Acts 2:42-47; 1 Peter 2:19-25; John 10:1-10

Today we hear about Jesus as both our Shepherd and the door for us, the sheep. Jesus is the Good Shepherd, who leads us to green pastures and still waters. And Jesus is the door, the gate by which we enter eternal life. As we follow Jesus, we know that He is always leading us toward righteousness—toward an eternity dwelling in the house of the Lord.

Acts 2:14a, 36-41; 1 Peter 1:17-25; Luke 24:13-35

Today we see Jesus appear to His disciples on the road to Emmaus. They say afterward that their hearts burned within them as Jesus opened up to them the Scriptures. In the Reading from Acts, those gathered on Pentecost are cut to the heart by Peter’s words. And in the Epistle, Peter speaks of purified souls and hearts. It seems our hearts are being greatly affected by Christ. They are cut, burning, and purified by the Word of Christ.

Acts 5:29-42; 1 Peter 1:3-9; John 20:19-31

We gather today still in the glow of the most joyous and amazing celebration of Easter, the resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, from the dead. The sights and sounds of that celebration linger in our memory, not as just a past event finished and forgotten, but as Peter calls it today, “a living hope,” as enduring and strong as the certainty of our living Lord and the promised future of our own resurrection. We return to continue the Easter celebration because in the afterglow of the days since Easter Sunday, many still do not know that hope. Like the absent apostle Thomas, we still face what seems to be a hopeless world. Today we remember that our only hope is built on a divine Savior whose crucifixion wounds were endured for us and for all. Indeed, we are to learn that every Sunday throughout the entire year is an Easter celebration as our living Lord draws us into His holy, life-giving wounds through His very same body and blood given us in Holy Communion. Thomas saw and believed. Peter rejoiced. Though we do not now see Him, “you believe in Him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory” (1 Peter 1:8), the only sure and living hope.