Easter 2nd Week,Wednesday, Apr 22nd

Acts 5:17-26 / John 3:16-21 

Jesus continues his instruction: “Whoever believes will not see death.”

The original stage version of God-spell captures the Gospel’s spirit of joy in an attractive way. The first act celebrates the joy of the woman who finds her lost coin, the joy of the shepherd who finds his lost sheep, the joy of the father who finds his lost son. The second act begins the same way. But then comes the sadness of the Last Supper farewells, the sadness of Jesus’ sufferings, and the sadness of Jesus’ crucifixion. But the joy returns again in the resurrection. It’s subtly portrayed by the disciples’ carrying the victorious Christ on their shoulders right down the center aisle of the theater.

Easter 3 Sunday A - Emmaus Journey

Gospel text : Luke 24:13-35

Easter 2nd Week, Tuesday, Apr 21

Acts 4:32-37 / John 3:7-15 

Jesus continues his instruction: “We must be born of the spirit.”

A town drunk and loafer underwent a religious conversion. Some of his old cronies ridiculed him. One said sarcastically, “Surely you haven’t begun to believe all that stuff about changing water into wine?” The ex-drunk replied, “I can’t tell you whether Jesus turned water into wine in Cana. But I can tell you he turned wine into food in my house.” This is what Jesus meant by saying that we can’t see where wind comes from and we can’t see where it goes, but we can hear the sound it makes. We may not know about all the mysteries connected with the Spirit, but we know about the effect of the Spirit on our own personal lives.

Easter 2nd Week - Apr 20-25

April 20 Monday: John 3:1-8: 1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

Easter 2 Week, Monday, Apr 20th

Acts 4:23-31 / John 3:1-8 

Jesus speaks about spiritual birth: “You must be born from above.”

George Foreman, former heavyweight champion of the world, had been attending Bible classes and was in a prayer group. But he was still dragging his feet spiritually. One night after a fight he sat down in his dressing room and put his head in his hands. Suddenly he noticed the blood from a cut on his head flowing over his hands and dripping down onto his bare feet. Then it hit him. These were the wounds of Jesus: head, feet, and hands. That night Foreman experienced spiritual birth. He turned his life over to Jesus so totally that his handlers sent him to the hospital for head X rays, thinking he had a head injury and needed help.

Easter 2 A - Liturgical Prayers

Greeting
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
By his great mercy we have been born anew
to a living hope through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead.
May the Risen Lord be always with you.

Prayer during Corona

YOU made the whole world stop spinning for a while,

YOU silenced the noise that we all have created

YOU made us bend our knees again and ask for a miracle.

YOU closed Your churches so we will realize how dark our world without You in it.

YOU humble the proud and powerful. The economy is crashing, businesses are closing.

Easter Octave, Saturday April 18th

Acts 4:13-21 / Mark 16:9-15 

Jesus instructs his disciples: “Proclaim the gospel to all creatures.”

The capital of Texas is named after Stephen Austin, an early pioneer who founded numerous settlements in Texas. Austin didn’t like preachers and tried to keep them out of his towns. One reason he disliked preachers was that they were always preaching against his saloons and the violence they caused. One man who knew Austin well quoted him as saying that one preacher could stir up more trouble in his settlements than a dozen horse thieves.

When Jesus commanded his disciples to preach the Gospel, he intended them to stir up trouble. That’s what Jesus himself did.

Easter Octave, Friday, Apr 17

Acts 4:1-12 / John 21:1-14 

They catch 153 fish: The net didn’t break.

A preacher was fond of the technique of dividing his sermon into several major points. For example, he’d begin by referring to the “five smooth stones” that David used to defeat Goliath. Then he’d divide his sermon into five points. Or he’d begin by referring to the “seven days of creation” and then divide his sermon into seven points. One day his congregation nearly had joint heart failure when he began by referring to the “153 fish” that Peter caught in his net. Scholars suggest that the 153 fish stand for the number of nations of the world, which ancient historians placed at 153. Peter’s net stands for the Church, which is able to embrace all the nations of the world without breaking.

QUARANTINE - 40 Days

QUARANTINE

The Latin root of the word "quarantine" is "forty". 

1. a period, originally 40 days, of detention or isolation imposed upon ships, persons, animals, or plants on arrival at a port or place, when suspected of carrying some infectious or contagious disease. a system of measures maintained by governmental authority at ports, frontiers, etc., for preventing the spread of disease.