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Jeremiah 31:1-6
Jeremiah 31:5 reads: “Again you shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria; the planters shall plant and shall enjoy the fruit.”

When Jeremiah spoke these words to the exiles, predicting their restoration to their homeland, he did not foresee that during the intervening years between exile and return. The poor Israelites who remained and those from beyond who themselves were exiled to Samaria, would begin to think of themselves as God’s chosen. They were the group we call Samaritans, a group very similar but wholly other than the Israelites. These very similar groups, both ethnically and religiously, would become enemies. I wonder if some of those Judeans who revered Jeremiah’s words would reinterpret this verse as a prediction that one day they would drive out the Samaritans and reclaim their land, and their holy mountain?

These are still words from our holy scriptures, and we have a chance to reinterpret ourselves as well. We are all being called into one family through Jesus Christ. Might we see these words as looking ahead to the reconciliation of age-old enemies? Luke recorded the parable of Jesus about the Samaritan rescuing the Judean who was beaten by robbers and left for dead. (No Judean of that time would have used the words “good” and “Samaritan” in the same sentence. Jesus had no problem with that).

And then there’s the Samaritan woman who listened to what Jesus was really saying when he talked about living water and engaged in true theological dialogue with Jesus instead of throwing slogans around. We might see here the resurrection of the one humanity lost with the Tower of Babel, and foreshadowed in the miracle of Pentecost where all heard the Good News in their own language. Maybe we shall plant vineyards on the mountains of Samaria and enjoy the fruits because in the words of Lincoln, we will listen to the better angels of our nature and realize we are not enemies, but friends.
Frank R.

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Acts 10:34-43
In 1922, Howard Carter made one of the greatest archeological discoveries in history. He found the ancient tomb of the Pharaoh known as Tutankhamun. You know this Pharaoh as King Tut. Buried in the Valley of Kings, Tutankhamun’s tomb, unlike other tombs that had been emptied by grave robbers, was full of priceless artifacts. It even contained the body of King Tut himself. It took eight years to remove and document the contents of the tomb. Some of the mummified remains and his treasures were sent in exhibitions around the world. Thousands of people lined up to see the remains of a dead king and his tomb. In 2014, I had the opportunity with thousands of others to see some of the findings of King Tut’s tomb in a Kansas City exhibit.

Thousands of people line up to see the tomb and remains of a dead king and his reign. As remarkable as Tut’s tomb is, it pales in comparison to another tomb, just outside Jerusalem. Today, relatively few will gather outside that tomb, and its location is not known for certain. One thing is known. That tomb is empty. It is the tomb of Jesus, the King of Kings. God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear to people.

It’s a tale of two tombs. One is full of priceless treasure. The other is empty. Which is most valuable?
Bill T.

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Acts 10:34-43
Here is Peter, the one who denied Jesus at the cross, who betrayed his belief and his following of Jesus, preaching and teaching about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Here is Peter, proclaiming that all are welcomed into the embrace of God, into the resurrection that is Jesus. Peter quotes Jesus, “He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead.” Peter proclaims his faith, seemingly without the fear that caused his previous denial, with confident and with a certainty that Jesus has chosen him for this work. What works of faith are you called to undertake? How are you called to share, in confidence, your belief in God? I can remember my then four-year-old grandson calling me the Monday after Easter to ask me deep theological questions: “How and why did Jesus die and how did he get to be alive again?” The answers are really simple. Jesus dies because humanity abandoned him and his teachings. He is alive because love cannot be conquered by fear and hate. Today, and in all the days to follow, may we walk into the world without fear, without hate, and with the deep love of God in our hearts, lives and actions.
Bonnie B.

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Acts 10:34-43
Concerning this text, John Wesley noted, “[God] is not partial in his love... He is loving to every man and wills that all men should be saved.” (Commentary On the Bible, p.480) Preaching on this lesson, Martin Luther called it a “comforting message, a gospel of joy and grace, a message not threatening and terrifying with a vision of God’s wrath for our sin...” (Complete Sermons, Vol.4/1, p.195)

Martin Luther King, Jr. powerfully explained the inclusive character of Christ’s saving work, how it brings people together, and then he further elaborated on the social and ethical implications of this insight:

But in Christ there is neither Jew not Gentile. In Christ, there is neither male nor female. In Christ, there is neither communist nor capitalist. In Christ, somehow there is neither bound nor free. We are all one in Christ Jesus. And when we truly believe in the sacredness of human personality, we won’t exploit people, we won’t trample over people with the iron feet of oppression, we won’t kill anybody. (A Testament of Hope, p.255)
Mark E.

