John 20:1-18 & Matthew 28:1-10

32 min read

Awake to New Life #

Easter Day, Resurrection of the Lord
When to use: April 5, 2026

Worship Tools #

Worship Outline #

Additional Scriptures

Psalm 118:1–2, 14–24; Jeremiah 31:1–6; Colossians 3:1-4

Worship Setting

If a cross is present in your worship space, drape it with purple fabric. Throughout the season of Lent display seven candles set in a spiral design. The candle at the center of the spiral should be somewhat larger as this will be lit on Easter Sunday. These may be displayed in any manner of your choosing but should be visible to the group, so the spiral design is obvious. For the first Sunday of Lent, six of the candles will be lit (before the beginning of the service), and one candle will be extinguished. The next Sunday of Lent only five candles will be lit, and a candle will be extinguished. Continue this pattern until the last candle is lit and extinguished on Good Friday. On Easter Sunday, all the candles will be lit including the largest candle in the middle of the spiral.

The candles in the spiral and the Christ candle will be relit during this service. If a cross is present, drape it with white fabric.

Prelude

Gathering Song

“Lift Your Glad Voices” CCS 475

OR “Jesus Christ Is Risen Today” CCS 476

Welcome and Invitation to Worship

Come and share in the joy of Easter. Enter and sense the astonishment of the disciples. Be alive to the message of hope from the women. God is the Giver of life; Christ is the Redeemer of life; the Spirit empowers us for life. Alleluia! Christ is Risen!

–Peter Judd, ed., Prayers and Readings for Worship, vol. 2, (Herald Publishing House, 1996, ISBN: 9780830907199), 12.

Hymn of Praise

“Earth, Earth, Awake!” CCS 472

OR “Christ Is Alive!” CCS 473

Invocation

Response

Candle Lighting [optional]

Each Sunday during Lent we have extinguished candles representing the spiral of our inward journey toward the cross. Today we relight all the candles to symbolize our commitment to follow Jesus and take God’s light out into the world. Light the six candles of Lent.

On this Easter morning, we rejoice in our resurrected Savior by lighting the Christ candle.

Light the largest candle—the Christ candle.

Silent Reflection

Print or project for all to see

Give participants some time to consider silently these questions.

  1. What does “resurrection” mean to me?
  2. How can I spread God’s light in the world in my community?
  3. How can I make a difference in the lives of others?

Prayer for Peace

Statement

As we also light our peace candle, let us remember those who are affected by war and those who have no freedom.

Light the peace candle

Prayer

God of All,

Your Son’s resurrection brings new life and renewed hope.

Help us to live as new people in pursuit of peace.

Grant us wisdom to hear the cries of the oppressed and the courage to make a difference their lives.

Give us perseverance and the strength to be Easter people for a world in need.

Amen.

Hymn of Reflection

“The Risen Christ” CCS 477

OR “Mfurahini, Haleluya/Christ Has Arisen, Alleluia”  sing twice  CCS 471

Encourage participants to sing in languages other than their own.

Reading of the Word

Matthew 28:1–10 or John 20:1–18

Consult with the speaker and choose which version of the Easter story to read.

Ministry of Music or Community Hymn

“That Easter Morn, at Break of Day” CCS 480

OR “Now the Green Blade Rises”  stanzas 1–3  CCS 482

Easter Sermon

Based on Matthew 28:1–10 or John 20:1–18

Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper

Invitation to Communion

Access the Invitation to Communion script

Blessings and Serving of the Bread and Wine

Disciples’ Generous Response

Scripture Reading

They imparted of their substance everyone according to that which they had, to the poor, and the needy, and the sick, and the afflicted…

–Alma 1:40, adapted

Statement

We are challenged to give generously in ways that imitate God’s generosity to us. Giving according to our true capacity is a basic principle of discipleship. The story of Easter reveals God’s generosity to us. How will we respond?

Blessing and Receiving of Local and Worldwide Mission Tithes

Hymn of Celebration

“Christ Leads!” CCS 28

OR “Celebrate Jesus” CCS 474

Encourage participants to sing in languages other than their own.

OR “Lift Your Glad Voices” CCS 475

Sending Forth Responsive Reading

Leader: Send us forth…

People: to witness of the Risen Christ.

Leader: Send us forth…

People: with renewed purpose as we strive to bring about your kingdom.

Leader: Open our eyes…

People: to see the injustices in our world.

