Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Peter Preaches in Cornelius’ House

³⁴ Then Peter said, “I can see, for sure, that God does not respect one person more than another. ³⁵ He is pleased with any man in any nation who honors Him and does what is right. ³⁶ He has sent His Word to the Jews. He told them the Good News of peace through Jesus Christ. Jesus is Lord of All. ³⁷ You know the story yourselves. It was told in all the country of Judea. It began in the country of Galilee after the preaching of John the Baptist. ³⁸ God gave Jesus of Nazareth the Holy Spirit and power. He went around doing good and healing all who were troubled by the devil because God was with Him. ³⁹ We have seen and heard everything He did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. And yet they killed Him by nailing Him to a cross. ⁴⁰ God raised Him to life on the third day and made Him to be seen. ⁴¹ Not all the people saw Him but those who were chosen to see Him. We saw Him. We ate and drank with Him after He was raised from the dead. ⁴² He told us to preach to the people and tell them that God gave Christ the right to be the One Who says who is guilty of the living and the dead. ⁴³ All the early preachers spoke of this. Everyone who puts his trust in Christ will have his sins forgiven through His name.”

New Heavens and a New Earth

¹⁷ “For, see, I will make new heavens and a new earth. The past things will not be remembered or come to mind. ¹⁸ But be glad and have joy forever in what I make. For see, I make Jerusalem for joy, and her people for happiness. ¹⁹ I will have joy in Jerusalem and be glad in My people. The voice of crying will no longer be heard in it, or the cry of trouble. ²⁰ No more will there be in it a child who lives only a few days, or an old man who does not live many years. For the child will live to be a hundred years old. And the one who does not live a hundred years will be thought to be cursed. ²¹ They will build houses and live in them. They will plant grapes and eat their fruit. ²² They will not build a house and another live in it. They will not plant and another eat. For My people will live a long time, like the days of a tree. And for a long time My chosen ones will enjoy the work of their hands. ²³ They will not work for nothing, or give birth to children and have trouble. For they will be the children of those who receive good from the Lord, and their children with them. ²⁴ And it will be before they call, I will answer. While they are still speaking, I will hear. ²⁵ The wolf and the lamb will eat together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox. And dust will be the snake’s food. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain,” says the Lord.

A Prayer of Thanks

118 Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His loving-kindness lasts forever. ² Let Israel say, “His loving-kindness lasts forever.”

¹⁴ The Lord is my strength and my song. He is the One Who saves me.

¹⁵ The joy of being saved is being heard in the tents of those who are right and good. The right hand of the Lord does powerful things. ¹⁶ The Lord’s right hand is lifted high. The right hand of the Lord does powerful things. ¹⁷ I will not die but live. And I will tell of what the Lord has done. ¹⁸ The Lord has punished me but He has not given me over to death.

¹⁹ Open to me the gates of what is right and good. I will go through them and give thanks to the Lord. ²⁰ This is the gate of the Lord. Those who are right with God will pass through it. ²¹ I will give thanks to You, for You have answered me. And You are the One Who saves me.

²² The stone that was put aside by the workmen has become the most important stone in the building. ²³ The Lord has done this. We think it is great! ²⁴ This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us be full of joy and be glad in it.

¹⁹ If we have hope in Christ in this life only, we are more sad than anyone else.

²⁰ But it is true! Christ has been raised from the dead! He was the first One to be raised from the dead and all those who are in graves will follow. ²¹ Death came because of a man, Adam. Being raised from the dead also came because of a Man, Christ. ²² All men will die as Adam died. But all those who belong to Christ will be raised to new life. ²³ This is the way it is: Christ was raised from the dead first. Then all those who belong to Christ will be raised from the dead when He comes again. ²⁴ Next, at the end of the world, Christ will give His holy nation over to God the Father. Christ will have destroyed every nation and power. ²⁵ Christ must be King until He has destroyed all those who hate Him and work against Him. ²⁶ The last thing that will be destroyed is death.

