who delight in them ... He makes his marvelous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and full of compassion ... He has shown his people the power of his works ... He sent redemption to his people; he commanded his covenant forever; holy and awesome is his name.
The psalm ends on a familiar note: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; those who act accordingly have a good understanding; his praise endures forever."
Psalm 118:2-4, 22-27 (RC); 118:19-24 (E, alternate) - The ORDO recognizes the importance of the Psalm for the Easter season and mandates its use on the Second Sunday of Easter, while The Book Of Common Prayer allows the psalmody of Easter Sunday to be repeated on the Second Sunday of Easter in celebration of the octave of Easter. Comments on this psalm are included in Lectionary Preaching Workbook(s) III, Cycles A and B.
Psalm 149 (L) - Of the so-called liturgical churches, the Lutheran is the only one that offers a different psalm for all three cycles of the lectionary. This psalm is quite appropriate for a continuation of the spirit of Easter:
Hallelujah!
Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing his praise in the congregation of the
faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in his Maker;
let the children of Zion be joyful in their
king.
Let them praise his Name in the dance;
let them sing praise to him with timbrel
and harp.
For the Lord takes pleasure in his people
and adorns the poor with victory.
Let the faithful rejoice in triumph;
let them be joyful on their beds.
Let the praises of God be in their throat ...
The last three and a half verses speak more about judgment and punishment "of the nations" and, therefore, "fit" the parousia more than they accommodate Easter; they speak of destroying the enemies of God rather than preaching the good news to them. They might better have been omitted from the psalmody of the day.
Psalm prayer - Psalm 149 (LB W) - The psalm prayer does what is suggested above: "Lord, let Israel rejoice in you and acknowledge you as creator and redeemer. In your loving kindness embrace us now, that we may proclaim the wonderful truths of salvation with your saints of glory; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."
The Readings
Acts 5:12-16 (RC); 5:12a-27 (E); 5:12-32 (L); 12:27-32 (C) (It will be remembered that Acts becomes the first reading during the Sundays of Easter, the great 50 days.) - The four major lectionaries focus on the same chapter of Acts (5) for the first reading, and only the Episcopal BCE offers an alternate reading from the Old Testament; selections from Acts will constitute the first readings throughout the Easter season. They are chosen according to the lectio selecta method, purportedly to create harmony between the three lections of the day. The ORDO concentrates on the portion of the chapter that follows the story of Sapphira, which gives the impression that a great many people in Jerusalem and the surrounding towns were intrigued by the miracles and wonders that Peter and the other disciples had done in the name of the risen Lord. That they would go so far as to put the sick persons out in the street, believing that Peter's shadow would heal them reveals the depth of their faith in the power of God in him.
The Episcopal and Lutheran lectionaries begin the reading at verse 12 and then skip to verse 17, the story of the arrest and jailing of the apostles, with the angels opening the doors of the prison and releasing the apostles during the night. Since the doors of the prison were securely locked and the guards in place when the "officers" checked on the prisoners, there is a hint of the post-Easter appearances of the Christ to the disciples in the locked room. The apostles were taken into custody again and taken before the council once more. The reading from the Episcopal lectionary ends at this point, but the Lutheran lectionary continues the reading to include the charge of the high priest to the apostles, forbidding them to preach, with their answer that declared their intention of obeying God, who had ordered them to preach in the name of Jesus, rather than human beings. The Common lectionary limits the reading to verses 27-32, the appearance before the council and the high priest, with the "silencing" and the reply it prompted from the apostles. They had to witness and teach and preach what they knew to be God's truth - that God had raised Jesus from the dead, and saves all people in Jesus' death and resurrection.
Job 42:1-6 (E), alternate - In this, the last chapter of this book, Job answers the Lord God after God has spoken words of comfort and vindication that promise that God will restore him after his ordeal and suffering. The imagery of this text "speaks" to the mystery of the resurrection and the witness of the disciples: "Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know." And again, pointing to John 20 and "doubting Thomas," Job says, "I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see thee; therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."
