Revised Common Lectionary

Joshua 9:1-10:15 When we're following You, Lord, Satan is never very far away. He's always looking for ways of tripping us up and leading us away from You. Help us, Lord, to remember that You are stronger than Satan. Here-and-now, Satan has his successes - but he will not win the final victory. He will be defeated (Revelation 20:10) - and it will be clear to all that You are "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Revelation 19:16).

Psalm 111:1-10  Hallelujah! Jesus Christ is risen today - a celebration for Easter, and every Lord’s Day.  * At the start of the Psalm - “I will praise the Lord” (Psalm 111:1).  * At the end of the Psalm - “His praise endures forever” (Psalm 111:10). In our worship, there is to be both “the fear of the Lord” (Psalm 111:10) and trust in the Lord - “the Lord is gracious and compassionate... He has sent redemption to His people” (Psalm 111:4,9). We give thanks to the Lord for His love, but we must never forget that “His Name is holy and awe-inspiring” (Psalm 111:9).  * The character of God: He is holy, He is love.  * The message of the Gospel: In love for us, the holy God has provided a way for our sins to be forgiven. These are the truths of God’s Word which are to shape our lives, making us more holy and more loving.

We rejoice in Christ's resuurection, but we do not rush on to His resurrection without turning our thoughts to His crucifixion. His resurrection has no meaning without His crucifixion. Before there could be His resurrection, there needed to be His crucifixion. Before He could be raised from death to life, He needed to die. He died for us - then, He was raised for us. In His suffering for our sins, He prayed, "My God, my God, why have You fosaken Me?" As we learn to appreciate the wonder of what He has done for us in His death, our joy will increase, when we hear the words, "He has risen."

"Come, let us kill him" (Matthew 21:38). This is the human story of Christ's crucifixion. He was "put to death by wicked men." There is also the divine story - "the deliberate plan and foreknowledge of God"(Acts 2:23). The wicked men thought that this was the end of Jesus. They were wrong! - "God raised Him from the dead." Could it have been any other way? Could the evil scheming of men have prevailed over God's plan of salvation? - No! "I t was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him" (Acts 2:24).