Leader: Open our ears…

People: to hear the pleas of those in distress.

Leader: Open our hearts…

People: to embrace those who are marginalized.

Leader: Open our hands…

People: to respond as your hands in a waiting world.

Leader: Send us forth.

All: Send us forth to serve. Amen.

–Based on Doctrine and Covenants 163:4

Postlude

Sacred Space: Small-Group Worship Outline #

Gathering

Welcome

Easter is the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter is the most important day in the Christian calendar as we rejoice in his eternal presence with us. Halleluiah!

Prayer for Peace

Ring a bell or chime three times slowly.
Light the peace candle.

Resurrected God,

Would we recognize you? Would we understand the incredible power you have over death? Grant us the peace that was present in the garden in those moments before your resurrection, and may we spread that peace as the women who first saw you alive spread the news of your resurrection! Help us to recognize opportunities for peace that once seemed extinguished now as new soil for growing peace. Clear away our doubts that peace may not come, and show us how to create peace across the world. Amen.

–Caleb and Tiffany Brian

Spiritual Practice

Centering Prayer

Read the following to the group:

Centering prayer is a meditation used by Christians to sit in silence with God. This prayer helps us experience God’s presence within us. This Easter Day we will focus on the word rejoice.

Slowly read the following instructions:

Sit with posture relaxed and eyes closed. We will spend three minutes in centering prayer. We will breathe in a regular, natural rhythm. As you breathe in and out, you will say the word rejoice in your mind. You will continue breathing in and out, focusing only on your prayer word.

At the end of the three minutes, I will ring a chime, and we will sit for two minutes in silence, eyes closed, listening to the silence.

Begin the practice together, modeling the centering prayer as instructed above.

Say: Become aware of your natural breathing in and out. (Breathe a few times in and out.)

Say: Now silently add your prayer word. (Model breathing in and quietly saying rejoice. Breathe out and say rejoice quietly. Continue the centering prayer in silence. Discontinue saying the prayer word out loud after you model it the first time.)

After three minutes, ring a chime.

Sit quietly for two minutes.

When time is up, share these closing instructions: Silently offer a brief word of thanks to God, take a deep breath, and open your eyes when ready.

When everyone’s eyes are open, share the following: I encourage you to use this spiritual practice at home during the week.

Sharing Around the Table

Matthew 28:1–10, John 20:1–18 NRSV

Matthew:

After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men. But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ This is my message for you.” So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, “Greetings!” And they came to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

John:

…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.

The Gospel accounts of Easter include two central traditions: the empty tomb and the appearances of the Risen Christ. Each Gospel highlights these themes differently. Mark’s original ending focuses solely on the empty tomb, while Matthew includes both traditions, providing additional evidence of Jesus’ resurrection. Instead of letting differences between accounts create confusion, Matthew invites us to focus on what each narrative reveals about God’s transformative work through Christ.

In Matthew’s account, the women encounter an earthquake, an angel, and the open tomb. The angel announces, “He has been raised from the dead,” affirming God as the agent of resurrection. The angel’s instructions are clear: do not fear, witness the empty tomb, and go share the news. As they leave, the women encounter Jesus himself, responding by worshiping him. Matthew links this worship to earlier moments—the Magi, the women, and later the disciples—highlighting how Jesus is recognized as divine, worthy of worship once reserved for God alone.

Finally, Jesus commissions his disciples to meet him in Galilee, returning to the place where his ministry began. This moment completes the circle, connecting his life, death, and risen presence to ongoing mission. The resurrection stands at the heart of Christian faith, transforming early followers from fear into bold witnesses. Today, we are invited to live as people shaped by resurrection hope, bearing witness to new life in Christ.

The Gospel of John presents Jesus as the Risen Lord, the Messiah, and Son of God; one in whom all should have faith. The resurrection account is the climax of that faith statement and, for John, the final proof of Jesus’ identity.

In John’s account of Easter morning the people who came to the tomb had very different responses. Peter saw the empty tomb and empty shroud where the body had been. But he left without fully understanding what had taken place. The beloved disciple looked into the empty tomb, and “believed” instantly. Mary Magdalene saw the empty tomb and thought the body had been moved or stolen. Even when she encountered the Risen Christ she mistook him for the gardener. Her eyes were opened only when he spoke her name.

