HE’S RISEN!!
Our Bible reading for this Sunday is in the gospel of Matthew 28:1-10.
Our Gospel reading for this Sunday comes from the Gospel of Matthew 28:1-10. The story of the Resurrection is fundamental to our faith. Some of the younger people in our homes or in the church may not have heard this story before. Probably our older youth and adults will know a combined version of the various accounts of the Gospels. In John’s Easter account, Mary goes to the tomb alone. In the other gospels, except John, none of the male disciples venture to the grave. In Matthew’s Gospel account, women play an extraordinary role because of their courage and witness. Mary (Hebrew Miriam) was one of the most common women’s names in New Testament times, and so it is not surprising that the crucifixion and resurrection narratives seem to speak of as many as five separate Mary’s. These women are usually identified in some way in order to distinguish them, but in the Gospel of Matthew one is simply called “the other Mary.” After Saturday, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary (possibly James and John’s mother, Matthew 27:56) came to see the tomb. And an angel appeared to them who told them to go and warn the other disciples about the resurrection of Jesus who would meet them in Galilee, as he had told them when he was still alive. Their subsequent encounter with Jesus in the garden qualifies them as the first witnesses of Jesus’ resurrection. Then Jesus sends the women to the other disciples to announce them that they have seen the risen Christ. As with the Samaritan woman, Mary and the other Mary not only see and believe, but they go and bear witness to what they have seen. Their words are the first Easter sermon. Believing in the resurrection is not because of the empty tomb. Belief in the resurrection comes from the testimony of the women in Matthew’s Gospel.
Who can you share this amazing message with today?
We will be praying for you and your family. Please include us in your prayers as well. See you at worship!
Dear God, thank you for Jesus who shows us the way to come to you. We ask you to grant us the time to be closer to you . Thank you for your blessing and infinite grace of our salvation. Bless our homes and our faith community. Give us the confidence to live this journey and as the women of the Resurrection Morning, the courage to share this message with those that wish to listen. May God bless you. Amen