THE EASTER ENTRANCE GOSPEL READING: The Resurrection

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Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that fthe stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, gthe one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and hwe do not know where they have laid him. 3 iSo 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 jthe 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 kthe face cloth, which had been on Jesus1 head, not lying with the linen cloths but folded up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, lwho had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet mthey did not understand the Scripture, nthat he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went back to their homes.
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Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. 12 And oshe saw ptwo 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, qWoman, why are you weeping? She said to them, rThey have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him. 14 Having said this, she turned around and ssaw Jesus standing, tbut she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, uWoman, why are you weeping? vWhom are you seeking? Supposing him to be wthe 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,2 xRabboni! (which means
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Teacher). 17 Jesus said to her, Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to ymy brothers and say to them, z I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to amy God and your God. 18 Mary Magdalene bwent and announced to the disciples, I have seen the Lordand that he had said these things to her. Put On the New Self 3 bIf then you have been raised with Christ, seek cthe things that are above, where Christ is, dseated at the right hand of God. 2 eSet your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For fyou have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ gwho is your1 life happears, then you also will appear with him iin glory. The Resurrection 28 mNow after the Sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and nthe other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for oan angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 pHis appearance was like lightning, and qhis clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and rbecame 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, sas he said. Come, see the place where he1 lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, the is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you. 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb uwith fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus vmet them and said, Greetings! And they came up and wtook hold of his feet and xworshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, Do not be afraid;

ygo and tell zmy brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me. LIVING OUT LOUD THE RESURRECITON STORY What is it like to not only hear the story of the resurrection, to listen and take to heart the story of the resurrection, but to BELIEVE the story of the resurrection? Little Philip, born with Down's syndrome, attended a thirdgrade Sunday School class with several eight-year-old boys and girls. Typical of that age, the children did not readily accept Philip with his differences, according to an article in leadership magazine. But because of a creative teacher, they began to care about Philip and accept him as part of the group, though not fully. The Sunday after Easter the teacher brought L'eggs pantyhose containers, the kind that look like large eggs. Each receiving one, the children were told to go outside on that lovely spring day, find some symbol for new life, and put it in the egg-like container. Back in the classroom, they would share their newlife symbols, opening the containers one by one in surprise fashion. After running about the church property in wild confusion, the students returned to the classroom and placed the containers on the table. Surrounded by the children, the teacher began to open them one by one. After each one, whether a flower, butterfly, or leaf, the class would ooh and ahh. Then one was opened, revealing nothing inside. The children exclaimed, That's stupid. That's not fair. Somebody didn't do their assignment." Philip spoke up, "That's mine."

"Philip, you don't ever do things right!" the student retorted. "There's nothing there!" "I did so do it," Philip insisted. "I did do it. It's empty. the tomb was empty!" Silence followed. From then on Philip became a full member of the class. He died not long afterward from an infection most normal children would have shrugged off. At the funeral this class of eight-year-olds marched up to the altar not with flowers, but with their Sunday school teacher, each to lay on it an empty pantyhose egg. Can you grasp such a childlike faith? To believe who heartedly that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father we too might have such a resurrection given to us! Bill and Gloria Gaither brought to life this faith in the resurrection in the hymn titled Because He Lives. Our faith did not meet death on Good Friday thanks be to God! God sent His son, they called Him Jesus He came to love, heal, and forgive. He lived and died to buy my pardon, An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives. Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, All fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future, And life is worth the living just because He lives... Because of Easter morning and the miracle of new life we can face a certain tomorrow. Because of Gods amazing, tangible grace given to us in the Word and through his enduring presence in the sacrament of the altar.

APPLYING THE WORD 1. Do not be afraid! a. 2 And behold, there was a great earthquake, for oan angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 pHis appearance was like lightning, and qhis clothing white as snow. 4 And for fear of him the guards trembled and rbecame 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, sas he said. Come, see the place where he1 lay. 2. Set your mind on the things above the new life you have! a. eSet your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For fyou have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ gwho is your1 life happears, then you also will appear with him iin glory 3. Go and tell the good news! a. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, the is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you. 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb uwith fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.