Revelation 1:4-8 (C); 1:(1-8) 9-19 (E); 1:14-18 (L); 1:9-11, 12-13, 17-19 (RC) - The Common lectionary contains the beginning of John's letter to the seven churches in Asia, pointing to the risen Christ as "the first born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth." John affirms that God, through Christ, has freed the apostles from their sins and made them witness and priests to "his God and Father," and that this Christ will come again "with the clouds, so that every eye will see him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him." This one is Alpha and Omega, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." The Lutheran lectionary begins with these verses, and the Episcopal lectionary includes the first eight verses in a longer form of the reading.
The thrust of the reading, in the other lectionaries, is on the vision of the risen Lord that John had on the island of Patmos, which was reminscent of Isaiah's vision in the temple. But it is the Christ who was crucified and rose on the third day, who reveals himself to John, not only to confirm his faith - he apparently had been persecuted to the point where he had to flee to Patmos to save his life - but to clarify the message which he was to speak to the seven churches of Asia Minor. Again, there is a hint of the gospel and Thomas' reaction when he saw the risen Lord: "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying, 'Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.' "
Acts 5:12a, 17-22, 25-29 is the alternate reading in the Episcopal lectionary that is to be used as the second lection when Job 42 is the first reading.
John 20:19-31 (RC, E, L, C) - John, in his gospel, parallels Matthew and Luke in relating the story of Jesus' apparitions (as the Roman Catholic scholars call them) to the disciples. It was necessary for Jesus to appear to the disciples, so that they, by seeing him and hearing him speak again, might truly believe in his resurrection. Had there only been an empty tomb and a message from angelic visitors, few people would have believed that Jesus had risen from the grave; most people would have doubted his resurrection, believing that his body had been stolen and either hidden or destroyed so that it would never be found. But Jesus did appear to the disciples on that first Easter night; Thomas was missing, and when told about Jesus' appearance, he refused to believe their testimony until he saw for himself and, not only that, actually touched the body of the risen Lord. Jesus gave him that chance and he cried out, "My Lord and my God." For the sake of the church, John reports that Jesus said, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." Faith in the risen Lord will have to come, after this era, by hearing the word, the good news of Jesus Christ. And it does!
Sermon Suggestions, Synopses, Sketches, Stories
John 20:19-31 (RC, E, L, C) - "The Bottom Line." - The 10 disciples who were present when Jesus appeared to them on Easter night might have greeted Thomas, when he rejoined them with, "Where were you, Thomas?" Before Thomas had a chance to answer their question, they probably told him the rest of the story: "If you had been here with us, you would have seen Jesus for yourself." Ten of the 11, who were told the good news by Mary, "I have seen the Lord (in the garden)," remained doubters until they had seen Jesus for themselves. No one could believe that such a thing - a dead man rise from the grave after three days in the tomb? - despite the miracles Jesus performed in raising Lazarus and a couple of other people from the dead. So who could blame Thomas, who had not seen the Lord, as yet, when he said, "Unless I see ... and place my hand in his sides, I will not believe."
1. Thomas got his chance to see and hear and touch the risen Lord and he made the confession of faith that all believers should make, "My Lord and my God." Hearing the good news was not sufficient to awaken faith in Thomas' heart and mind.
2. Thomas was no different than most of us; we might have reacted the same way to the word that Jesus was risen and had appeared to the disciples, if we had been there, no doubt about it! Without receiving the gift of faith, we can do nothing else but have all sorts of doubts about Jesus, especially about his resurrection.
3. Isn't it strange that we can accept most of the story about Jesus right up to the cross and his death? We have no problem in believing that he lived and died on a cross but to take it on faith that Jesus rose from the grave is hard to believe, isn't it? And yet that is at the very heart of the Christian faith: to be a Christian, one must believe that the Christ of the cross is the Lord of Easter or we have only part of the faith, at best.
