Today in the Spirit: Easter Day A
“Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!” At no time is the thrill of shouting out this cheer louder than on Easter Day. “Enter then, all of you, into the joy of your Master. First and last, receive alike your reward. Rich and poor, dance together. You who have fasted and you who have not, rejoice today” (from a sermon attributed to John Chrysostom).
Throughout Year A, we focus on the Gospel of Matthew; but, since the resurrection narrative Matthew 28:1-10 is assigned every year for the early service on Easter Day, the first choice for a Gospel reading at the principal service in Year A is John 20:1-10(11-18). This gives us exposure to John’s account that otherwise we would not have. The character of Mary Magdalene is in the forefront of John’s narrative: “[The two angels] said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him’” (13).
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In our worship, the assigned Old Testament reading in Exodus 14:10-14,21-31 recalls the deliverance of the Israelites through the Red Sea by the power of God as a parallel to Christ’s rising: “Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses” (31).
In reading or singing Psalm 118:14-17,22-24, the worshiper will recall some verses from Palm Sunday; but now instead of a king demanding entrance through the gates of righteousness, we hear his shouts of joy for the mighty things the LORD has done: “The right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord brings mighty things to pass. I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord” (16-17).
Colossians 3:1-4 is the first choice for a New Testament reading every year on Easter Sunday. Here, Paul teaches that we have died and risen with Christ and should live out of our new identity as Christians: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (1).
As an alternative reading to either the OT or NT reading every year, Acts 10:34-43 is the narrative of Peter preaching to those gathered to hear him in the house of Cornelius. Peter’s proclamation of the gospel comes from the point of view of a first-hand witness to rumors his audience had already heard: that
“[The Jews] put [Jesus Christ] to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.”
Acts 10:39-41
Both the primary collect and its alternate for the festival day celebrate the resurrection of Christ. The verb “delivered” appears in both prayers, pointing to a distinction in emphasis: in the first, the petition that we may “be delivered from sin and raised from death” reflects hope for eternal life; in the second, the confession that “by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the devil and the power of death” precedes the prayer for empowered daily living here and now.
The Collects
Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the day of the Lord’s resurrection, may, by your life-giving Spirit, be delivered from sin and raised from death; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
O God, who for our redemption gave your only begotten Son to die upon the Cross, and by his glorious resurrection delivered us from the devil and the power of death: Grant us grace to die daily to sin, that we may live with him in the joy of his resurrection; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever. Amen.
Through the Sea (Exodus 14:10-14, 21-31)
10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, 25 clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.” 26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. 29 But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.
Exodus 14:10-14, 21-31
One thing that makes the story of God’s deliverance of Israel at the Red Sea such a wonderful parallel with the Easter story is the connection between the water and the grave. For the peoples of the Ancient Near East, the sea represented mystery and danger, death and burial. This passage in Exodus is written in such a way that the main storyline is the distinction between one people going in and out of a watery grave and another being buried there: “…of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left (28-29).
Easter is the celebration of the Son of God going into and out of the grave. Following the way of Christ, we too go in and out of the tomb–not just at the time of our physical death but now, from baptism, in and out of the water, and onward. Devotionally, we need to guard our hearts against avoiding instances when God may want to lead us, for his glory, into the dangerous and impossible and out again. Our fear is based on the wrong assumption that we will need our own strength or wisdom to carry ourselves through. So many opportunities to follow God are lost because we think that way and never attempt them. Faith comes when we see the proverbial Egyptian army on one side and the sea on the other, and we move forward as directed.
Today, maybe you are aware of a hard thing God wants you to do–something that feels to you like walking into a watery grave—and maybe you’re avoiding it. In the power of the Spirit, let God speak with authority into your life, assuring you that he will lead you “through the sea” in front of you.
This Is the Day (Psalm 118:14-17, 22-24)
14 The Lord is my strength and my song, *
Psalm 118:14-17, 22-24, New Coverdale Psalter (BCP 2019)
and has become my salvation.
15 The voice of joy and deliverance is in the dwellings of the righteous; *
the right hand of the Lord brings mighty things to pass.
16 The right hand of the Lord is exalted; *
the right hand of the Lord brings mighty things to pass.
17 I shall not die, but live, *
and declare the works of the Lord.
22 The same stone which the builders refused *
has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This is the Lord’s doing, *
and it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the Lord has made; *
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Verses 22-24 are verses assigned both for Palm Sunday and Easter Day. We may meditate in our worship on the often-quoted last verse in that section: “This is the day that the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it” (24). We should note in ourselves the added intensity as we say or sing that verse on Resurrection Sunday: A week earlier, we join the throng of those celebrating the arrival of a great person into the city of Jerusalem; on Easter, it is nothing so earth-bound. The prior sentiment fades into oblivion as now, with hands over our mouths stifling shouts of awe, we acknowledge the resurrection of the Son of God from death, the tomb is empty! Hallelujah! No, not last week, “This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Devotionally, we find the Palm Sunday festivities are not a diversion but scaffolding to assist us in a climb to greater heights of worship. By it, we are permitted, albeit through a shameful execution in which we are complicit, to elevate our understanding of who Jesus is and what he is doing, of who God is and his “marvelous” works. These words from a resurrection oration of Gregory of Nazianzus (d. 390 AD) speak to that rising of our spirits:
Yesterday I was crucified with Christ;
today I am gloried with him.
Yesterday I was dead with Christ;
today I am sharing in his resurrection.
Yesterday I was buried with him;
today I am waking with him from the sleep of death.
Today, in the Spirit, let the repetition of this part of Psalm 118 take you on an upward journey to a higher vision of the work of the Father and the Son.
Not on Things that Are on the Earth (Colossians 3:1–4)
1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.
