— — — —

Gospel Reading:
Jesus Has Risen

When the Sabbath was over,
Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James,
and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body.
 Very early on the first day of the week,
just after sunrise,
they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other,
“Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone,
which was very large, had been rolled away.
 As they entered the tomb,
they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side,
and they were alarmed.

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said.
“You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified.
He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him.
But go, tell his disciples and Peter,
‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee.
There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

 Trembling and bewildered,
the women went out and fled from the tomb.
They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.
(Mark 16:1-8).

* * *

God sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
We saw his son and are now telling others about him.
(1 John 4:14 NIV)

   — — — —

Gospel Reading:
The Burial of Jesus

It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath).
So as evening approached,
Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council,
who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God,
went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body.
Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead.
Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died.
 When he learned from the centurion that it was so,
he gave the body to Joseph.
So Joseph bought some linen cloth,
took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock.
Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.
 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where he was laid.
(Mark 15:42-47).

* * *

God sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
We saw his son and are now telling others about him.
(1 John 4:14 NIV)

   — — — —

Gospel Reading:
The Death of Jesus

At noon,
darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.
 And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
“Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”
(which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).

When some of those standing near heard this,
they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”

Someone ran,
filled a sponge with wine vinegar,
put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink.
“Now leave him alone.
Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.

With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus,
saw how he died, he said,
“Surely this man was the Son of God!”

 Some women were watching from a distance.
Among them were Mary Magdalene,
Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph, and Salome.
In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs.
Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.
(Mark 15:33-41).

* * *

God sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
We saw his son and are now telling others about him.
(1 John 4:14 NIV)

   — — — —

Gospel Reading:
The Crucifixion of Jesus

A certain man from Cyrene, Simon,
the father of Alexander and Rufus,
was passing by on his way in from the country,
and they forced him to carry the cross.
They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha
(which means “the place of the skull”).
 Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.
 And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes,
they cast lots to see what each would get.

 It was nine in the morning when they crucified him.
The written notice of the charge against him read: the king of the jews.

They crucified two rebels with him,
one on his right and one on his left.
Those who passed by hurled insults at him,
shaking their heads and saying,
“So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days,
 come down from the cross and save yourself!”
In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves.
“He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself!
Let this Messiah, this king of Israel,
come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.”
Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
(Mark 15:21-32).

* * *

God sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.
We saw his son and are now telling others about him.
(1 John 4:14 NIV)