Category: Uncategorized

Prayers for Earth Day

22nd April 2026

The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein. Psalm 24:1

You Lord, are the source of all good things: 

We praise you.

You call us to tend and care for your creation: 

May we strive to do your will.

You have made us as brothers and sisters with all that lives: 

May we live together in peace.

A Reading Psalm 8 (The Message )

God, brilliant Lord,
    yours is a household name.

Nursing infants gurgle choruses about you;
    toddlers shout the songs
That drown out enemy talk,
    and silence atheist babble.

I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous,
    your handmade sky-jewelry,
Moon and stars mounted in their settings.
    Then I look at my micro-self and wonder,
Why do you bother with us?
    Why take a second look our way?

Yet we’ve so narrowly missed being gods,
    bright with Eden’s dawn light.
You put us in charge of your handcrafted world,
    repeated to us your Genesis-charge,
Made us stewards of sheep and cattle,
    even animals out in the wild,
Birds flying and fish swimming,
    whales singing in the ocean deeps.

God, brilliant Lord,
    your name echoes around the world.

Today  is Earth Day – a globally recognised  event calling on everyone to focus on the needs of the earth. 

“This is the moment to change it all — the business climate, the political climate, and how we take action on climate. Now is the time for the unstoppable courage to preserve and protect our health, our families, our livelihoods… together, we must Invest In Our Planet.”  https://www.earthday.org/earth-day-2022/

And as Paul writes, ‘As God’s co-workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says,“In the time of my favour I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation.’ 2 Corinthians 6:1-2

Glory to God,

Let the earth be glad, and the sea resound: 

Let all that is in it rejoice.

We praise you!

Glory to God, 

Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them;
 Let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

We praise you!

The law of the Lord is perfect,
making wise the simple.

Yet we have done our own thing  and despoiled the environment. 

Lord have mercy. 


The commands of the Lord are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.

Yet we have hidden your ways under the cloak of greed, making life dark for our fellow beings.

Now is the time! 

Teach us once more to seek your wisdom for the earth.

Now is the time!

Teach us once more how to live in harmony with creation.

Now is the time!

Teach us to be mindful in what we use  and generous in what we give. 

Merciful God, 

forgive us and heals us, 

restore our world to its former glory.

Amen.

The Grace

Counting on 2026 …. Day 26

21st April

Tomorrow is Earth Day. Dating back to 1970, this is a globally observed day to celebrate planet Earth. It intention was both to honour the importance of the Earth and to prompt teaching about the importance of the Earth in our lives.

In 2016 it was the date chosen to sign the Paris Agreement tackling climate change. 

https://www.earthday.org/

Counting on 2026 …. Day 25

20th April

Four years ago I paid £75 for a 150 litre box from MyGroup. The purpose was to fill the box with all such plastics as I could not recycle. Then, when full, it would be collected by MyGroup so that the contents could be remade into an equivalent of chipboard or MDF. 

Today that box is full and ready for collection!

Mixed Plastic Recycling Box

Green Tau

Mindful Sauntering

It is widely accepted that walking – especially in green or blue spaces – is good for our mental and physical wellbeing. It is also widely accepted that mindful activities where we slow down and allow ourselves to be more focused on the present moment are also good for our wellbeing.

And yet, we can still need a purpose or a stimulus to get us into such activities.

A few years ago I organised a series of what I called ‘mindful sauntering’. In essence this was a gentle walk early in the morning out in the beauty of Richmond Park. The walk began with the reading of a poem or a prayer to provide food for thought, after which we walked in silence. Returning, we then shared thoughts that had come to us we had walked. The whole finished with coffee and pastries in a local cafe. 

I used the word ‘sauntering’ because there is the suggestion* that a saunterer was a person walking to the Holy Land – sainte terre in French. From this it seems a small step to view sauntering as a form of holy or blessed walking. 

These mindful saunters were not much more than an hour in length and usually less to allow time for coffee. In a sense a mini pilgrimage. 

See as an example –  https://greentau.org/2026/04/20/mindful-sauntering-high-as-the-heavens/

Mindful Sauntering: High as the Heavens

The following material is as an aid to reflection whilst gently walking in a green space.

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;

    I will sing praises to you among the nations. 

For your loving kindness is as high as the heavens;

    your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.

Psalm 57:9,10

High Flight   by   JOHN GILLESPIE MAGEE JR.

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

of sun-split clouds,—and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of—wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,

I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air ….

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue

I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace

Where never lark, or even eagle flew—

And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. 

1 John 3:1a

Third Sunday of Easter 

19th April 2026

Reflection with readings below

How often do we make decisions before we are fully acquainted with the facts? How often do we make judgements based based on what we think to be true?