(Adapted from Sermon and Class Helps New Testament, Community of Christ)

Questions

  1. How does Matthew’s resurrection story invite us to face fear with courage and hope?
  2. What might it look like for you to “go to Galilee” today—to return to the heart of your calling and live out resurrection faith?
  3. Which witness response in John resonates with you? Not fully understanding? Instant belief? Or deeper faith through personal relationship with the Divine?
  4. How have you experienced God calling you by name?
  5. From the testimonies, faith, and actions of these first witnesses came a movement that grew and changed the world. How does living a life of faith and witness continue to make a difference in the world today?

Sending

Generosity Statement

Faithful disciples respond to an increasing awareness of the abundant generosity of God by sharing according to the desires of their hearts; not by commandment or constraint.

–Doctrine and Covenants 163:9

The offering basket is available if you would like to support ongoing, small-group ministries as part of your generous response. This offering prayer is adapted from A Disciple’s Generous Response:

God of rejoicing, We share with joy-filled hearts in response to the presence of your Son. May the offerings we share bring joy, hope, love, and peace into the lives of others that they might experience your mercy and grace. Amen.

Invitation to Next Meeting

Closing Hymn

CCS 478, “Woman, Weeping in the Garden”

Closing Prayer


Optional Additions Depending on Group

Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper

Communion Scripture

Choose one scripture to read from this selection: 1 Corinthians 11:23–26; Matthew 26:17–30; Mark 14:12–26; Luke 22:7–39.

Communion Statement

All are welcome at Christ’s table. The Lord’s Supper, or Communion, is a sacrament in which we remember the life, death, resurrection, and continuing presence of Jesus Christ. In Community of Christ, we also experience Communion as an opportunity to renew our baptismal covenant and to be formed as disciples who live Christ’s mission. Others may have different or added understandings within their faith traditions. We invite all who participate in the Lord’s Supper to do so in the love and peace of Jesus Christ.

This Easter season let us experience the resurrected Christ as we share in Communion as an expression of blessing, healing, peace, and community. In preparation let’s sing from Community of Christ Sings (select one):

  • CCS 515, “In These Moments We Remember”
  • CCS 516, “Coming Together for Wine and for Bread”
  • CCS 521, “Let Us Break Bread Together”
  • CCS 525, “Small Is the Table”
  • CCS 528, “Eat This Bread”

Blessing and serving bread and wine.

Thoughts for Children

Materials: Easter lily or picture of Easter lily

Every spring the Earth goes through a cycle of birth and regrowth. Trees and flowers begin to blossom, and we see growth everywhere. The new growth helps us remember that Jesus was resurrected and lives again. The Easter lily looks like a trumpet and symbolizes the joy we feel on Easter.

If we use our hands, we can sound like a trumpet. Cup your hands around your mouth and joyfully say “Happy Easter!”

When we say “Happy Easter” to one another, we are remembering that Jesus Christ lives in us and loves us. We “trumpet” or joyfully share that love with others.

Let’s practice being trumpets and saying, “Happy Easter!” to one another.

Show the children how to cup their hands and sound like a trumpet. Encourage the whole group to join in.

Sermon Helps #

Exploring the Scripture

The Gospel of John presents Jesus as the Risen Lord, the Messiah, and Son of God; one in whom we should have faith. The resurrection account is the climax of that faith statement and, for John, the final proof of Jesus’ identity. The scriptures tell of two separate traditions of witness to the resurrection: one was the tomb, emptied of death; one was the report of the Living Christ. Some saw only the empty tomb. Some never witnessed the tomb, but experienced the Risen Christ. The Gospel of John tells us Mary Magdalene saw both. It was not the empty tomb that won her faith but the sound of her teacher’s voice.

In John’s account of Easter morning, different people came to faith in Christ along different paths:

  • The beloved disciple looked into the empty tomb, and believed instantly. What did he understand when he saw the empty tomb? What did he believe? John gives us no answer, but merely says faith was the result.
  • Peter saw the empty tomb and empty shroud where the body had been. But, unlike the beloved disciple, Peter returned home without faith or understanding.

Mary Magdalene saw the empty tomb, but understood only that the body was gone. Stolen? Moved to another location? The empty tomb did not prompt her to believe in the resurrection. She saw two messengers of God within the tomb, but that didn’t lead to faith. She encountered the Risen Christ, but mistook him for the gardener. Her eyes were opened only when he spoke her name, recalling a familiar relationship of love and caring. “My sheep hear my voice. I know them…” (John 10:27). The Living Word and the one word, her name, brought Mary to faith and rejoicing.

