[Propertalk] READINGS for EASTER DAY

[Charles Wohlers]

The following are the readings for the Easter Day, April 16, according to 
the Revised Common (RCL), Episcopal (ECUSA), Roman Catholic, Church of 
England, and Canadian BAS Lectionaries. All readings are taken from the New 
Revised Standard Version (NRSV) of the Bible. Unless noted otherwise, the 
lectionaries of ECUSA, England, and Canada are identical to the RCL this 
Sunday.
NOTE: Easter Vigil readings will NOT be posted to the list. They are, 
however, available on the web at http://satucket.com/lectionary, as part of 
the complete ECUSA Easter Vigil service. RCL Easter Vigil readings may be 
found there also.

NOTE: At least for the ECUSA, the following readings are for the principal 
service only.


FIRST READING: Acts 10: 34 - 43   (all)

Acts 10:34 (NRSV) Then Peter began to speak to them: "I truly understand 
that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him 
and does what is right is acceptable to him. 36 You know the message he sent 
to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ--he is Lord of all. 
37 That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the 
baptism that John announced: 38 how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the 
Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who 
were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. 39 We are witnesses to 
all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by 
hanging him on a tree; 40 but God raised him on the third day and allowed 
him to appear, 41 not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as 
witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. 42 He 
commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one 
ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets 
testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of 
sins through his name."

Note: the Roman Catholic lectionary omits vs. 34b-36.


Isaiah 25: 6 - 9   (alt. for RCL)

Isai 25:6 (NRSV) On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all 
peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines,
of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.
7 And he will destroy on this mountain
the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
the sheet that is spread over all nations;
he will swallow up death forever.
8 Then the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces,
and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the LORD has spoken.
9 It will be said on that day,
Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
This is the LORD for whom we have waited;
let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.


PSALM 118: 1 - 2, 14 - 24   (RCL)
              118: 1 - 2, 16 - 17, 22 - 23   (Roman Catholic)

Psal 118:1 (NRSV) O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
his steadfast love endures forever!
2 Let Israel say,
"His steadfast love endures forever."

14 The LORD is my strength and my might;
he has become my salvation.
15 There are glad songs of victory in the tents of the righteous:
"The right hand of the LORD does valiantly;
16 the right hand of the LORD is exalted;
the right hand of the LORD does valiantly."
17 I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the LORD.
18 The LORD has punished me severely,
but he did not give me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness,
that I may enter through them
and give thanks to the LORD.
20 This is the gate of the LORD;
the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the chief cornerstone.
23 This is the LORD's doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the LORD has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Save us, we beseech you, O LORD!
O LORD, we beseech you, give us success!

Note: Vs. 1 & 2 are optional for C of E and are omitted for Can. BAS


118   Confitemini Domino     (ECUSA BCP)

1   Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; *
  his mercy endures for ever.

2   Let Israel now proclaim, *
  “His mercy endures for ever.”


14  The Lord is my strength and my song, *
 and he has become my salvation.

15  There is a sound of exultation and victory *
 in the tents of the righteous:

16  "The right hand of the Lord has triumphed! *
 the right hand of the Lord is exalted!
 the right hand of the Lord has triumphed!"

17  I shall not die, but live, *
 and declare the works of the Lord.

18  The Lord has punished me sorely, *
 but he did not hand me over to death.

19  Open for me the gates of righteousness; *
 I will enter them;
 I will offer thanks to the Lord.

20  "This is the gate of the Lord; *
 he who is righteous may enter."

21  I will give thanks to you, for you answered me *
 and have become my salvation.

22  The same stone which the builders rejected *
 has become the chief cornerstone.

23  This is the Lord's doing, *
 and it is marvelous in our eyes.

24  On this day the Lord has acted; *
 we will rejoice and be glad in it.

25  Hosanna, Lord, hosanna! *
 Lord, send us now success.



SECOND READING:  1 Corinthians 15: 1 - 11  (RCL)

1Cor 15:1 (NRSV) Now I would remind you, brothers and sisters, of the good 
news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you 
stand, 2 through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the 
message that I proclaimed to you--unless you have come to believe in vain.
3 For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: 
that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, 4 and that 
he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with 
the scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Ce'phas, then to the twelve. 6 
Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, 
most of whom are still alive, though some have died. 7 Then he appeared to 
James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he 
appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be 
called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the 
grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me has not been in vain. 
On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them--though it was not I, but 
the grace of God that is with me. 11 Whether then it was I or they, so we 
proclaim and so you have come to believe.


Colossians 3: 1 - 4   (Roman Catholic)

Colo 3:1 (NRSV) So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that 
are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your 
minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, 3 for you 
have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is 
your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.


Acts 10: 34 - 43   (alt. for RCL)

[If not previously used; see above for text]


1 Corinthians 5: 6b - 8   (alt. for Roman Catholic)

1Cor 5:6 (NRSV)  Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch 
of dough? 7 Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch, as you 
really are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. 8 
Therefore, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast 
of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.


GOSPEL:   John 20: 1 - 18   (RCL)
                     John 20: 1 - 9   (Roman Catholic)

John 20:1 (NRSV) Early on the first day of the week, while it was still 
dark, Mary Mag'dalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been 
removed from the tomb. 2 So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other 
disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, "They have taken the 
Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." 3 Then 
Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. 4 The two 
were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the 
tomb first. 5 He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying 
there, but he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and 
went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, 7 and the cloth 
that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled 
up in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb 
first, also went in, and he saw and believed; 9 for as yet they did not 
understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. 10 Then the 
disciples returned to their homes.
11 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to 
look into the tomb; 12 and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the 
body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 
They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "They have 
taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him." 14 When she 
had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did 
not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you 
weeping? Whom are you looking for?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she 
said to him, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid 
him, and I will take him away." 16 Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and 
said to him in Hebrew, "Rabbou'ni!" (which means Teacher). 17 Jesus said to 
her, "Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. 
But go to my brothers and say to them, "I am ascending to my Father and your 
Father, to my God and your God.'" 18 Mary Mag'dalene went and announced to 
the disciples, "I have seen the Lord"; and she told them that he had said 
these things to her.


Mark 16: 1 - 8   (alt. for RCL)

Mark 16:1 (NRSV) When the sabbath was over, Mary Mag'dalene, and Mary the 
mother of James, and Salo'me bought spices, so that they might go and anoint 
him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, 
they went to the tomb. 3 They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll 
away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" 4 When they looked up, 
they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. 
5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, 
sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6 But he said to them, "Do 
not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He 
has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. 7 
But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to 
Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you." 8 So they went out 
and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they 
said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid.