{"id":883222,"date":"2023-02-26T19:11:48","date_gmt":"2023-02-27T00:11:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/?post_type=bible_study&#038;p=283222"},"modified":"2026-06-23T13:38:45","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T17:38:45","slug":"bible-study-easter-a-april-9-2023","status":"publish","type":"bible_study","link":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/bible_study\/bible-study-easter-a-april-9-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"Bible Study: Easter (A) \u2013 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/lectionary\/easter-day-a\/\"><strong>[RCL]<\/strong> <strong>Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-18<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/ED-2023-Bible-Study-Graphic-1024x536.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-283223\" style=\"width:512px;height:268px\" width=\"512\" height=\"268\"\/><\/figure>\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\">The Acts of the Apostles gives its readers a bird\u2019s-eye view of the beginnings of Christian mission work. Christ has been crucified, has died, and has risen, and his followers set about sharing the Good News of resurrection and new life through Christ to <em>all<\/em>. Significantly, this passage marks the inclusion of Gentiles in the church. It marks the recognition that <em>all<\/em> are created and beloved by God, and <em>all<\/em> are welcomed into Christ\u2019s Beloved Community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That sounds well enough, but consider the early Jewish context. The Apostles (the original missionaries) and early followers of Christ are being severely persecuted; just before this passage, we witness the first Christian martyrdom, that of St. Stephen, under the authority of Saul (Acts 7:56-8:1). Saul was well known for his tireless persecution of Christian believers. So, when he converts, it takes a moment for other believers to trust him. Saul\u2019s conversion kicks off a Biblical narrative of Gentile conversions, from eunuchs to centurions, which leads us into today\u2019s passage. Peter is evangelizing to a Roman centurion named Cornelius. Peter receives a vision from Christ that emphasizes the impartiality of God\u2019s love, and he is sharing that good news with Cornelius and other Gentiles. Peter not only shares the good news of God\u2019s impartiality for all and Christ\u2019s death and resurrection for all, but the Holy Spirit <em>confirms<\/em> it by falling upon the very people who persecuted them\u2014the Gentiles\u2014and <em>they<\/em> become believers and are saved. All are astonished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We encounter this astonishing narrative in our own lives every day. When convicts work for Christ alongside clergy. When convicts are called to <em>be<\/em> clergy. When victims forgive attackers. When persecutors repent. Just as we are tireless in our sinful nature, Christ is tireless in his love for us\u2014<em>all<\/em> of us. Like Peter, Christ calls us to listen, to love, and to lean into his astonishing mission\u2014to love and to save <em>all<\/em>. &nbsp;Isn\u2019t that what Easter is all about?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>How does this passage challenge your worldview?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Have you ever witnessed a transformation that astonished you?<\/li>\n<\/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\">An endearing quality of psalms is that they offer a portal for human emotion, for one\u2019s struggle with the divine\u2014poetic expressions of raw humanity. We express joy, pain, and anger through them. We express humility, sorrow, and thanksgiving through them. We <em>relate<\/em> to them. Psalms offer us the freedom to lean into our humanity and to unapologetically be truthful with ourselves and with God. David, one of the Bible\u2019s more imperfect characters and a prolific psalmist, shares with us his own humanity. We are privileged to walk alongside David through his humble beginnings, his awkward rise to leadership, his struggles with sin, and his unceasing devotion to God. <em>His unceasing devotion to God.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Psalm 118 expresses that devotion. As we noted in today\u2019s reading from Acts, God\u2019s steadfast love endures, in spite of our humanity. And so, the righteous, those who believe and follow God faithfully, albeit brokenly, shall also endure. David serves as a perfectly imperfect model of this for us. In Psalm 118, David expresses to us that while we are subject to pain and rejection, and while we often falter into sin, God\u2019s love for us never falters. Each day, each moment, is a gift from God. God simply wishes for us to rejoice and be glad in it. On this day in particular, Easter Sunday, David expresses that God\u2019s love is so steadfast and unconquerable that each new moment\u2014each new day\u2014offers us renewed hope and opportunity to love and serve God <em>and<\/em> one another, and to accompany one another through the gates of God\u2019s salvation. Like David, may we rejoice and be glad in the victory of God\u2019s Love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Psalm 118 is an expression of thanksgiving and victory. For what is the psalmist thankful?