Colossians 3:1–4
Notice Paul’s emphatic phrase “not on things that are on the earth” (2). The implication is clearly that, unless they are careful to guard their hearts, his Christian readers can easily fall into a debilitating worldliness. The Scriptures often coax us toward a holy obliviousness to worldly things in following our Lord (Matthew 16:26, James 4:4). By this, we do not advocate inattention to people or apathy toward circumstances around us (heavenliness that is no earthly good)–quite the opposite. What Paul is after here is the grace to let go of lesser sympathies that merely exhibit godliness but with no godly compulsion, and even ingratiation that seeks selfish gain. “Maybe showing some sentimentality here can meet my own need to be needed (subtle co-dependence) or to make a connection to help with my own pet projects (bald manipulation).
In the Holy Week and Easter Week cycle, we see the preeminent model of holy obliviousness in the behavior of Jesus of Nazareth. See him in the Passion narrative from Good Friday (not ignoring) but looking through his pain on the cross to declare, “It is finished” (John 19:30). See him also in today’s Gospel reading calling “Mary” (Magdalene) by name but then saying, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father” (Jn. 20:16-17) Here is what it looks like to “set your mind on things that are above, not on the things of the earth”
Today, Holy Spirit, through whom the resurrected life of Christ dwells in me, root out of me lesser sympathies and desires that I may seek the greater good of the Father God, remaining “set” on his purposes and his alone.
Everyone Who Believes in Him (Acts 10:34-43)
34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), 37 you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
Acts 10:34–43
A couple of months ago, on Epiphany 1 Sunday, you may remember the church assigned the first half of this reading with emphasis on the revelation of the Son of God at Jesus’ baptism (34-38). At the principal service on Easter Sunday, we hear both parts of Peter’s sermon at the house of Cornelius, now with his added testimony of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and appearing with words of commission for the disciples (39-43).
Thinking about those present that evening in Caesarea, we can imagine how Cornelius’ friends and family might have been in awe listening to Peter’s recounting the early stages of Jesus’ ministry, shocked and confused by the part about the execution and resurrection of this good man, and then overjoyed to learn that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins. On Easter Day two millennia later, we are reminded that Jesus’ ministry comes with the commission to tell everyone, without prejudice, the Good News. Today, in the Spirit, having received freely, now we freely give.
There Was a Great Earthquake (Matthew 28:1–10)
1 Now after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and became like dead men. 5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. 6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.” 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”
Matthew 28:1-10
Matthew is the Gospel with earthquakes at the end. We recall from last week the earthquake that accompanied Matthew’s report of our Lord’s death in the Passion narrative (Mt. 27:51). In this reading, we hear of a “great earthquake” (Greek: seismos megas) marking the arrival of the angel to roll away the stone (2). We may want to know what the seismic activity is all about. Many commentators point out that it is good Hebrew storytelling. The OT reports many instances of earthquakes, or the prophecy of earthquakes, to mark the display of God’s presence and power in the world (Exodus 19:18, 1 Kings 19:11, Isaiah 29:6, Zechariah 14:5). Along with fire, cloud cover, storms, and angels, the shaking of the earth is a sign of the judgment of God.
Matthew’s earthquakes are a shaking of the land to mark a moment for all creation. Here. And they also designate a pivotal moment. Now. In John’s Gospel, Jesus says emphatically to two of his disciples: “Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself” (12:31). The earthquakes are Matthew’s way of saying “Here and Now!” at the death and resurrection of Christ is the moment for all the earth to stand at attention and remain there. A line from Psalm 4, as we recite in our Compline service, comes to mind: “Stand in awe, and sin not; commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.”
Today, in the Spirit, trembling from the internal earthquake felt every year at Holy Week and Easter, we listen for what is next in the era of God’s Here and Now.
She Stooped to Look into the Tomb (John 20:1-10, [11-18])
1 Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.” 3 So Peter went out with the other disciple, and they were going toward the tomb. 4 Both of them were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 And stooping to look in, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the face cloth, which had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not understand the Scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes. 11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. 13 They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.” 14 Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” 18 Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her.
John 20:1-10, [11-18]
“And as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb” (11). Why look into the tomb, Mary? What are you expecting to see, or not see? Surely, Peter and John told you what they saw. Don’t you think it is what you yourself said before, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb?” (2). You said the same to the angels and to the one you thought was the gardener. If you are so sure, why look into the tomb?
To the men and the angels, Mary, we notice that you referred to Jesus as “Lord.” Did you hear yourself? You’ve called him that longer than just about anybody, isn’t that right? Is there something in that word, something in him, that makes you now question what your eyes see and your mind registers? Are you remembering something he said to you all earlier, that he would be killed and rise? Nobody understood at the time. Peter and John still don’t understand. Do you understand now? Is that why you have stooped now to look inside after they “went back to their homes?” Is that why you’re doing it? Is it that you want to be sure Peter and John haven’t missed anything–again? Or, is it because you want to believe that Jesus meant it when he said he would rise, really rise?
Or, Mary, is it something more? Do you want to see him? Not just the spectacle of the miracle, but him. Is it that you want to see him again—to look into his eyes, to hear his voice, to rest in his truth gently delivered? Why look into the tomb, Mary? Is it to see Jesus?
Today in the Spirit
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Today in the Spirit: Easter Day B
“Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!” At no time is the thrill of shouting out this acclamation greater than on Easter Day. “Enter then, all of you, into the joy of your Master. First and last, receive alike your reward. Rich and poor, dance together. You who have fasted and you…
Today in the Spirit: Easter Day C
“Alleluia! Christ is risen! The Lord is risen indeed! Alleluia!” At no time is the thrill of making this acclamation greater than on Easter Day. Enter then, all of you, into the joy of your Master. First and last, receive alike your reward. Rich and poor, dance together. You who have fasted and you who…
