The Resurrection of Jesus Christ & The Resurrected Life, 4/5/26

I'm going to be speaking today on the resurrection

of Jesus Christ and the resurrected life. We're

going to be looking at a number of scriptures,

but for our beginning text, we're going to turn

to the book of 1 Corinthians chapter 15. This

1 Corinthians 15 · chapter mention

chapter is considered by many, and I would include

myself in this. It is the magnum opus. That is

the greatest work. In the description of the

resurrection and its theological implications

in all of scripture. But for today, for right

now, we're just going to go to verse 20 to 22

and read these at the beginning of this sermon.

But now Christ is risen from the dead and has

become the first fruits of those who have fallen

asleep. For since by man came death. By man also

came the resurrection of the dead. For as in

Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be

made alive. Let's pray and ask for the Lord's

blessing on this time in the Word together. Our

Father and our God, we come before you, Lord,

looking to you today. We pray that as we look

into your Word and this great subject, We ask

that you would be with us, Lord. We pray that

you would open up your word to our hearts, to

each one of us, Lord. I pray that you would illuminate

us by the power of the Holy Spirit. I pray that

I might be able to speak the words, Lord, that

are pleasing to you as we look at this wonderful

subject. And we ask for your blessing on us all.

In Christ's name, amen. The greatest day in human

history. was the day of Jesus Christ's resurrection

from the dead, which we especially celebrate

today on this Resurrection Sunday. This is the

day when Jesus rose bodily from the dead, on

the third day after his cruel death on a Roman

cross, somewhere around the years of A .D. 30

to A .D. 33. Having been accused by the Jewish

leaders who hated him, he was tried during the

rule of Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect, during

the Jewish Passover season. And then he was buried

in a tomb owned by Joseph of Arimathea. On the

third day, early in the morning, that is the

first day of the week, he overcame the bounds

of death and his body came to life again. And

he burst out of the tomb despite it being sealed

with a large stone and having a whole watch of

soldiers around to make sure that nothing would

happen. This is described in great detail in

all of the Gospels with the angel's announcement

that said, He is not here. He has risen just

like he said. Then Jesus appeared to his followers

multiple times. This account is central to the

Christian faith. And it is of first importance.

As the apostle Paul declares in 1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 15:3

15 verse 3 and 4. For I delivered to you first

of all that which I also received. Now why is

the resurrection considered the greatest day

in history? There are several reasons and I have

a few of them here. First of all, it defeated

death and sin for all who believe in Jesus Christ.

Without this, Our faith is futile and we remain

in our sins. As Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15

1 Corinthians 15:17

verse 17, And if Christ is not risen, your faith

is futile, you are still in your sins. His resurrection

defeated death and sin for all who believe. Secondly,

it changed the course of history. Because of

the fall of Adam, the entire human race is under

the power of death. and of sin. For as in Adam,

all die, the scripture says. The resurrection

opened the way to forgiveness, it opened the

way to new life, and it brought eternal hope

for all who believe that we also will rise again

one day. Even so, in Christ, shall all be made

alive. Third, it is the foundation of the Christian

faith. The early church preached it as the pivotal

event in Acts chapter 2, in Acts chapter 17,

Acts 2 · chapter mention Acts 17 · chapter mention

and a number of other places. It distinguishes

Christianity from all other religions. That Jesus

Christ rose from the dead. And finally, number

four, because of Christ's resurrection, there

is assurance of life after death. And the promise

that whoever believes in him shall not perish

or be condemned, but will obtain eternal life

and glory and honor and immortality. This is

the promise of the resurrection and it is its

effect. Thus, it is considered the greatest day

in history. Today, I will be reading a number

of portions of scripture. so that the scripture

will speak for itself on the account of the resurrection

and its impact. And then we're going to look

at a few portions of the epistles on the resurrected

life. So there's going to be a fair amount of

the reading of scripture today. And we're going

to begin with the account of the resurrection

in Matthew chapter 28, verses 1 through 20. Now

Matthew 28 · chapter mention

after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week

began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary

came to see the tomb. Behold, there was a great

earthquake. For an angel of the Lord descended

from heaven and came and rolled back the stone

from the door and sat on it. His countenance

was like lightning and his clothing was white

as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him.

