Easter Monday ’12 – Acts 10:34-41; Luke 24:13-35

Acts 10:34-41; Luke 24:13-35

“God raised Him on the third day!” When St. Peter is preaching in house of Cornelius, the centurion, he now knows that the Gospel is for all who would believe, Jew and Gentile alike. Yet, even when preaching to the Gentile, he preaches the cross from the prophets to prepare for the resurrection of Jesus. All New Testament sermons are Easter sermons. “You put Him to death, but God raised Him on the third day!”

St. Peter and the rest of the Apostolic band bear witness to the resurrection. They saw and believed not because they saw Him walk out of the tomb but because He appeared and ate and drank with Him. Their eyes were focused to see Him and to learn from Him, as He opened the Scriptures to them and revealed Himself to them in the breaking of the bread.

So it is for us. We are witnesses, with eyes focused by prophets and cross, to recognized the resurrection Lord as he eats and drinks with us, both now and into eternity. Easter is not about a dead man rising but about the Christ resurrecting. The Lamb of God has anointed us with His blood and the angel of death passes over our house. Easter isn’t about bunnies, eggs, feasts, and flowers. Its the festival of Christ’s destruction of death by His death. And now we are partakers in His life, too. We are His friends, His beloved. We have life—the Word of life, the water of life, and blood of life. This is Easter and the best gift.

(Based on the postil from Linedmann’s “The Sermon and the Propers” for Easter Sunday)