BIG BANG!
Opening Prayer
Alleluia! I Worship You, King Jesus, for You conquered death and are risen indeed.
Read Luke 24:1–12
Jesus Has Risen
24 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ ” 8 Then they remembered his words.
9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Does the enormity of Easter overwhelm you today?“When we celebrate Easter, we are really standing in the middle of the second big bang” (Rowan Williams). Easter Day! Church services, rousing songs, joy and gladness, color and life! “Alleluia! He is risen!”
Luke, meticulous historian, records the facts, which are the bedrock of the faith: the stone was rolled away, the body is gone and two angels appear to explain why. The cross and resurrection are the lynchpin of history. Human life has been invaded by the life of God, death is no longer the final reality, there is confidence for the future, and the church has good news to proclaim.
But we must not read our confidence back into the story. The women come to the tomb with sad hearts, then return in fear and confusion. The disciples are dismissive. Peter comes to check the story, but returns still puzzled. These people are “looking for the living among the dead.” And why wouldn’t they? People don’t come back from the dead. Would we have acted differently?
As we worship today, probably alongside many who are curious, or even reluctant visitors, and as we celebrate the Easter holiday with friends and relatives who are bewildered by our faith, may they encounter in our “aliveness” the living Christ who is seeking them.
Apply
With whom can you share the Gospel news today? A family member? The server at your restaurant?
Closing prayer
Lord, I pray for those who are seeking You today. May they find the risen Lord.
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