The Resurrection
I believe in Jesus Christ, who descended among the dead, and on the third day rose again.
Reading (1 Corinthians 15: 12-20)
I handed on to you what I received: that Christ died for our sins, that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day; that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some say there is no resurrection? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, our proclamation - and your faith - is in vain. If we have hoped in Christ for this life only, we are of all people the most pitiable.
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died.
Song (Psalm 118)
Open to me the gates of righteousness,
That I may enter through them
And give thanks to the Lord.This is the gate of the Lord;
The righteous shall enter through it.
I thank you that you have answered me,
And have become my salvation.The stone that the builders rejected
Has become the cornerstone.
This is the Lord's doing;
It is marvelous to behold.This is the day the Lord has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Blessed is the one who comes
In the name of the Lord.
Reflection
Our faith is founded on the testimony of eyewitnesses to the resurrection. It is the faith of the apostles, handed down from age to age. They were plain men, simple and unlearned. They did not offer eloquence, or profound insights, or worldly wisdom, but the paradox of the cross, and victory over sin and death in the raising of Jesus from the dead. This cross and resurrection is a stumbling block to the world. But it is the way chosen by God to bring all things to fulfillment. The world may pity us for our simple faith, but we rejoice in this mighty deed of the Lord.
Prayer
Lord God, you loved us so much that you gave us your beloved Son to die for our sins. In obedience to your will he gave his life, and you raised him up to overcome sin and death and to reconcile us with you. May we follow his example in doing your will, that we may be raised up with him to eternal life.