the Good News of Easter
As we are now in the season of Lent and Easter it seemed right to share about one of the Gospel stories of Easter morning.
The Easter story in the Gospel of John begins with Mary Magdalene walking to the tomb of Jesus in the early morning.
The Gospel of John says, “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.’
From this silent walk and moment of confusion, Mary calls Peter and the other disciple to come and see!
The Gospel of John continues to share about Peter and most likely John running to the tomb.
“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 Jesus must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes.”
John 20:1-10
The Easter morning story continues with Mary and her encountering both angels and Jesus at the tomb.
“But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and 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? 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.” John 20:11-18
The tomb that held the body of Jesus is now empty, as the stone has been rolled away.
Once again, God’s amazing love and grace has shown up, and we too are reminded of the story of hope and promise. Sin and death have been defeated through Jesus’ amazing love and grace.
In Christ, we are saved, forgiven, and we are given a new life and hope as we follow Jesus the living Christ!
This is indeed “Good News!”
Have a blessed and happy Easter!
Jim ><>
Holy Week Worship Service Schedule
We hope you can worship with us during this Holy Week to contemplate the debt that Jesus paid for us and to celebrate His victory over death on Easter. This week’s service schedule is:
Maundy Thursday
7 p.m. at West Blue Mounds
2962 Church St., Blue Mounds
Good Friday
Ecumenical service
1 p.m. at Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELC)
315 E. Main Street, Mount Horeb
Easter Sunday
10 a.m.
Springdale
2752 Town Hall Rd., Mount Horeb
Office Hours Have changed
Parish office hours have changed to Tuesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jim will also be available to meet between these hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays or by appointment. If you have an urgent need for assistance, please contact Jim.
Upcoming Thursday Meals
Two Thursday meals are on the calendar for spring, on April 16 and on May 21. Meals are served from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. at West Blue Mounds Lutheran Church, 2962 Church St. in Blue Mounds. Freewill offerings are accepted.
Phil is the talented chef who prepares the homemade meals. A huge thank you to Phil for sharing his culinary talents and to our dedicated volunteers Scott and Marlene. We’ll take a break for the summer and will resume serving monthly meals in the fall.
Celebration of Music, Brunch Set for May 31
Vocalists and instrumentalists are polishing their performances for our 4th Annual Celebration of Music, to be held Sunday, May 31 at Springdale at 1 p.m. An impressive line-up of performers and exceptional music await you! There will be a freewill offering for the concert.
Our popular brunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The menu will include scrambled eggs, pancakes, bacon, sausage, hash browns, pastries, fresh fruit and beverages. The cost is $12 per person, and children 5 and younger can eat for free.
We’ll need our awesome volunteers to help at the event and to donate food or make a financial contribution if they wish. In addition, the fresh flowers you can provide always make the tables especially beautiful. Some different types of flowers will be brightening up the Fellowship Hall since the Celebration of Music is later in the spring this year. Let us know if you have any flowers, flowering bushes or trees in your yard that you think would be a good addition to the vases!
Please visit our Celebration of Music page for information and registration forms. If you have any questions, please contact Kay, Paul or the parish office at Springdale Lutheran Church.
Ice Cream Social Coming This Summer
Spring is here and summer isn’t far behind, which means the Ice Cream Social is just around the corner! This year’s event will be held at Springdale on Wednesday, June 24 from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. Save the date!