Greeting: Christ is Risen!
Response: Truly, He is Risen!
First, as we read the Easter stories, we note the strange absence of Scripture in them. When you read the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ last days — of his arrest, his trial, and his crucifixion — you find Old Testament echoes, quotations, and allusions all over the place. The Psalms, Isaiah, Daniel, Zechariah, and other books have provided material that has then been woven into the structure of the narrative. …
The second strange feature of the Resurrection stories is the presence of women as the primary witnesses. Whether we like it or not, women were simply not regarded as credible witnesses in the ancient world. …
The third strange feature, which goes with the third modification of the Jewish resurrection belief, is the portrait of Jesus himself. …
The fourth and final strange feature of the Resurrection narratives, which may call into question many of the Easter sermons that I and others regularly preach, is the absence of any mention of the future Christian hope. … — Easter, Unedited, Excerpts from Jesus, the Final Days: What Really Happened, by Craig A. Evans and N. T. Wright, posted 4/09/2009 09:12AM
Dear Brothers & Sisters in Christ,
Let’s give the traditional Easter greeting/response a try (use comment section):
Greeting: Christ is Risen!
Response …
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I never thought about the fourth item on that list. I guess that’s why a lot of the Easter sermons I heard borrow more from Romans than they do from the gospels.
[Reply]
Amy
13 Apr 09 at 3:46 pm