One of the things I enjoy is a monthly discussion group. Our topics cover the Bible, theological ideas, current affairs via mediums such as books, poems, art works and scripture. What is most invigorating is the intellectual stretch of looking at new ideas and the challenge and insights of others in the group. 

Reading a book on your own is good but having to summarise it for someone else, or hearing it dissected by another, or piecing together the differing views within a group is even more enriching. 

Mulling an idea over in your head is good. Having to articulate those thoughts to some one else can clarify the idea. Listening to someone else’s viewpoint can be equally constructive.

Whilst a good sermon can be inspiring, it is hard to retain all the words and ideas. The lack of discussion reduces engagement. Not being able to put in your own thoughts leaves the sermon as someone else’s thoughts.

So here in today’s gospel we don’t have a sermon. Instead we have at first two companions talking with each other about what is puzzling – even troubling – them. They talk as they walk. 

Interestingly walking creates a good space for talking. It engages the body in an activity that doesn’t need a lot of brain power, and so frees the mind for other things. It is at the same time an activity that fills the gaps in a conversation: whilst you continue to walk together, silences that would otherwise be awkward, are filled by the ongoing walk.

It’s a long walk so they have plenty of time to think and reflect and  niggle at their problem. 

They’re joined by a third companion whose willingness to listen encourages them to pour out the full story. 

Then their companion unpacks whet they have related. He shows them their story in a new light.  He reinterprets for them scriptural passages. He helps them see everything from a new perspective.

Seeing things anew is a reoccurring theme in the Easter story.

As the three – the two companions and the ‘stranger’ – walk and talk together, so they develop a friendship  such that, when they reach Emmaus, they share a meal together. 

Talking together leads to better understanding and empathy and, hence, friendship between people.

Where might God be in this? Helping us to listen and to be focus. Promoting new thoughts. Inspiring wisdom. Opening our eyes to see differently. Opening our hearts to be more understanding. Enabling empathy and fellowship.

Acts 2:14a,36-41

Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd, “Let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” So those who welcomed his message were baptised, and that day about three thousand persons were added.

Psalm 116:1-3, 10-17

1 I love the Lord, because he has heard the voice of my supplication, *
because he has inclined his ear to me whenever I called upon him. 

2 The cords of death entangled me;
the grip of the grave took hold of me; *
I came to grief and sorrow.

3 Then I called upon the Name of the Lord: *
“O Lord, I pray you, save my life.”

10 How shall I repay the Lord *
for all the good things he has done for me?

11 I will lift up the cup of salvation *
and call upon the Name of the Lord.

12 I will fulfil my vows to the Lord *
in the presence of all his people.

13 Precious in the sight of the Lord *
is the death of his servants.

14 O Lord, I am your servant; *
I am your servant and the child of your handmaid;
you have freed me from my bonds.

15 I will offer you the sacrifice of thanksgiving *
and call upon the Name of the Lord.

16 I will fulfil my vows to the Lord *
in the presence of all his people,

17 In the courts of the Lord’S house, *
in the midst of you, O Jerusalem.
Hallelujah!

1 Peter 1:17-23

If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile. You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish. He was destined before the foundation of the world, but was revealed at the end of the ages for your sake. Through him you have come to trust in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are set on God.

Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth so that you have genuine mutual love, love one another deeply from the heart. You have been born anew, not of perishable but of imperishable seed, through the living and enduring word of God. 

Luke 24:13-35

Now on that same day two of Jesus’ disciples were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognising him. And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?” He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.” Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?” Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. 

As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognised him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.

Walking with Jesus 

18th April 2026

Come … let us walk in the light of the Lord. Isaiah 2:5

You Lord, are the source of all good things: 

We praise you.

You call us to tend and care for your creation: 

May we strive to do your will.

You have made us as brothers and sisters with all that lives: 

May we live together in peace.

A reading from Luke 24: 13-17, 25-29 

Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened.  While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them,  but their eyes were kept from recognising him.  And he said to them, ‘What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?’ They stood still, looking sad. Then he said to them, ‘Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared!  Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’  Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.

 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.’ So he went in to stay with them. 

When we walk 

our minds are free.

When our minds are free 

our eyes open. 

When our eyes are open 

we see the truth.

When we walk 

our minds are free.

When our minds are free 

our inner chatter quietens. 

When our inner chatter quietens 

we hear the truth. 

When we walk 

our  minds are free.

When our minds our free 

our hearts open.

When our hearts open 

we can embrace the truth.

Jesus, friend and companion, 

walk alongside us today.

Open our eyes.

Quieten our chatter.

Speak into our hearts.

