He is Risen!
Pray
Begin with prayer, opening your heart to God’s Word and Spirit.
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.
Reflect
As was the custom, Mary and the other women arrived at the tomb expecting to anoint the body of Jesus. They do not find what they are expecting, nor did Peter and John. They were now trying to make sense of his death and this turn of events. Jesus had told them of this day; however, they could not grasp the meaning and significance of his “rising from the dead.” They would soon come to realize they were on the precipice a new journey. Through faith in Christ, they were a part of the story of God’s salvation determined before creation. And so are we!
Closing prayer
Thank you Jesus, for the journey you took for us. Thank you Father for your Word and all that it enabled us to experience, to learn, and remember during our journey with your Son this Lenten season—and thank you for Easter and all that it means! Holy Spirit help us to share the Good News to others. Amen.