Daily Readings - Sun Apr 01 2018

³⁴Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism³⁷You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached--³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.³⁹"We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree,⁴⁰but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen.⁴¹He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen--by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.⁴²He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.⁴³All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."

First Reading - Colossians 3.1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5.6b-8

Colossians

Chapter 3

¹Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.²Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.³For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.⁴When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

1 Corinthians

Chapter 5

⁶Your boasting is not good. Don't you know that a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough?⁷Get rid of the old yeast that you may be a new batch without yeast--as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.⁸Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness, but with bread without yeast, the bread of sincerity and truth.

John

Chapter 20

¹Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.²So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don't know where they have put him!"³So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb.⁴Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first.⁵He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in.⁶Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there,⁷as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen.⁸Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.⁹(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

Sermon

In today's readings, we encounter the profound message of the resurrection and its transformative power. The first reading from Acts highlights Peter's declaration that Jesus, anointed by God, performed good works, was crucified, and rose on the third day. This resurrection is not just a historical event but a universal message of salvation for all, with Jesus as the judge of the living and the dead. The second reading from Colossians invites us to seek heavenly things, reminding us that our true life is with Christ, hidden in God, and will be revealed in glory. The Gospel from John vividly portrays the discovery of the empty tomb, where the disciples' encounter leads to belief, emphasizing the tangible reality of the resurrection. These readings are interconnected through the theme of resurrection. Acts proclaims the resurrection as a universal message of hope, Colossians encourages a life focused on eternal values, and John illustrates the moment of belief sparked by the empty tomb. Together, they call us to embrace the resurrection's impact on our daily lives, urging us to live with hope and purpose, knowing that our true life is in Christ. The moral lesson here is the power of faith and the call to live as people of the resurrection. Just as the disciples were transformed by their encounter, we too are called to live with a heavenly perspective, trusting in God's plan and sharing the message of salvation. Let us embrace this truth, allowing it to transform our lives and guide us in living as children of the light, focused on eternal glory.