With Easter Sunday begins the season of Easter, the Great Fifty Days. From April 16 through May 24 (Pentecost Sunday) we will turn our attention to Acts (The Acts of the Apostles) and Romans (Paul’s letter to the church in Rome).
Acts is written by the same person who wrote Luke’s Gospel. It continues the story of what happens after Jesus ascends into heaven. After receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, they move from being disciples (followers of a certain teacher) to apostles (those who are sent out on a mission).
April 5 – The Empty Tomb
Easter Sunday
Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper
Matthew 28:1-10 Early in the morning after the Sabbath, the two Marys go to the tomb where their beloved Jesus had been laid. They are met with an earthquake, an angel, an empty tomb, terrified guards, and, after they leave to tell the disciples as they were instructed, they meet Jesus, risen from the dead.
April 12 – The Great Commandment
Second Sunday of the Easter Season
April Birthday Blessing
Matthew 28:16-20 When the remaining disciples gather at the mountain in Galilee where Jesus told them to go, Jesus appears to them and tells them what their task is.
April 19 – God Gives Peter a Vision and an Encounter with a Gentile
Third Sunday of the Easter Season
Acts 10:1-47 (selected verses) While praying, Peter receives a vision in which God declares “clean” things that are unclean (according to Jewish law). He is then directed to a Roman centurion, a Gentile, named Cornelius who together with his household receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
April 26 – Paul Begins His Mission
Fourth Sunday of the Easter Season
Acts 13:1-3, 14:8-18 After Peter’s experience with Cornelius and his household, Paul and Barnabas are sent to proclaim the gospel to the Gentiles. In Lystra, they heal a man crippled since birth.