John 20:1-18

--Kari Miller Fenwood

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.

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.”

Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb.

The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in.

Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself.

Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead.

Then the disciples returned to their homes.

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet.

They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”

--Kari Miller Fenwood

When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.

Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the 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.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher).

Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'”

Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.

Exodus 12:1-14

This is a challenging passage for me. This is the God of the Old Testament, the first covenant, although it alludes to the New Covenant with the sacrifice of the blameless lamb so its blood can mark God’s own people. All those firstborn children are collateral damage in God’s conflict with Pharaoh, whose heart, earlier chapters tell us, God Himself is hardening.

How can I square this with the God who tells me that love is the first commandment? What does this contrast between the Old and the New mean to the faith I was raised in, which includes the immutability of God from generation to generation?

I have to accept that faith includes mysteries and look for an understanding of what this passage teaches about that pursuit of faith. First is the importance of mindfulness, of devoting time and attention entirely to remembering and listening for God. Second is the call to give my best to God, giving that is a communal action, not something I do on my own. And third, faith must be active: I don’t always know what it might mean, but I’m called to keep my sandals on, my cloak tucked, and my staff in my hand.

                                                                                 —Lois Maassen

Acts 10:34-43

Objects in the mirror are closer
than they appear. I am not beyond the long arm
of God’s grace simply because
of my transgressions.
I can turn away,
I can look askance,
still I cannot hide.
The sparrow, the lily of the field
I am counted as one.
God shows no partiality
Christ died for the sins of all.
I am His
because I believe.
Because I believe
I am His.

                                                               —Audrianne Hill

John 12:12-16

Today’s passage tells the story of Palm Sunday, the start of Holy Week. All four Gospels begin with what they call “The Triumphal Entry.” As a child I can recall being given a Sunday school leaflet on that day showing Jesus riding on a donkey while the crowds of adults and children waved palm branches and threw cloaks in front of him. It was a real parade. At Hope Church on Palm Sunday, we give our children palm fronds and lead them around the sanctuary calling out “Hosanna!” We sing the hymn, “Hosanna, loud Hosannas, the little children sang.” Children are very much a part of our Palm Sunday observance. We might ask why.

Two thousand years ago Jesus arrived in Jerusalem amid talk of a coming King, the Messiah.  Everyone wondered if this could be the man. Instead of a king in royal robes mounted on a stately horse, they see a humble man in a drab homespun robe seated on a donkey. Nevertheless, caught up in the fervor of the moment, they call out, “Hosanna! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord—the King of Israel!” The children run alongside of him, cheering him and waving their palm fronds. They see in him something that older eyes do not, and so they cry out their praise, and Jesus recalls the ancient prophecy:

Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies
you have prepared praise for yourself. (Psalm 8:2)

We can learn from this child-like faith. We don’t need the trappings of a conqueror to know a true king. Jesus made a triumphal entry, but the accolades didn’t last. Five days later the same crowd would shout for his crucifixion. Instead, like the children, we can believe in him, we can trust him, and no matter what comes next, He is our Savior. Praise be to God!

Prayer:  Gracious God, like the children, we would praise you with all our hearts. We pray that our faith will be strong and unshakeable through whatever lies ahead for us. May your love shine in us and in all we do. In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

                                                                                          —Ruth Donaldson

John 3:14-21

Christ Our Light -- Brother Lawrence, Holy Rosary Priory, Bushey, Great Britain

And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God.

And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil.

For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed.

But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God.

Psalm 22:27-31

One of the great temptations in times of stress and struggle is the temptation of magic—that someone, somewhere, has the elixir that will make all the problems go away. From politicians to infomercials to bookstore shelves, the promise of easy answers and quick fixes calls. No long process. No hard conversations. No confusing dialectic to toss and turn in the brain. No dealing with people who don’t see it my way. Just the answer.

But the Bible, and the faith we derive from it, has never been a book of magic—it is rather a wellspring of hope that strengthens us and allows us to go forward no matter the circumstances. Hope stirs the imagination, expands horizons, energizes; it honors the past, references the present, and remembers the future. Hope is why the Psalmist can say, “for dominion belongs to the Lord.”

We are a people of hope and the people of Hope (Church). For in God, we are able to see what has not yet been and what will be:

“(to) sing to our Lord a new song;
            (to) sing in our world a sure Hope:
Our God loves this world,
            God called it into being,
            God renews it through Jesus Christ,
            God governs it by the Spirit.
God is the world’s true Hope.”*

*from the Reformed Church in America’s “Our Song of Hope.”

Prayer: In your grace, O God, grant us the wisdom and courage to this day and every day be people of hope.

—Jeff Japinga

Romans 4:16-25

Oh LORD, thank you for giving us an example and inspiration in Jesus, who embodied living life fully. Thank you for the invitation to have righteousness reckoned to us both individually and collectively by faith in him. Thank you for the invitation to live life by faith and hope, liberated from the constraints of legalism. Thank you for affirming the examples of faith and hope that have come before us. Please inspire us and continue to do this among us. Help us to continue to “hope against hope” that you will move, and are moving, in ever-increasingly magnificent ways among all people. To this end, we still pray for more faith. May any righteousness that You reckon to your people glorify your church, your kingdom, and ultimately, You. Amen.

—Scott D. Parrott

Romans 4:13-15

God’s promise to Abraham was not earned through Abraham’s works, nor was it given following a particular religious practice (circumcision). Today’s passage makes clear that God’s promise did not come to Abraham through adherence to the law either. In fact the law brings wrath. Abraham simply believed God (v. 3). He trusted the One who made the absurd promise that even in his old age he would father descendants more numerous than the stars. Abraham had faith in God. He believed God’s promise.

This invites us to reflect on other promises of God found in scripture as well as Jesus’ promises to his disciples. Spend some time naming and reflecting on God’s/Jesus’ promises. Do you believe these promises? Do you trust the One who makes them? Do you have faith that God will do what God has promised? What evidence in the Bible and in your life shows you God’s faithfulness to God’s promises?

—Sharon Arendshorst