Sundays at All Hallows (Sunday, April 20, 2025)
This Easter Sunday is a very special Easter Sunday. Easter Orthodox Christians and some other Christians use the Julian calendar to calculate the date of Easter Sunday. Protestants and Roman Catholics use the Gregorian calendar for the same purpose. Consequently, the Christians in these church traditions usually celebrate Christmas and Easter on different days from each other. This year Easter Sunday falls on the same day in both calendars. All Christians around the world will be celebrating the Feast of the Resurrection on the same day.
In this Sunday’s message we consider the implications of Mary Magdalene’s being the first disciple to discover the empty tomb and to see Jesus risen from the dead.
GATHERING IN GOD’S NAME
Open this link in a new tab to hear Jonathan Anderson’s instrumental arrangement of John Arnold’s adaptation of EASTER HYMN from the Lyrica Davida.
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Brian Wren’s “Christ Is Alive! Let Christians Sing.”
1 Christ is alive! Let Christians sing.
The cross stands empty to the sky.
Let streets and homes with praises ring.
Love, drowned in death, shall never die.
2 Christ is alive! No longer bound
to distant years in Palestine,
but saving, healing, here and now,
and touching every place and time.
3 In every insult, rift and war,
where color, scorn or wealth divide,
Christ suffers still, yet loves the more,
and lives, where even hope has died.
4 Women and men, in age and youth,
can feel the Spirit, hear the call,
and find the way, the life, the truth,
revealed in Jesus, freed for all.
5 Christ is alive, and comes to bring
good news to this and every age,
till earth and sky and ocean ring
with joy, with justice, love and praise.
Alleluia. Christ is risen.
The Lord is risen indeed. Alleluia.
Open this link in a new tab to hear Donald Pearson's setting of the Dignus est, “Splendor and Honor.”
Splendor and honor and kingly power
are yours by right, O Lord our God.
For you created everything that is,
and by your will they were created
and have their being;
Splendor and honor and kingly power
are yours by right, O Lord our God.
And yours by right, O Lamb that was slain,
for with your blood you have redeemed for God,
From every family, language, people, and nation,
a kingdom of priests to serve our God.
Splendor and honor and kingly power
are yours by right, O Lord our God.
The Lord be with you.
And also with you.
Let us pray.
Silence
Almighty God, who through your only-begotten Son Jesus
Christ overcame death and opened to us the gate of
everlasting life: Grant that we, who celebrate with joy the
day of the Lord's resurrection, may be raised from the death
of sin by your life-giving Spirit; through Jesus Christ our
Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one
God, now and for ever.
Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD
A reading from the Acts of the Apostles.
Acts 10:34-43
Peter said, “I really am learning that God doesn’t show partiality to one group of people over another. Rather, in every nation, whoever worships him and does what is right is acceptable to him. This is the message of peace he sent to the Israelites by proclaiming the good news through Jesus Christ: He is Lord of all! You know what happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism John preached. You know about Jesus of Nazareth, whom God anointed with the Holy Spirit and endowed with power. Jesus traveled around doing good and healing everyone oppressed by the devil because God was with him. We are witnesses of everything he did, both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him up on the third day and allowed him to be seen, not by everyone but by us. We are witnesses whom God chose beforehand, who ate and drank with him after God raised him from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Christopher Webber’s translation of Psalm 118 from A New Metrical Psalter.
1 God is my strength and song.
The Savior I have found;
Now from the tents of all the just
Comes the triumphant sound:
“The right hand of the Lord
Has gained the victory!
The right hand of the Lord has won,
Has triumphed gloriously!”
2 I shall not die, but live,
And make the Lord’s works known:
The stone the builders cast aside
Is now the cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s own work
And marvelous to see;
The Lord has acted on this day,
We praise God’s victory.
A reading from Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians
1 Corinthians 15:19-26
If we have a hope in Christ only in this life, then we deserve to be pitied more than anyone else.