From that point, relationship is the key theme of the story. With a surprising economy of words in verses 17–18, John outlines a swift reordering of relationships.

  • Jesus tells Mary not to hold onto him. The word touch in Greek implies being attached to, in essence, holding onto. It could mean: “Don’t hug me”; “Don’t be too attached to me”; “Don’t become dependent on me”; or “Don’t expect this relationship to be a continuation of the old.” Resurrection had transformed the old relationship into something new.
  • “I am ascending…to my God and your God.” The relationship with God must take priority, in death and resurrection as it did in life. But in addition, Jesus was saying his followers could enjoy the same relationship with God that he enjoyed. The disciples, as Jesus’ siblings, could claim God as Father in a new, holistic relationship.
  • Jesus directs Mary to go and tell the disciples. Despite betrayal, denial, fleeing in fear, and lack of support, the disciples were still Jesus’ disciples. He claimed them. His relationship with them was closer than ever.
  • Mary’s relationship to time changed. She had focused on the past and what was lost. Jesus pointed her toward the future and what could be. As she hurried to tell the disciples what she had seen, she became the “apostle to the apostles.”

Those who witnessed resurrection appearances did not keep silent. They were transformed. From their testimony and witness came a movement that grew and changed the world. Followers continued to encounter the Risen Christ in various ways through the centuries. Sharing that testimony still makes a difference in the world, bringing new life. Resurrection, therefore, is not a one-time event that came and went. It is a daily event as people receive God’s grace, love, and new life through Jesus Christ. Embrace new life.

Central Ideas

  1. Many of those who came to the empty tomb were not prompted to belief by what they saw. Faith takes different paths, but often it is because of relationships that speak to us of the Divine.
  2. Encountering the Risen Christ is a transforming experience that alters relationships and points us toward a future that calls us to Christ’s mission.
  3. Each person can experience daily resurrection as he or she lives in God’s love and grace.

Questions for the Speaker

  1. When have you encountered the Living Christ? What prompted you to believe?
  2. How have you experienced God calling you by your name? How has it transformed your relationship to God? To others?
  3. By what path did your personal faith expand into mission?
  4. How has your congregation experienced resurrection and entered in new life overflowing into mission?

Lessons #

Adult Lesson #

Focus Scripture Passage

John 20:1–18; Matthew 28:1–10

Lesson Focus

Encountering the Risen Christ is a transforming experience that leads us into Christ’s mission.

Objectives

The learners will…

  • reflect on the meaning of the Resurrection.
  • compare accounts of the Resurrection from John and Matthew.
  • discuss points of Community of Christ Christology and invitation to Christ’s mission.

Supplies

  • Bible
  • Community of Christ Sings (CCS)

Notes to Teacher

In preparation for this lesson, read “Exploring the Scripture” for John 20:1–18; Matthew 28:1–10 in Sermon & Class Helps, Year A: New Testament (with focus on the Gospel according to Matthew), pp. 60–63, available through Herald House.

Gather

Activates background knowledge, prepares, and motivates for lesson (15% of total lesson time)

Today is Easter Sunday/Resurrection of the Lord. Respond to one or more of the following questions as a large group or in smaller groups of two or three.

  • What does the Resurrection mean to you?
  • How have you experienced new life in Christ?
  • What experience(s) during Lent or Holy Week has made Easter Sunday more meaningful to you? Explain.

Engage

Invites exploration and interaction (35% of lesson time)

The resurrection of Jesus is at the core of Christian faith. The actual Resurrection is not described in any of the Gospel accounts, but left as divine mystery. The empty tomb alone does not produce faith; it is personal experience of resurrection through the Living Christ that transforms lives. While Matthew and Luke draw from Mark’s account as source material, the Gospels differ according to the following: 1) who went to the tomb and when; 2) the nature of the resurrected body of Jesus; 3) location and chronology of Jesus’s post-resurrection appearances. In all accounts, the Resurrection affirms that God acts for those who are dead. Christian hope is in the Resurrection (God) and not ourselves (immortality).

Compare the Resurrection accounts from John and Matthew. Read each passage and make a list of the key points, characters, and occurrences.

  • What are the similarities and differences between the two accounts?
  • What do you understand about the Resurrection through each account?