And they became like dead men. But the angel

answered and said to the women, Do not be afraid.

For I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.

He is not here, for he is risen, as he said.

Come, see the place where the Lord lay, and go

quickly and tell his disciples that he is risen

from the dead, and indeed he is going before

you into Galilee. There you will see him. Behold,

I have told you. So they went out quickly from

the tomb with fear and great joy. and ran to

bring his disciples word. And as they went to

tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying,

Rejoice! So they came, and they held him by the

feet, and they worshipped him. Then Jesus said

to them, Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brethren

to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.

Now while they were going, behold, some of the

guard came into the city and reported to the

chief priests all the things that had happened.

And while they assembled, When they had assembled

with the elders and consulted together, they

gave a large sum of money to the soldiers, saying,

Tell them, his disciples came at night and stole

him away while we slept. And if this comes to

the governor's ears, we will appease him and

make you secure. So they took the money and did

as they were instructed. And this saying is commonly

reported among the Jews until this day. Then

the eleven disciples went away into Galilee.

to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for

them. When they saw him, they worshipped him,

but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to

them, saying, All authority in heaven and in

earth has been given unto me. Go, therefore,

and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing

them in the name of the Father and of the Son

and of the Holy Spirit. teaching them to observe

all things that I have commanded you. And lo,

I am with you always, even to the end of the

age. Amen. Now in the Gospels, we have four accounts

of the resurrection. This is something that each

of the Gospels brings out very clearly. Again,

showing how central... This is how important

it is. There are many gospels where some will

teach of a certain parable or some will give

another account of one that another does not.

And then John gets into a lot of theological

discourse about who Christ was. And so we see

a beautiful view in all of the gospels of Jesus

and his life on the earth. But all of them speak

of the resurrection. I'd like to quickly go through

a harmonized account from the Gospels. This is

taken from Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, and

John chapter 20. First, there was the women at

John 20 · chapter mention

the tomb. This is in the sequence of the day.

The women at the tomb came very early on the

first day of the week. This was on Sunday, and

we just read about this. It was still dark, and

several women came. There was Mary Magdalene.

There was Mary, the mother of Jesus. There was

also women named Salome, Joanna, and others unnamed.

And they went to Jesus' tomb. Why? To anoint

his body with spices that they had prepared.

They had watched his burial on Friday, and then

they rested on the Sabbath day according to the

commandment. But as they approached, they were

wondering, who is going to roll away this stone?

Because there's a large stone that was put there

and it was sealed tight. And it was big enough

that the women would not be able to move it.

So how were they going to get in and put these

spices on the body of Jesus? And then suddenly

this great earthquake occurred. And the angel

of the Lord at the same time then descended from

heaven and he rolled back the stone and he sat

on it. His appearance was like lightning, and

his clothes as white as snow. And the guards

who were stationed there at the tomb, they saw

what was happening, but they could do nothing

about it. They shook with fear. It says they

became like dead men. And yet, they could see

it happening. Entering the tomb then, the women

found it empty. The body of Jesus was gone. Inside

they saw either one or two angels in shining

garments, sometimes described as a young man

in a white robe. And the angel said, Why do you

look for the living among the dead? He is not

here. He is risen, just as he said. Remember,

he told you. While he was still with you in Galilee,

the Son of Man must be delivered over to the

hand of sinners, be crucified, and on the third

day be raised again. Now the angels instructed

the women to go and tell the disciples and especially

Peter that Jesus had risen and would meet them

in Galilee just as he promised. So the women

were filled with trembling and with joy and with

awe and they left the tomb quickly and they ran

to tell the disciples. And on the way, the risen

Jesus himself met them. They fell at his feet.

They worshipped him and clasped his feet. Jesus

said, Do not be afraid. Go tell my brethren to

go to Galilee, for there they will see me. Now

John records that Mary Magdalene ran ahead to

tell Peter and John. Secondly then, Peter and

John come and investigate the empty tomb for

themselves. Mary Magdalene had reached the disciples

first, and she reported, They've taken the Lord

out of the tomb, and we don't know where they

have put him. Peter and the beloved disciple,

that is John, ran to the tomb. John arrived first.

