Easter Sunday, April 17. “They remembered his words”

Prepare to Listen.  With gratitude, be still and pray: Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your steadfast love.  (Psalm 31:16)
 
Prayerfully Read Luke 24:1-12
But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, [the women] came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared.  2They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3but when they went in, they did not find the body.  4While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them.  5The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here, but has risen.  6Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’  8Then they remembered his words, 9and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest.  10Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.  12But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.
 
Prayerfully Wonder
Easter Sunday is the most joyous day in the Church Calendar.  So today we shout out: Hallelujah!  Christ is risen.  But that first Easter Jesus’ followers didn’t rejoice.  The women, the first at the empty tomb, were perplexed.  The men didn’t believe, deeming it “an idle tale” only women would tell.  Peter, the only male to go to the tomb, was amazed and silently went home.  No one shouted, “Hallelujah!  Christ is risen.”
 
The women who went to the tomb heard the good news, “He is not here, but has risen.”  “Remember,” the two men in dazzling clothes said, “how he told you….”  These women, only four named, and one of them may have been Jesus’ mother (Mary, the mother of James), were often with Jesus and heard his repeated teaching that he’d “be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.”  Like the other disciples, they didn’t understand and so forgot his words.  Remember, urged the two men.  And they did.  They returned to the eleven and all the rest, but they refused to believe the women or remember Jesus’ words.
 
Sometimes, when things are bad and believing is difficult, all we can do is remember.  Remember the stories and how they once affected us; remember the cross and Jesus’ words; remember what the women saw, or rather, didn’t see—a corpse.  If all we do is remember it will be enough to help us through the bad times and restore our faith and hope in Jesus so we too can shout out, “Hallelujah!  Christ is risen.”
 
Prayerfully Reflect
What do you remember that helps you stay on the way even when life is hard?
 
Respond to Jesus
Lord, keep my mind alert to remember what you said and did, especially when life gets tough.  Hallelujah, you are alive.  Amen.
 
Live obediently.  Remember!