4. Thank God for the faith he has given to you and me. We can't generate it, not by power of mind nor by wishful thinking, simply "Wishing won't make it so!" It is the Holy Spirit, working through the Word, who convinces us that it all is true - Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! So that, like Thomas, we can say, "My Lord and my God!"
Acts 5:12-16 (RC); 5:12a, 17-27 (E); 5:12, 17-32 (L); 12:27-32 (C) - "The Price of Preaching."
1. The miracle of miracles - Jesus' resurrection - was followed by numerous miracles of healing through Peter and the disciples in Jerusalem. People heard the good news, saw the miracles (but not Jesus), and became believers, according to St. Luke.
2. But the disciples became too popular for the religious leaders to accept, so they threw them in jail, planning to hold them there, no doubt, as long as they could. But the Lord took a hand in all of this, worked a miraculous release so that they might witness to the council and the full senate. Theirs was a miraculous escape, for a purpose.
3. The disciples got "kid glove" treatment when officers were sent to summon the escaped prisoners to the council. They were told that they must keep silence about Jesus, if they wanted to stay out of jail. They refused, because they had to obey god, not human beings.
4. The miracle in the response of Peter and the apostles is simply that those who were afraid to be near to Jesus at his arrest and trial suddenly were afraid of nothing, of no one on earth. They were willing to pay any price they might have to in order to witness for Christ. What of you and me?
Job 42:1-6 (E) - "Preview Of The Resurrection."
1. The resurrection of Jesus affirms Job's declaration, "I know that thou canst do all things, and that no purpose of thine can be thwarted."
2. Job, before Thomas, and in his own way, "saw" the Lord God: "I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see thee." His horrible experiences and trial brought him to the place where his faith was mature. Spiritual maturity is gained by suffering in faith.
3. Every day of our lives, we need to join Job, because we have sinned and doubted the word of the Lord: "Therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
4. And God helps us to accept, even to understand, those things "that are too wonderful" for us to hear about Jesus the Christ, Son of God, and Savior of the world.
Revelation 1:4-8 (C); 1:(1-8) 9-19 (E); 1:4-18 (L); 1:9-11, 12-13 (RC) - "The Voice And The Vision."
1. God has a way of strengthening people who are being persecuted for Jesus' sake. In John's case, he heard a voice and saw a vision of the Lord.
2. The voice came from behind him ("he turned to see the voice") and it turned him around so that he could face the world, and whatever lay ahead, once more.
3. For the voice that spoke to him was the voice of the risen Christ, not only supporting him so that he knew what he was doing was right, but also putting a message in his mind for the seven churches of Asia Minor.
4. "I am the first and the last, and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive forevermore" - his message to the churches comes to us today.
The method of counting the Sundays between Easter Sunday and Pentecost provides the theological clue to worship and preaching during the Easter season. Easter, as a unitive event, which combines the death and resurrection of Jesus in its celebration, is the pivotal Sunday of the church year; the resurrection is imperative in the gospels and in the life of the church and the lives of its members. The resurrection assures believers of something that is entirely new, something beyond the experience of living in this world, life in a new type of existence, the everlasting realm over which God reigns. The "newness" begins in this life as people, through God's grace, believe that Jesus is the risen Lord, but that "new life" continues beyond the grave; it is not for this life only, as Paul pointed out to the Corinthian congregation, "If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all men most to be pitied." With the resurrection, heaven is not only assured, but forgiveness is effected and human beings are reconciled with the God who created them.
The Sundays of the Easter season, which used to be called the Sundays after Easter, are now titled the Sundays of Easter, indicating that this is the pivotal Sunday of the church year and a 50-day celebration of the Resurrection of Our Lord. The Gospels for the Day, in all three years/cycles of the lectionaries, concentrate on some event of, or connected to, the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The good news of Easter - "Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!" echoes loudly on each Sunday of this season and continues to reverberate on every Sunday of the church year. Something of the Second Sunday after Easter, which was named quasi modo geniti in the old lectionary (from the introit, which began, "As newborn babes ... desire the sincere milk of the word,"1 Peter 2:2 and Psalm 81), identified this Sunday as the Ogdoad, the day of the new creation through the resurrection of our Lord. And the church year, when understood, does not allow the church to diminish, forget, or ignore this central fact of salvation; it keeps the resurrection central to the worship, thinking, and the life experiences of the people of God.
