Wednesday April 12, 2023

Today is Wednesday, April 12 and we are exploring what the Bible says about the Risen Christ.

As I begin this time of prayer, I still my body, quiet my mind and slow my breathing. I inhale the joy and peace of God’s loving presence. I exhale the worries, troubles and concerns I have carried with me.

Pause and Pray

Holy and blessed Lord, I long for you to speak into my life and circumstances. Give me ears to hear, eyes to see and a heart to understand the good message you have for me today as I study your Holy Word. Amen.

I rejoice in God’s steadfast love and praise him with the words of Psalm 63.

Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. Psalm 63:3-5

Pause and Pray

It is interesting to read what others have to say about the empty tomb, but I want to hear what God is saying to me about the empty tomb. This week we have been revisiting the story of the Risen Christ from the perspective of each gospel writer. Jesus told his disciples three times that he would be delivered into the hands of men who would kill him and on the third day he would be raised to life. Despite those clear predictions, when the disciples discovered Jesus’ tomb was empty three days after the crucifixion, everyone was bewildered. The three women arrived at Jesus’ tomb to find it contained nothing except two strange men dressed in clothes that gleamed as brightly as a flash of lightning. The angels spoke to the women in their fear.

“He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.” Then they remembered his words. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened. Luke 24:6-12

Jesus is risen. He is risen indeed. I contemplate how my life is different because of this truth. Am I like Mary Magdalene, Joanna and Mary, who need to be reminded of the words Jesus spoke that are recorded in scripture? What might jog my memory regarding his timeless teachings? Perhaps I am like the eleven disciples who will not believe the truth because it seems like nonsense. Or maybe I am like Peter, eager to get up, run to the tomb, bend over and peer into the empty darkness. The strips of linen once wrapped a dead body but now lie formless and alone. Peter wonders what happened even though Jesus himself predicted this exact thing.

Ask: Where do I harbor doubt or disbelief about the Risen Christ? Am I willing to get up and run to the tomb and see for myself?

Pause and Pray

Lord Jesus, forgive me when I do not remember your words and neglect my study of scripture. Forgive me when I doubt the testimony of truth and wonder what actually happened. Today I will not sit idly by and underestimate the glory of your resurrection. Alongside Peter, I get up and run to the tomb. Humbly, I bend low to peer into the place of death to see the grave clothes discarded and the miracle of life anew. I read the words from Luke again and listen for the message you have for me.

“He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.” Then they remembered his words. When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened. Luke 24:6-12

Ask: What image, word or phrase stands out to me when I slowly read this passage? What is God trying to say to me through these words of scripture?

Pause and Pray

I invite Jesus to speak to me in these accounts of the resurrection. I ruminate on the words of scripture and consider how it speaks into the current state of my soul or a particular situation in my life. I consider which words resonate with me the most – words like told, believe and remember or words like doubt, disbelief and nonsense. Perhaps God is inviting me to take some action in order to experience the empty tomb for myself. Maybe God wants to open my mind to the unfathomable, extraordinary truth of the Risen Christ.

Pause and Pray

Come Risen Lord, I invite you into the dark corners of my hidden doubt and disbelief. Open the eyes of my soul so that I can see your truth. Let me peer into the emptiness and discover what you have discarded and left behind. Despite the testimony or questions of those around me, let me see and experience you for myself. Amen.

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.” John 11:25-27

I leave this time of prayer, eyes wide open to the truth of Jesus and voice ready to tell the story of my Risen Lord.

Amen