Easter1A20.   Acts of the Apostles 10:34a, 37-43.  “God appointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power.  He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.  We are witnesses of all that he did.”  Peter goes on to say,   “He commissioned us to preach to the people and testify that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead.” Peter and the Apostles are proclaiming that Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior from God himself.   As Isaiah 42:1a & b proclaims, “Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit.”

John 20:1-9.   Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark.  Mary did not understand that Jesus had arisen; she was in the dark.  She ran to the men, assuming as had often happened that grave robbers had stolen Jesus’ body.  When Peter and John arrived and saw that the linens were still there; and, if the grave robbers had been there, that is what they would have stolen because of its worth to them, the Holy Spirit helped John to remember that Jesus had  spoken of his resurrection.  “He saw and believed;” even though “they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead.”  The earthly vault, the tomb, was powerless to keep Jesus locked into death.

Colossians 3:1-4.  “Think of what is above, not what is on earth.”  We also are able to break out of earth’s tomb of worldly human ways of thinking so to be joined by the power of the Holy Spirit into Christ’s resurrection into heaven.

1 Corinthians 5:6b-8.  This world leavens our lives “with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and wickedness.”  Leave that buried in the tomb of the death of this world to come alive to God’s living spirit of sincerity and truth.