{"id":827977,"date":"2021-02-24T10:38:37","date_gmt":"2021-02-24T15:38:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/?post_type=bible_study&#038;p=227977"},"modified":"2026-06-23T13:56:58","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T17:56:58","slug":"bible-study-easter-day-b-april-4-2021","status":"publish","type":"bible_study","link":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/bible_study\/bible-study-easter-day-b-april-4-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Bible Study: Easter Day (B) \u2013 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/lectionary\/easter-day-principal-b\/\">RCL: Acts 10:34-43 or Isaiah 25:6-9; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 or Acts 10:34-43; John 20:1-18 or Mark 16:1-8<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Bible-Study-Graphic-1024x536.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-227998\" width=\"512\" height=\"268\"\/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Acts 10:34-43<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Episcopal Church Welcomes You!\u201d The message is posted on street corners in thousands of cities across the Americas. Created in the 1950s, the slogan and sign were adopted not only to attract membership but also to express the church\u2019s deep value of hospitality. We in The Episcopal Church believe that everyone has a place in our communities and are eager to invite them in to sit with us at the Lord\u2019s table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We see a similar message in our reading from Acts on this Easter Sunday, in which Peter is surprised to find that God has poured out the Holy Spirit even on the Gentile centurion, Cornelius, and his family. \u201cGod shows no partiality,\u201d Peter exclaims. Notice, however, that in this passage, Peter is not the one who welcomes Cornelius\u2019 family. Cornelius\u2019 family are the hosts who welcome Peter. In fact, it is Peter who, at first, is resistant to entering the Gentile home. Yet upon entering, he finds the Holy Spirit has already entered ahead of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Practicing hospitality is a beautiful expression of Christian love deeply rooted in the tradition of the Hebrew Scriptures; just as Jesus came out of the tomb, the risen Christ calls his people out of their homes and worship places to encounter the hospitality that is given to them by others in places they\u2019d least expect. Jesus calls us out of our communities to join the Holy Spirit at work in \u201cevery nation.\u201d Perhaps our signs should say, \u201cThe Episcopal Church is coming to you!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Who experiences transformation in this passage? Peter or Cornelius and his family?<\/li><li>When have you experienced unexpected hospitality?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cOn this day the Lord has acted.\u201d The psalm for today is jubilant with praise and celebration, declaring that God has acted victoriously on behalf of the rejected, the oppressed, the underdog, the ones who are facing death at every corner. The God of this psalm is alive and active. The God of this psalm is one whose \u201cmercy endures for ever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It is a God that many of us may find difficulty seeing in this painful year of death and despair. How can God be alive and well when my neighbors are not? And yet the vision of the God of life is often most clearly seen in the valley of death. The God of life presented in Scripture is the God who knows death intimately and has come through it. God is not ignorant when it comes to death, and God is not ignorant of our current struggle. God finds us in the struggle and brings us to life. So today, like the Israelites, we celebrate the God of life who meets us at the brink of death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>What does it mean to rejoice and be glad in the God of life when we are surrounded by death?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1 Corinthians 15:1-11<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My son and I like to walk in the woods near our house and collect acorns. Sometimes I hold the acorns in my hand and think about the tree from which they came. I think about how the forest is made up of hundreds of trees that came from hundreds of acorns from hundreds of other trees. The forest might seem like an unchanging, static presence, but it is dynamic\u2014always growing and passing on life to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In today\u2019s passage from 1 Corinthians, the author paints a similar picture of the Church, which springs forth from Christ\u2019s resurrection. Experience of that life-giving resurrection was received by St. Paul from Cephas, the twelve, five hundred others, James, and other apostles (sadly, Paul skips mentioning all the women). It was then handed down by St. Paul to the Corinthians themselves. And some time down along the line, knowledge and experience of Christ\u2019s resurrection has come to us, today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For this reason, Easter is not simply a celebration of an historical memory, but like the forest through which my son and I walk, it is a celebration of an ongoing mystery that continually takes place in the life of the dynamic, ever-growing, and ever-changing Church. It\u2019s noteworthy that in this passage, St. Paul does not say to the Church, \u201cYou were saved,\u201d but rather, \u201cYou are <em>being<\/em> saved.