Easter Sunday
Gospel
On the first day of the week,
Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning,
while it was still dark,
and saw the stone removed from the tomb.
So she ran and went to Simon Peter
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them,
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb,
and we don’t know where they put him.”
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb.
They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter
and arrived at the tomb first;
he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in.
When Simon Peter arrived after him,
he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there,
and the cloth that had covered his head,
not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place.
Then the other disciple also went in,
the one who had arrived at the tomb first,
and he saw and believed.
For they did not yet understand the Scripture
that he had to rise from the dead.
Spend some time at the open tomb. Have you been here before or is this the first visit to gaze upon this empty place? What do you feel as you stand with Mary, Peter, and John? What does this empty tomb mean to you today? Has that changed over the years? One of the titles of a Max Lucado book is, He still moves stones. He does. What stone have you seen moved, or beginning to budge this Lent? What stone would you like to see rolled all the way away? Happy Easter! He is Risen! We can rejoice today! We can rejoice in faith trusting that He will move stones to encounter us, to love us, and to spend eternity with us at the wedding banquet of heaven. Alleluia!
