The readings for the second Sunday of Easter are taken from Acts 5:29-42; 1 Peter 1:3-9; and John 20:19-31.
Many words are repeated in all three lessons for today. Faith, belief, and trust (FBT) occur often and all translate the same Greek word: “pistis.” Note that FBT is the work of God, accomplished by His inspired Word and Spirit. It has to do with coming to rest and remaining at rest in honesty about dependence on God, who raised Jesus from the dead and raises us up by regenerating our souls in the image of Christ.
Like last Sunday, Acts records Peter giving a powerful summary of the gospel, which always revolves around the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The power of Jesus’ resurrection is the focus of these fifty days of EasterTIDE and is what powered the apostles’ joy and enduring witness to what they had seen and heard, preserved for us in the Bible.
1 Peter records yet another summary of the gospel by Peter. The power of joy and a living hope in the face of trials that feel like a refiner’s fire is the resurrection of Jesus.
John records this day, eight days after Easter. In spite of all the witnesses and experiences of the apostles a week ago, they are still behind locked doors for fear of the Jews. Jesus, risen from the dead, comes through locked doors and walls to release them from that fear. He breathes His Spirit into them and invests them with both authority and power to bear witness to His work of redeeming us, described so vividly in the lessons from Acts and 1 Peter today!