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Colossians 3:1-4
A 2022 Ipsos poll found that 47% of the American public find Christians giving and 44% find us loving. Not great numbers, but at least it is a starting point for challenging American Christians to take the words of this Easter lesson more seriously. The text is about the difference Easter makes. Martin Luther made this point well, when in an exposition he wrote:

Therefore, one must teach as follows: “Behold, Christ died for you! He took sin, death, and hell upon himself and submitted himself... And he did all this in order that you might be free from it and lord over it. (Luther’s Works, Vol.30, p.13)  

In a sermon on this text, Luther more expressly explains what the new life of Easter looks like for Christians. He proclaimed:

If we would be Christians, we must... not receive nor tolerate the worldly doctrine and corrupt inventions originating with ourselves... If we are risen with Christ through faith, we must set our affections upon things not earthly, corruptible, perishable, but upon things above – the heavenly, divine, eternal... (Complete Sermons, Vol.4/1, p.222)
Mark E.

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John 20:1-18
Americans (all of us) get stuck in routines, even if they are destructive ones. The behaviors often trap us.  Motivational psychologist Heidi Grant Halvorsen explains why. On this subject she wrote:

It is not just that people fear change, though they undoubtedly do. It’s also that they genuinely believe (often on an unconscious level) that when you’ve been doing something a particular way for some time, it must be a good way to do things.

Easter and the resurrection are all about fresh starts. Famed New Testament scholar Rudolf Bultmann claimed that at the heart of the gospel and the Easter word is the proclamation “to be open to God’s future...” (Jesus Christ and Mythology, p.31) In the spirit of stressing this new reality which Easter and the Resurrection bring, evangelical theologian Josh McDowell writes: 

While the resurrection promises us a new and perfect life in the future, God loves us too much to leave us alone to contend with the pain, guilt and loneliness of our present life.
Mark E.

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Matthew 28:1-10
In the Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, J.R.R. Tolkien writes how Sam Gangee collapses after accompanying Frodo on his quest to destroy the ring. He awakens and sees Gandalf, whom he thinks is dead.

He asks, “Gandalf! I thought you were dead! But then I thought I was dead myself. Is everything sad going to come untrue? What's happened to the world?"

Gandalf replies, “A great shadow has departed.” Then he laughed and the sound was like music, or like water in a parched land; and as he listened the thought came to Sam that he had not heard laughter, the pure sound of merriment, for days upon days without count.

This passage from the Tolkien book reflects the joy and excitement of that moment. I could not help but think of the resurrection when I read them again. The words at the empty tomb may well have been, “Is everything sad going to come untrue?” It is also certain that a great shadow as departed. Jesus conquered death and the grave. Those who have a relationship with Jesus no longer fear the shadow of death. “Up from the grave he arose. With a mighty triumph, he arose.”
Bill T.

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Matthew 28:1-10
John Calvin notes how this account of the resurrection is all about God’s forgiving love, how though the women who came to the tomb erred in not believing from the outset that Christ had risen, yet Jesus appeared to them anyway. The Genevan reformer writes:

It is, therefore, an astonishing display of the goodness of Christ, that he kindly and generously presents himself alive to the women, who did him wrong in seeking him among the dead. Now if he did not permit them to come in vain to his grave, we may conclude with certainty, that those who now aspire to him by faith will not be disappointed... (Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol.XVII/1, p.340)

Contemporary British New Testament scholar N. T. Wright adds another dimension to appreciating what Jesus’ resurrection means for everyday life. He writes:

Jesus's resurrection is the beginning of God's new project not to snatch people away from earth to heaven but to colonize earth with the life of heaven. That, after all, is what the Lord's Prayer is about.” Surprise by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church

Martin Luther profoundly commented further on the difference Jesus’ resurrection make to everyday life. He wrote:

Behold, thus we must view of our treasure and turn away from temporal reality which lies before our eyes and sense. We must not let death and other misfortune, distress and misery terrify us so. Nor must we regard what the world has and can do, but balance this against what we are and have in Christ. For our confidence is built entirely on the fact that he has arisen and that we have life with him already and are no longer in the power of death. Therefore, let the world be mad and foolish boasting of and relying on its money and goods. (Luther’s Works, Vol.28, p.111)
Mark E.

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Matthew 28:1-10
Each of the four evangelists has something important to tell us about the resurrection. Matthew is alone in telling us something about the guard placed in front of the tomb. The guards had their attention pointed outward – they wanted to prevent people from breaking into the tomb. These were irregulars, temple guards perhaps, who liked holding a weapon or wearing an emblem giving them a level of importance, but these were not the Roman legionnaires who marched across and conquered the known world. They would never have expected that the danger would come from within the tomb, not without, that someone would be breaking out of the tomb, not breaking in. The appearance of the angel filled them with such fear that the men were struck with a profound shock. God is real, the heavens intrude on earth, and on the side of the crucified Lord! They became like dead men! And of course, the women who had come to minister to the body of Jesus were frightened too, but this is where I want to focus on what the angel says to them – “Do not you be afraid!” This message is for those of us who are faithful to the crucified God when all seems lost, when the world has been turned upside down, when there seems to be no payoff for being on the side of Jesus. The world is being turned back right side up!

The angel closes with these words: “This is my message for you!” Any time you think you’re nobody, remember – you’re the somebody the angel is speaking to. You’re the soul that Jesus died and was raised for.
Frank R.