Book of Common Prayer

1 The Word already was, way back before anything began to be. The Word and God were together. The Word was God.

² Before anything began to be, the Word was there with God.

³ God made everything by the Word. Nothing has been made without him.

⁴ Life was in the Word. That life was Light for people.

⁵ The Light shone where it was dark and the darkness did not stop the Light from shining.

⁶ God sent a man named John.

⁷ He came to talk about the Light, so that all people might believe in the Light by what he said.

⁸ He himself was not that Light, but he was sent to talk about the Light.

⁹ The true Light which gives light to every person who comes into the world.

¹⁰ He, the Word, was in the world. Yes, he even made the world. And yet the world did not know him.

¹¹ He came into the world that was his own, but his own people did not receive him.

¹² But there were people who did believe in his name. They did receive him. He gave all those who received him and believed him the right to become children of God.

¹³ They were born into God's family by God. That is, they were not born into his family in the way a person is born into this world. It was not by any person's will.

¹⁴ The Word became man and he lived among us. We saw with our own eyes that he is great. He is great the way God the Father made his only Son great. We saw that he is full of loving kindness and truth.

¹⁵ John talked about him. He called out saying, `Here is the man I told you about. I said that the one who is coming after me is greater than I am, because he lived before I lived.'

¹⁶ He was full of loving kindness, and we have all received so much kindness from him.

¹⁷ Moses gave the law, but Jesus Christ gave this loving kindness and truth.

¹⁸ No one has ever seen God. But his only Son is very near to his Father's heart. He has told us plainly about God.

¹³ They were talking together about all the things that had happened.

¹⁴ While they were talking and asking each other questions, Jesus himself came and walked with them.

¹⁵ But even though they saw him, they did not know who he was.

¹⁶ Jesus asked them, `What is this that you are talking about as you walk along looking so sad?'

¹⁷ One of them named Cleophas answered him. He said, `Are you a stranger in Jerusalem and do not know what has happened there these last days?'

¹⁸ Jesus said, `What things?" They said, `All that has happened to Jesus of Nazareth. He was a prophet of God. He had power to do big works and to teach the people. He was respected by God and all the people.

¹⁹ Our chief priests and rulers gave him over to be punished by death, and they nailed him to a cross.

²⁰ But we were hoping that he was the one who would free the people of Israel. But that is not all. This is the third day since they did it.

²¹ Some of our women told us things that surprised us. Early this morning they were at the grave.

²² They did not find his body there. They came back and said that they saw angels. The angels told them that Jesus was living.

²³ Some of us went to the grave. And they found everything just as the women said. But they did not see Jesus.'

²⁴ Then he said to them, `You foolish men! Your hearts are slow to believe all that the prophets of God have said long ago.

²⁵ Christ had to have this trouble and go to the place where he will be great, did he not?'

²⁶ Then he told them the meaning of all that Moses and all the prophets of God long ago had written about him.

²⁷ They came near the village to which they were going. It looked as if he was going on further.

²⁸ But they begged him not to go further. They said, `Stay with us. It will soon be night. The day is almost finished.' So he went in to stay with them.

²⁹ He sat down at the table with them. Then he took the bread and thanked God for it. He broke it and gave it to them.

³⁰ Then they saw who he was. They knew him. And then suddenly they could not see him any more.

³¹ They said to each other, `It was like a fire burning in our hearts when he talked to us on the road and told us the meaning of the holy writings!'

³² They got up right then and went back to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven disciples together. Some other people were with them.

³³ These people said, `The Lord has really risen! He came to Simon!'

³⁴ Then the men from Emmaus told them what had happened on the road. They told how they knew Jesus when he broke bread and gave it to them.

³⁵ While they were telling them this, Jesus himself stood there with them. He said to them, `Peace to you!'

¹⁹ It was the first day of the week. In the evening the disciples were in a house together. The doors were shut because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Jesus came and stood there with them. He said to them, `Peace to you!'

²⁰ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.

²¹ Jesus said to them again, `Peace to you! My Father sent me: now I am sending you in the same way.'

²² When he had said this, he breathed on them and said, `Receive the Holy Spirit.

²³ Whoever you make free from the wrong things they have done will be free. Whoever you do not make free from the wrong things they have done will not be free.'