Saturday of Easter Week

Collect
O God, Creator of heaven and earth: Grant that, as the crucified body of thy dear Son was laid in the tomb and rested on this holy Sabbath, so we may await with him the coming of the third day, and rise with him to newness of life; who now liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Epistle: Acts 4:13-21
When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. "What are we going to do with these men?" they asked. "Everybody living in Jerusalem knows they have done an outstanding miracle, and we cannot deny it. But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn these men to speak no longer to anyone in this name."

Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."

After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old.

Psalm 118:14-18

• The LORD is my strength and my song, *
  and he has become my salvation.
• There is a sound of exultation and victory *
  in the tents of the righteous:
• "The right hand of the LORD has triumphed! *
  the right hand of the LORD is exalted!
  the right hand of the LORD has triumphed!"
• I shall not die, but live, *
  and declare the works of the LORD.
• The LORD has punished me sorely, *
  but he did not hand me over to death.

OR

Psalm 118:19-24

• Open for me the gates of righteousness; *
  I will enter them;
  I will offer thanks to the LORD.
• "This is the gate of the LORD; *
  he who is righteous may enter."
• I will give thanks to you, for you answered me *
  and have become my salvation.
• The same stone which the builders rejected *
  has become the chief cornerstone.
• This is the LORD'S doing, *
  and it is marvelous in our eyes.
• On this day the LORD has acted; *
  we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Gospel: Mark 16:9-15,20
"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, `He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had driven seven demons. She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.

Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.

Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.

He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.

²⁰Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it."

Collect & Psalm from the Book of Common Prayer
Other excerpts from the New International Bible