resurrection
Easter’s coming
The years I spent preaching Easter brought me closer to the heart of resurrection news. They drove me deeper into the gospel.
Life after resurrection
Easter Sunday is glorious. But the most important Sundays come afterward, when we are left—as were
Jesus' disciples—with the sense that nothing can ever be the same.
Conflict as prelude
Matthew invites us into a whole variety of experiences this Sunday. Verses 10 through 20, considered optional, center around a conflict about tradition and authority followed by a parable about the truth of the actions of the heart. This is followed by healings and feedings. The next chapter begins with more conflict.
By Emlyn A. Ott
How Jesus shares the peace: John 20:19-31
The disciples are afraid, so they lock their doors. I do the same.
Never-ending story: Acts 5:27-32; John 20:19-31
"We are witnesses to these things," said Peter. Yet as the gospel for the second Sunday of Easter opens, "these things" do not include Jesus' resurrection. That morning Peter had seen an empty tomb with some scattered linens. He had witnessed absence, not resurrection. At that point, he had not even witnessed Jesus' death—he had missed his chance. Yet soon Peter becomes one of the boldest and most powerful of witnesses to Jesus' message, death and resurrection. Clearly something happened.
Unnatural event: Luke 24:1-12
Chances are that your world is either experiencing or anticipating an awakening earth after months of winter slumber. Grass is turning green, azaleas are splashing the landscape with brilliant reds, dogwoods are sprouting pink and white blooms—little Easter catechisms shaped like crosses and complete, each one, with a crown of thorns. When the birds begin their morning songs these days, and the bees their carpentry, we imagine that the sounds they make are Easter music served up by nature, as the church’s most important holy day coincides with the renewed activity of creation.
Missing the resurrection (Acts 1:15-17, 21-26; Psalm 1; 1 John 5:9-13; John 17:6-19)
History is written by the winners, and Judas didn't win.
Middle East peace: Mark 16:1-8
If Mark’s ending creates discomfort and uncertainty, it is partly due to our knowledge of how the Easter story is told in the other Gospels.
Practicing incarnation
While Christians confess the resurrection of the body, most have a spiritual body in mind.