Easter Tuesday – April 23, 2019

Read

John 21:15-17


15 When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16 A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

Reflect

Good Friday and Easter Day changed the world. The events of his life, death and resurrection are the hinge of history. Since then, people from all nations have been drawn to Jesus as God’s Messiah, their Lord and Savior. We have learned about Jesus through the apostles, his first followers whom he commissioned to declare God’s good news to a stricken world.

Speaking to ten of the disciples (Thomas was absent) Jesus had said: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (20:21). He also foreshadowed the Holy Spirit’s power equipping them for this work at Pentecost: “Receive the Holy Spirit…” Our response to the ministry of God’s Word would determine our eternal future.

In chapter 21, Jesus challenged Peter three times: “Do you love me…?” Peter had said earlier he would lay down his life for Jesus (John 13:37), yet three times had denied him, as Jesus predicted. Now with these three questions and thrice-given command, Feed my sheep (or lambs), Jesus was telling Peter he was forgiven and included in the commission given to all the disciples/apostles. Jesus’ priority is that his sheep be fed with his gospel and his Word – the two go hand in hand.

This is so important. If we call ourselves Christians, we should make it our priority to feed on God’s Word, involving ourselves in a church where God’s Word is faithfully and clearly taught – for our own sake and for the sake of our family or household. Furthermore, as previous generations understood, it is now our responsibility to play our part in talking up the best news the world has ever known – the news about Jesus, the Word of God incarnate, the Son of God, who died and rose again to save us.

Prayer

Almighty Father, you have given your only Jesus Christ, to die for our sins and to rise again for our justification: grant that we may put away the old influences of corruption and evil, and always serve you in sincerity and truth; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP, Easter 1 – adapted)

Daily Reading Plan

Read John 21:15-25

Today’s Reading and Reflection concludes this Lenten series.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, I return to the weekly Word on Wednesday with Reflections for the Easter Season. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Easter Monday – April 22, 2019

Read

John 21:4-14


4 Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5 Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” 6 He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. 7 That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. 8 But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.

9 When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread. 10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14 This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

Reflect

Some say Jesus didn’t physically rise from the dead. However, in the same way that John testified that Jesus was truly dead when he was taken from the cross, he now records Jesus’ actions to show us he was physically alive. Jesus had lit a fire on which he was cooking fish. Ghosts cannot physically handle things, for wraith-like fingers would pass through objects. And when the disciples brought in their miraculous catch, Jesus gave them bread and fish for breakfast.

A striking feature of this narrative is the way Jesus had turned up in the normal course of life. In a state of frustration Peter and the disciples had gone fishing. But that night they caught nothing. As day was breaking, a figure on the beach called out to them, ‘Have you caught anything?’ ‘No,’ they replied. ‘Throw your nets off the right hand side of the boat,’ responded the lone figure. The catch was astonishing: 153 large fish.

It is tempting to look for symbolism here, but more likely John focuses our attention on the reality that the risen Jesus is still in charge. He directed where the nets were to be thrown; he was the host at breakfast, taking the bread and fish and giving it to them. John is reminding us that Jesus is Lord of his creation and our provider. We can be sure that the risen Christ is with us and that we can depend on him at every twist and turn in life.

Prayer

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give humble and hearty thanks for all your goodness and loving kindness to us and to all people. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your amazing love in the redemption of the world through our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace and for the hope of glory.

And, we pray, give us that due sense of all your mercies, that our hearts may be truly thankful, and that we may declare your praise not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen. (AAPB: 1978, A Prayer of General Thanksgiving)

Daily Reading Plan

Read John 21:1-14.

Easter Day – Sunday, April 21

Gloria in Excelsis Deo

Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth.

Lord God, heavenly King, almighty God and Father, 

  we worship you, we give you thanks, we praise you for your glory.

Lord Jesus Christ, only Son of the Father, 

Lord God, Lamb of God, you take away the sin of the world:

  have mercy on us;
you are seated at the right hand of the Father:

  receive our prayer.

For you alone are the Holy One; you alone are the Lord;
  you alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ, with the Holy Spirit,
  in the glory of God the Father. Amen. 

Day 40 (Saturday, April 20, 2019)

Read

John 20:26-31


26 A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Reflect

One of the encouraging things about the Christian Bible is its downright honesty, and not least about its heroes. Thomas, one of Jesus’ first followers who was to become an apostle, expressed his frustration at the Passover meal when Jesus said he was going away: “We don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?”

Thomas wanted clear and concrete answers to perplexing questions. This may be why he could not at first accept the fact that Jesus, whom he had seen crucified, was now alive. “Unless I see the nail marks on his hands and put my fingers where the nails were… I will not believe,” he said (20:25). He had not been with the other ten disciples when Jesus appeared to them on the day that changed the world – the day of Jesus’ resurrection.