Fill us with understanding.

Show us new ways of living

Renew in us love for the world.

And as evening draws in, 

meet us in the breaking of bread.

Amen.

The Grace

Second Sunday of Easter

12th April 2026

Reflection with readings below

Appreciating and taking on board the novelty of the resurrection takes time. In the writings according to Luke The first disciples needed the full 50 days of realisation, acceptance and internalisation, before they were ready to receive the empowering of the Holy Spirit – the gift that comes through the resurrection. 

It was  – is – a unique event. Everyone will react differently. Indeed that is what we see in the stories from the gospels and from Paul’s own account. Some like the women on Mark’s gospel, are frightened. Some like the two on the road to Emmaus are elated. Some like Peter in Luke’s Gospel are initially doubtful and then – on seeing the discarded shroud – amazed. Some like Mary Magdalene initially suspect grave robbers until Jesus calls her by name. Thomas in today’s gospel is no different. He too has his own way of believing – accepting – the resurrection.

But what is the resurrection? Why is it important?

Earlier this week I was reading a poem called The Resurrection by Joy Cowley in which she says it is not an insurance policy. It is not a get out of jail card, nor is it a magic blanket that protects you from any harm. Rather it is an assertion of an eternal truth –  that God overrules death; that death is never the end but a means of a new beginning. In God death, is an event which does not end but simply changes life. In God, life is eternal. 

The Prologue in John tell us that the Word was from the beginning, was in the beginning when life came into being, and is the light of life that darkness can never overcome. As it so often the case in John’s gospel, this tells us an amazing truth but also a truth that we cannot fully grasp and so also remains a mystery.

.

We are always living in the light of the resurrection. For the last 2000 years the fact of the resurrection has been a reality. It didn’t change change events over night: it didn’t transform the the religious life of the Temple, or the authoritarian power of the Romans, it didn’t remove evil, or make poverty history. But it did change the lives of those who engaged with it. Those who made a personal commitment to follow Jesus and opened up to receive the power of the Spirit.

And it is through the lives of such people that we see the power of the resurrection, the ability to change situations, to transform religious organisation and other power structures, to over come evil, to feed the hungry – to bring in the kingdom of God that was – and still is – Jesus’s mission. It is still a work in progress. It is still a mission being pursued by an ever growing number of disciples. It is still a challenge blessed by God. 

I was also struck by a line from a reflection on the Centre for Action and Contemplation web site: “Easter joy is the grace of being able to say: This is hard. I am still waiting. And God is still good.”

In the light of all that is happening around the world at the moment, it is perhaps interesting to note that the gospels do not record any instance of the disciples attacking or calling down abuse on the Romans or the temple officials. There is no record of them speaking ill of those who had called for Jesus’s death. Nor is there  any record of them taking revenge. The resurrection gospel is one of peace and reconciliation.

Acts 2:14a,22-32

Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd, “You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know— this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power. For David says concerning him, 

‘I saw the Lord always before me,
for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken; 

therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced;
moreover my flesh will live in hope. 

For you will not abandon my soul to Hades,
or let your Holy One experience corruption.

You have made known to me the ways of life;
you will make me full of gladness with your presence.’ 

“Fellow Israelites, I may say to you confidently of our ancestor David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Since he was a prophet, he knew that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would put one of his descendants on his throne. Foreseeing this, David spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, saying, 

‘He was not abandoned to Hades,
nor did his flesh experience corruption.’ 

This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses.” 

Psalm 16

1 Protect me, O God, for I take refuge in you; *
I have said to the Lord, “You are my Lord,
my good above all other.”

2 All my delight is upon the godly that are in the land, *
upon those who are noble among the people.

3 But those who run after other gods *
shall have their troubles multiplied.

4 Their libations of blood I will not offer, *
nor take the names of their gods upon my lips.

5 O Lord, you are my portion and my cup; *
it is you who uphold my lot.

6 My boundaries enclose a pleasant land; *
indeed, I have a goodly heritage.

7 I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel; *
my heart teaches me, night after night.

8 I have set the Lord always before me; *
because he is at my right hand I shall not fall.

9 My heart, therefore, is glad, and my spirit rejoices; *
my body also shall rest in hope.

10 For you will not abandon me to the grave, *
nor let your holy one see the Pit.

11 You will show me the path of life; *
in your presence there is fullness of joy,
and in your right hand are pleasures for evermore.

The Epistle

1 Peter 1:3-9

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith– being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire– may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Although you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

John 20:19-31

When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

But Thomas (who was called the Twin), one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands, and put my finger in the mark of the nails and my hand in his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were shut, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe.”

Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name.

Christ is risen: alleluia! 

