John 20:1-9
Lead in #1: John 20 tells us of the Easter story. The Jesus crucified has been raised to new life. How do we make the Easter story our story? Reflect on your lived experience. There are the setbacks and the comebacks, the times you’ve been brought low, and the times you’ve been raised up, the times of discouragement and the times of new hope. As Christ went through his Paschal Mystery, so do we. We have our mini deaths and our mini resurrections.
Prompt #1: As you reflect on your lived experience, where and when have you experienced the Paschal Mystery lately?
Lead in #2: Through Jesus’ suffering on the cross, came healing.
Prompt #2: What aspect of your life is more healed today than it was in the past?
Prompt #3: Where in your life is healing yet needed?
Lead in #3: Through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, came blessing.
Prompt #4: Is there anything in your life that you previously thought of as a curse, that you now see as a blessing?
Prompt #5: What is there in your life that does not yet feel like a blessing?
Lead in #4: Through Jesus’ death on the cross, came new life.
Prompt #6: Where in your life today does it feel like you are on the verge of a new beginning?
Lead in #5: In John’s Gospel, we hear the story of how the empty tomb was first discovered. On the first day of the week, early in the morning when it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb. But when she saw that the tomb was empty, everything changed for her.
Prompt #7: Reflect on a dark time for you when things looked like they might have been over, but turned out much better than you had expected. What did you learn from this experience?