He stooped and he saw the strips of linen lying

there but did not go in. Peter entered, saw the

linen cloths lying there and the cloth that had

been around Jesus' head folded and placed separately.

John then went in. He saw. and believed, they

still did not fully understand from the scripture

that Jesus had to rise from the dead, so they

returned home. Well, then Jesus appears to Mary

Magdalene. She returns to the tomb, and she stood

outside, just weeping. As she wept, she stopped.

She stooped down and she looked into the tomb.

She saw the two angels in white sitting inside

where Jesus' body had been. One at the head and

another at the feet. And so they said, Woman,

why are you weeping? She replied, Because they

have taken away my Lord and I do not know where

they have laid him. She then turned around and

she saw Jesus standing there. And she mistook

him for the gardener. Jesus said, Why, woman?

Why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking? She

thought he was the gardener, supposing him to

be. She said to him, Sir, if you have carried

him away, tell me where you have laid him, and

I will take him away. And Jesus said to her,

Mary. She turned and said to him, Rabboni, which

is to say, Teacher. And Jesus said, Do not cling

to me, for I have not yet ascended to my father,

but go to my brethren and say to them, I am ascending

to my Father and your Father, to my God and your

God. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples

that she had seen the Lord and that he had spoken

these things to her. Now, a little later in the

day, there were two men who were traveling the

same day to a village. This was a village called

Emmaus. This was about seven miles from Jerusalem,

and they were talking about all of these things

that had just happened in the last few days.

And as they conversed and reasoned, Jesus himself

drew near and began a conversation with them,

and he walked with them. Their eyes were restrained,

however, so that they did not know him. And he

said to them, What kind of conversation is this

that you are having together with one another

as you walk, and you're sad? And then there was

one, his name was Cleopas, and he answered and

said to him, Are you a stranger in Jerusalem

that you don't know about these things? You don't

know the things which have happened in these

days? And Jesus said to them, What things? So

they said to him, The things concerning Jesus

of Nazareth. He was a prophet, mighty in deed

and word before God. And all the people and the

chief priests and our rulers delivered him to

be condemned to death. And they crucified him.

We were hoping that he would be the one who was

going to redeem Israel. And now today is the

third day since these things have happened. And

certain women of the company who arrived at the

tomb earlier, they astonished us and they did

not find his body. And they came saying that

they had seen a vision of angels who said that

he was alive. And certain of those who were with

us went to the tomb and they found it just as

the woman had said. But him they did not see.

Then he said to them, O foolish ones, and slow

of heart to believe in all that the prophets

have spoken. Ought not the Christ to have suffered

these things and to enter into glory? And beginning

at Moses and the Psalms and the prophets, he

expounded to them in all the scriptures the things

concerning himself. Well, then they drew near

to the village where they were going, and he

indicated that he would have gone farther. But

they constrained him and said, Abide with us,

for it is toward evening, and the day is far

spent. He went in to stay with them. Now it came

to pass, as he sat at the table with them, that

he took bread, he blessed it, and he broke it,

and he gave it to them. Then all of their eyes

were opened, and they looked at one another and

said, Did not our heart burn within us while

he talked with us on the road and while he opened

the scriptures to us? Now, after he had... broken

the bread and given it to them, he just vanished

from their sight. And they were just left in

awe and wonder. So they rose up that very hour.

They returned to Jerusalem. They found the eleven

and those who were there with them gathered together.

And again they testified, the Lord is risen indeed

and has appeared to Simon. And they told him

about the things, they told them about the things

that had happened on the road and how he was

known to them. In the breaking of the bread.

Now that evening. Jesus then appeared to the

disciples in Jerusalem. And as they were talking

about these things. Jesus himself stood in the

middle of them. He just appeared. And he said.

Peace be to you. But they were terrified. And

frightened. And supposed that they had seen a

spirit. But he said to them. Why are you troubled?

