Daily Readings - Sun Apr 17 2022

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 truth of the resurrection and its transformative power in our lives. The first reading from Acts presents Peter's testimony, emphasizing that Jesus' life, death, and resurrection are universal, offering salvation to all. This message, originally preached to Gentiles, underscores the Gospel's inclusivity and the hope it brings. The second reading from Colossians invites us to shift our focus from earthly concerns to heavenly realities, reminding us that our true life is hidden with Christ, awaiting His glorious revelation. The Gospel narrative in John vividly describes the discovery of the empty tomb, where the disciples' encounter with the risen Christ sparks belief and transforms their understanding. These readings are deeply interconnected, each illuminating the resurrection's significance. Peter's testimony in Acts and the empty tomb in John provide historical and narrative foundations, while Colossians offers theological insight into living in light of the resurrection. Together, they remind us that the resurrection is not just a past event but a present reality shaping our lives. In our daily lives, the resurrection calls us to live with hope and purpose. Just as the disciples' lives were transformed by their encounter with the risen Christ, we too can experience this transformation. We are invited to embrace an eternal perspective, trusting in the power of the resurrection to guide us through life's challenges. Let us live each day with the assurance that our true life is in Christ, inspiring us to seek the things above and to walk in the hope of eternal glory.