Matthew 27:57-66
57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. 58He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth 60and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. 61Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. 62The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63and said, 'Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, "After three days I will rise again." 64Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, "He has been raised from the dead", and the last deception would be worse than the first.' 65Pilate said to them, 'You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.' 66So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.
THOUGHTS:
So can you believe it is Easter eve? We are about to celebrate the most important day of the Christian year and one of the most important days in human history. For me Lent has flown by. It seems like just yesterday when I was enjoying Fat Tuesday Pancakes and receiving Ash Wednesday Ashes. Now we have celebrated the Last Supper, remembered the Crucifixion, and prepare to celebrate the Resurrection.
When I read the above passage, I am reminded of several things I would like to share. First I am reminded of the passion play. I had the privilege of seeing The Passion play in Oberammergau, Germany. Every ten years this city puts the play together that is shown dozens of times. It is a two day marathon, in which hundreds of people pack an outdoor stage to watch. It is presented in German, but comes across with a universal understanding. People come from all over the world just to see this play. Seeing the way everyone in this small country town come together around the story of Christ, has been one of the most memorable experiences of my life.
I can't help but think of Paul Harvey when I read these verses. We know parts of the story, (we know the whole story in fact) but now we are filling in or being reminded of the details. Christ was dead. His body prepared for burial and then placed in a sealed tomb. Tomorrow we will be able to say; now we "know the rest of the story".
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, thank you for the sacrifice of Christ. Allow us to finish Lent on a high note, and have a meaning full Easter. Amen.
So can you believe it is Easter eve? We are about to celebrate the most important day of the Christian year and one of the most important days in human history. For me Lent has flown by. It seems like just yesterday when I was enjoying Fat Tuesday Pancakes and receiving Ash Wednesday Ashes. Now we have celebrated the Last Supper, remembered the Crucifixion, and prepare to celebrate the Resurrection.
When I read the above passage, I am reminded of several things I would like to share. First I am reminded of the passion play. I had the privilege of seeing The Passion play in Oberammergau, Germany. Every ten years this city puts the play together that is shown dozens of times. It is a two day marathon, in which hundreds of people pack an outdoor stage to watch. It is presented in German, but comes across with a universal understanding. People come from all over the world just to see this play. Seeing the way everyone in this small country town come together around the story of Christ, has been one of the most memorable experiences of my life.
I can't help but think of Paul Harvey when I read these verses. We know parts of the story, (we know the whole story in fact) but now we are filling in or being reminded of the details. Christ was dead. His body prepared for burial and then placed in a sealed tomb. Tomorrow we will be able to say; now we "know the rest of the story".
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, thank you for the sacrifice of Christ. Allow us to finish Lent on a high note, and have a meaning full Easter. Amen.
--
These devotions for young adults are provided by:
Lutheran Campus Ministry at George Mason University http://www.gmu.edu/org/lutheranLutheran Student Association at the University of Maryland http://terpconnect.umd.edu/~lutheran/lsa/DC Young Adults http://www.dcyoungadults.org/--***Feel free to share them with your friends!***View or subscribe to these devotions by RSS or email from http://lentendevotions.blogspot.com
Also available on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7958874287
No comments:
Post a Comment
All are welcome to post comments on these devotions, provided that the comments are respectful and relatively "on topic". Differences of opinion are appreciated, but we note that we enforce this as a "safe space". Comments that attack other users, are offensive, or are SPAM will not be approved. Thank you and God bless!