The Prayer Of The Day
The miracle of rebirth in baptism emerges in the Prayer of the Day in The Book Of Common Prayer, although baptism is not mentioned specifically: "Almighty and everlasting God, who in the Paschal mystery established the new covenant of reconciliation: Grant that all who have been reborn into the fellowship of Christ's Body may show forth in their lives what they profess by their faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Ghost, one God, for ever and ever. Amen." Most of the collects for this day make mention of living out the Easter faith in the daily activities of life. And none of the prayers picks up the Gospel for the Day, John 20:19-31, "Doubting Thomas." Incidentally, this Sunday had a second name in the classic church year and lectionary, "Thomas Sunday," which would only be sustained in Year/Cycle C of the "new" lectionary.
The Psalm Of The Day
Psalm 111 (E) - This psalm is appropriate for this, or any other, Sunday in the Easter season. It expresses the kind of joy and thanksgiving which the faithful should reflect in their worship and lives during Easter. It is especially well-suited to the continuation of the Easter theme.
Great are the deeds of the Lord! They are studied by all who delight in them ... He makes his marvelous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and full of compassion ... He has shown his people the power of his works ... He sent redemption to his people; he commanded his covenant forever; holy and awesome is his name.
The psalm ends on a familiar note: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; those who act accordingly have a good understanding; his praise endures forever."
Psalm 118:2-4, 22-27 (RC); 118:19-24 (E, alternate) - The ORDO recognizes the importance of the Psalm for the Easter season and mandates its use on the Second Sunday of Easter, while The Book Of Common Prayer allows the psalmody of Easter Sunday to be repeated on the Second Sunday of Easter in celebration of the octave of Easter. Comments on this psalm are included in Lectionary Preaching Workbook(s) III, Cycles A and B.
Psalm 149 (L) - Of the so-called liturgical churches, the Lutheran is the only one that offers a different psalm for all three cycles of the lectionary. This psalm is quite appropriate for a continuation of the spirit of Easter:
Hallelujah!
Sing to the Lord a new song;
sing his praise in the congregation of the
faithful.
Let Israel rejoice in his Maker;
let the children of Zion be joyful in their
king.
Let them praise his Name in the dance;
let them sing praise to him with timbrel
and harp.
For the Lord takes pleasure in his people
and adorns the poor with victory.
Let the faithful rejoice in triumph;
let them be joyful on their beds.
Let the praises of God be in their throat ...
The last three and a half verses speak more about judgment and punishment "of the nations" and, therefore, "fit" the parousia more than they accommodate Easter; they speak of destroying the enemies of God rather than preaching the good news to them. They might better have been omitted from the psalmody of the day.
Psalm prayer - Psalm 149 (LB W) - The psalm prayer does what is suggested above: "Lord, let Israel rejoice in you and acknowledge you as creator and redeemer. In your loving kindness embrace us now, that we may proclaim the wonderful truths of salvation with your saints of glory; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord."
The Readings
Acts 5:12-16 (RC); 5:12a-27 (E); 5:12-32 (L); 12:27-32 (C) (It will be remembered that Acts becomes the first reading during the Sundays of Easter, the great 50 days.) - The four major lectionaries focus on the same chapter of Acts (5) for the first reading, and only the Episcopal BCE offers an alternate reading from the Old Testament; selections from Acts will constitute the first readings throughout the Easter season. They are chosen according to the lectio selecta method, purportedly to create harmony between the three lections of the day. The ORDO concentrates on the portion of the chapter that follows the story of Sapphira, which gives the impression that a great many people in Jerusalem and the surrounding towns were intrigued by the miracles and wonders that Peter and the other disciples had done in the name of the risen Lord. That they would go so far as to put the sick persons out in the street, believing that Peter's shadow would heal them reveals the depth of their faith in the power of God in him.
