From RENEWED by the Word Cycle A
Sunday, April 5, 2025 Easter Sunday
Invitation to Pray
Scripture John 20:1-9 The Empty Tomb
Pause for a few moments of silence to become more aware of the presence of God. Pray together:
On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.”
O God, on Easter Sunday you conquered death and unlocked for us the path to eternity through your Only Begotten Son. As we celebrate the joy of His Resurrection, we may be renewed by your Spirit and walk in newness of life. Pour forth your grace upon this gathering, that our hearts may be lifted in hope, our minds illumined by your Word, and our lives conformed more fully to the Risen Christ. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed. For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead. Take a few minutes to savor a word, a phrase, a question, or a feeling that rises up in you. Reflect on this quietly or share it aloud.
Other scripture readings of the day: Acts 10:34a, 37-43 Psalm 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23 Colossians 3:1-4 or Corinthians 5:6b-8
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