Why do doubts arise in your heart? Behold. My

hands and my feet. Handle me and see. For a spirit

does not have flesh and bones as you see that

I have. Now when he said this, he showed them

his hands and his feet. While they still did

not believe for joy and marveled, he said to

them, Have you any food here? So they gave him

a piece of broiled fish and some honeycomb. And

he took it and ate it in their presence. Then

he said to them, These are the words which I

spoke to you while I was still with you, that

all things must be fulfilled that were written

in the law of Moses and the prophets and the

Psalms concerning me. And he opened their understanding

that they might comprehend the scriptures. Then

he said to them, thus it is written and thus

it is necessary for the Christ to suffer and

to rise from the dead the third day. that repentance

and remission of sins should be preached in his

name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem. And

you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I

send the promise of my Father upon you, but tarry

in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued

with power from on high. So Jesus said to them

again, Peace to you. As the Father has sent me,

I also send you. And 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. Now Thomas, however,

called the twin, one of the twelve, was not with

them during this time when Jesus came. And so

the other disciples then told him when he came,

We have seen the Lord. But he said to them, Unless

I see in his hands the print of the nails and

put my finger into the print of the nails and

put my hand into his side, I will not believe.

So after eight days, his disciples were again

inside the room. And Thomas was with them this

time. Jesus came again. The doors being shut,

he stood in their midst and said, Peace to you.

Then he said to Thomas, Reach your finger here.

Look at my hands. Reach your hand here and put

it in my side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.

And Thomas answered and said to him, My Lord

and my God. Jesus said to him, Thomas, because

you have seen me, you have believed. Blessed

are those who have not seen and yet believed.

The third time then that Jesus showed himself

to the disciples after he was raised from the

dead, he appeared by the Sea of Galilee as they

were fishing. This is in John 21. He performed

a miraculous, or he enabled a miraculous catch

of fish. He prepared breakfast for them on the

shore. And he restored Peter after his denial

by asking him three times, Simon, son of Jonah,

Do you love me? He then commissioned Peter to

feed and to tend his lambs and sheep. And he

prophesied of his death, called him again to

follow me. This was Jesus testing and probing

Peter after his threefold denial that had happened

after Christ's arrest. And through this, Jesus

restores Peter to fellowship. and he commissions

him to service. Finally then, Jesus led the disciples

out to the vicinity of Bethany. He lifted up

his hands, and he blessed them. While he was

blessing them, he was taken up into heaven and

sat down at the right hand of the Father. The

disciples worshipped him, and they returned to

Jerusalem with great joy. Acts chapter 1 adds

Acts 1 · chapter mention

that the angels confirmed that he would return

again in the same way that he had ascended. And

then, of course, we have the Great Commission,

which we read in Matthew just before he ascended,

where he came, he proclaimed that all authority

had been given to him in heaven and earth, and

that as a result of that, in that power and in

that authority, they were to go and make disciples

of all. nations to baptize them to teach them

to observe all things that he has commanded them

and that his presence would be with them that

he would be with them always even to the end

of the age this then is a faithful narrative

of the gospels according to Matthew Mark Luke

and John these were four men who were moved by

the Holy Spirit and they wrote these accounts

of the life of Jesus and of his teaching Now,

the apostle Paul was the last of the apostles

to see Jesus, and he adds that he was seen by

over 500 brethren at once. of whom the greater

part remain to the present, but some have fallen

asleep. After that he was seen by James, then

by all the apostles, and last of all he was seen

by me also, as by one born out of due time. This

is in 1 Corinthians 15, but there is no record

of the Gospels about the 500, or about being

seen by James. Paul adds that in his dissertation.

Indeed, to the disciples he also presented himself

alive, the book of Acts says in chapter 1, after

his suffering by many infallible proofs, being

seen by them during forty days, and speaking

of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God.

The fact of this resurrection is so well attested

to by all of these witnesses. It is far, far

more than any court. would ask because in the

presence normally of one or two witnesses and

sometimes it's even some more circumstantial

evidence but as this according to the scripture

should be one or two witnesses every word shall

be established this is hundreds of them attest

to the fact that jesus rose from the dead now

what are we to make of all of this How then shall

we structure our lives in light of this glory?

We're going to turn now to the epistles and we're

going to see some great things and not nearly

all of them but we're going to look at a few.