The Episcopal and Lutheran lectionaries begin the reading at verse 12 and then skip to verse 17, the story of the arrest and jailing of the apostles, with the angels opening the doors of the prison and releasing the apostles during the night. Since the doors of the prison were securely locked and the guards in place when the "officers" checked on the prisoners, there is a hint of the post-Easter appearances of the Christ to the disciples in the locked room. The apostles were taken into custody again and taken before the council once more. The reading from the Episcopal lectionary ends at this point, but the Lutheran lectionary continues the reading to include the charge of the high priest to the apostles, forbidding them to preach, with their answer that declared their intention of obeying God, who had ordered them to preach in the name of Jesus, rather than human beings. The Common lectionary limits the reading to verses 27-32, the appearance before the council and the high priest, with the "silencing" and the reply it prompted from the apostles. They had to witness and teach and preach what they knew to be God's truth - that God had raised Jesus from the dead, and saves all people in Jesus' death and resurrection.
Job 42:1-6 (E), alternate - In this, the last chapter of this book, Job answers the Lord God after God has spoken words of comfort and vindication that promise that God will restore him after his ordeal and suffering. The imagery of this text "speaks" to the mystery of the resurrection and the witness of the disciples: "Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know." And again, pointing to John 20 and "doubting Thomas," Job says, "I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see thee; therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes."
Revelation 1:4-8 (C); 1:(1-8) 9-19 (E); 1:14-18 (L); 1:9-11, 12-13, 17-19 (RC) - The Common lectionary contains the beginning of John's letter to the seven churches in Asia, pointing to the risen Christ as "the first born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth." John affirms that God, through Christ, has freed the apostles from their sins and made them witness and priests to "his God and Father," and that this Christ will come again "with the clouds, so that every eye will see him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him." This one is Alpha and Omega, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." The Lutheran lectionary begins with these verses, and the Episcopal lectionary includes the first eight verses in a longer form of the reading.
The thrust of the reading, in the other lectionaries, is on the vision of the risen Lord that John had on the island of Patmos, which was reminscent of Isaiah's vision in the temple. But it is the Christ who was crucified and rose on the third day, who reveals himself to John, not only to confirm his faith - he apparently had been persecuted to the point where he had to flee to Patmos to save his life - but to clarify the message which he was to speak to the seven churches of Asia Minor. Again, there is a hint of the gospel and Thomas' reaction when he saw the risen Lord: "When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying, 'Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.' "
Acts 5:12a, 17-22, 25-29 is the alternate reading in the Episcopal lectionary that is to be used as the second lection when Job 42 is the first reading.
John 20:19-31 (RC, E, L, C) - John, in his gospel, parallels Matthew and Luke in relating the story of Jesus' apparitions (as the Roman Catholic scholars call them) to the disciples. It was necessary for Jesus to appear to the disciples, so that they, by seeing him and hearing him speak again, might truly believe in his resurrection. Had there only been an empty tomb and a message from angelic visitors, few people would have believed that Jesus had risen from the grave; most people would have doubted his resurrection, believing that his body had been stolen and either hidden or destroyed so that it would never be found. But Jesus did appear to the disciples on that first Easter night; Thomas was missing, and when told about Jesus' appearance, he refused to believe their testimony until he saw for himself and, not only that, actually touched the body of the risen Lord. Jesus gave him that chance and he cried out, "My Lord and my God." For the sake of the church, John reports that Jesus said, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." Faith in the risen Lord will have to come, after this era, by hearing the word, the good news of Jesus Christ. And it does!