Peter Preaches in Cornelius’ House

³⁴ Then Peter said, “I can see, for sure, that God does not respect one person more than another. ³⁵ He is pleased with any man in any nation who honors Him and does what is right. ³⁶ He has sent His Word to the Jews. He told them the Good News of peace through Jesus Christ. Jesus is Lord of All. ³⁷ You know the story yourselves. It was told in all the country of Judea. It began in the country of Galilee after the preaching of John the Baptist. ³⁸ God gave Jesus of Nazareth the Holy Spirit and power. He went around doing good and healing all who were troubled by the devil because God was with Him. ³⁹ We have seen and heard everything He did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. And yet they killed Him by nailing Him to a cross. ⁴⁰ God raised Him to life on the third day and made Him to be seen. ⁴¹ Not all the people saw Him but those who were chosen to see Him. We saw Him. We ate and drank with Him after He was raised from the dead. ⁴² He told us to preach to the people and tell them that God gave Christ the right to be the One Who says who is guilty of the living and the dead. ⁴³ All the early preachers spoke of this. Everyone who puts his trust in Christ will have his sins forgiven through His name.”

Jesus Is Raised from the Grave ^(A)

20 It was the first day of the week. Mary Magdalene came to the grave early in the morning while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had been pushed away from the grave. ² She ran to Simon Peter and the other follower whom Jesus loved. She said to them, “They have taken the Lord out of the grave. We do not know where they have put Him.”

³ Then Peter and the other follower went to the grave. ⁴ They ran but the other follower ran faster than Peter and came to the grave first. ⁵ He got down and looked in and saw the linen cloths but did not go in. ⁶ Then Simon Peter came and went into the grave. He saw the linen cloths lying there. ⁷ The white cloth that had been around the head of Jesus was not lying with the other linen cloths. It was rolled up and lying apart by itself. ⁸ Then the other follower, who had come first, went in also. He saw and believed. ⁹ They still did not understand what the Holy Writings meant when they said that He must rise again from the dead. ¹⁰ Then the followers went back again to their homes.

¹¹ Mary stood outside the grave crying. As she cried, she got down and looked inside the grave. ¹² She saw two angels dressed in white clothes. They were sitting where the body of Jesus had lain. One angel was where His head had lain and one angel was where His feet had lain. ¹³ They said to her, “Woman, why are you crying?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord. I do not know where they have put Him.”

¹⁴ After saying this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there. But she did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵ He said to her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who are you looking for?” She thought He was the man who cared for the garden. She said to Him, “Sir, if you have taken Jesus from here, tell me where you have put Him. I will take Him away.” ¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned around and said to Him, “Teacher!” ¹⁷ Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to Me. I have not yet gone up to My Father. But go to My brothers. Tell them that I will go up to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God!” ¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went and told the followers that she had seen the Lord. She told them the things He had said to her.

Jesus Is Raised from the Dead ^(A)

24 Early in the morning on the first day of the week, the women went to the grave taking the spices they had made ready. ² They found the stone had been pushed away from the grave. ³ They went in but they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

⁴ While they wondered about what had happened, they saw two men standing by them in shining clothes. ⁵ They were very much afraid and got down with their faces to the ground. The men said to them, “Why do you look for the living One among those who are dead? ⁶ He is not here. He is risen. Do you not remember what He said to you when He was yet in Galilee? ⁷ He said, ‘The Son of Man must be given over into the hands of sinful men. He must be nailed to a cross. He will rise again three days later.’” ⁸ They remembered what He had said.

⁹ When they came back from the grave, they told all these things to the eleven followers and to all the others. ¹⁰ They were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James. Other women who were with them told these things to the followers also. ¹¹ Their words sounded like foolish talk. The followers did not believe them. ¹² But Peter got up and ran to the grave. He got down to look in and saw only the linen clothes. Then he went away, surprised about what had happened.