But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead. He’s the first crop of the harvest of those who have died. Since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came through one too. In the same way that everyone dies in Adam, so also everyone will be given life in Christ. Each event will happen in the right order: Christ, the first crop of the harvest, then those who belong to Christ at his coming, and then the end, when Christ hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when he brings every form of rule, every authority and power to an end. It is necessary for him to rule until he puts all enemies under his feet. Death is the last enemy to be brought to an end.
The Word of the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
Silence
Open this link in a new tab to hear Marty Haugen’s “Easter Alleluia (Glory to God Who Does Wondrous Things).”
Alleluia, alleluia; alleluia!
1 Glory to God who does wondrous things
Let all God’s people his praises now sing,
All of creation in splendor shall ring: Alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia; alleluia!
2 See how salvation for all has been won
Up from the grave our new life has begun
Life now perfected in Jesus, the Son: Alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia; alleluia!
3 Now in our presence the Lord will appear,
Shine in the faces of all of us here,
Fill us with joy and cast out all our fear: Alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia; alleluia!
Alleluia, alleluia; alleluia!
The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ
according to John.
John 20:1-18
Glory to you, Lord Christ.
Early in the morning of the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb. She ran to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put him.” Peter and the other disciple left to go to the tomb. They were running together, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and was the first to arrive at the tomb. Bending down to take a look, he saw the linen cloths lying there, but he didn’t go in. Following him, Simon Peter entered the tomb and saw the linen cloths lying there. He also saw the face cloth that had been on Jesus’ head. It wasn’t with the other clothes but was folded up in its own place. Then the other disciple, the one who arrived at the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. They didn’t yet understand the scripture that Jesus must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to the place where they were staying.
Mary stood outside near the tomb, crying. As she cried, she bent down to look into the tomb. She saw two angels dressed in white, seated where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head and one at the foot. The angels asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”
She replied, “They have taken away my Lord, and I don’t know where they’ve put him.” As soon as she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she didn’t know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she replied, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him and I will get him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabbouni” (which means Teacher).
Jesus said to her, “Don’t hold on to me, for I haven’t yet gone up to my Father. Go to my brothers and sisters and tell them, ‘I’m going up to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
Mary Magdalene left and announced to the disciples, “I’ve seen the Lord.” Then she told them what he said to her.
Bearers of Good News
How many of us have been summoned to give testimony in court? When I was a social worker involved in child welfare work, I was required to testify as a witness in numerous cases in Juvenile Court and District Court, depending upon which court had jurisdiction over the case. Before I would testify the assistant district attorney in that court would qualify me as a witness in the case. This process would establish me as someone who was able to give testimony in the case that could be admitted as evidence in the case under the judicial rules governing the admission of evidence. I was allowed only to testify to the facts of the case as I knew them. I was generally not permitted to offer a personal opinion on the matter before the court.
What is interesting about John’s account of the resurrection in John 19: 1-18 is that the first person to discover that the tomb was empty was a woman, Mary Magdalene; the first person to see the risen Lord was a woman, Mary Magdalene; and first person to bring the good news of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead to the disciples was a woman, Mary Magdalene!
In Jewish courts and tribunals at that time women were not allowed to give testimony. Their testimony was considered inadmissible as evidence. Yet in John’s gospel the first witness to the risen Jesus is a woman! The first bearer of the good news is a woman! This is significant.
If John had been a part of a conspiracy to deceive people into believing that Jesus had risen from the dead, he would not have picked a woman to be the first witness to the risen Lord and to the bearer of the good news. He would have chosen someone who in the minds of his fellow Jews was a more credible witness.
John’s gospel much more than the Synoptic Gospels, the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, recognizes and affirms the role of women in Jesus’ life and ministry.
It was Martha, one of the little group of Jesus’ followers who lived in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem, who recognized Jesus as the Messiah.
It was Jesus' women followers who bankrolled his ministry.
It was his women followers who stayed to witness his crucifixion when most of his men disciples had gone into hiding from fear of arrest.