Sermon Suggestions, Synopses, Sketches, Stories
John 20:19-31 (RC, E, L, C) - "The Bottom Line." - The 10 disciples who were present when Jesus appeared to them on Easter night might have greeted Thomas, when he rejoined them with, "Where were you, Thomas?" Before Thomas had a chance to answer their question, they probably told him the rest of the story: "If you had been here with us, you would have seen Jesus for yourself." Ten of the 11, who were told the good news by Mary, "I have seen the Lord (in the garden)," remained doubters until they had seen Jesus for themselves. No one could believe that such a thing - a dead man rise from the grave after three days in the tomb? - despite the miracles Jesus performed in raising Lazarus and a couple of other people from the dead. So who could blame Thomas, who had not seen the Lord, as yet, when he said, "Unless I see ... and place my hand in his sides, I will not believe."
1. Thomas got his chance to see and hear and touch the risen Lord and he made the confession of faith that all believers should make, "My Lord and my God." Hearing the good news was not sufficient to awaken faith in Thomas' heart and mind.
2. Thomas was no different than most of us; we might have reacted the same way to the word that Jesus was risen and had appeared to the disciples, if we had been there, no doubt about it! Without receiving the gift of faith, we can do nothing else but have all sorts of doubts about Jesus, especially about his resurrection.
3. Isn't it strange that we can accept most of the story about Jesus right up to the cross and his death? We have no problem in believing that he lived and died on a cross but to take it on faith that Jesus rose from the grave is hard to believe, isn't it? And yet that is at the very heart of the Christian faith: to be a Christian, one must believe that the Christ of the cross is the Lord of Easter or we have only part of the faith, at best.
4. Thank God for the faith he has given to you and me. We can't generate it, not by power of mind nor by wishful thinking, simply "Wishing won't make it so!" It is the Holy Spirit, working through the Word, who convinces us that it all is true - Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! So that, like Thomas, we can say, "My Lord and my God!"
Acts 5:12-16 (RC); 5:12a, 17-27 (E); 5:12, 17-32 (L); 12:27-32 (C) - "The Price of Preaching."
1. The miracle of miracles - Jesus' resurrection - was followed by numerous miracles of healing through Peter and the disciples in Jerusalem. People heard the good news, saw the miracles (but not Jesus), and became believers, according to St. Luke.
2. But the disciples became too popular for the religious leaders to accept, so they threw them in jail, planning to hold them there, no doubt, as long as they could. But the Lord took a hand in all of this, worked a miraculous release so that they might witness to the council and the full senate. Theirs was a miraculous escape, for a purpose.
3. The disciples got "kid glove" treatment when officers were sent to summon the escaped prisoners to the council. They were told that they must keep silence about Jesus, if they wanted to stay out of jail. They refused, because they had to obey god, not human beings.
4. The miracle in the response of Peter and the apostles is simply that those who were afraid to be near to Jesus at his arrest and trial suddenly were afraid of nothing, of no one on earth. They were willing to pay any price they might have to in order to witness for Christ. What of you and me?
Job 42:1-6 (E) - "Preview Of The Resurrection."
1. The resurrection of Jesus affirms Job's declaration, "I know that thou canst do all things, and that no purpose of thine can be thwarted."
2. Job, before Thomas, and in his own way, "saw" the Lord God: "I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eyes see thee." His horrible experiences and trial brought him to the place where his faith was mature. Spiritual maturity is gained by suffering in faith.
3. Every day of our lives, we need to join Job, because we have sinned and doubted the word of the Lord: "Therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes."
4. And God helps us to accept, even to understand, those things "that are too wonderful" for us to hear about Jesus the Christ, Son of God, and Savior of the world.
Revelation 1:4-8 (C); 1:(1-8) 9-19 (E); 1:4-18 (L); 1:9-11, 12-13 (RC) - "The Voice And The Vision."
1. God has a way of strengthening people who are being persecuted for Jesus' sake. In John's case, he heard a voice and saw a vision of the Lord.
2. The voice came from behind him ("he turned to see the voice") and it turned him around so that he could face the world, and whatever lay ahead, once more.
3. For the voice that spoke to him was the voice of the risen Christ, not only supporting him so that he knew what he was doing was right, but also putting a message in his mind for the seven churches of Asia Minor.
4. "I am the first and the last, and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive forevermore" - his message to the churches comes to us today.