\u201d Thus, on this Easter Day, we not only remember a resurrection that took place 2,000 years ago but we also experience our own participation in the ongoing resurrection of Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>What implications might the notion of \u201cyou are being saved\u201d instead of \u201cyou were saved\u201d have on Christian living?<\/li><li>How does seeing Easter as an ongoing saving event differ from seeing it as a one-time historical moment?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>John 20:1-18<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cDoing nothing often leads to the very best kind of something.\u201d So says Winnie the Pooh in the 2018 Disney film, <em>Christopher Robin<\/em>. The film features a grown-up Christopher Robin, who has become so consumed with his \u201cimportant\u201d work at his company job that he scarcely has time for his wife and daughter and has all but forgotten about his childhood friends in the Hundred Acre Wood. However, with a helpful reminder from his childhood friend, Pooh, Christopher Robin learns to slow down again and notice what is really important in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s a familiar story, particularly in our hyper-productive, consumeristic world. Will we be too busy with our to-do lists to notice the miracle of Easter this year, or will we stop to do nothing in order to find the \u201cvery best kind of something?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That is exactly what we see Mary Magdalene doing in the gospel reading for today when she experiences a life-changing encounter with the risen Jesus. As soon as Peter and the other disciple had seen the empty tomb, they were off again, presumably to find some sort of \u201cfix\u201d to the problem of a robbed grave. Not Mary Magdalene. Rather than running away to find something to do about the problem, she took the time to stop and notice. To notice her own trauma and loss \u2013 and to weep. To do nothing but to feel. And it was there in her quiet weeping that she was given the great privilege of being the first person to see the risen Jesus face-to-face. While Peter and the other disciple had gone off to do important things, Mary stayed to do nothing, which led \u201cto the very best kind of something.\u201d We are often called to spring into the action of an important to-do list, but if we never slow down to notice the world within and the world around us, we might completely miss the transformative miracle of the Resurrection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>With whom in this passage do you most identify?<\/li><li>How might you find some time to do nothing this Easter season?<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-09599e34-72c5-4aa1-b71f-56775f9bc8a2\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Easter-Day-Bible-Study-English.docx\">Word &#8211; Easter Day (B) Bible Study<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Easter-Day-Bible-Study-English.docx\" class=\"wp-block-file__button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-09599e34-72c5-4aa1-b71f-56775f9bc8a2\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-381c8d78-4fe4-4612-8ad5-521c6dc43724\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Easter-Day-Bible-Study-English.pdf\">PDF &#8211; Easter Day (B) Bible Study<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/Easter-Day-Bible-Study-English.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-381c8d78-4fe4-4612-8ad5-521c6dc43724\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>RCL: Acts 10:34-43 or Isaiah 25:6-9; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 or Acts 10:34-43; John 20:1-18 or Mark 16:1-8 Acts 10:34-43 \u201cThe Episcopal Church Welcomes You!\u201d The message is posted on street corners in thousands of cities across the Americas. Created in the 1950s, the slogan and sign were adopted not only to attract&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":201221,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[23,22,52,3],"tags":[204],"class_list":["post-827977","bible_study","type-bible_study","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bible-studies","category-easter","category-sermons-that-work","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-easter-day-b"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":23,"label":"Bible Studies"},{"value":22,"label":"Easter"},{"value":52,"label":"Sermons That Work"},{"value":3,"label":"worship_and_prayer_menu"}],"post_tag":[{"value":204,"label":"Easter Day B"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/827977","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bible_study"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/827977\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":951823,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/827977\/revisions\/951823"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=827977"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=827977"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=827977"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}