A week later Jesus appeared again to the disciples. This time Thomas was present. And Jesus, aware of Thomas’s doubts, was gentle and understanding. “Put your finger here and see my hands,” Jesus said. “Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Experiencing an unexpected joy and without touching Jesus, Thomas responded, “My Lord and my God!” It was the perfect confession of faith.

John concludes the chapter by summing up the purpose of his book, These things are written… Jesus had patiently brought Thomas from doubt to faith, and with that faith had brought hope. Let us thank God for his patience with us and pray for the gifts of forgiveness, hope and true joy.

Prayer

Eternal God, who strengthened Thomas your apostle, when he was in doubt, with sure and certain faith in the resurrection of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ: so grant that we may not be faithless but believing, until we come to see our Savior in his glory face to face; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (BCP, Collect for St Thomas’s Day – adapted)

Daily Reading Plan

Read John 20:19-31

Day 39 (Good Friday – April 19, 2019)

Read

John 20:1-10


1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed 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 Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4 The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself.8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the disciples returned to their homes.

Reflect

Despite the testimony of women being treated as secondary in first century Judaism, women were the first witnesses of the empty tomb. In John 19:39-41, we read that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had buried Jesus’ body according to Jewish custom, wrapping it in linen cloths spiced with a mixture of myrrh and aloes. It was a new tomb and fulfilled what Isaiah prophesied, his tomb was with the rich (Isaiah 53:9).

Focusing our attention on one of the women, Mary of Magdala (there was more than one, so we in verse 2), John records the events of the first day of the week. Seeing the stone had been removed from the tomb and doubtless fearing Jesus’ body had been desecrated, she raced to tell Peter and John.

John’s witness is important. Outrunning Peter he was not the first to enter the tomb: Peter was. Both saw the linen wrappings lying there and the linen cloth that had been around Jesus’ head… rolled up in another place. The evidence was clear: human hands had not removed the body. John saw and believed: Jesus had gone to be with God the Father as he had said (John 14:2-4). However, neither yet understood what Jesus meant when he said they would see him again, physically risen from the dead.

Like John, we may believe that Jesus has gone to be with God, but we find the idea of a physical resurrection impossible to grasp. Christianity teaches the unity of body and spirit. One day God’s people will be raised physically, having a body fit for the new heaven and new earth.

Prayer

Grant, Lord, that as we have been baptized into the death of your dear Son our Savior Jesus Christ, so by continually putting to death our sinful desires we may die to sin and be buried with him, and that through the grave and gate of death we may pass to our joyful resurrection; for his sake who died and was buried and rose again for us, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP, Easter Eve – adapted)

Daily Reading Plan

Read John 20:1-18

Day 38 (Maundy Thursday – April 18, 2019)

Read

John 19:31-37


31 Since it was the day of Preparation, the Jews did not want the bodies left on the cross during the sabbath, especially because that sabbath was a day of great solemnity. So they asked Pilate to have the legs of the crucified men broken and the bodies removed. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who had been crucified with him.33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and at once blood and water came out. 35 (He who saw this has testified so that you also may believe. His testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth.) 36 These things occurred so that the scripture might be fulfilled, “None of his bones shall be broken.” 37 And again another passage of scripture says, “They will look on the one whom they have pierced.”

Reflect

A popular version of Jesus’ resurrection is that he was taken from the cross in a coma and revived in the cool of the tomb. John’s personal record stands as testimony against this. Because it was the day of Preparation, for the Passover as well as the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders asked Pilate that the legs of the crucified men be broken.

An excruciating reality of crucifixion is that asphyxiation alone can cause death. The lungs are compressed by the outstretched arms and the downward weight of the body. Broken legs prevent the victim from breathing by pushing up from the feet.

As professional soldiers, the Roman crucifixion squad would have unhesitatingly carried out their gruesome work. They broke the legs of the men who were still alive on either side of Jesus. But seeing Jesus was already dead they thrust a spear into his side from which blood and water came out. John’s report is significant. If Jesus was not dead, blood alone would have flowed. To say he was in a coma is to ignore the equivalent of a sworn testimony from an eyewitness – John.

John again wants us to understand that Jesus’ death fulfilled the Scriptures. He was the unblemished lamb – none of the bones are to be broken (Numbers 9:12). He was also the Messiah of the house of David who would be pierced (Zechariah 12:10). Jesus is truly the lamb of God whose life was sacrificed as an atonement for sin; he is also God’s Messiah, the long promised king of the line of David.

Prayer

Merciful God, you have made all men and women and hate nothing that you have made, nor do you desire the death of a sinner but rather that they should be converted and live: have mercy on all who do not know you, or who deny the faith of Christ crucified. Take from them all ignorance, hardness of heart, and contempt of your word; and bring them home to your fold, blessed Lord, so that they may become one flock under one shepherd, Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen. (BCP, Good Friday – adapted)

Daily Reading Plan

Read John 19:31-42