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After the Sabbath, as Sunday morning was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
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Suddenly there was a violent earthquake; an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled the stone away, and sat on it.
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His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.
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The guards were so afraid that they trembled and became like dead men.
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The angel spoke to the women. "You must not be afraid," he said. "I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
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He is not here; he has been raised, just as he said. Come here and see the place where he was lying.
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Go quickly now, and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from death, and now he is going to Galilee ahead of you; there you will see him!' Remember what I have told you."
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So they left the tomb in a hurry, afraid and yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
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Suddenly Jesus met them and said, "Peace be with you." They came up to him, took hold of his feet, and worshiped him.
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"Do not be afraid," Jesus said to them. "Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me."
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While the women went on their way, some of the soldiers guarding the tomb went back to the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened.
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The chief priests met with the elders and made their plan; they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers
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and said, "You are to say that his disciples came during the night and stole his body while you were asleep.
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And if the Governor should hear of this, we will convince him that you are innocent, and you will have nothing to worry about."
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The guards took the money and did what they were told to do. And so that is the report spread around by the Jews to this very day.
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The eleven disciples went to the hill in Galilee where Jesus had told them to go.
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When they saw him, they worshiped him, even though some of them doubted.
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Jesus drew near and said to them, "I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.
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Go, then, to all peoples everywhere and make them my disciples: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
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and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And I will be with you always, to the end of the age."
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From Paul, Silas, and Timothy--- To the people of the church in Thessalonica, who belong to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be yours.
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We always thank God for you all and always mention you in our prayers.
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For we remember before our God and Father how you put your faith into practice, how your love made you work so hard, and how your hope in our Lord Jesus Christ is firm.
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Our friends, we know that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own.
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For we brought the Good News to you, not with words only, but also with power and the Holy Spirit, and with complete conviction of its truth. You know how we lived when we were with you; it was for your own good.
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You imitated us and the Lord; and even though you suffered much, you received the message with the joy that comes from the Holy Spirit.
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So you became an example to all believers in Macedonia and Achaia.
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For not only did the message about the Lord go out from you throughout Macedonia and Achaia, but the news about your faith in God has gone everywhere. There is nothing, then, that we need to say.
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All those people speak about how you received us when we visited you, and how you turned away from idols to God, to serve the true and living God
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and to wait for his Son to come from heaven---his Son Jesus, whom he raised from death and who rescues us from God's anger that is coming.
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Our friends, you yourselves know that our visit to you was not a failure.
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You know how we had already been mistreated and insulted in Philippi before we came to you in Thessalonica. And even though there was much opposition, our God gave us courage to tell you the Good News that comes from him.
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Our appeal to you is not based on error or impure motives, nor do we try to trick anyone.
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Instead, we always speak as God wants us to, because he has judged us worthy to be entrusted with the Good News. We do not try to please people, but to please God, who tests our motives.
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You know very well that we did not come to you with flattering talk, nor did we use words to cover up greed---God is our witness!
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We did not try to get praise from anyone, either from you or from others,
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even though as apostles of Christ we could have made demands on you. But we were gentle when we were with you, like a mother taking care of her children.
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Because of our love for you we were ready to share with you not only the Good News from God but even our own lives. You were so dear to us!
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Surely you remember, our friends, how we worked and toiled! We worked day and night so that we would not be any trouble to you as we preached to you the Good News from God.
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You are our witnesses, and so is God, that our conduct toward you who believe was pure, right, and without fault.
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You know that we treated each one of you just as parents treat their own children.
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We encouraged you, we comforted you, and we kept urging you to live the kind of life that pleases God, who calls you to share in his own Kingdom and glory.
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And there is another reason why we always give thanks to God. When we brought you God's message, you heard it and accepted it, not as a message from human beings but as God's message, which indeed it is. For God is at work in you who believe.
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Our friends, the same things happened to you that happened to the churches of God in Judea, to the people there who belong to Christ Jesus. You suffered the same persecutions from your own people that they suffered from the Jews,
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who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and persecuted us. How displeasing they are to God! How hostile they are to everyone!
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They even tried to stop us from preaching to the Gentiles the message that would bring them salvation. In this way they have brought to completion all the sins they have always committed. And now God's anger has at last come down on them!
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As for us, friends, when we were separated from you for a little while---not in our thoughts, of course, but only in body---how we missed you and how hard we tried to see you again!
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We wanted to return to you. I myself tried to go back more than once, but Satan would not let us.
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After all, it is you---you, no less than others!---who are our hope, our joy, and our reason for boasting of our victory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes.
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Indeed, you are our pride and our joy!
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Finally, we could not bear it any longer. So we decided to stay on alone in Athens
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while we sent Timothy, our brother who works with us for God in preaching the Good News about Christ. We sent him to strengthen you and help your faith,
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so that none of you should turn back because of these persecutions. You yourselves know that such persecutions are part of God's will for us.
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For while we were still with you, we told you ahead of time that we were going to be persecuted; and as you well know, that is exactly what happened.
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That is why I had to send Timothy. I could not bear it any longer, so I sent him to find out about your faith. Surely it could not be that the Devil had tempted you and all our work had been for nothing!
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Now Timothy has come back, and he has brought us the welcome news about your faith and love. He has told us that you always think well of us and that you want to see us just as much as we want to see you.
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So, in all our trouble and suffering we have been encouraged about you, friends. It was your faith that encouraged us,
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because now we really live if you stand firm in your life in union with the Lord.
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Now we can give thanks to our God for you. We thank him for the joy we have in his presence because of you.
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Day and night we ask him with all our heart to let us see you personally and supply what is needed in your faith.
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May our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus prepare the way for us to come to you!
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May the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow more and more and become as great as our love for you.
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In this way he will strengthen you, and you will be perfect and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all who belong to him.
