Resurrection Son-day

Easter Sunday, 1960

“Now I make known to you, brethren, the Gospel…that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brethren at one time!”  (1 Cor. 15:1,3-6)

            It was the third hour when they crucified Him. When the sixth hour came, darkness fell over the whole land…At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice…”My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”…Someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink (Mark 15:25,33-36)

            Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid….they laid Jesus there. (John 19:30,41-42)

            Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb. Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked in the tomb; and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”

            When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there…Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (which means, Teacher). (John 20:1,11-14a,16)

Jesus said to her, “I am the Resurrection and the Life, he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me, will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26)

On this Good Friday before Easter Sunday 2013, I ask you, “Do you believe in Jesus?”