Embrace Karfreitag! That’s German for “Sorrowful Friday.” The same day named “Guode Friday” in Old English back in the 1200’s.
I always wondered how it got named “Good.” What’s good about the Friday when Christ died? I’m more apt to agree with the Germans” It’s a sorrowful day!
The Baltimore Catechism from 1885 says it is “Good Friday” because it’s the day Jesus showed his great love for mankind.
Matthew 27:46
And about three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema tabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Matthew 27:59-61
“Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb… He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.”
Today is the day when Jesus seems gone. Mary and Mary Magdalene wept in front of the giant rock that was between them and the One they loved. Can you imagine their despair?
The reason I am embracing “Karfreitag!” is because I think it would be a shame to jump from Sorrowful Friday to the joy of Easter morning without sitting for a day and contemplating the sorrow that surrounded Christ’s death.
Imagine yourself at the tomb. Imagine the shock of finding Jesus gone… with the stone rolled away.
Tomorrow is called “Holy Saturday.” This is all that is written about it:
The next day the Pharisees and chief priests went to Pilate. “Sir, they said, we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day…”
What would you have thought if you had seen this scene on the day after Jesus died?
Holy Saturday is a day to pause gather our thoughts, process what happened, and get ready for the beautiful message of Easter.
See you tomorrow. Love to you, JanBeek
Before you go, treat yourself to this wonderful rendition of one of my favorite hymns by a phenomenal boys’ choir … joined by the wonderful men’s voices of the King’s College Choir. You’ll be glad you did!
Are you enthused about life? Have you overcome great strife? Are you ready to step out enthusiastically To conquer your challenges gleefully?
I am enthused because I look forward to returning to my volunteering today at the Madison Valley Medical Center. Ever since this pandemic shutdown last March, all the volunteers were told to stay home, socially distance, be safe, and wait this thing out. So this wonderful group of ladies who have annually saved the hospital the salary and benefits of at least two full-time staff members (as well as raising thousands of dollars in fund-raisers to donate for medical center needs) have been shut out. Yes, it was for our own safety… as well as others … but TODAY I GET TO GO BACK!!
I’m 3rd from the left second row… And yes, you read that correctly – it’s 31 thousand seven hundred dollars!
I am also enthusiastic today because after a year of searching with the Pastor Nominating Committee for a new pastor to lead our congregation forward following this strange year, we can see a light at the end of the tunnel! Our pastor of 32 years died and we’ve had a wonderful interim pastor who went out of retirement to help us. He is enthusiastically looking forward to returning to the retired life. I am looking forward to taking the next steps with our committee and our #1 candidate – – – enthusiasm bubbles over in all involved! What a wonderful way to approach Easter Sunday!
Today is Maundy Thursday. It’s the day Jesus invited the disciples into the upper room, washed their feet, and served the Last Supper. It was not with enthusiasm that they heard Him say He would die, be buried, and rise again in three days. They didn’t understand. But, I understand – so I am enthused!
The Last Supper
I am enthusiastic about the coming of Easter. I know we must endure the pain of “Good Friday” – wondering what’s good about the day Jesus dies on the cross. But, we know the rest of the story, so we can live through the remembrance of Christ’s misery because we know the way the story ends.
As a child I remember being enthusiastic about the Easter bunny and Easter egg hunts. I see no harm in that, but as an adult the focus on Easter eggs doesn’t enthuse me… not unless the story that accompanies them is the reminder of the empty tomb when the child finds the plastic egg with no candy in it… and that child is the one who wins the Golden Egg – and realizes the empty egg was the favored one!
I just returned from volunteering at the medical center as a “Purple Lady” … member of the Auxiliary. I am enthused telling you that the two nurses and a host of staff members made it possible for around 120 Madison County residents to receive their vaccines today. Many of those were receiving their second shot. I enthusiastically look forward to “herd immunity.”
Photo by Edward Jenner on Pexels.com COVID-19 BE GONE!!
Here is my Haiku series celebrating enthusiasm:
Enthusiasm It’s a feeling of great joy Anticipation
It’s sweet engagement In delightful chosen tasks Active involvement
Looking bright ahead Accomplishments come at last Feeling in God’s Will
Seeing smiles around Others feeling included Successful efforts
Anticipating Hearing “Congratulations!” It’s a job well done
It’s shared excitement Knowing we have done our best Enthusiasm!
When I put the word “guidance” in my Pexel image search, this picture of a smart phone – bringing the GPS image to mind – came up on my screen. Is that your idea of guidance?
What kind of guidance does this second image bring to mind? Maybe allowing your surroundings, the sun and moon, the mountains, to guide you? Do they give you a sense of direction? Is that what guidance means to you?
A lighthouse guides ships through the night- Especially in a storm when it is hard to see the shore. This kind of guidance involves a light that points the way, gives a warning, keeps the vessel from crashing into the rocks.
I searched through many photos before finding the light that spelled guidance to me – and this one sort of does it.
It’s the Light that dawns Each morning as I look to the heavens And ask for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. It’s the light of God that shines in and through me.
Where do you get your guidance? Do you pass it along to others Who are on the journey of life with you? Wise guidance from fellow believers is treasured.
If you look to others for direction And you play “Follow the Leader,” Be sure your guides are tuned in To the God of your Salvation!
In this Holy Week as we anticipate Easter, Look for guidance in prayer and the scriptures; Look for guidance in other Christ followers. Give guidance to the lost and help them.
Help them find their way this Holy Week To the foot of the cross where Jesus Showed us with His death and resurrection The true pathway to our final destination.
Jesus prays for our guidance daily
Let Him be your guide… And rejoice in the path He shows you: The LIGHTED Path to Eternal Life. Hallelujah! May He be your Guide forever!
EMBRACE GUIDANCE
Amen!
Have a Happy Holy Week! I send you lotsa love and hugs. JanBeek
“On the Road to Easter” was the title of today’s sermon by Rev. Steve Hundley at our Madison Valley Presbyterian Church in Ennis, Montana
Come join me as we EMBRACE the JOURNEY
Lent is upon us and Easter is only two weeks away. Next week we’ll celebrate Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem that day.
Jesus arrived in glory. Then, we see Jesus carry His cross to Golgotha. We’ll journey to where they’ll bury His body in the rocky tomb Before Easter will finally dawn. The journey is a painful one – A time when His family thinks He’s gone.
It reminds me that life Is a journey of great proportion And we have markers along the way. Some show where others made their fortune. But few of us have monuments Built to mark our stopping places – Like Lewis and Clark’s various markers And Jesus’ stopping spots – sacred spaces.
Our journey needs places of rest – Places where we feel lifted up The way Golgotha lifts us to Jesus Knowing His death & resurrection gifted us.
Jesus spoke about His death But the disciples didn’t want to hear. They thought of death as an enemy. Jesus said death means resurrection’s near.
Like a seed buried in the ground, We must die and be buried to rise. Jesus told His disciples He’d draw The world to Himself with words so wise.
He spoke of His death as if He had already died. He said His death would serve God’s purpose. His impact continues to grow – He is not dead!
As Easter approaches, we look At the cross and make our way To the Light; it illumines our path To His miracle that happened Easter Day.
Hallelujah! Easter is coming! Embrace the Journey. Amen
Morning’s Comin’ We can make it though the Night!
Thanks for joining me on JanBeek today. Have a beautiful Sunday afternoon/evening.
Can’t embrace the wind! Even if we think we would like to… It can’t be contained!
Yesterday I delivered some paperwork to a friend who is doing Bible Study with me once a week. It was a quiet Saturday morning – no wind (unusual for our windy valley). My friend wasn’t home, so I left the papers on her doorstep and texted her. When she returned home, the paperwork was long gone. The wind had come up and blew the packet to heaven only knows where!
Today’s sermon at the ZOOM meeting of Madison Valley Presbyterian Church here in Ennis, Montana was titled, “The Wind Blows Where it Will.”
Inspired by the scripture: John 3:1-17 (the story of Jesus & Nicodemus & the Holy Spirit) here are my sermon notes taken as I listened to Rev. Steve Hundley this morning:
The Wind Blows Where it Will
In the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus, two worlds collide. One is worldly and the other is Focused on where the Holy Spirit abides.
We often try to shrink our God Into something we can understand. But, we can’t fit God’s image Into something in this earthly land.
The dilemma we face is that We can’t think of God beyond Our own human capacity. That’s why it’s hard to respond.
John paints a picture of Nicodemus As a man of great knowledge. “Rabbi, we know…” he says, Addressing Jesus with a nudge.
Nicodemus thinks he has God Sized up and understood. He’s sure he knows how He fits Into this world… Oh, that we could!
Nicodemus tries to rope Jesus Into the narrow realm of “We know…” But every attempt fails. Jesus is a mystery – a wind that’ll blow.
It blows beyond our knowing. The Spirit blows beyond our capacity To understand with our finite minds. Does that surprise you and me?
We all have questions about the hereafter. No one can refute the image we hold, For our God’s life-giving grace Is bigger than can ever be told.
The wind of the Spirit blows Into darkness and brings light. But we cannot see clearly What God makes possible in His sight.
This scripture asks Nicodemus To let the Spirit carry him to A place beyond his imagination. It asks the same expansion of you!
“Rabbi, we know…” Ah, such assumptions!
John 3: 1-17
3:1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” 3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.[a]” 4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[b] gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You[c] must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”[d] 9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. 10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things? 11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.[e]14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,[f]15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”[g] 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Can’t embrace the wind! Even if we think we would like to… It can’t be contained!
Let’s try to embrace The beauty of God’s Spirit As it blows in us!
That’s a Bob Goff quote. His Spirit is Love personified. His book is “Love Does.” Do you know it?
And how about this oldie but goodie? Blowin’ in the Wind… Questions Nicodemus might have asked Jesus:
The answer is blowin’ in the wind. And with Easter upon us, the answer was hangin’ on a cross. Praise God, He is risen indeed!
The wind of the Spirit blows Into darkness and brings light.
The Wind Blows Where it Will
Thanks for visiting JanBeek today. May the Wind of the Spirit Blow Light into your darkness today. See ya tomorrow.
He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” — Luke 11:28
“If only you had paid attention to My commandments! Then your well-being would have been like a river, And your righteousness like the waves of the sea.” Isaiah 48:18
Samuel said, “Has the Lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22
To heed God’s Word Is better than honey Better than palaces Better than money
To heed God’s voice As He whispers in your ear Is to hear His angels speaking And to cherish what you hear
Obedience to the teachings Of wise men and women, too Is the road successful people Travel daily. How about you?
Are you tuning in to wisdom Are you listening really well? If so, then your obedience Will show – others will tell.
They’ll tell of your goodness. They’ll see what brings you peace And they’ll want to have a share In the joy that will not cease.
“But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.’ Jeremiah 7:23
When we live in obedience, We can sing with the best of them: It is well with my soul – And we can can pray for the rest of them!
Embrace Obedience! Easter is coming… when we set aside time To thank our God for sending the Perfect Example Of what Obedience – even to the cross – looks like.
Praise God! Hear – Heed -Obey!
Jesus – simple, yet complex
Thanks for visiting JanBeek today. I pray my Embrace series is encouraging you. See ya tomorrow.
My hands are dirty – And my heart is soiled, too. Time for spring cleaning!
This season of Lent is a time for cleaning – Cleaning out our hearts in preparation For the arrival of Easter when we can Embrace God’s grace through Jesus’ sacrifice.
Today’s sermon on our ZOOM worship service Was titled, “Holy Ground” as our pastor, Steve Hundley, recounted his trip to The Holy Land back about 20 years ago.
My feet are dirty – And my heart is soiled, too. Time for spring cleaning!
Holy Ground
What was it like to be able To walk in the footsteps of Jesus? What was it like to stand On Holy Ground? Spiritually renewing?
I was expecting each site to be charged With such power that holy goose bumps Popped up all over my body. But I was a bit disappointed.
It was hard to feel the grace of the risen Christ In this historically preserved place. How do you feel Jesus breaking bread When all you’re seeing is the top of a rock?
It’s important to protect these sites, But looking through plexiglass makes it Hard to feel the reality of Jesus. The garden tomb remains open, though.
It’s helpful to see without obstacles That distort the original places. We have our own expectations of What we’ll feel imagining holy faces.
Jesus and the money changers Were there on the temple floor Where I stood on that visit. But I couldn’t feel Jesus’ anger.
I wondered if maybe those men Were in fact offering a service. He told them they could tear it down And He’d rebuild it in three days.
They didn’t know He was referring To His body, not the building. Buildings are not what we worship. We worship God’s nature in spirit and in Truth.
We are often tied to the Rites and rituals to define us. But our traditions must not Rise above the Christ we adore.
It is not the place that matters. It is the love in our hearts That counts when we join together In worship… thanking God for His grace.
Thank You, God, for Jesus, for Easter, For the meaning of the cross, And for the sacrifice of Your Son’s life So we might EMBRACE GRACE.
The HOPE of EASTER Is in the grace of the cross. Let’s engage in some spring cleaning In preparation to stand on that Holy Ground… At the threshold of our eternal cleansing.
Embrace Grace.
AMEN
Thanks for visiting JanBeek today. See ya tomorrow. I’m headed to do some spring cleaning!
A strong pair of hands Lifted me from my doldrums Set me on a hill
It was Golgotha Known as the place of the skulls Three crosses were there.
People gathered there To watch as our Lord was killed How they must have mourned!
But today I stand Stand before an empty cross Knowing He’s alive
Christ’s not on that hill He is risen and alive Of that I am sure
And his sure, strong hands Hold me in their peace-filled palms And reassure me
He’s got the whole world Holding it in His strong hands Caring for us all
Remembering Him As He hung dying for me I surely believe
Death was not in vain Know it was not permanent He’s risen indeed
And He lives in me He lives in each one of us Who chooses to TRUST
Trust in the One God Who chose to send us His Son That we also LIVE
Live holding His hands As He reaches out for us Each day is EASTER!
Have a Marvelous Monday in Light, Love, and Truth He’s got you covered!
Go back and listen again to “One Pair of Hands” Carry the words and Elvis Presley‘s beautiful voice With you in your heart – and then live in His Peace.
Thanks for visiting JanBeek. Send the link to this blog to a friend today… Someone who needs the encouragement only Christ Alive can bring.
Our pastor, Steve Hundley, and choir director, Fran McNiell, teamed up to present a wonderful on-line church service for us. It’s not a video. It’s a Word document with links to a couple of majestic Easter hymns performed by The Hereford Cathedral Choir and congregation with orchestral and pipe organ accompaniment.
Opening Prayer
Resurrected Lord, like Mary Magdalene alone in the garden we, too, find ourselves alone, separated from those we love on this Easter morning. Risen Christ, come to us as You came to her. Let no shadow of the grave terrify us and no fear of darkness turn our hearts from You. Reveal Yourself to us this day and all the days ahead, as the first and the last, the Living One, our Immortal Savior and Lord. Amen.
Celebrate the Empty Tomb
Today we celebrate the empty tomb and our risen Savior. Let us confess our shortcomings and ask our Savior to forgive us. Here is Pastor Steve Hundley’s
Prayer of Confession:
Almighty God, in raising Jesus from the grave, You shattered the power of sin and death. We confess that we remain captive to doubt and fear, as CORVID 19 virus rampages through our world and alters our lives. Forgive us, God of mercy. Help us to trust Your power to heal, to give us life and make us new, that we may know the joy of life abundant given in Jesus Christ, the risen Lord. Amen.
Assurance of Pardon: (I Corinthians 15:54-57)
“Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is Your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer for Illumination:
God of life, whose Spirit raised Jesus from the dead and draws us to Christ, send Your Spirit now to give us deeper insight, encouragement, faith and hope, through the proclamation of the Easter gospel. Amen.
Today’s sermon:
Overcoming Life’s Greatest Temptation
John 20:1-18
“Do not worry about anything.” Paul said it. Jesus preached it in His sermon on the Mount message. It is Scripture to be obeyed. But, is it really humanly possible not to worry about anything? It is like telling a lame man to stop dragging his feet, or telling someone with a virus not to cough or sneeze so much. If life were predictable, maybe we could avoid “worrying about anything.” But as this deadly virus and empty pews on this Easter Sunday has reminded us, life is full of the unexpected—the unforeseen life interruptions that can turn our world upside down.
Of course, some unforeseen interruptions can be weathered better than others. When an appliance breaks at the most inopportune time, it is annoying, but we can handle that. Or, when we are late for an appointment and stuck in traffic. I know, I know, this is Montana, but it can happen.
And yet today, the whole world is in lockdown, in this, the mother and father of all unforeseen interruptions, and it has turned our lives upside down, stopping us dead in our tracks. The boss says: “I am sorry but we are going to have to let you go,” leaving you without a job or health insurance. The doctor says: “I’m afraid you’ve tested positive for the virus”; or, the paramedic says: “We did everything we could, but there is nothing more we could have done.” And we wonder: “Why is this happening? Where is God in all of this?”
Even though our faith assures us that God has a plan, it is little comfort as hopes, dreams, plans, and future crumble before us. You see, the greater life’s interruption, the more it bleeds over into the love for whom we care most.
As a pastor, husband and father, I tended to be a bit of a workaholic with more than a healthy dose of guilt. Some years ago, I was so caught up in my ministry that I was neglecting my own family. Concerned that I was not spending enough time with my daughter, Elaine suggested that I plan some quality time with Bethany. Elaine pointed out how much our daughter cherished the time I took her on a road trip to upstate NY. We attended the Eastern Traditional Archery Rendezvous where we camped out and competed with traditional archers from all over the country. My daughter described it as one of the best times of her life.
So, I suggested we take the same trip together. She was beside herself with joy and could hardly contain herself as we began to pack the car for the eleven-hour trip. I too, was so excited about getting away, I inadvertently left the car keys on the kitchen counter as I was telling Elaine “Goodbye”. I ran back into the house, grabbed the keys and headed back out the door. As I was about to climb into the driver’s seat, I looked up and saw Elaine standing at the edge of the porch with a concerned look on her face and the phone in her hand. “What is it,” I called out? “You really need to take this call,” she said.
Taking the phone, I learned that an elder and professor, beloved by her husband, young daughters, our congregation, and her students at the university, had just committed suicide. No one saw it coming. On any given Sunday, her face was the brightest and happiest face in the church choir. She was so bright, bubbly, and attractive, that no one had the faintest idea that she had been fighting a long, but losing, battle with her own inner demon called “depression.”
Stunned, I handed the phone back to Elaine, walked slowly to the car, leaned in and told my daughter that we would have to cancel our trip, for there had been a tragedy in the congregation. I think what was most painful for me was the fact that my thirteen-year-old daughter didn’t cry. She did not protest or fuss. She just got out of the car, walked quietly to the house, passing her mother on the porch, never to mention the trip again.
Yes, life has always been filled with unexpected interruptions that catch us off guard, disrupt our lives, and keep us off balance. What is so insidious about life’s interruptions, whether large or small, is that over time, they have the power to erode our trust and our very relationship with God. For, those places where our faith is stretched so much, we begin to wonder whether we are actually “standing on the solid rock,” or whether it is “just shifting sand.”
Yet, in God’s great love and concern for us, and because of our inability to recognize God’s power over life’s greatest interruptions, God took a body like ours in order that we may witness God’s power more clearly in the life of Jesus. In Christ, God has demonstrated for all the world to see His power over all life’s unexpected interruptions by: feeding the hungry masses, healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, making the lame to walk, and even by raising those who had died.
In the person of Jesus Christ, God demonstrated for us that “nothing can separate us from His love for us in Christ: not life’s greatest interruptions; not even death, the greatest interruption of all. And this is why, even in the face of this worldwide pandemic, we make our annual journey back to the empty tomb, remembering God’s all-encompassing power.