These now are words of encouragement and comfort

to all believers in Christ Jesus. The first one

we're going to go to is the book of Colossians

Colossians 2:9–15

chapter 2 verses 9 to 15. Paul here is extolling

in this chapter the glories of Jesus and how,

and I'm going to begin here in the verse, for

in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead

bodily. So in other words, Jesus was God. He

is the second person of the Trinity. There is

no question about His authority or who He is.

And in Him dwells the fullness, all the fullness

of the Godhead bodily. Furthermore, Paul continues

that you all, and he's speaking there to Christian

believers, you all as Christian believers, you

are complete in him who is the head of all principality

and power. In him you were also circumcised with

the circumcision made without hands by putting

off the body of the sins of the flesh by the

circumcision of Christ. You were buried with

him in baptism in which also This is astonishing.

Get this. In which also you were raised with

him through faith in the working of God who raised

him from the dead. You, being dead in your trespasses

and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he has

made alive together with him. Having forgiven

you all trespasses. Having wiped out the handwriting

of requirements that was against us. Which was

contrary to us. And he has taken it out of the

way. Having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed

principalities and powers. He made a public spectacle

of them. Triumphing over them in it. Therefore

we conclude from this and other passages. That

in one sense we. For us, the resurrection is

past. Now, not only in one sense. It is that

all who are saved have been raised with Christ.

Now, not only do we look forward to the resurrection

of our bodies when Christ returns in glory, but

our salvation is a resurrection from death unto

life. This is something that we cannot accomplish.

This comes from God. Salvation is of God who

calls the dead into life again. All who are in

Christ have been resurrected already. That is,

in the words of various of the teachings of the

epistles, we have been made alive, we have been

quickened with the life -giving spirit, and that

we are raised up together with Christ. In one

sense, it's what theologians call the already

and not yet. So in other words, this has already

happened, and yet we look forward to the resurrection

of the body. But this is what conversion is.

It is a turn from darkness to life. It is a turn

from sin unto righteousness. And this is done

by the work of the Spirit that is applied to

us, and it makes us alive and brings us awake

from the dead. From a dead sleep or the sleep

of the dead. So we have been raised with him

through faith in the working of God. Then he

continues on and this is an application of this.

Paul then right immediately after in Colossians

Colossians 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3 he says. If you then were raised with

Christ. Seek those things which are above. Where

Christ is. seated at the right hand of God. Set

your mind on things above, not on things in the

earth, for you died and your life is hidden with

Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life,

appears, then you shall also appear with him

in glory. Now there's two things given in this

passage then. To all who are raised from the

dead, to all who are raised with Christ, we are

given these two things here. Number one, seek

those things which are above. And second, set

your mind on things above. Right away, does this

mean that we're supposed to just forsake absolutely

everything and go out in the desert and just

look up to God in some way and just say, I'm

seeking things that are above. Are we supposed

to forsake everything like that? No, that is

not what the scripture is teaching. There are

many, many places that talk about the works of

a Christian and how we are to live and so forth.

This does not mean that we cannot plan or think

about meals or work or enjoyments of this life.

To set your mind on things above is what then?

It is to live in God's creation properly, first

of all, by acknowledging him as creator and Lord

and Savior, and then to live for him according

to his rules by the power of the Holy Spirit.

That's what it means. To seek those things which

are above. Yes, we continue to live in the earth.

We continue to do all that we need to do. The

many tasks and responsibilities that each one

of us have. But now we do them as unto Christ.

We do them thinking of Him and bowing before

Him and acknowledging that what He says is good

and right and true. And then we seek by the power

of the Spirit to be obedient to Him. That is

how we seek those things which are above. All

of life and creation belongs to him. And we can

no longer live according to our fleshly or sinful

desires. We are to renounce the hidden things

of shame and darkness. We're not to walk in craftiness

or handle the word of God deceitfully. And we're

to have a clear conscience before God and men.

For indeed, as Hebrews 4 verse 13 says, there

Hebrews 4:13

is no creature hidden from his sight, but all

things are naked and open to the eyes of him

to whom we must give an account. God's word is

sure. His law is perfect. And he gives it to

us for our instruction so that as we are raised

with Christ, we acknowledge his word and we seek.