Each Gospel account reflects the theology of the author. Read the following points reflected in each account and discuss the questions which follow.

John

  • The Resurrection is the final proof of Jesus’s identity.
  • Resurrection is not resuscitation; Jesus is raised to a new way of being beyond this life.
  • Mary’s recognition and confession reflects John’s love for personal encounter with Jesus.
  • There is a kind of “seeing” that does not result in faith. People come to Christian faith not by judging evidence by their own criteria, but as a response to the voice of the Living Christ.

Matthew

  • Matthew adapts Mark’s account of the women coming to the tomb. They are met by an angel, whose appearance is similar to the young man described in Mark.
  • “He is not here…He has been raised from the dead…” Jesus did not die, but was killed; Jesus did not rise (resuscitate), but was raised (by God).
  • Matthew’s additions to Mark’s account portray the women running with joy to tell the disciples. They do not keep silent.
  • Galilee is important to Matthew’s Gospel. As a Jewish writer to a Jewish audience, the message to “Go to Galilee” is a call to take the message of Christ to the Gentiles…to all the nations.
  • The two Marys are the first witnesses of the Risen Christ. He greets them and accompanies them to Galilee. The significance is the assurance of Christ’s presence as disciples engage in mission.

Questions for Discussion

  • Which of these points resonates with your understanding of the Resurrection? Which one challenges your understanding of the Resurrection?
  • With which account do you most closely relate? Explain.
  • What new awareness do you have after comparing the two accounts?

Respond

Takes the learners from hearing to doing (35% of lesson time)

Community of Christ Christology (understanding of who Jesus Christ is) affirms the following:

  • On the third day, God raised Jesus from the dead, vindicating his life and ministry, and triumphing over all injustice, even death itself. He ascended into heaven, having entrusted his followers with authority to minister in his name to the ends of the earth. He sent the Holy Spirit to be with them in their witness of the good news of the Resurrection.
  • Christ…promises us the redemption and healing of our relationships with God, one another, and all creation.
  • As disciples of Christ, we are called to conform our lives to his by living in loving community with others, seeing Jesus in the faces of the least of God’s children, and serving those whom the world has forgotten.
  • The promises of God in Jesus Christ are sure—that by the Holy Spirit we will be given grace to do the things we have been asked: courage in the struggle for justice, passion for peace in the midst of violence, forgiveness of our sin, stewardship in place of materialism, healing of body and spirit where there is hurt, and eternal life in the face of death.

Discuss the following questions based on previous discussion of the passages from John and Matthew and from the above statements taken from Community of Christ Christology. (For full statements, see Sharing in Community of Christ, 4th Edition, pp. 58–62.)

  • Which of the above statements best describes your understanding of who Jesus Christ is? Explain.
  • What does it mean to live the hope of the Resurrection as a disciple of Jesus Christ? As a community of Christ?
  • How does resurrection encounter lead to mission?
  • Where do you see evidence of resurrection hope in your congregation? In your community? In the world?

Send

Explores how the lesson might be lived (10% of lesson time)

“Resurrection is not a one-time event that came and went. It is a daily event as people receive God’s grace, love, and new life through Jesus Christ” (Sermon & Class Helps, Year A: New Testament, pp. 60–61). We are called to live the resurrection hope by experiencing and creating a new present.

Spend a few moments in silent reflection and complete the following challenge statement: I will live resurrection hope and create a new present by…

Bless

Time of prayer, praise, blessing, and hope (5% of lesson time)

Read verse four of “The Risen Christ” CCS 477 as a closing commitment.

May we, Christ’s body, walk and serve and stand
with those oppressed in this and every land,
Till all are blessed and can a blessing be,
restored in Christ to true humanity.

–“The Risen Christ” by Nigel Weaver, ©1993 Nigel Weaver

 

Youth Lesson #

Focus Scripture Passage

John 20:1–18

Lesson Focus

Celebrate, Christ has risen!

Objectives

The learners will…

  • explore what group members know about Easter.
  • consider the meaning of resurrection, new life, God’s love for us, and Christ’s peace.
  • think about the actions of Mary Magdalene and how her response applies to disciples today.

