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Prayer of the Day
Historical Collect
O God, for our redemption you gave your only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer death on the cross, and by his glorious resurrection have delivered us from the power of the enemy. Grant us so to die daily to sin, that we may evermore live with him who died and rose again for us. Grant this, we pray, through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Gregorian Sacramentary, 6th Century)
Thematic Collect
God of all mercy and grace, your only Son’s death and glorious resurrection have delivered us from the power of death and redeemed all creation. Grant that we may no longer look for the living among the dead and instead daily die to sin and rise to newness of life; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.
Thoughts on the Readings
The Common Thread
The sea of death waits to engulf all who will not call on the name of the Lord. He alone is our strength and salvation. Because of his righteousness—not ours—we will not die, but shall live. He is the one who opens to us the gates of righteousness; we cannot accomplish such a mighty act. Nor should we ever boast of such a possibility. We celebrate the festival of Easter because the Passover Lamb has been sacrificed, yet is alive forevermore. See and believe.
First Reading • Exodus 15:1-11
Like the people of old, let us recount the glorious story. Tell it in hymns of praise. God has conquered the oppressor! Sin and death are now destroyed. The enemy can no longer pursue us. The Lord has become our salvation. He is our strength and the reason to sing.
Psalm • Psalm 118:15-29
Death has threatened its worst, but God has won the day. We shall not die but sing of the Lord. What else can faithful people do but sing of God's wondrous deeds? "For faith cannot be silent but must say and teach what it believes and knows about God, to the glory of God and the instruction of man" (Luther’s Works, Vol. 14, p. 81).
Second Reading • 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8
There is no leaven in Christ; he is “leavenless.” His body is unleavened bread, as he said in the Passover meal that he shared with his disciples. He lifted the traditional unleavened bread and said, “Take; this is my body” (Mark 14:22). He was sinless (unleavened) but took upon himself our sin (2 Corinthians 5:21). Therefore, we are new, righteous lumps of dough. We have been made unleavened, so we should act like it by getting the leaven out.
Gospel • John 20:1-18
There is great movement in this passage — mostly running and stooping, but some clinging too. The disciples were active that Easter morning. No one was as active as the disciple we suppose was young John. After he stooped to look into the tomb, seeing it empty, he believed. This is the greatest thing one does: believing in the Lord of the empty tomb. Though we do not see the evidence, we believe.
