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Weekly Update #53: Easter Sunday 2021
From the Minister Choosing Easter
Back in the 1980s a friend of mine was a teacher in a London secondary school. The student body and teaching staff represented something of the wonderful diversity that makes London such a vibrant, exciting city. Those in authority decided that school should reflect the different religious traditions that were present. One festival from each faith would be marked. Teachers from other faith groups were asked which festival they wished to celebrate, but it was simply announced that Christmas would be the Christian festival. The Christian teachers in the school requested that they would celebrate Easter instead, which caused considerable consternation. I’d never suggest cancelling Christmas or Easter, but if asked to choose between the two …
Online URC audio service https://devotions.urc.org.uk/10.00 a.m. RadioRadio 4Sunday Worship 8.10 a.m. Television BBC1 Sunday Worship for Easter 10.00 a.m.
BBC1 Songs of Praise 13.15 p.m.
DISCLAIMER: TV and Radio schedules can change, so check the timings are correct!
Bible readings for Sunday (from the Revised Common Lectionary)
Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24 ‘ The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’
Mark 16:1-8 An empty tomb and a message about Jesus
John 20:1-18 An empty tomb and a meeting with Jesus
Luke 24:113-49 Two disciples meet the risen Jesus on the way to Emmaus
1 Corinthians 15:1-11 Various resurrections appearances listed by Paul
‘So they went out and fled from the tomb … and they said nothing to anyone for they were afraid.’ (Mark 16:8) That’s an odd way to end a Gospel. Despite being told to tell the others (16:7), the women tell no one. Actually, even if we did not have the other Gospels, or the additional endings tacked on to the oldest version of Mark’s Gospel that we do possess, we know they must have told someone. Otherwise, how would people ever have found out about the resurrection of Jesus? Whether Mark intended to conclude his Gospel this way, or his original ending got lost somewhere, this odd ending does pose a question for followers of Jesus. Despite your fears, when and how are you going to tell others the good news? ‘For Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified … has been raised’ (16:6); he is not in the tomb.
Back in the 1980s a friend of mine was a teacher in a London secondary school. The student body and teaching staff represented something of the wonderful diversity that makes London such a vibrant, exciting city. Those in authority decided that school should reflect the different religious traditions that were present. One festival from each faith would be marked. Teachers from other faith groups were asked which festival they wished to celebrate, but it was simply announced that Christmas would be the Christian festival. The Christian teachers in the school requested that they would celebrate Easter instead, which caused considerable consternation. I’d never suggest cancelling Christmas or Easter, but if asked to choose between the two …
On the Journey to Emmaus by Mart Haugen