To obey it. Not as the means of our salvation.

We are not saved by the keeping of his commandments.

But we are saved by a faith. A living faith that

works. And that is how we seek those things which

are above. And we set our mind on things above.

We are children of light. And we must walk in

light. For you were once darkness. But now you

are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.

Ephesians 5 in verse 8. And again in 1 John chapter

1 John 1:7

1 verse 7. But if we walk in the light as he

is in the light. We have fellowship one with

another. And the blood of Jesus Christ his son

cleanses us from all sin. So we have been raised

with him through faith in the working of God.

Number two. If we're raised with Christ then

seek those things which are above. Number three.

we take great comfort in the reality of the bodily

resurrection from the dead that lies in our future.

For all who have gone before and for our own

selves, all who are in Christ will rise again

and shall go to be with Him. Our corruptible

body that decays and turns back to dust will

be raised from the grave and we shall all be

changed and have a new life. resurrected body

for as the word of god says in first corinthians

1 Corinthians 15:50

chapter 15 verse 50 flesh and blood cannot inherit

the kingdom of god nor does corruption inherit

incorruption behold i tell you a mystery we shall

not all sleep but we shall all be changed in

a moment in the twinkling of an eye At the last

trumpet. For the trumpet will sound. And the

dead will be raised incorruptible. And we shall

be changed. For this corruptible must put on

incorruption. And this mortal must put on immortality.

So when this corruptible has put on incorruption.

And this mortal has put on immortality. Then

shall be brought to pass the saying that is written.

Death is swallowed up in victory. Oh death where

is your sting? Oh Hades where is your victory?

The sting of death is sin and the strength of

sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which gives

us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the great truth of the resurrection and

the resurrection power in us, in all who believe.

Now, this promise of eternal life is for all

who are in Christ. It is for all who have trusted

in Christ and who have been made alive by the

Spirit. If you do not know or trust Him, then

I invite you to flee from the wrath to come and

to repent and believe in Christ and obtain that

eternal life of which He speaks and promises.

Do not delay. The scripture is clear. Repent

and believe. Trust in him. Cast all your care

on him. And he will save all who cry out to him

for salvation. So the promise is for all who

are in Christ. Now know this and further. Your

labor is not in vain. In fact, the scriptures

teach your good works. They will follow you.

Again, they're not the method of salvation, but

they will follow you. Your labor is not in vain

in the Lord. Paul ends this great chapter in

chapter 15. He says, therefore, my beloved brethren,

be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in

the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor

is not in vain in the Lord. Are you going through

trials? Is it a difficult time for you right

now? Perhaps you're experiencing pain. Maybe

it's just you're tired. You're continually working

hard and you're trying to stay ahead of things

and you're seeking to take care of your family

and to provide for your wife and your children

or for those who are dependent upon you. And

you pour out your soul over and over again. Maybe

you're in some other type of ministry to people

in some way. And you're simply tired. Dear brethren,

dear brother, dear sister in Christ, be steadfast,

abound in the work of the Lord. Your labor is

not in vain in the Lord. God will bless you and

will reward you that even besides all of the

eternal life and the blessings that there are,

then he heaps upon blessings and rewards even

on top of that. Again, this is not, your works

are not your salvation. Don't think that you

can work your way to eternal life. No, it's a

gift from God. But then, your works follow after.

As John speaks about in the book of Revelation,

Revelation 14 · chapter mention

chapter 14. He says, I heard a voice from heaven

saying to me, write. Blessed are the dead who

die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit,

that they may rest from their labors and their

works follow them. Rest in Christ. Delight in

the resurrection. And then work hard for the

glory of God in all that he has given to you

and know that your works will follow you. Today,

We proclaim and believe that Jesus Christ is

Lord and Savior. He died on the cross. He rose

from the dead. He came out of the grave. And

He is declared to be the Son of God. He is the

Lord over all creation. He is the giver of good

gifts to His people. And so, dear people of God,

worship Him, exalt Him, and magnify His glorious

name. On this resurrection day. In the name of

the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Let us pray.