Woman played an important role in the transmission of the Christian faith in the early days of Christianity, a fact that is often lost in the hubbub over Paul’s prohibition of women speaking in gatherings of the local church, something that is related more to Paul’s notions of seemliness than it is to the ability of women to understand, interpret, and expound Scripture; to provide spiritual care to others; or to share their faith.
Women have an important role to play in the spread of the gospel and the teachings of Jesus in our day along with their brothers in Christ.
God chose a group of women to discover that the tomb in which Jesus body was laid was empty. God chose a woman, Mary Magdalene, to be the first person to encounter Jesus risen from the dead. God chose a woman, the same Mary Magdalene, to bear the good news of Jesus’ resurrection to the eleven. These choices had a purpose.
God has chosen all followers of Jesus to be bearers of the good news to a suffering world, a world in need of hope, a world in need of love, a world in need of Jesus. Our gender, our age, the color of our skin, the condition of our health, our walk of life does not matter. We have been called out of darkness into God’s marvelous light to be God’s messengers, to make known the goodness of God, the goodness that he has shown us in Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ our Savior,
you have delivered us from sin and death.
You have brought with the dawn
a new beginning and an empty tomb;
grant us the will and the power
to proclaim the good news
to all the people of the earth
and to make disciples of every tribe and nation.
Hear this prayer for your love’s sake.
Amen.
Silence
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.
THE MINISTRY OF PRAYER
In peace we pray to you, Lord God.
Silence.
For all people in their daily life and work;
For our families, friends, and neighbors,
and for all those who are alone.
For this community, our country, and the world;
For all who work for justice, freedom, and peace.
For the just and proper use of your creation;
For the victims of hunger, fear, injustice, and oppression.
For all who are in danger, sorrow, or any kind of trouble;
For those who minister to the sick, the friendless, and needy.
For the peace and unity of the Church of God;
For all who proclaim the gospel, and all who seek the truth.
For N. our bishop, and for all bishops and other ministers;
For all who serve God in the Church.
For our own needs and those of others.
Silence.
Those present may add their own petitions.
Hear us, Lord.
For your mercy is great.
We thank you, Lord, for all the blessings of this life.
Silence.
Those present may add their own thanksgivings.
We will exalt you, O God our king;
And praise your name for ever and ever.
We pray for those who have died in the peace of Christ,
and for those whose faith is known to you alone,
that they may have a place in your eternal kingdom.
Silence.
Those present may add their own petitions.
Lord, let your loving kindness be upon them;
Who put their trust in you.
We pray to you also for the forgiveness of our sins.
Silence may be kept.
Have mercy upon us, most merciful Father;
in your compassion forgive us our sins,
known and unknown,
things done and left undone;
and so uphold us by your Spirit
that we may live and serve you in newness of life,
to the honor and glory of your Name;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to
hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire
or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy,
forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid,
and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy
to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus
Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Open this link in a new tab to hear John MacLeod Campbell Crum’s “Now the Green Blade Riseth.”
1 Now the green blade riseth, from the buried grain,
Wheat that in dark earth many days has lain;
Love lives again, that with the dead has been:
Love is come again like wheat that springeth green.
2 In the grave they laid Him, Love whom men had slain,
Thinking that never He would awake again,
Laid in the earth like grain that sleeps unseen:
Love is come again like wheat that springeth green.
3 Forth He came at Easter, like the risen grain,
He that for three days in the grave had lain;
Quick from the dead my risen Lord is seen:
Love is come again like wheat that springeth green.
4 When our hearts are wintry, grieving, or in pain,
Thy touch can call us back to life again,
Fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been:
Love is come again like wheat that springeth green.
And now, as our Savior Christ has taught us,
we are bold to say,
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
THE SENDING OUT OF GOD’S PEOPLE
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and
the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us all evermore.
Amen. 2 Corinthians 13:14
or
The peace of the Lord be always with you.
And also with you.
Then those present may greet one another in the
name of the Lord.
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