Brothers and sisters, I encourage you to attend worship tomorrow April 9 to celebrate once again our living Lord’s resurrection. His victory over death is proof that His words are true! Jesus has redeemed you from our sin. You have been forgiven. You have been given access to God. There is eternal life available to all who trust in Him.
Be assured we will celebrate Jesus, and His victorious resurrection. During the Easter season we will be following the liturgy of Divine Setting One beginning on page 151 of the LSB hymnal. Hymns for the day are #464 The Strife is O’er, the Battle Done; #469 Christ the Lord is Risen; #484 Make Songs of Joy. During the Distribution we will sing #633 At the Lamb’s High Feast We Sing. We will close the service by singing a couple of verses of #461 I Know That My Redeemer Lives.
Scripture readings for the day are portions of Psalm 118, Acts 10:34-43, Colossians 3:1-4, and Matthew 28:1-10.
During the season of Easter, rather than reading Old Testament texts, the first readings will be from the Acts of the Apostles. In this case, the Easter text is a portion of a sermon/lecture St. Peter gives at the home of a Gentile named Cornelius. Peter summarizes the events of Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection. As it has been revealed in a vision, Peter realizes the benefits of Jesus’ death are available to people from every nation.
In St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he describes how Christians joined to Jesus in baptism have died with Him and have been raised with Him. Since we have been raised with Christ we ought to set our minds on eternal heavenly things above, not on the temporary mundane things of this earth.
We will start the service with the reading of Matthew 28:1-10. Women disciples go to Jesus’ grave intending to follow up on the Jewish burial rite, adding more spices to His grave. Instead, they are met by an angel announcing the news that Jesus has risen from the dead as He said He would do. The women respond with mixed emotions, fear and joy, and run to tell the other disciples what had happened. On the way, the women are met by Jesus. He eases their fear, and instructs them to tell the disciples to go to Galilee where He will meet with them.
Hearing this account, I ask questions. What things do I have my mind set on? Am I as excited by the good news of Jesus’ resurrection as those women were? Who should I tell the good news of His resurrection to?
Collect: Almighty God the Father, through Your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, You have overcome death, and opened the gate of everlasting life to us. Grant that we, who celebrate the day of our Lord’s resurrection, may be raised from the death of sin by Your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen
