April 22 nd: Third Sunday of Easter

Acts 3:12–19
1 John 3:1–7

The first reading is from the third chapter of Acts

After healing a crippled man, Peter preaches to the people how God’s promises to Israel have been fulfilled in Jesus. Through the proclamation of Christ’s death and resurrection, God is offering them forgiveness and restoration in Jesus’ name.

12When Peter saw it, he addressed the people, "You Israelites, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk?   13The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our ancestors has glorified his servant Jesus, whom you handed over and rejected in the presence of Pilate, though he had decided to release him.   14But you rejected the Holy and Righteous One and asked to have a murderer given to you, 15and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.   16And by faith in his name, his name itself has made this man strong, whom you see and know; and the faith that is through Jesus has given him this perfect health in the presence of all of you.
17And now, friends, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers.   18In this way God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer.   19Repent therefore, and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out.

Here ends the reading

The second reading is from the third chapter of first John

God has loved us in order to make us children of God. Though we do not yet know the full details of our future existence, we trust that God will reveal it just as God revealed Jesus to take away our sins.

See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.   2Beloved, we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.   3And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.
4Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness.   5You know that he was revealed to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.   6No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him.   7Little children, let no one deceive you. Everyone who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.

Here ends the reading