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When you feel strong emotions toward God, do you feel agency enough to write them down or speak them to God?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Colossians 3:1-4<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We humans tend to complicate things. It seems an innate part of our humanity. Our Christian ancestors were no different. This letter, whose authorship has been historically debated, is widely attributed to the Apostle Paul\u2014who converted from tireless anti-Christian persecutor to tireless Christian evangelist, missionary, and apostle. Paul, frustrated with the complex particularities of piety established prior to and abolished by Christ\u2019s ministry and crucifixion, writes this letter to a fledgling Christian community in Collosae (modern-day Turkey) as a means of encouragement. In his Pauline vernacular, he tells the faithful of Collosae to keep it simple and to keep it heavenward. He assures them (and us) that through Christ\u2019s death, we have died to sin; through Christ\u2019s resurrection, we as believers rise into new and everlasting life in him. Rather than focusing on the earthly preoccupations of faith, Paul urges us to focus upon heavenly grace\u2014that which does not <em>perish<\/em> with use. We are saved by grace alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Paul\u2019s call to ministry illuminates God\u2019s grace. Where has God\u2019s grace shone through in your life?<\/li>\n<\/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\">As we read this passage, we accompany Mary Magdalene along her pre-dawn revelatory pilgrimage to Christ\u2019s tomb. Some of us, in our own pre-dawn pilgrimage, gather in darkness to witness the resurrection of the Light of the World, the <em>son<\/em>rise. Like Mary, we struggle with the pain of Christ\u2019s crucifixion and the joy of his salvific victory over sin and death. It gives us hope in our own struggles with sin and death. We witness the deep faith and commitment of a marginalized woman juxtaposed against the humanly competitive nature of two other, more centered disciples vying for their beloved\u2014vying for Christ. Christ chooses to reveal himself to Mary first. He knows that she exists at the farthest liminal boundaries of her society, a single\u2026 Palestinian\u2026 Christian\u2026 woman, and yet she remains deeply faithful and committed to Christ\u2019s Way. <em>She<\/em> will be the first to witness the <em>son<\/em>rise. She will be the Apostle to the Apostles. Mary was pulled in from the margins and was centered by the Divine. From the center, Mary <em>understood<\/em>. From the margins, Mary <em>proclaimed.<\/em> Alleluia! Alleluia! Christ is risen! Christ is risen, indeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Why do you suppose Mary was the first person to see the resurrected Christ?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Can you recall revelatory moments in your own life when you could have used the strength and courage of Mary Magdalene?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Where do you see threads of connectivity between this day\u2019s scripture readings?<\/li>\n<\/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-b3b6ad2f-5622-48f1-84af-82ee035fd4ef\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Bible-Study-Easter-Day-English.docx\">Word \u2013 Easter Day (A) Bible Study<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Bible-Study-Easter-Day-English.docx\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-b3b6ad2f-5622-48f1-84af-82ee035fd4ef\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-0d3a168b-e376-4ee4-a837-07f4b07a3d56\" href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Bible-Study-Easter-Day-English.pdf\">Word \u2013 Easter Day (A) Bible Study<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Bible-Study-Easter-Day-English.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-0d3a168b-e376-4ee4-a837-07f4b07a3d56\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[RCL] Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; Colossians 3:1-4; John 20:1-18 Acts 10:34-43 The Acts of the Apostles gives its readers a bird\u2019s-eye view of the beginnings of Christian mission work. Christ has been crucified, has died, and has risen, and his followers set about sharing the Good News of resurrection and new life through Christ&#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":[139],"class_list":["post-883222","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-a"],"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":139,"label":"Easter Day A"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/883222","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\/883222\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":951727,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/883222\/revisions\/951727"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=883222"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=883222"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=883222"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}