Supplies

  • Bible
  • Community of Christ Sings (CCS)
  • Large sheet of paper
  • Markers
  • Paper and pens or pencils
  • Roll of brown paper for making tree
  • Scissors
  • Tape or pins
  • Journal

Note to Teacher

In preparation for this lesson, read “Exploring the Scripture” for John 20:1–18 in Sermon & Class Helps, Year B: New Testament (with focus on the Gospel according to Matthew), pp. 60–61, available through Herald House.

Gather

Activates background knowledge, prepares, and motivates for lesson (15% of total lesson time)

It Is about Jesus!

Make a chart from a large piece of paper in the shape of an egg or draw a large egg shape that fills the paper. Give each group member a marker and ask them to fill the egg with everything they know about Easter. Give them several minutes to write their thoughts. When time ends, have them share and discuss what they wrote. Mention that the egg is a universal symbol for new life or new beginnings.

Engage

Invites exploration and interaction (35% of lesson time)

The Meaning of Easter

On Palm Sunday, Jesus humbly rode into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey to cheering crowds shouting and singing “Hosanna!” That is quite a contrast to the week that followed. Divide these scriptures among group members to read and summarize for the group.

  • John 13:21–30
  • John 18:1–11
  • John 18:28–40
  • John 19:17–22
  • John 19:23–27
  • John 19:28–30
  • John 19:38–42

Read John 20:1–18.

  • What is the setting when John’s story begins?
  • Who is the first character seen in this story?
  • What is the action in verses 1–10?
  • Who are the other characters in the story?
  • How did the characters respond to one another and to what occurred?
  • What is the action in verses 11–18?
  • What new response does each character have?

The Easter story of the resurrection of Jesus appears in all four Gospels. Jesus was crucified and was resurrected. The details vary in each Gospel, just as each one witnesses events in different ways. What is important is how we respond to what we see and hear.

Resurrection and Eternal Life

Jesus raised Lazarus from death after four days, and the story clearly indicated his body was beginning to decompose. Lazarus’s body was restored or resuscitated to his original body. He would live to old age to die again, but Jesus’s body was transformed. There are stories of other people raised from the dead in the New Testament. Lazarus (John 11:41–44), Jarius’s daughter (Luke 8:52–55), and the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:14–15) were raised from the dead by Jesus. Later, Peter raised Tabitha (Acts 9:40–41), and Paul brings Eutychus back from the dead (Acts 20:9–11).

Read the selections below from Sharing in Community of Christ, 4th Edition.

On the third day, God raised Jesus from the dead, vindicating his life and ministry, and triumphing over all injustice, even death itself. He ascended into heaven, having entrusted his followers with authority to minister in his name to the ends of the earth. He sent the Holy Spirit to be with them in their witness of the good news of the Resurrection.

Christ is our peace, breaking down the dividing walls of hostility between us. He promises us the redemption and healing of our relationships with God, one another, and all of creation (p. 59).

Christ is risen! Thus we believe that God is God of life, not of death. By faith we share in eternal life even now. In Christ, God’s love finally will overcome all that demeans and degrades the creation, even death itself. Easter also gives us hope that the tragic suffering and death of victims, throughout history, is not the last word. We believe the Holy Spirit will transform all creation to share in the glory of God (p. 38).

  • What does the resurrection of Jesus mean to you?
  • How would you tell the story of God’s love and Christ’s peace? With whom can you share your story?

Respond

Takes the learners from hearing to doing (35% of lesson time)

Lights, Camera, Action!

Write a play about this event set in your lifetime. Think about setting, scenery, actor selection, actor interpretation, stage directions, costumes, and props. Consider what is meaningful to a modern-day audience and what you want them to know at the end.

Send

Explores how the lesson might be lived (10% of lesson time)

I Have Seen the Lord

Lives were changed around the world when followers of Jesus Christ shared their story. It was a new way of believing. A new religion was born. Jesus’s death was not the end his crucifiers thought it would be. For those who believed in Jesus, it was a new beginning. Mary Magdalene believed when she heard Jesus call her name. She recognized his voice and knew what he said would happen was true. Mary Magdalene had seen the Lord. She believed and went to tell the others (John 20:18).

Many people become believers because others “call their name,” create relationships, mentor, and nurture them in their new life in Christ. Lives are changed around the world by followers of Jesus Christ sharing their story of Jesus’s love for them today!

  • How did you first learn the story of Jesus’s love?

Doctrine and Covenants 165:1c, 4c reads,

Lovingly invite others to experience the good news of new life in community with Christ. Opportunities abound in your daily lives if you choose to see them…And, always remember, the way of suffering love that leads to the cross also leads to resurrection and everlasting life in Christ’s eternal community of oneness and peace. Trust in this promise.