6th April 2026

This is part of a larger picture by Rembrandt. It is dawn on Easter morning. Few people see the dawn every day; most of us are either still asleep or busy working. Few people saw Jesus that morning, and quite likely only a few of those recognised that it was Jesus – the risen Jesus!

Jesus’s resurrection happens quietly, secretly, and is revealed personally only to a few. And even those few, who indeed are his followers, struggle to understand what has happened. It takes time to process it’s Jesus’s resurrection and therefore his gospel message. For the early disciples, the resurrection becomes a vindication of both Jesus’s message and their own continued faith as his followers. Jesus’s resurrection becomes a focal point about which his followers gather. And with Ascension and Pentecost, it becomes the spark that creates the church empowering his followers as a community of strength, wisdom and fellowship that seeks to live and share the gospel values.

Jesus’s death and resurrection, like the seed that dies and becomes a fruitful plant, invigorating new life. As Rowan Williams wrote in his book ‘Resurrection’, “to believe in the risen Jesus is to trust that the regenerative power of God is active in the human world” and he continues  “it can only be experienced as transformation and recreation and empowerment…”

Yet when we look around the world we see a mix of images and stories. 

In our gardens we observe the blooming of tulips and daffodils, the jewelled presence of lady birds, the songs of birds that are busy matin and nesting. Over the Easter weekend gatherings with family and friends and with happy congregations in our churches, allow us to celebrate new life.  While chocolate eggs and other culinary delights provide a culinary marker. 

At the same time however others are traumatised by war, by persecution, by the loss of homes and livelihoods. And others struggle with hunger, poverty and economic and environmental impacts of a world in crisis.

Where now is the Easter message? The encouragement to be joyful?

Is it rather an indicator of the ongoing need for salvation? Not just the personal salvation that reassures me that I am loved by God, but the salvation of the world that seeks to establish God’s will here on earth as in heaven? The latter is – and always has been – a work in progress; a work that relies on the cooperation of humans with God. A work that is enhanced when we let God’s spirit work through us. 

John’s gospel is full of glimpses of glory – times and instances when God’s glory (salvation) is glimpsed. Jesus’s message is presented through metaphors and riddles. It is a message that implies that the kingdom is something that is going to emerge over time, that it will be a work in progress, that it will be worked at by people, but those people can find strength through the gifts that Jesus offers – such as enlightenment, live-giving water, the bread of life, community.

Jesus’s resurrection is still to be celebrated as a vindication of the life giving power of his gospel – and as a reminder that we his disciples are the means by which salvation can become a reality. 

“So Christ is risen!

Risen again 

in the midst of it all – 

that in some amazing way 

we too may be a people of hope 

who walk in the light, 

imbued with the Spirit.” Peter Millar

Easter Day

5th April 2026

A small thought on a glorious day!

John’s gospel doesn’t have parables but metaphors. 

One is that unless a seed dies it will not bear fruit. The grain of wheat sown ceases to be a seed but morphs into a root and a shoot from which a whole new plant grows, bearing a rich head of multiple grains.

This is a metaphor for Jesus’s own death.

The earth-bound Jesus is one person. From his death comes the resurrection and the growth of a new form of Jesus which is that community of Christians – Christ -bearers – that we call both church and the body of Christ. 

It is also a metaphor for us as individuals. Time and again through out John’s gospel Jesus challenges people to see things differently, to let go of old life destroying ways and embrace new life enriching ways.

We are called to let go of – to discard – ways of living, traditions and habits that constrain and restrict and maybe even fossilise us, so that we can receive the life giving force of the risen Jesus and become fruitful ourselves.

In us is the seed of resurrection – of Christ – the seed that will grow and multiply: love flourishing.

Jeremiah 31:1-6

At that time, says the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people.

Thus says the Lord:

The people who survived the sword
found grace in the wilderness; 

when Israel sought for rest,
the Lord appeared to him from far away. 

I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.

Again I will build you, and you shall be built,
O virgin Israel! 

Again you shall take your tambourines,
and go forth in the dance of the merrymakers. 

Again you shall plant vineyards
on the mountains of Samaria; 

the planters shall plant,
and shall enjoy the fruit. 

For there shall be a day when sentinels will call
in the hill country of Ephraim: 

“Come, let us go up to Zion,
to the Lord our God.” 

Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24

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 marvellous in our eyes.

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

Acts 10:34-43

Peter began to speak to Cornelius and the other Gentiles: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ–he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: 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. 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; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, 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. 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. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

John 20:1-18

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. 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.” Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus’ head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.

But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; 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. 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.” When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. 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.” Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 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.’” Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”; and she told them that he had said these things to her.