On this abnormal Easter morning, we remember how Christ’s own death on the cross interrupted the lives of his disciples and the life of Mary Magdalene. We remember how they must have felt, when all that they had believed in and hoped for, was buried and entombed with the body of Jesus.
We remember Mary Magdalene and how devastated and alone she must have felt, there at the empty tomb. Not only had they killed her Lord, but it seemed someone had even stolen His body, denying her closure. Of course, Jesus warned them that this was to fulfill all scripture, but Mary didn’t understand the scriptures. Peter did not understand the scriptures. None of the disciples understood the scriptures.
Besides, who is “the other disciple” who entered the empty tomb and believed? For that matter, what did he believe? Did he believe that Christ had risen from the dead, or did he simply believe what Mary said was true, that the stone had been rolled away and the body was stolen? After all, John says, “they left there and returned to their homes.” And who is this “unnamed disciple?” Is this simply a reference to John, or is it a reference to you and me, at home on this Easter morning?
Of course we remember that Mary lingered at the empty tomb, frozen in grief. But then, the risen Christ appeared to her, called her by name, proving that not even death can interrupt God’s gift of everlasting life. We remember, in spite of our own loss of life as we have known it, how Mary, overcome by shock and joy, threw her arms around Jesus, clinging to Him as if somehow she might shield Him from life’s greatest interruption once and for all. Still, just being alive is not enough. We remember on this Easter morning that Jesus is alive to do something for all humanity.
We remember on this Easter Sunday that:
Jesus is alive to make us all alive again.
Jesus is alive to make His God, our God; His Father, our Father.
Jesus is alive to raise us up from our own chaos and loss.
Jesus is alive to raise us up from death’s destructive power.
Jesus is alive to raise us up from every unexpected interruption that would threaten to separate us from the love of God.
JESUS IS ALIVE!
YES! We remember that “JESUS CHRIST IS RISEN TODAY!” And that the life, hope, love, and peace He gives can overcome all of life’s greatest interruptions!
YES! DEATH IS SWALLOWED UP IN VICTORY! O DEATH, WHERE IS THY VICTORY? O DEATH, WHERE IS THY STING?
Let’s sing of His Victory over death. Let’s lift our voices in praise!
Pastoral Prayer
Almighty God, on this triumphant day, we know that the whole host of heaven—angels, seraphs, and cherubim raise their voices singing “Alleluia,” for Christ the Lord is risen today. We want to join them, even though we are confined and suffering and the hands of a hidden and insidious enemy. We want to sing with the pure joy of those who celebrate the life You give in Jesus Christ. Give us freedom this day to lift our voices with all of heaven as we celebrate Christ’s victory over death.
Oh God, on this day some find it difficult to be glad. For them, life has too much pain. The present pandemic will not let them own too much hope. Some are angry in their loneliness. Some are worried about family.
We pray for each other in this unwanted, but necessary, internment. Touch us in our individual need. Free us today to be glad; to rejoice in the promise of newness of life; to let our hope out of its prison. Free us to shout and make joyful Alleluias. You know that we need to celebrate for You have done great things for us in the resurrection of Jesus.
O God, You know that we do not understand all there is to know about the resurrection. You know that we have questions, we have our doubts, we want to believe, we do believe, we wonder about our own belief. But on this day, help us to understand just enough about what faith means, that we are willing to let faith be what it should be; deep conviction without proof, trust without protested guarantees, joy in a promise which does not have to be fulfilled before it can be enjoyed.
Yes, on this day grant us the freedom to rejoice and sing glad Alleluias, for “Thine Is the Glory, Risen, conquering Son; Endless is the victory Thou o’er death hast won!”
As Christ bursts forth from the tomb,
May new life burst forth from us
And show itself in acts of love and healing to our hurting world.
And may that same Christ, who lives forever and is the source of our new life,
Keep your hearts rejoicing and grant you peace this day and always.
Amen.
Go Now! for you cannot go where God is not. Go with noble purpose, and God will give meaning to Your days. Go in love, for it alone endures. Go in peace, for it is the gift of God to those whose hearts and minds are in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