  • Describe how you were invited to “experience the good news of new life in community with Christ.”
  • How have you invited another to “experience the good news of new life in community with Christ”?

Optional Activity

Using a roll of brown paper, cut out a tree and tape it to the wall. With the group, identify and write the names of spiritual mentors from Christian history, Community of Christ history, and congregational and family history. On branches or leaves add more people who are sharing the sacred story including group members. Leave room for additional names. Display the tree where all the congregation can see and invite them to continue to add names. Create a meditation center nearby with a place to sit. Provide an open journal for people to write and reflect on their part in the sacred story and how Jesus Christ’s resurrection prompted a new beginning in their lives. Ask group members to be the first to write or draw in the journal.

Bless

Time of prayer, praise, blessing, and hope (5% of lesson time)

Your Name in the Sacred Story

Read or sing “I Have Called You by Your Name” CCS 636.

Offer a prayer of gratitude for the love of Jesus Christ in our lives and the new life he brings.

 

Children’s Lesson #

Focus Scripture Passage

Matthew 28:1–10, John 20:1–18

Lesson Focus

Jesus is alive! 

Objectives

The learners will…

  • discuss the events surrounding Jesus’s resurrection as shared in the Gospel of Matthew.
  • review the journey through Holy Week.
  • celebrate Jesus’s resurrection.

Supplies

  • Bible 
  • Community of Christ Sings (CCS)
  • Optional: Lectionary Story Bible, Year A, by Ralph Milton, illustrated by Margaret Kyle (Wood Lake Publishing, 2007, ISBN 9781551455471)
  • Optional: Shrink art material (handout end of lesson)
  • Markers, crayons, or colored pencils

Notes to Teacher

In preparation for this lesson, read “Exploring the Scripture” for Matthew 28:1–10, John 20:1–18 in Sermon & Class Helps, Year A: New Testament, pp. 62–63, available through Herald House.

Gather

Activates background knowledge, prepares, and motivates for lesson (15% of total lesson time)

Greet children as they enter and have them form a circle. Ask children to tell how they shared Holy Week with the family. Review the events of Holy Week, especially the Crucifixion and burial in the tomb.

Explain that today is the day we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus just three days later. Today we celebrate that Jesus is alive!

Engage

Invites exploration and interaction (35% of lesson time)

Share the Resurrection story with the children. Read John 20:1–18 and summarize the story for the children. Older children can read it and summarize the story themselves. Or read the Resurrection story from Lectionary Story Bible, Year A, by Ralph Milton, illustrated by Margaret Kyle (Wood Lake Publishing, 2007, ISBN 9781551455471), pp. 98–99.

Older kids might be able to talk about how the events of Easter weekend connect to their lives—to a situation that is hard or a period of not knowing how things will turn out—and an event of hope and renewal. Jesus’s resurrection is about hope that the hard times don’t last forever.

Respond

Takes the learners from hearing to doing (35% of lesson time)

Give each person a handout to color. While working, talk about ways the children can share the story of Jesus with their friends.

Alternative: Print or trace handout onto shrink art material, one for each person (available at craft stores and online). Provide permanent markers or colored pencils to color the design. Before baking, punch two holes in the top corners of the picture so it can be hung with a ribbon or string.

Bake pictures in the oven according to package directions. The final pictures will be half the size of the original and much stiffer.

Send

Explores how the lesson might be lived (10% of lesson time)

Provide several plastic eggs for each child. Give them slips of paper on which to write messages of hope. After messages are written, place one in each egg. Challenge children to share the story of hope by sharing their eggs with individuals in the congregation.

Here are a few to get started:

Be changed. Be the change!

Jesus lives today.

Sonrise—God’s gift to all.

Jesus is alive!

Darkness is followed by light.

The tomb is empty. Celebrate!

Bless

Time of prayer, praise, blessing, and hope (5% of lesson time)

Sing together the camp song “Allelu, Alleluia, Praise Ye the Lord.” Sit while singing “Allelu, alleluia,” and stand with hands raised high while singing “Praise ye the Lord”. If you are not familiar with the song, look it up online to learn this simple tune. Or sing “Halle, Halle, Hallelujah” CCS 86.

Close with a prayer giving thanks for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Tags